Effect of branched cracks on the elastic compliance of a material

The paper focuses on the elastic properties of a material containing multiple branched cracks with pores in their centers. First, we estimate compliance contribution tensor of such a crack and identify the proper microstructural parameters to describe its effect on the elastic properties. The compliance contribution tensor is used then to predict overall elastic properties of the considered material using various averaging schemes. It is shown that three microstructural parameters have to be combined - relative volume of pores, pore shapes, and relative length of the crack branches. Neglecting any of these parameters may lead to a substantial error in estimation of the effective elastic moduli. As an illustration, we consider example of sintering of metal fibers when all these parameters vary with temperature. It is shown how this variation can be incorporated in the model to monitor changes in the elastic properties with sintering temperature.     

复合材料的等效弹性性能

用细观力学的分析方法研究了复合材料的宏观等效弹性性能。在严格满足组分相间界面的连续性条件下,正确反映了组分相间的相互作用, 考虑了弹性张量各分量之间的相互关系, 分析了层合介质的宏观等效弹性性能。进一步用统计平均的思想, 得到了总体横观各向同性及总体各向同性复合材料的等效弹性性能的解析表达式。与有关的理论及实验结果比较, 得到了非常满意的结果。      

Elastic property prediction of single-walled carbon nanotube buckypaper/polymer nanocomposites: stochastic bulk response modeling

In this study, we investigated the statistical relationship between nanostructure variations of carbon nanotube buckypaper-polymer (BPP) composites and their resulting elastic properties. A statistical simulation was developed to predict the elastic properties of a single-layer BPP lamina and extrapolated to the resultant bulk composite part. The stochastic characteristics of BPP composite nanostructure were quantified from experimental observations and used to generate the input for each simulation set performed. The Mori-Tanaka method was used to calculate the stiffness tensor within the buckypaper-polymer region, and a Monte-Carlo simulation was applied to generate the probability distribution for the effective stiffness tensor within each BPP lamina. Classical laminate theory was then employed to predict the effective elastic response for a multi-layered BPP composite laminate. The theoretical predictions were compared with experimental data, and the resulting trends for the effective tensile modulus between experimental and theoretical corresponded well with each other.     

热梯度CVI工艺制备炭/炭复合材料管型件

热梯度化学气相沉积工艺中避免了等温沉积工艺中预制体表面孔隙过早堵塞的现象,适合制备轴对称的环形、管型件.利用热梯度化学气相沉积工艺制备了炭/炭复合材料管型制件,研究了材料的微观组织结构,测试了其力学性能以及热物理性能,实验结果表明所制备的炭/炭复合材料制件能够满足高温热结构材料的使用要求.     

Porous SiC Ceramics with Controlled Pores by CVI and Oxidation Consumption Processing

Preparation of porous SiC ceramics with controlled pores is demonstrated by oxidation consumption of a chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) C/SiC composite. The results show that the pores formation can be well monitored by thermogravimetric analysis during the oxidation. Performing the oxidation at 800°C is more favorable for obtaining porous ceramic by carbon oxidation consumption. The pores in the prepared SiC porous ceramics are uniform and maintain the same size and shapes with the used carbon fibers. Effective protections of the carbon fibers during CVI as well as negligible following oxidation of SiC are reasons for the pores control. The novelty of the present work is to provide a relative simple method for preparation of porous SiC body with controlled pores as well as for preparation of complex-shaped porous SiC body.     

Evaluation of the Contribution of Irregularly Shaped Holes into the Effective Elastic Moduli by Numerical Conformal Mapping

This paper presents a computational procedure to calculate the contribution of the irregularly shaped defects into the effective moduli of two-dimensional elastic solids. In this procedure, the hole compliance tensor of an individual defect is constructed using the numerical conformal mapping (NCM) technique. The effective elastic properties of a porous solid are predicted in the non-interacting approximation using the elastic potential-based approach.     

