Multiple cracking response of plasma treated polyethylene fiber reinforced cementitious composites under flexural loading

The effects of low frequency cold plasma treatments on the microstructure and chemistry of Polyethylene (PE) have been investigated. PE plates and fibers were exposed to plasmas of argon and oxygen gases. The surface wettabilities of plasma-treated plates were monitored. Possible physical changes on fiber surfaces were observed by a scanning electron microscope (SEM) at micrometer scale and by an atomic force microscope (AFM) at nanometer scale after this process. The effects of plasma treatment on surface chemistry of PE fibers have been analyzed by using an X-ray photoemission spectroscope (XPS). The fibers modified by plasma treatments were used in prismatic cementitious composites. The flexural performance of samples were characterized at two different ages (28 days and 8 months). Results showed that plasma treatment caused significant modifications on fibers’ surface structure and composites’ performance. Proper plasma treatment conditions significantly leads to improvement of multiple cracking behavior of fiber reinforced composites.     

Fatigue life prediction of fiber reinforced concrete under flexural load

This paper presents a semi-analytical method to predict fatigue behavior in flexure of fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) based on the equilibrium of force in the critical cracked section. The model relies on the cyclic bridging law, the so-called stress–crack width relationship under cyclic tensile load as the fundamental constitutive relationship in tension. The numerical results in terms of fatigue crack length and crack mouth opening displacement as a function of load cycles are obtained for given maximum and minimum flexure load levels. Good correlation between experiments and the model predictions is found. Furthermore, the minimum load effect on the fatigue life of beams under bending load, which has been studied experimentally in the past, is simulated and a mechanism-based explanation is provided in theory. This basic analysis leads to the conclusion that the fatigue performance in flexure of FRC materials is strongly influenced by the cyclic stress–crack width relationship within the fracture zone. The optimum fatigue behavior of FRC structures in bending can be achieved by optimising the bond properties of aggregate–matrix and fiber–matrix interfaces.     

Microstructure variability and macroscopic composite properties of high performance fiber reinforced cementitious composites

High performance fiber reinforced cementitious composites have made major advances in recent years, to the point where they are being adopted in building and bridge constructions. The most significant advantage of HPFRCC over conventional concrete is their high tensile ductility. However, the tensile strain capacity has been observed to vary, most likely as a result of the variability of the microstructure derived from the processing of these materials.This paper describes the composite property variability, as well as the variability of the material microstructure. Scale linkage is discussed. In particular, the tensile stress–strain curves, and the crack pattern on uniaxially loaded specimens are presented. The treatment of random fibers in micromechanical models, and tailoring of matrix flaw size distribution for saturated multiple cracking are examined. It is suggested that robust composite properties can be achieved by deliberate control of microstructure variability. Some open issues concerning the randomness of microstructures and possibly related macroscopic behavior are also identified. Further gains in composite property control may be expected from improvements in characterization and modeling of the microstructure randomness.     

Effect of fiber array on damping behaviors of fiber composites

This study aims to investigate the fiber array effect on modal damping behaviors of fiber composites. Three different fiber arrays, i.e., square edge packing (SEP), square diagonal packing (SDP), and hexagonal packing (HP), were considered to represent the microstructures of the unidirectional composites. Repeating unit cells (RUCs) suitable for describing the characteristics of the microstructure were adopted in the generalized method of cell (GMC) micromechanical analysis. The energy dissipation concept was then employed to calculate the specific damping capacities of composites in the material principal directions. The specific damping capacities obtained from micromechanical analysis were regarded as the equivalent damping properties homogenizing in the composites. In conjunction with the modal shapes of the composite structures determined from the finite element analysis, the specific damping capacity was extended to characterize the corresponding modal damping of the composite rods and plates. Both free–free and clamped-free boundary conditions were taken into account in the composite structures. Results indicated that the structures constructed from the composites with SDP fibers exhibit better damping behaviors than the other two cases.     

