Measuring changing strain fields in composites with Distributed Fiber-Optic Sensing using the optical backscatter reflectometer

Background/purposeMeasurements of strains in critical components are often required in addition to finite element calculations when evaluating a structure.MethodsThis paper describes how standard optical fibers, bonded to the surface or embedded in a laminate, can measure strain fields along the entire length of the fiber, using the optical backscatter reflectometer.ResultsA strain field measurement can be much better compared to simulations than the more common single point measurements with strain gauges or Bragg Gratings. Changes of the strain field can be related to damage development and can be used for structural health monitoring. Practical aspects of using the fibers are also discussed.ConclusionDistributed Fiber-Optic Sensing was successfully embedded and bonded to a composite joint. Adhesive damage was identified and the strain field agreed well with FE-Analysis.     

Assessment of the effectiveness of steel fibre reinforcement for the punching resistance of flat slabs by experimental research and design approach

The present paper deals with the experimental assessment of the effectiveness of steel fibre reinforcement in terms of punching resistance of centrically loaded flat slabs, and to the development of an analytical model capable of predicting the punching behaviour of this type of structures. For this purpose, eight slabs of 2550 × 2550 × 150 mm³ dimensions were tested up to failure, by investigating the influence of the content of steel fibres (0, 60, 75 and 90 kg/m³) and concrete strength class (50 and 70 MPa). Two reference slabs without fibre reinforcement, one for each concrete strength class, and one slab for each fibre content and each strength class compose the experimental program. All slabs were flexurally reinforced with a grid of ribbed steel bars in a percentage to assure punching failure mode for the reference slabs. Hooked ends steel fibres provided the unique shear reinforcement. The results have revealed that steel fibres are very effective in converting brittle punching failure into ductile flexural failure, by increasing both the ultimate load and deflection, as long as adequate fibre reinforcement is assured. An analytical model was developed based on the most recent concepts proposed by the fib Mode Code 2010 for predicting the punching resistance of flat slabs and for the characterization of the behaviour of fibre reinforced concrete. The most refined version of this model was capable of predicting the punching resistance of the tested slabs with excellent accuracy and coefficient of variation of about 5%.     

Kissing bond detection in structural adhesive joints using nonlinear dynamic characteristics

In this paper, the effect of kissing bond on nonlinear dynamic behavior of structures with flexible adhesive joint is investigated. Bilinear characteristic due to opening and closing in kissing bond region results in nonlinear dynamic behavior of the structure such as harmonic distortion in response to harmonic excitation. So, the higher-order harmonics can be considered as Nonlinear Damage Indicator Functions (NDIF) for the purpose of damage identification. A two-dimensional (2D) finite element model of a beam connected to a rigid support via a flexible adhesive layer is used to investigate the efficiency of the proposed NDIFs in kissing bond detection. Kissing bond is introduced to the model via contact elements. NDIFs are extracted for the finite element model using single tone stepped-sine test simulation. Parameters such as amplitude of excitation, size and location of kissing bond region as well as friction between kissing surfaces, are studied. The results proved that the NDIFs are sensitive to the size and location of kissing bond. Consequently, in an experimental damage identification procedure, NDIFs can be used as an indicator of kissing bond type damages in adhesive joints.     

Experimental study to assess the effect of carbon nanotube addition on the through-thickness electrical conductivity of CFRP laminates for aircraft applications

The present paper tests experimentally the through-thickness electrical conductivity of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites laminates for aircraft applications. Two types of samples were prepared: Type A samples with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and Type B samples without CNTs. During the electrical experiments, electrical currents of several mA were injected through the specimens. Electrical resistance was monitored simultaneously in order to deduce the changes in the through-the-thickness electrical conductivity caused by the addition of CNTs. Improvement of electrical conduction by two orders of magnitude was achieved through the addition of 1 wt% carbon nanotubes as compared to classic CFRP without CNTs. For moisture saturated samples, the influence of moisture absorption on such measures was found to be negligible.     

Mechanical performance of innovative GFRP-bamboo-wood sandwich beams: Experimental and modelling investigation

Innovative GFRP-bamboo-wood sandwich beams were developed and investigated experimentally and by modeling. The effects of the thickness of the GFRP and bamboo layers on the overall structural performance in bending were clarified. It was shown that an increase of thickness of the bamboo and GFRP layers could significantly increase the flexural stiffness and ultimate load of the sandwich beams. ANSYS was used to parametrically analyze the material efficiency and to obtain optimal solutions for the thickness of the GFRP, wood, and bamboo layers. The total depth of 60 mm and the thickness of 6 mm for bamboo and of 4.5 mm for GFRP presented the best material efficiency in terms of stiffness enhancement. A simplified model based on Timoshenko beam theory was proposed to predict the load-deflection behavior of the sandwich beams, where the section transformation method was used to calculate the stress distribution along the depth of the sandwich beams. The calculated results showed good correlation with the experimental and numerical results. Design optimization in terms of self-weight and cost of the proposed sandwich beam was conducted using MATLAB and ANSYS, and the optimized thicknes was obtained with minimized self-weight, cost, and acceptable mechanical performance.     