三维针刺碳毡增强碳/氮化硼复合材料的力学和介电性能

三维针刺碳毡中碳纤维的排布方式有利于电磁波的吸收。采用碳基体和氮化硼（BN）基体与三维针刺碳毡复合, 可望获得耐高温吸波复合材料。本文中采用先驱体浸渗裂解法（PIP）制备多孔三维针刺碳/碳（C/C）复合材料, 再利用化学气相渗透法（CVI）将BN引入C/C复合材料中, 最终获得了C/C--BN复合材料。研究了CVI时间对三维针刺C/C--BN复合材料微结构、 力学性能及介电性能的影响规律。随着CVI时间的增加, C/C--BN的密度增加, 孔隙率降低, 抗弯强度提高, 介电常数增加,介电损耗降低。在CVI时间达160h后, C/C--BN密度为1.43g/cm3, 总气孔率为25%, 抗弯强度达到82MPa。      

Modeling of effective material properties of pyrolytic carbon with different texture degrees by homogenization method

The elastic properties of pyrolytic carbon material as a function of texture degree were calculated by means of a homogenization method. The material microstructure is modeled as a system of graphite crystals (inclusions) embedded in an infinite homogeneous matrix with unknown effective (overall) parameters. The texture degrees of carbon planes extracted from the experimental selected-area electron diffraction patterns as well as size of coherent domains extracted from high resolution transmission electron microscopy images have been used as reference points for modeling of material properties. The experimental diffraction curves exhibiting a good fitting with the Gauss density function have been used to simulate the spatial orientation of inclusions. After that the overall elasticity tensor is calculated and the influence of the texture degree of pyrolytic carbon material on the engineering elastic parameters is studied.     

Explicit relations between elastic and conductive properties of materials containing annular cracks

The impact of annular cracks on the effective elastic and conductive properties of a material is analysed. The compliance contribution tensor of an annular crack - the quantity that determines the increase in compliance of a solid due to introduction of such a crack - is derived analytically. The resistivity contribution tensor of an annular crack is calculated numerically. It is shown that an effective circular crack, i.e. a crack which yields the same change in elastic/conductive properties of a material as the given annular crack, can be chosen to match both of these tensors. Using this result, the explicit relation between elastic and conductive properties of a material containing annular cracks is obtained. The relation is derived using a non-interaction approximation. Applicability of the derived formulae to real materials (to plasma-sprayed coatings, in particular) is discussed.     

Elastic buckling of multiwall carbon nanotubes under high pressure

This paper studies elastic buckling of individual multiwall carbon nanotubes under radial pressure. The analysis is based on a multiple-elastic-shell model in which each of the concentric tubes of a multiwall carbon nanotube is described as an individual elastic shell. According to their radius-to-thickness ratios, the multiwall carbon nanotubes discussed here are classified into three types: thin, thick, and (almost) solid. The critical pressure for elastic buckling is calculated for examples of all three types. It is found that a thin N-wall nanotube (defined by a radius-to-thickness ratio larger than 4) is approximately equivalent to a single-layer elastic shell whose effective bending stiffness and thickness are N times the effective bending stiffness and thickness of single-wall carbon nanotubes. Based on this result, an approximate method is suggested for replacing the problematic multiwall nanotube of many layers with a multilayer elastic shell of fewer layers. In particular, the critical pressure predicted by the present model is in good agreement with known experimental results.     

Frictionless sliding of single-stranded DNA in a carbon nanotube pore observed by single molecule force spectroscopy

Smooth inner pores of carbon nanotubes (CNT) provide a fascinating model for studying biological transport. We used an atomic force microscope to pull a single-stranded DNA oligomer from a carbon nanotube pore. DNA extraction from CNT pores occurs at a nearly constant force, which is drastically different from the elastic profile commonly observed during polymer stretching with atomic force microscopy. We show that a combination of the frictionless nanotube pore walls and an unfavorable DNA solvation energy produces this constant force profiles.     

Nanoinfiltration behavior of carbon nanotube based nanocomposites with enhanced mechanical and electrical properties

In this work,carbon nanotube (CNT) based nanocomposites with high mass fraction are proposed by in-situ bridging carbon matrix into CNT paper through optimized chemical vapor infiltration (CVI).Nanoinfiltration behavior of CNTs is basically investigated under the CVI process.The contact between each CNT can be strengthened and the conductive pathways can be established,resulting in the better mechanical and electrical properties.Compared with the pristine CNT paper,the CNT/C composite after pyrolysis process confirms a remarkable advance in tensile strength (up to 310 ± 13 MPa) and Young's modulus (up to 2.4 ± 0.1 GPa).Besides,a notable feature of electrical conductivity also shows an improvement up to 8.5 S/cm,which can be attributed to the mass fraction of CNT (41 wt％) breaking the limits of percolation thresholds and the efficient densification of this sample to establish the conductive pathways.This study has a broad application in the development of the multi-functional electrical and engineering materials.     