Correlation of tensile and flexural responses of strain softening and strain hardening cement composites

Closed form equations for generating moment–curvature response of a rectangular beam of fiber reinforced concrete are presented. These equations can be used in conjunction with crack localization rules to predict flexural response of a beam under four point bending test. Parametric studies simulated the behavior of two classes of fiber reinforced concrete: strain softening and strain hardening materials. The simulation revealed that the direct use of uniaxial tension and compression responses under-predicted the flexural response for strain softening material while a good prediction for strain hardening material was obtained. The importance of strain softening range on the flexural response is discussed using non-dimensional post-peak parameters. Results imply that the brittleness and size effect are more pronounced in the flexural response of brittle materials, while more accurate predictions are obtained with ductile materials. It is also demonstrated that correlations of tensile and flexural results can be established using normalized uniaxial tension and compression models with a single scaling factor.     

芳纶纤维复合材料抗弹性能研究

叙述了球形弹体对芳纶纤维增强复合材料冲击的研究结果.对芳纶复合板的抗弹机理进行了研究,并研究了影响芳纶复合材料抗弹性能的主要因素.结果表明,在等厚条件下,预浸料铺层层数越多,靶板面密度越大;采用热塑性树脂材料为基体,且基体含量较低时,芳纶复合材料会具有更好的抗弹性能.     

碳酸钙晶须对混杂纤维增强高延性水泥基复合材料力学性能的影响

为了探究碳酸钙晶须对钢纤维/PVA混杂纤维增强高延性水泥基复合材料(HyFRHDCC)力学性能的影响,利用2%体积掺量的廉价碳酸钙晶须替代部分纤维,研究了不同纤维掺量HyFRHDCC的压缩性能和拉伸性能,利用扫描电子显微镜观察了HyFRHDCC的微观结构。研究结果表明,引入碳酸钙晶须能够提高HyFRHDCC的初裂拉伸应变和峰前压缩韧性;在1.5%PVA+0.25%钢纤维HyFRHDCC中掺入2%碳酸钙晶须可以改善材料的拉伸性能;当PVA纤维减少至1%时,HyFRHDCC出现了明显的应变软化行为。微观形貌分析发现,碳酸钙晶须能够通过裂纹偏转、晶须拔出以及裂缝桥联等微观机制改善HyFRHDCC的应变硬化行为。     

Optimization of infrared radiation cure process parameters for glass fiber reinforced polymer composites

Elevated temperature post curing is one of the most critical step in the processing of polymer composites. It ensures that the complete cross-linking takes place to produce the targeted properties of composites. In this work infrared radiation (IR) post curing process for glass fiber reinforced polymer composite laminates is studied as an alternative to conventional thermal cure. Distance from the IR source, curing schedule and volume of the composite were selected as the IR cure parameters for optimization. Design of experiments (DOE) approach was adopted for conducting the experiments. Tensile strength and flexural strength of the composite laminate were the responses measured to select the final cure parameters. Analysis of variance (ANOVA), surface plots and contour plots clearly demonstrate that the distance from the IR source and volume of the composite contribute nearly 70% to the response functions. This establishes that polymer composites cured using IR technique can achieve the same properties using only 25% of the total time compared to that of conventional thermal curing.     

Experimental investigation on test methods for mode II interlaminar fracture testing of carbon fiber reinforced composites

In this paper, experimental investigation on the test methods for mode II interlaminar fracture testing of carbon fiber reinforced composites are carried out. Mode II interlaminar fracture testing of unidirectional composite of carbon fiber reinforced epoxy (T800/#3631) are conducted using four kinds of test methods, namely end notched flexure (ENF) test, end loaded split (ELS) test, four-point bend end notched flexure (4ENF) test, and over notched flexure (ONF) test. An analytical model based on a point-friction assumption and classical beam theory is proposed to evaluate the effect of friction between crack faces on the mode II interlaminar fracture toughness in the 4ENF and ONF tests. The analytical model is validated by the comparison of analytical results with previous ones obtained from finite element analysis. Experimental results show that the ENF test gives reliable initiation value of fracture toughness with a small scatter and that the average value of fracture toughness obtained from 4ENF test is about 2% higher than that obtained from the ENF test. The effect of friction in the 4ENF test is much lower than that in the ONF test in which the effect of friction increases with the crack growing. It is concluded that the 4ENF test method is an effective test method for the experimental evaluation of mode II propagation interlaminar fracture toughness of carbon fiber reinforced composites.     

