Experimental study on RC beams with FRP strips bonded with rubber modified resins

This paper presents the effects of adhesive properties on structural performance of reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened with carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) strips. The epoxy adhesives modified with liquid rubber of different content were used to bond the CFRP strips, and four point bending experiments were carried out on RC beams. The experimental results show that different CFRP strip thickness of 0.22 and 0.44 mm resulted in a transition of failure mechanism from interfacial debonding along the CFRP-concrete interface to concrete cover separation starting from the end of CFRP strips in the concrete. Moreover, it is suggested that no matter interfacial debonding or concrete cover separation, the rubber modifier enhanced the structural performance by increasing the maximum load-carrying capacity and the corresponding ductility, compared with the beams bonded with a neat epoxy resin. The improvement of structural performance due to modified adhesive was associated with the modification of stress profiles along the CFRP-concrete interface especially the stress concentration at the end of FRP, and the enhanced interlaminar fracture toughness. Rubber modified epoxy therefore is worth further studying in practical repair applications.     

Impact and after-impact properties of carbon fibre reinforced composites enhanced with multi-wall carbon nanotubes

The goal of the present study was to investigate the influence of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the impact and after impact behaviour of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminates. About 0.5% per weight MWCNTs were dispersed via a high shear device in the epoxy matrix (Bisphenol A) of carbon reinforced quasi-isotropic laminates. Subsequently, the modified CFRPs were subjected to low-energy impact and directly compared with unmodified laminates. In previous studies, the beneficial effect of the MWCNT inclusion to the fracture properties of CFRPs has been demonstrated. In terms of the CFRP impact performance, enhanced performance for the CNT doped specimens was observed for higher energy levels. However, the after-impact properties and more specifically compression after impact were improved for both the effective compression modulus and the compression strength. In addition, compression–compression fatigue after impact performance of the CNT modified laminates was also improved, by extending the fatigue life.     

Hybrid epoxy-silyl modified polymer adhesives for CFRP sheets bonded to a steel substrate

This paper presents an experimental study examining the interfacial behavior between a steel substrate and carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets bonded with hybrid epoxy-silyl modified polymer (SMP) adhesives. The epoxy adhesive has high modulus and strength characteristics, while the SMP adhesive possesses a low modulus with permanent elastic nature. The hypothesis tested is that a combination of these two distinct materials can alleviate interfacial stresses along the bond line with maintaining adequate strength. Two types of double-lap tension tests are conducted to evaluate the bond-capacity of the epoxy and SMP adhesives and to study the effect of various hybrid bond schemes. Test results show that the specimens bonded with homogeneous epoxy demonstrate abrupt failure, whereas those with SMP exhibit gradual load-softening at failure. The load-carrying capacity and stiffness of the CFRP–steel interface are not influenced by hybrid bond configurations. The degree of CFRP-debonding is, however, affected by the hybrid bond scheme. Stress transfer from the steel substrate to the CFRP is well maintained along the hybrid bond line with significant local deformability of the interface layer. Analytical models report that shear stresses along the CFRP–steel interface are noticeably mitigated at geometric discontinuities and the proposed hybrid bond technique can be used for structure-level application.     

胶膜连接碳纤维增强树脂复合材料板-钢搭接接头室温条件的力学性能试验

针对碳纤维增强树脂（CFRP）复合材料板-钢搭接接头连接的糊状胶黏剂粘层厚一致性控制较难、铅垂向成形可能不易等问题,将糊状胶黏剂换成胶膜,制作了胶膜连接的五种粘结长度共15个CFRP板-钢双搭接接头试件,并对该胶膜连接的CFRP板-钢搭接接头进行了室温条件下的破环模式、有效粘结长度、传力规律、粘结-滑移本构、承载力等的试验研究。结果表明:所用胶膜的连接强度略高于CFRP板层间强度（即碳纤维与树脂基体的黏聚强度）;室温下,所用胶膜连接的CFRP板-钢搭接接头有效粘结长度约为80 mm;加载初期,剪应力最大值位于接头钢板端;继续加载,其位置向接头CFRP板端移动;加载末期,其位置位于距接头钢板端20 mm （粘结长度不超过80 mm时）或者50 mm （粘结长度不小于120 mm时）处;胶膜连接的CFRP板-钢搭接接头界面粘结-滑移模型为近似梯形,不同于胶黏剂连接的CFRP板-钢搭接接头的近似三角形,胶膜连接接头的延性大为提升;所用胶膜连接接头界面峰值剪应力、断裂能、界面刚度等代表值（可视为准平均值）分别为四种典型商品胶黏剂连接接头的1.2~3.0倍、1.6~5.7倍和5.4~7.5倍;在粘结长度不小于有效粘结长度条件下,所用胶膜连接接头的抗拉承载力代表值为四种典型商品胶黏剂连接接头的1.25~2.39倍;胶膜连接接头的抗拉承载力、最大位移的变异系数与糊状胶黏剂连接接头相差不大。      

