Mechanical Stabilization of Cemented Soil–Fly Ash Mixtures with Recycled Plastic Strips

An experimental investigation was undertaken to evaluate the mechanical behavior of a soil–cement–fly ash composite, reinforced with recycled plastic strips (high-density polyethylene) that were obtained from postconsumer milk and water containers. The primary motivation for the study was to investigate the innovative reuse of several candidate waste materials in geotechnical and pavement applications. The specific objectives of the research were: (1) to evaluate the compressive, split tensile, and flexural strength characteristics of the material, and (2) to determine the effectiveness of recycled plastic strips in enhancing the toughness characteristics of the composite. Since cement-stabilized materials are weak in tension, the main focus of the experimental program was to conduct a series of specially instrumented split tensile and flexural tests on mixes containing various amounts of cement, fly ash, and plastic strips. For a meaningful comparison of test results, all specimens were prepared at a constant dry density. The standard ASTM C496 procedure for split tensile test was slightly modified by attaching two horizontal linear variable differential transformers (LVDTs) to measure the diametral deformation of the specimen due to compressive loading in an orthogonal direction. This modification enabled the evaluation of the postpeak toughness behavior of the composite. For some specimens, a strain gauge was attached to the middle of the face perpendicular to the loading plane in order to correlate the results with the one found using the LVDTs. All tests were performed with a 90 kN universal testing machine with deformation control. Experimental data show that the soil–cement matrix stabilized with 4% to 10% by weight of fly ash and reinforced with 0.25% to 0.5% (by weight) plastic strips (having lengths of 19 mm or 38 mm) can achieve a maximum compressive strength of 7000 kPa, a split tensile strength of 1000 kPa, and a flexural strength of 1200 kPa. These ranges in strength values are suitable for a high-quality stabilized base course for a highway pavement. To quantify the reinforcing effects in the postpeak region, a dimensionless toughness index is proposed. It is found that the use of fiber reinforcement significantly increases the postpeak load carrying capacity of the mix and thus the fracture energy. It is concluded that the lean cementitious mix containing recycled materials offer a lot of promise as an alternative material for civil engineering construction.     

Cyclic Deformation of Powder Metallurgy Stainless Steel/Mg‐PSZ Composite Materials

In this study, the low‐cycle fatigue (LCF) behavior of powder metallurgy stainless steel/MgO partially stabilized zirconia (Mg‐PSZ) composite materials is presented. The steel matrix based on conventional AISI 304 steel (1.4301) is reinforced with Mg‐PSZ. The investigated composite materials were manufactured using the spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique. Total strain‐controlled LCF tests were performed on materials containing 0, 5, and 10 vol% Mg‐PSZ, respectively, in order to evaluate the influence of the ceramic reinforcement. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) measurements were applied to identify the locations where the martensitic phase transformations in the steel matrix and stress‐assisted as well as athermal martensitic phase transformations of the Mg‐PSZ ceramic reinforcement take place. The resulting cyclic deformation behavior is correlated with the microstructural features of the composite material.     

Sustained-Load and Fatigue Performance of a Hybrid FRP-Concrete Bridge Deck System

The design and construction of bridge systems with long-term durability and low maintenance requirements is a significant challenge for bridge engineers. One possible solution to this challenge could be through the use of new materials, e.g., fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites, with traditional materials that are arranged as an innovative hybrid structural system where the FRP serves as a load-carrying constituent and a protective cover for the concrete. This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation designed to evaluate the performance of a 3/4 scale hybrid FRP-concrete (HFRPC) bridge deck and composite connection under sustained and repeated (fatigue) loading. In addition, following the sustained-load and fatigue portions of the experimental study, destructive testing was performed to determine the first strength-based limit state of the hybrid deck. Results from the sustained-load and fatigue testing suggest that the HFRPC deck system might be a viable alternative to traditional cast-in-place reinforced concrete decks showing no global creep behavior and no degradation in stiffness or composite action between the deck and steel girders after 2 million cycles of dynamic loading with a peak load of 1.26 times the scaled tandem load (TL). Furthermore, the ultimate strength test showed that the deck failed prior to the global superstructure at a load approximately six times the scaled TL.     