The effects of volume percent and aspect ratio of carbon fiber on fracture toughness of reinforced aluminum matrix composites

Carbon fiber reinforced aluminum matrix composites are used as advanced materials in aerospace and electronic industries. In order to investigate role of aspect ratio of carbon fiber on fracture toughness of aluminum matrix composite, the composite was produced using stir casting. Al–8.5%Si–5%Mg selected as a matrix. The samples were prepared with three volume fractions (1, 2 and 3) and three aspect ratios (300, 500 and 800). Three-point bending test was performed on the specimens to evaluate the fracture toughness of the materials. The results showed that the fracture toughness of composites depends on both fiber volume fraction and aspect ratio. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to elucidate the fracture behavior and crack deflection of composites. The study also, showed that the toughening mechanism depends strongly on fiber volume fraction, aspect ratio and the degree of wetting between fiber and matrix.     

Effect of carbon nanotube waviness on the effective thermoelastic properties of a novel continuous fuzzy fiber reinforced composite

This paper deals with the investigation of the effect of carbon nanotube (CNT) waviness on the effective coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of a novel continuous fuzzy fiber reinforced composite (FFRC). This novel FFRC is composed of carbon fibers, sinusoidally wavy CNTs and epoxy matrix. The sinusoidally wavy CNTs are radially grown on the circumferential surfaces of the carbon fibers. Analytical micromechanics model based on the method of cells (MOC) approach is derived to investigate the influence of the waviness of CNTs on the effective CTEs of the FFRC. The present study reveals that if the amplitudes of the radially grown sinusoidally wavy CNTs are parallel to the axis of the carbon fiber then the thermoelastic properties of the FFRC are significantly improved over those of the FFRC being composed of straight CNTs.     

Influence of process parameters on cutting force and torque during drilling of glass–fiber polyester reinforced composites

This research outlines the Taguchi optimization methodology, which is applied to optimize cutting parameters in drilling of glass fiber reinforced composite (GFRC) material. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) is used to study the effect of process parameters on machining process. This procedure eliminates the need for repeated experiments, time and conserves the material by the conventional procedure. The drilling parameters and specimen parameters evaluated are speed, feed rate, drill size and specimen thickness. A series of experiments are conducted using TRIAC VMC CNC machining center to relate the cutting parameters and material parameters on the cutting thrust and torque. The measured results were collected and analyzed with the help of the commercial software package MINITAB14. An orthogonal array, signal-to-noise ratio are employed to analyze the influence of these parameters on cutting force and torque during drilling. The method could be useful in predicting thrust and torque parameters as a function of cutting parameters and specimen parameters. The main objective is to find the important factors and combination of factors influence the machining process to achieve low cutting low cutting thrust and torque. From the analysis of the Taguchi method indicates that among the all-significant parameters, speed and drill size are more significant influence on cutting thrust than the specimen thickness and the feed rate. Study of response table indicates that the specimen thickness, and drill size are the significant parameters of torque. From the interaction among process parameters, thickness and drill size together is more dominant factor than any other combination for the torque characteristic.     

Carbon fabric reinforced polyetherimide composites: Influence of weave of fabric and processing parameters on performance properties and erosive wear

Woven carbon fabric reinforced (55 vol.%) polyetherimide (PEI) composites were fabricated using three types of weaves viz. plain (P), twill (T), and satin-4 H (S) by impregnation technique. Three more similar composites were fabricated with film technique to study the influence of both, weave of fabric and processing technique on the performance properties of the total seven composites including neat PEI. The composites were evaluated for physical and mechanical properties along with erosion wear behavior studied in identical conditions. In almost all properties viz. tensile strength (TS), modulus (TM), elongation to break (e), flexural strength and modulus, interlaminar shear strength (ILSS), etc., film technique proved far inferior to impregnation technique because of improper wetting of fiber strands, as evidenced by SEM studies. CF reinforcement enhanced all the properties of PEI manifold except elongation to break. None of the weaves proved best performer in all the mechanical properties. In case of erosive wear studies, plain weave composite proved slightly better than satin weave composite. Composite with twill weave proved poorest performer. In case of film technique, however, trends were different where plain weave composite proved poorest and satin proved best. Efforts were made to correlate various strength properties with wear resistance W_R. The factor (elongation × toughness) showed fairly good correlation with W_R. SEM studies were conducted to understand wear mechanisms.     