Reinforcing brittle and ductile epoxy matrices using carbon nanotubes masterbatch

In this study, the mechanical and thermal properties of epoxy composites using two different forms of carbon nanotubes (powder and masterbatch) were investigated. Composites were prepared by loading the surface-modified CNT powder and/or CNT masterbatch into either ductile or brittle epoxy matrices. The results show that 3 wt.% CNT masterbatch enhances Young’s modulus by 20%, tensile strength by 30%, flexural strength by 15%, and 21.1 °C increment in the glass transition temperature (by 34%) of ductile epoxy matrix. From scanning electron microscopy images, it was observed that the CNT masterbatch was uniformly distributed indicating the pre-dispersed CNTs in the masterbatch allow an easier path for preparation of CNT-epoxy composites with reduced agglomeration of CNTs. These results demonstrate a good CNT dispersion and ductility of epoxy matrix play a key role to achieve high performance CNT-epoxy composites.     

搭接长度和铺层方式对CFRP复合材料层合板胶接结构连接性能和损伤行为的影响

针对不同搭接长度和铺层方式的碳纤维增强树脂（CFRP）复合材料层合板单搭胶接结构进行了拉伸试验,观察了试件的受力过程和失效形态,获得了载荷-位移曲线;同时基于连续损伤力学模型和三维Hashin失效准则模拟了CFRP复合材料层合板的层内损伤形成和演化,并利用内聚力模型来模拟层间及胶层的失效损伤,对CFRP复合材料层合板单搭胶接结构在拉伸作用下的失效强度和损伤机制进行了预测,通过对比验证了该数值方法的有效性;通过数值试验比较不同搭接长度和铺层方式的单搭胶接结构及双搭胶接结构的连接强度和损伤行为,并提出了一种优化的CFRP复合材料层合板胶接结构。结果表明:CFRP复合材料层合板胶接结构的极限失效载荷随着搭接长度的增大逐渐增加并趋于稳定值,且结构的失效形式逐渐从胶层自身剪切失效过渡到邻近胶层的层合板层间分层失效;CFRP复合材料层合板胶接结构的连接强度和损伤行为随着铺层方式的不同而改变,通过对3种铺层方式的对比和分析,得到性能最好的铺层方式是[0₃/90₃]_2S;在搭接长度为5~20 mm时,通过对搭接长度进行优化,得到单搭胶接结构的最优搭接长度是17 mm,双搭胶接结构的最优搭接长度是19.3 mm,与搭接长度为20 mm相比,单搭胶接结构和双搭胶接结构的连接强度分别提高了13.26%和0.43%。      

Effect of different carbon nano-fillers on rheological properties and lap shear strength of epoxy adhesive joints

In this work, the rheological properties, thermal stability and the lap shear strength of epoxy adhesive joints reinforced with different carbon nano-fillers such as multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNT), graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) and single-walled carbon nanohorns (CNH) have been studied. The nano-fillers were dispersed homogeneously using Brabender® Plasti-Corder®. The epoxy pre-polymer with and without the nano-fillers exhibited shear thinning behavior. The nano-filler epoxy mixtures exhibited a viscoplastic behavior which was analyzed using Casson’s model. Thermo-gravimetric analysis indicated an increase in the thermal stability of the epoxy with the addition of carbon nano-fillers. Carbon nano-fillers resulted in increased lap shear strength having high Weibull modulus. The joint strength increased by 53%, 49% and 46% with the addition of 1 wt.% CNT, 0.5 wt.% GNP and 0.5 wt.% CNH, respectively. The strength of the joints having high filler content (>1 wt.%) was limited by mixed mode type of failure.     