Effects of processing methods and parameters on the mechanical properties and microstructure of carbon/carbon composites

The influence of the fabrication parameters during carbonization and densification processes on the mechanical properties and the microstructure of carbon/carbon (C/C) composites were investigated. The C/C composites were made by using phenolic resin as precursor and two-dimensional carbon fabrics as reinforcements for the first carbonization. The effects of heating rate and heat-treatment temperature during the initial carbonization process on the properties of C/C composites are presented. Further densification treatment was completed by chemical vapour infiltration (CVI) and a liquid-resin impregnation process. The CVI route was found to be more efficient than the resin-impregnation process. The interlayer spacing of C/C composites did not change after resin re-impregnation for several times. However, the interlayer spacing of the C/C composites was reduced when the processing temperature in the CVI process was increased. Higher flexural strength and flexural modulus were obtained because the densities of the composites were enhanced either by the chemical vapour infiltration process or by the resin-impregnation route. The variation in thickness of the CVI deposited carbon within the preformed composite was studied and the morphology of the fracture surface of the C/C composites was also examined.     

比表面积与入口气体分压对热解炭微观结构影响的数值模拟研究

本研究在炭/炭复合材料热解炭基体织构形成与转化的模型基础上, 基于石墨微晶片层的表面结构特点, 建立了蜂窝结构的热解炭沉积表面几何模型, 并运用Monte Carlo方法模拟了在等温等压化学气相渗透(CVI)过程中热解炭基体沉积的动力学过程, 研究了预制体比表面积(A_S/V_R)和入口气体分压对热解炭微观结构的影响。通过数值模拟并结合已公开发表的实验结果发现, 在CVI工艺过程中一定的压力条件下, 通过控制A_S/V_R可以获得不同织构的热解炭, 预制体的A_S/V_R存在两个临界值, 靠近反应器入口处的临界值为1.45 m^-1和8.9 mm^-1, 靠近反应器出口处的临界值为0.3 mm^-1, 当A_S/V_R处于这两个临界值之间时, 系统主要沉积高织构热解炭; 在同一A_S/V_R且压强小于30 kPa的条件下, 通过控制反应气体压强的值也可以得到不同织构的热解炭, 并且压强也存在一个临界值, 当压强大于这个临界值时, 系统主要沉积高织构热解炭。     

短切炭纤维的CVI处理及其在CFRC中的分散性

采用CVI法对短炭纤维进行表面处理, 借助超声波对其进行预分散, 用新型分散剂羟乙基纤维素(HEC)和超细粉硅灰对其进行分散, 并研究了其在水泥基体中的分散性; 在SEM电镜下观察了短炭纤维增强水泥基复合材料(CFRC)的断口形貌, 用炭纤维质量变动系数定量评价了短炭纤维在CFRC中的分散性。结果表明, 采用CVI预处理和超声波预分散, 在分散剂HEC和硅灰不同掺量下, 炭纤维的分散性均得到显著改善。炭纤维的分散性随HEC掺量的增加而提高, 当HEC掺量为水泥质量的0.6%、 硅灰掺量为水泥质量的10%时, 两种分散剂的协同作用使炭纤维质量变动系数最小, 此时炭纤维在水泥基体中的分散性最理想。      

Convergence problems in the theory of random elastic media

A main result of the rigorous theory of random, linearly elastic media consists in the representation of the tensor of effective elastic moduli as a Neumann type infinite series which contains the infinite set of correlation functions of the distribution of the local elastic moduli. Under the restriction to statistically homogeneous and isotropic finite media it is proved that convergent series can always be obtained provided the local elastic moduli remain finite everywhere in the medium. This means that the mentioned theory cannot be applied in the above mentioned form to media with pores and/or rigid inclusions. It also means that the theory is not restricted to media with small fluctuations of the elastic parameter.     