真空退火对原位Al2O3/Fe-Cr-Ni增强复合材料性能的影响

铁铬镍合金具有良好的高温强韧性和抗蠕变性,被广泛应用于制造航空发动机、工业燃气轮机等设备。利用原位合成和热压烧结工艺制备Al2O3/Fe-Cr-Ni复合材料。为减少脆性相对复合材料性能的影响,将热压烧结试样在1000℃下真空保温2h后退火。采用XRD和SEM等测试方法,研究热处理后Al2O3/Fe-Cr-Ni复合材料的微观结构和常温力学性能。结果表明:Al2O3/Fe-Cr-Ni复合材料主要由Fe-Cr-Ni合金相、Fe-Cr相和Al2O3陶瓷增强相组成。热压烧结试样的维氏硬度、抗弯强度和断裂韧度分别为4.16GPa、298.31MPa和8.04MPa·m1/2。经1000℃高温热处理后,复合材料中Fe-Cr相发生奥氏体转变和合金基体晶粒长大,导致硬度下降至2.98GPa。Fe-Cr-Ni合金基体中韧性相含量和基体连续性增加,使该复合材料的抗弯强度和断裂韧度明显上升,其值分别为459.33MPa和12.81MPa·m1/2。     

Effect of fiber,matrix and interface properties on the in-plane shear deformation of carbon-fiber reinforced composites

The effect of fiber, matrix and interface properties on the in-plane shear response of carbon-fiber reinforced epoxy laminates was studied by means of a combination of experiments and numerical simulations. Two cross-ply laminates with the same epoxy matrix and different carbon fibers (high-strength and high-modulus) were tested in shear until failure according to ASTM standard D7078, and the progressive development of damage was assessed by optical microscopy in samples tested up to different strains. The composite behavior was also simulated through computational micromechanics, which was able to account for the effect of the constituent properties (fiber, matrix and interface) on the macroscopic shear response. The influence of matrix, fiber and interface properties on each region and on the overall composite behavior was assessed from the experimental results and the numerical simulations. After the initial elastic region, the shear behavior presented two different regions, the first one controlled by matrix yielding and the second one by the elastic deformation of the fibers. It was found that in-plane shear behavior of cross-ply laminates was controlled by the matrix yield strength and the interface strength and was independent of the fiber properties.     

混杂比对碳/芳纶纤维混杂纬编双轴向多层衬纱织物增强复合材料力学性能的影响

利用层内混杂的方式制备碳/芳纶纤维混杂纬编双轴向多层衬纱织物,通过对材料进行拉伸、三点弯曲等实验研究该织物增强复合材料的力学性能及混杂比对其力学性能的影响。结果表明,按照一定的混杂比加入芳纶纤维后复合材料的拉伸性能提高,表现出积极的混杂效应。由于延伸性好的芳纶纤维的加入,使复合材料的拉伸断裂伸长率明显提高,材料破坏模式出现了完全脆性断裂模式(C12材料破坏形式)和“扫帚”形纤维断裂模式(C8A4,C6A6材料破坏形式)。此外,按照一定的混杂比加入芳纶纤维也有效改善了碳纤维增强复合材料的破坏韧性,碳/芳纶纤维混杂MBWK织物增强复合材料的弯曲强度和弯曲模量随混杂比的提高而呈下降趋势,当复合材料中芳纶含量从42%(体积分数,下同)(C6A6)到59.2%(C4A8)的变化过程中,弯曲强度和弯曲模量的降低率较高。0°试样在混杂比为59.2%(C4A8)时,弯曲挠度最大,达到7.49 mm,远高于纯芳纶纤维或纯碳纤维增强的复合材料。所有90°混杂复合材料试样的弯曲挠度均高于纯芳纶纤维或纯碳纤维增强的复合材料,表现出积极的混杂效应。