Strengthening steel bridge sections using CFRP laminates

This paper presents results from an experimental investigation to determine the feasibility of using carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) epoxy laminates to repair steel composite bridge members. Six specimens, each consisting of a 6.1 m long W8×24 wide flange A36 steel beam acting compositely with a 0.114 m thick by 0.71 m wide reinforced concrete slab, were first loaded past yield of the tension flange to simulate severe service distress. The damaged specimens were then repaired using 3.65 m lengths of 2 or 5 mm thick CFRP laminates bonded to the tension flange and tested to failure. The results indicated significant ultimate strength gains but more modest improvement in the elastic response. Non-linear finite element analyses were in good agreement with the experimental results. The study suggests that it is feasible to strengthen steel composite members using CFRP laminates.     

Influence of fibres’ stiffness on wet lay-up CFRP/steel joints’ behaviour under subzero exposures

The current paper characterises and differentiates the bond behaviour of wet lay-up CFRP/steel double-strap joints fabricated with NM (normal modulus) and UHM (ultra high modulus) unidirectional CF (carbon fibres) plies. The influence of infrastructural subzero exposure on the bond attributes of these joints is also investigated. While environmental exposure is maintained at a particular subzero temperature, ranging from −40 to 20 °C, specimens representing these joints are tested in tension. Failure patterns, joints’ strength, and strain and LSS (lap-shear stress) distributions for the tested joints are extracted. Pertinent discussions and conclusions, related to the influence of CFRP moduli and subzero temperatures on the aforementioned parameters, are provided.     

A parametric study on the failure of bonded single-lap joints of carbon composite and aluminum

A parametric study on adhesively bonded carbon composite-to-aluminum single-lap joints was experimentally conducted. FM73m, a high strength adhesive produced by Cytec, was used for bonding. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the effects of various parameters, such as bonding pressure, overlap length, adherend thickness, and material type, on the failure load and failure mode of joints with dissimilar materials. While metal bonded joints generally fail at the adhesive, the final failure mode of all the tested bonded joints with dissimilar materials was delamination of the composite adherend. Bonding strengths of the tested joints were lower than the metal-to-metal bonded joint strength. The specimens bonded under pressure of 4 and 6 atm yielded higher failure loads than under pressure of 3 atm, which is within the range of the manufacturer-recommended bonding pressure. Failure loads of the joint increased slightly at an overlap length larger than 30 mm. Increasing adherend thickness resulted in an increase of the failure load, but was not linearly proportional to the failure load.     

碳纤维无纺布对CFRP层板层间的增韧作用及机制

为了揭示短纤维无纺布对碳纤维增强树脂基复合材料(CFRP)层板层间韧性的影响规律,测试了不同面密度(1.95、3.90、7.80和15.60 mg/cm2)和不同纤维平均长度(0.8 mm和4.3 mm)的碳纤维无纺布增韧的CFRP层板I型层间断裂韧性。实验结果表明:对于不同短纤维增韧的CFRP层板,平均长度为0.8mm的短纤维增韧效果优于平均长度为4.3mm的短纤维,并且面密度为7.8mg/cm2、厚度约为150μm、平均长度为0.8mm的碳纤维无纺布显著提高了CFRP层板的层间断裂韧性,与未改性的CFRP层板相比,其能量释放率最大可提高99%。光学显微镜观察结果表明环氧基体中长度为0.8mm的短纤维具有三维交织结构,该结构可以有效地阻止裂纹的扩展;SEM观察结果表明短纤维从环氧基体中的脱粘和拔出以及短纤维周围环氧基体的塑性变形是CFRP层板的主要增韧机制。研究结论为层板短纤维增韧技术的应用奠定了基础。     

Vibration damping characteristics of carbon fiber-reinforced composites containing multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Vibration damping characteristic of nanocomposites and carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites (CFRPs) containing multiwall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been studied using the free and forced vibration tests. Several vibration parameters are varied to characterize the damping behavior in different amplitudes, natural frequencies and vibration modes. The damping ratio of the hybrid composites is enhanced with the addition of CNTs, which is attributed to sliding at the CNT-matrix interfaces. The damping ratio is dependent on the amplitude as a result of the random orientation of CNTs in the epoxy matrix. The natural frequency shows negligible influence on the damping properties. The forced vibration test indicates that the damping ratios of the CFRP composites increase with increasing CNT content in both the 1st and 2nd vibration modes. The CNT-epoxy nanocomposites also show similar increasing trends of damping ratio with CNT content, indicating the enhanced damping property of CFRPs arising mainly from the improved damping property of the modified matrix. The dynamic mechanical analysis further confirms that the CNTs have a strong influence on the composites damping properties. Both the dynamic loss modulus and loss factor of the nanocomposites and the corresponding CFRPs show consistent increases with the addition of CNTs, an indication of enhanced damping performance.     