Fatigue Behavior for Composite Laminates with Circular Hole

Based on the fatigue model of exponential function and WN criterion of static strength for the composite material laminates with a circular hole, the stress correct factorβ is presented. In order to gain the factorβ, the fatigue experiments of laminates with holes in different diameters and the same ratio of width and diameter. The fatigue behavior is usually accompanied with extensive damages. Those damages can affect composite materials in their strength and stiffness. The new model based on damage theory and strain equivalent hypothesis meets engineering requirement.T300/KH304, which is recently studied, is a high capability composite material. The fatigue analysis and tests of laminates with a hole in diameter of 5 mm are carried under difference stress levels. The simple, prompt and practical method was provided for the predication of fatigue life of composite material plate with a circular hole.     

Normalizing Behavior of Unsaturated Granular Pavement Materials

One of the important components of a flexible pavement structure is granular material layers. Unsaturated granular pavement materials (UGPMs) in these layers influence stresses and strains throughout the pavement structure, and have a large effect on asphalt concrete fatigue and pavement rutting (two of the primary failure mechanisms for flexible pavements). The behavior of UGPMs is dependent on water content, but this effect has been traditionally difficult to quantify using either empirical or mechanistic methods. This paper presents a practical mechanistic framework for determining the behavior of UGPMs within the range of water contents, densities, and stress states likely to be encountered under field conditions. Both soil suction and generated pore pressures are determined and compared to confinement under typical field loading conditions. The framework utilizes a simple soil suction model that has three density-independent parameters, and can be determined using conventional triaxial equipment that is available in many pavement engineering laboratories.     

TB-EPUDC-015复合材料层压板的疲劳损伤模型

This paper develops a mathematical model for fatigue damage evolution in composite materials. The characteristics of damage growth in composite materials are studied and compared with those of damage growth in homogeneous materials. Continuum damage mechanics concepts are used to evaluate the degradation of composite materials under cyclic loading. A new damage accumulation model is proposed to capture the unique characteristics of composite materials. The proposed model is found to be more accurate than existing models, both in modelling the rapid damage growth at the early stages of life and near the end of fatigue life. The parameters of the proposed model are obtained from experimental data. A example is implemented to illustrate that the proposed model is able to accurately fit several different sets of experimental data.     

Crack propagation directions in unfilled resins

Posterior composite restorative materials undergo accelerated wear in the occlusal contact area, primarily through a fatigue mechanism. To facilitate the timely development of new and improved materials, a predictive wear model is desirable. The objective of this study was to develop a finite element model enabling investigators to predict crack propagation directions in resins used as the matrix material in composites, and to verify these predictions by observing cracks formed during the pin-on-disc wear of a 60:40 BISGMA:TEGDMA resin and an EBPADMA resin. Laser confocal scanning microscopy was used to measure crack locations. Finite element studies were done by means of ABAQUS software, modeling a cylinder sliding on a material with pre-existing surface-breaking cracks. Variables included modulus, cylinder/material friction coefficient, crack face friction, and yield behavior. Experimental results were surprising, since most crack directions were opposite previously published observations. The majority of surface cracks, though initially orthogonal to the surface, changed direction to run 20 to 30 degrees from the horizontal in the direction of indenter movement. Finite element modeling established the importance of subsurface shear stresses, since calculations provided evidence that cracks propagate in the direction of maximum K(II)(theta), in the same direction as the motion of the indenter, and at an angle of approximately 20 degrees. These findings provide the foundation for a predictive model of sliding wear in unfilled glassy resins.     

Effects of microstructure on the strength and fatigue behavior of a silicon carbide fiber-reinforced titanium matrix composite and its constituents

The results of a systematic study of the effects of microstructure on the strength and fatigue behavior of a symmetric [0/90]_2s Ti-15Al-3Cr-3Al-3Sn/SiC (SCS-6) composite are presented along with relevant information on failnure mechanisms in the composite constituents, i.e., the interface, fiber, and matrix materials. Damage micromechanisms are elucidated via optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and nondestructive acoustic emission (AE) and ultrasonic techniques. Composite damage is shown to initiate early under cyclic loading conditions and is dominated by longitudinal and transverse interfacial cracking. Subsequent fatigue damage occurs by matrix slip band formation, matrix and fiber cracking, and crack coalescence, prior to the onset of catastrophic failure. However, the sequence of the damage is different in material annealed above or below the β solvus of the Ti-15-3 matrix material. Mechanistically based micromechanics models are applied to the prediction of the changes in modulus induced by fatigue damage. Idealized fracture mechanics models are also employed in the prediction of the fatigue lives of smooth specimens deformed to failure at room temperature. The article highlights the potential to develop mechanistically based predictive models based on simplified mechanics idealizations of experimental observations.     