Nanospace engineering of KOH activated carbon

This paper demonstrates that nanospace engineering of KOH activated carbon is possible by controlling the degree of carbon consumption and metallic potassium intercalation into the carbon lattice during the activation process. High specific surface areas, porosities, sub-nanometer (<1 nm) and supra-nanometer (1-5 nm) pore volumes are quantitatively controlled by a combination of KOH concentration and activation temperature. The process typically leads to a bimodal pore size distribution, with a large, approximately constant number of sub-nanometer pores and a variable number of supra-nanometer pores. We show how to control the number of supra-nanometer pores in a manner not achieved previously by chemical activation. The chemical mechanism underlying this control is studied by following the evolution of elemental composition, specific surface area, porosity, and pore size distribution during KOH activation and preceding H(3)PO(4) activation. The oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen contents decrease during successive activation steps, creating a nanoporous carbon network with a porosity and surface area controllable for various applications, including gas storage. The formation of tunable sub-nanometer and supra-nanometer pores is validated by sub-critical nitrogen adsorption. Surface functional groups of KOH activated carbon are studied by microscopic infrared spectroscopy.     

Modeling the effective elastic properties of nanocomposites with circular straight CNT fibers reinforced in the epoxy matrix

In the present study, the consistent effective elastic properties of straight, circular carbon nanotube epoxy composites are derived using the micromechanics theory. The CNT composites are known to provide high stiffness and elastic properties when the shape of the fibers is cylindrical and straight. Accordingly, in the present work, the effective elastic moduli of composite are newly obtained for straight, circular CNTs aligned in the specified direction as well as distributed randomly in the matrix. In this direction, novel analytical expressions are proposed for four cases of fiber property. First, aligned, and straight CNTs are considered with transverse isotropy in fiber coordinates, and the composite properties are also transversely isotropic in global coordinates. The short comings in the earlier developments are effectively addressed by deriving the consistent form of the strain tensor and the stiffness tensor of the CNT nanocomposite. Subsequently, effective relations for composites reinforced with aligned, straight CNTs but fibers isotropic in local coordinates are newly developed under hydrostatic loading. The effect of the unsymmetric Eshelby tensor for cylindrical fibers on the overall properties of the nanocomposite is included by deriving the strain concentration tensors. Next, the random distribution of CNT fibers in the matrix is studied with fibers being transversely isotropic as well as isotropic when CNT nanocomposites are subjected to uniform loading. The corresponding relations for the effective elastic properties are newly derived. The modeling technique is validated with results reported, and the variations in the effective properties for different CNT volume fractions are presented.     

Effects of CNT waviness on the effective elastic responses of CNT-reinforced polymer composites

In this study, the effects of fiber waviness on the effective elastic responses of CNT–polymer composites are investigated based on the framework of micromechanics and homogenization. By taking advantage of an ad hoc Eshelby tensor, the load-transfer capability of wavy carbon nanotube (CNT) embedded in the polymer matrix is accounted for. Further, the effective elastic responses of composites are simulated by using the multi-phase Mori–Tanaka method to study the influence of randomly oriented wavy CNT. It is demonstrated that the proposed micromechanics-based closed form solution is effective to tackle the underlying problem. The present predictions and the comparisons with the available experimental data indicate that the CNT waviness leads to the degradation of effective responses of composites. Finally, in addition to the effect of CNT waviness, the significance of CNT interface is briefly discussed based on the experimental observations.     

A circular inclusion in a finite domain I. The Dirichlet-Eshelby problem

Summary This is the first paper in a series concerned with the precise characterization of the elastic fields due to inclusions embedded in a finite elastic medium. A novel solution procedure has been developed to systematically solve a type of Fredholm integral equations based on symmetry, self-similarity, and invariant group arguments. In this paper, we consider a two-dimensional (2D) circular inclusion within a finite, circular representative volume element (RVE). The RVE is considered isotropic, linear elastic and is subjected to a displacement (Dirichlet) boundary condition. Starting from the 2D plane strain Navier equation and by using our new solution technique, we obtain the exact disturbance displacement and strain fields due to a prescribed constant eigenstrain field within the inclusion. The solution is characterized by the so-called Dirichlet-Eshelby tensor, which is provided in closed form for both the exterior and interior region of the inclusion. Some immediate applications of the Dirichlet-Eshelby tensor are discussed briefly.