Modelling experimental bond fatigue failures of concrete beams strengthened with NSM CFRP rods

Near surface mounting (NSM) is a promising strengthening technique provided that the full bond between the strengthening material and the existing structure develops. Wahab et al. (2011) reported fatigue bond failures by de-bonding between the CFRP rod and the epoxy that started at mid span. As the load was cycled, the de-bonding propagated towards the support. The model presented here describes the failure of those beams. The de-bonding was modeled as a crack growing at the interface between the CFRP rod and the epoxy where the driving force was the interfacial shear stresses between the CFRP rod and the epoxy. Once the stresses at the crack tip exceeded the allowable fatigue stresses between the CFRP rod and the epoxy, de-bonding occurred and the crack length increased. Ahead of the crack tip, the CFRP rod was fully bonded to the epoxy and the forces decayed exponentially. Behind the crack tip, the rod was partially de-bonded. The experimental and calculated number of cycles until excessive slipping between the CFRP rod and the epoxy occurred and the forces in the CFRP rod at all locations in the shear span at the onset of failure were in good agreement.     

Enhancement of mechanical performance of epoxy/carbon fiber laminate composites using single-walled carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes (CNT) in their various forms have great potential for use in the development of multifunctional multiscale laminated composites due to their unique geometry and properties. Recent advancements in the development of CNT hierarchical composites have mostly focused on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT). In this work, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) were used to develop nano-modified carbon fiber/epoxy laminates. A functionalization technique based on reduced SWCNT was employed to improve dispersion and epoxy resin-nanotube interaction. A commercial prepregging unit was then used to impregnate unidirectional carbon fiber tape with a modified epoxy system containing 0.1 wt% functionalized SWCNT. Impact and compression-after-impact (CAI) tests, Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness and Mode II interlaminar fracture toughness tests were performed on laminates with and without SWCNT. It was found that incorporation of 0.1 wt% of SWCNT resulted in a 5% reduction of the area of impact damage, a 3.5% increase in CAI strength, a 13% increase in Mode I fracture toughness, and 28% increase in Mode II interlaminar fracture toughness. A comparison between the results of this work and literature results on MWCNT-modified laminated composites suggests that SWCNT, at similar loadings, are more effective in enhancing the mechanical performance of traditional laminated composites.     

Fracture toughness and shear behavior of composite bonded joints based on a novel aerospace adhesive

In this paper, the mechanical performance of the newly developed LMB aerospace structural adhesive has been characterized experimentally. To this end, a comparison has been performed with the Epibond 1590 A/B adhesive on the basis of the effects of thermal aging, wet aging and adhesive thickness on the fracture toughness and shear behavior (static and fatigue) of bonded joints between CFRP laminates. Mode-I and -II fracture toughness was measured through tensile and 3-point bending tests on double-cantilever beam specimen, respectively, while the shear behavior of the joints was assessed through static and fatigue double-lap shear tests. A fractographic analysis of the fracture surfaces was performed in order to detect the failure mode of the bonded joint. The experimental results show a higher fracture toughness and improved fatigue behavior for the LMB adhesive.     

Failure analysis of adhesively bonded joints in composite materials

The present paper is concerned with a phenomenological model to perform the failure analysis of composite adhesive single lap joints with arbitrary glued area. The theory is conceived for joints composed by highly resistant elastic adherends bonded with brittle–elastic adhesives. It is shown that, under certain conditions, the rupture forces (in the case of monotonic loading) and lifetimes (in the case of cyclic loading) of two joints with different glued areas can be correlated using a shape factor. Results from experimental static and fatigue testing of joints with carbon/epoxy laminates bonded with epoxy adhesive and different bonding areas are compared with model prediction showing a good agreement.     