Effects of Winding Attachment Positions on Output Characteristics of Flux‐Modulating Synchronous Machines

The flux‐modulating synchronous machine (FMSM) is a new type of multipole SM with nonoverlapping concentrated armature and field windings on the stator. This paper compares the output characteristics of two FMSMs through finite element analysis (FEA) and experiments. In both of the FMSMs, the attachment positions of the armature and field windings are swapped. To determine the reason for the discrepancies in their output characteristics, unsaturated inductances were calculated using a d‐‐q equivalent circuit. In addition, the calculated results of the inductances were confirmed through a visualization of the leakage fluxes using FEA. The results of the study show that the synchronous inductance can be reduced by attaching the armature winding to the air‐gap side of the stator teeth and that the reduction leads to an increase in output power.     

Review of pulsed thermal NDT: Physical principles,theory and data processing

This paper summarizes the basics of pulsed thermal nondestructive testing (TNDT) including theoretical solutions, data processing algorithms and practical implementation. Typical defects are discussed along with 1D analytical and multi-dimensional numerical solutions. Special emphasis is focused on defect characterization by the use of inverse solutions. A list of TNDT terms is provided. Applications of active TNDT, mainly in the aerospace industry, are discussed briefly, and some trends in the further development of this technique are described.     

Poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate)-grafted carbon nanotube nanofillers as reinforcing agent for PHAs-based electrospun mats

Poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate)s, PHAs, have been covalently grafted onto the surface of multi-walled carbon nanotubes, MWCNTs, providing nanofillers (MWCNT-graft-PHAs) with enhanced compatibility and reinforcement effect towards PHAs. MWCNTs were first modified by in-situ generated diazonium cations obtained from a hydroxyl-containing aniline derivative, yielding MWCNTs with reactive hydroxyl surface groups, MWCNT-OH. Then, MWCNT-graft-PHAs were obtained by direct, i.e. without using any catalyst, transesterification approach. The successful chemical modification of MWCNTs surface was evidenced by Raman spectroscopy and XPS analysis confirming the covalent grafting of PHA on MWCNT. 3-Dimension mats were further produced through electrospinning of a PHA/MWCNT-graft-PHA solution providing nanocomposites with well-defined nanofibrous morphology. No aggregation of the MWCNTs was evidenced by SEM attesting that the grafting of PHA onto MWCNT improved their dispersion within the PHA matrix and consequently, the properties of the corresponding nanomaterials. Indeed, mechanical analysis results have shown that nanofibers loaded with MWCNT-graft-PHA (3 wt%) displayed excellent properties with an increase (+41%) of the tensile strain at break without any decrease of the high elastic modulus as compared to pristine PHA (131 MPa).     

Structural performance of ballastless track slabs reinforced with BFRP and SFCB

Because of the inductive impedance caused by steel meshes in traditional reinforced ballastless track slabs, the electrical properties, primarily the rail resistance and inductance, of jointless track circuits are affected by electromagnetic induction between the slabs and the electric current in the rail. This problem results in poor transmission performance throughout the track circuit. Insulating sleeves or cards between the steel meshes have been used to improve the insulation capability of steel meshes in slabs; however, they reduce the bonding performance between the steel bars and concrete. Because of the good insulation properties of fiber-reinforced polymer composite bars (FRPs) and steel-fiber reinforced polymer composite bars (SFCBs), these composite materials have shown potential to overcome this insulation problem. However, the structural performance of the ballastless track slabs reinforced by basalt fiber reinforced polymer composite bars (BFRPs) and SFCBs, which play a key role in the structure and transportation safety, needs to be investigated. In this paper, six ballastless track slabs reinforced with BFRPs, SFCBs, and steel bars were constructed and tested. The following results were obtained. (1) Shear failures were observed for all slabs, both the BFRP and SFCB slabs meet the load level requirements, and SFCBs reinforcements have higher strength utilization compared with BFRPs reinforcements. (2) The bond-quality of SFCBs and BFRPs reinforcements proved slightly poorer than that of the steel bars. Because of the good corrosion resistance of the FRP, the maximum crack width limits can be slightly larger than that of the RC slabs. (3) Bischoff’s equation was initially used to calculate the deflection of partially prestressed concrete slabs under service loads. The results demonstrated a good agreement between the theoretical and experimental analysis. (4) Considering the tensile stiffness, the modified ACI equation was used to calculate the slabs’ crack width and the theoretical and experimental results showed a good agreement.     

板栗壳黄酮结构分析及其对胰脂肪酶活力的抑制作用

在分析板栗壳黄酮结构的基础上，研究其对胰脂肪酶的抑制作用及类型。采用醇提法提取板栗壳中的黄酮，并用AB-8大孔吸附树脂进行纯化，冻干后得到的黄酮含量为（107.50±1.00）mg/g，提取得率为（5.66±0.05）%。利用超高效液相色谱-四极杆/静电场轨道阱质谱联用技术对板栗壳黄酮进行结构分析，鉴定出8 种黄酮类化合物。采用对硝基苯酚法测定胰脂肪酶活力，分别考察板栗壳黄酮对胰脂肪酶的抑制效果及不同反应条件下板栗壳黄酮对胰脂肪酶活性的影响，结果表明，板栗壳黄酮对胰脂肪酶有较好的抑制作用，半抑制浓度（half maximal inhibitory concentration，IC50）为0.074 mg/mL，且使胰脂肪酶最适pH值向碱性偏移。通过Lineweaver-Burk双倒数作图法确定其抑制类型为非竞争性抑制，抑制常数Ki＝53.19 mg/mL。由此可见，板栗壳黄酮是一种效果良好的胰脂肪酶抑制剂。