Influence of the interface ply orientation on the fatigue behaviour of bonded joints in composite materials

The paper deals with the study of the fatigue behaviour of bonded joints in composite materials. The influence of the orientation of the composite layer at the adhesive–adherend interface is investigated on single lap joints prepared by carbon fabric/epoxy laminates bonded together with a two-part epoxy adhesive. Different laminate lay-ups ([45/0₂]_s and [45₂/0]_s), overlap lengths (20 and 40 mm) and corner geometry of bonded area (square edge and fillet, respectively) were investigated under tension–tension fatigue. Particular attention was devoted to the analysis of the fatigue damage evolution to identify initiation and subsequent growth of cracks. A previous model developed by the authors, for the prediction of the fatigue life of bonded joints as the sum of an initiation and propagation phase, was successfully applied to summarise the new data.     

Co-Curing of CFRP-Steel Hybrid Joints Using the Vacuum Assisted Resin Infusion Process

This study focuses on the one-step co-curing process of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) joined with a steel plate to form a hybrid structure. In this process CFRP laminate and bond to the metal are realized simultaneously by resin infusion, such that the same resin serves for both infusion and adhesion. For comparison, the commonly applied two-step process of adhesive bonding is studied. In this case, the CFRP laminate is fabricated in a first stage through resin infusion of Non Crimp Fabric (NCF) and joined to the steel plate in a further step through adhesive bonding. For this purpose, the commercially available epoxy-based Betamate 1620 is applied. CFRP laminates were fabricated using two different resin systems, namely the epoxy (EP)-based RTM6 and a newly developed fast curing polyurethane (PU) resin. Results show comparable mechanical performance of the PU and EP based CFRP laminates. The strength of the bond of the co-cured samples was in the same order as the samples adhesively bonded with the PU resin and the structural adhesive. The assembly adhesive with higher ductility showed a weaker performance compared to the other tests. It could be shown that the surface roughness had the highest impact on the joint performance under the investigated conditions.     

Temporary bond strength of partly cured epoxy adhesive for anchoring prestressed CFRP strips on concrete

Externally bonded Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) strips have been used for strengthening reinforced concrete structures. This paper presents an experimental study on the debonding of externally bonded CFRP strips anchored to a concrete substrate by a commercial epoxy adhesive. The study represents the basis for the characterization of an innovative ‘gradient method’, giving the possibility to anchor prestressed CFRP strips to concrete without the use any mechanical anchorage systems such as plates and bolts. Bond between the two components is achieved by an epoxy adhesive able to carry loads after an accelerated curing process under elevated temperatures. The effect of heating configuration/duration, strip thickness and bond length on the temporary bond resistance have been investigated using prestressed and non-prestressed CFRP-strips. Besides the optimization of the heating elements necessary for the curing process, curing parameters for an optimal temporary bond strength could be determined. Twenty-five minutes of heating and curing at 90 °C was found to be an optimum heating configuration, resulting in better short-term mechanical performances than after conventional curing at room temperature for several days. The main reason is a temporarily softer adhesive which allows the use of the full bond length by reducing shear force peaks.     

Self-sensing and dispersive evaluation of single carbon fiber/carbon nanotube (CNT)-epoxy composites using electro-micromechanical technique and nondestructive acoustic emission

Self-sensing and interfacial evaluation were investigated with different dispersion solvents for single carbon fiber/carbon nanotube (CNT)-epoxy composites by electro-micromechanical technique and acoustic emission (AE) under loading/subsequent unloading. The optimized dispersion procedure was set up to obtain improved mechanical and electrical properties. Apparent modulus and electrical contact resistivity for CNT-epoxy composites were correlated with different dispersion solvents for CNT. CNT-epoxy composites using good dispersion solvents exhibited a higher apparent modulus because of better stress transferring effects due to the relatively uniform dispersion of CNT in epoxy and enhanced interfacial adhesion between CNT and the epoxy matrix. However, good solvents exhibited a higher apparent modulus but lower thermodynamic work of adhesion, W_a for single carbon microfiber/CNT-epoxy composite. It is attributed to the fact that hydrophobic behavior with high advanced contact angle was observed for CNT-epoxy in the good solvent, which might not be compatible well with the carbon microfiber. Damage sensing was also detected simultaneously using AE combined with electrical resistance measurement. Electrical resistivity increased stepwise with progressing fiber fracture due to the decrease in electrical contact by the CNT.