Effect of reinforcement-particle-orientation anisotropy on the tensile and fatigue behavior of metal-matrix composites

The effect of extrusion-induced particle-orientation anisotropy on the mechanical behavior of metal-matrix composites (MMCs) was examined. In this study, we have shown that this anisotropy has a significant influence on the tensile and fatigue behavior SiC particle-reinforced Al alloy composites. The preferred orientation of SiC particles was observed parallel to the extrusion axis, with the extent of orientation being highest for the lowest-volume-fraction composites. The composites exhibited higher Young’s modulus and tensile strength along the longitudinal direction (parallel to the extrusion axis) than in the transverse direction. The extent of anisotropic behavior increased with increasing volume fraction, because of the increasing influence of the SiC reinforcement on the Young’s modulus and tensile properties. The preferred orientation also resulted in anisotropy in the fatigue behavior of the composite material. The trends mirrored those observed in tension, with higher overall fatigue strengths for both orientations and a higher anisotropy with increasing volume fraction of particles. The influence of particle-orientation anisotropy and the resulting tensile and fatigue damage mechanisms is discussed.     

Damage Theory Based on Composite Mechanics

A new theory of composite damage mechanics is developed. A material with damage is considered as a composite comprised of two different phases (called matrix and inclusion). Both phases are linearly elastic isotropic materials. The matrix is considered as the intact material, and the inclusion is the damaged material. Three different composite models, Voigt (parallel), Reuss (serial), and generalized self-consistent (spherical), are introduced for three types of damage distributions. These composite models are usually used for initial tangential modulus of a composite material, here we use them for secant modulus of a distressed material. Since the parallel and the serial models represent the upper and lower bounds for stiffness of materials, the composite damage theory obtains the upper and lower bounds for postpeak stress and the level of damage for the material beyond the elastic limit. The spherical model is in between the two bounds. Depending on the “elastic limit” of the inclusion, the theory can be used to describe elastic perfectly plastic behavior, strain hardening, and strain softening. Two different degradations, the linear and exponential degradations of the stress–strain response curve are introduced. The two degradation models are used in two different failure surfaces, i.e., Tresca and Mohr–Coulomb failure surfaces, to predict the postpeak behavior of distressed material.     

Micromechanism of accelerated near-threshold fatigue crack growth in Al2O3/Al-Cu composite at elevated temperature

Fatigue crack growth behavior of a peak-aged Al₂O₃/Al-Cu composite was examined at 150 °C and compared to the behavior at room temperature (RT). At 150 °C, fatigue crack growth rates showed strong dependence on loading time. At short loading time, when stress-intensity range was decreased to approach fatigue threshold, crack growth rates at 150 °C were comparable to those measured at RT. Prolonged fatigue testing at near-threshold crack growth rates resulted in oscillations of crack growth rate until the fatigue crack growth behavior was stabilized to become similar to that in an overaged composite. Measurement of the matrix hardness at different distances from the crack plane and transmission electron microscopy examination of the fatigue specimen have shown that the matrix microstructure at the tip of the fatigue crack underwent overaging during prolonged testing in the near-threshold regime. Consequently, the fatigue fracture mechanism was modified, a lower crack closure developed, and the fatigue threshold reduced to that of the overaged composite.     

Low-Cycle Fatigue of Ultra-Fine-Grained Cryomilled 5083 Aluminum Alloy

The cyclic deformation behavior of cryomilled (CM) AA5083 alloys was compared to that of conventional AA5083-H131. The materials studied were a 100 pct CM alloy with a Gaussian grain size average of 315 nm and an alloy created by mixing 85 pct CM powder with 15 pct unmilled powder before consolidation to fabricate a plate with a bimodal grain size distribution with peak averages at 240 nm and 1.8 μm. Although the ultra-fine-grain (UFG) alloys exhibited considerably higher tensile strengths than those of the conventional material, the results from plastic-strain-controlled low-cycle fatigue tests demonstrate that all three materials exhibit identical fatigue lives across a range of plastic strain amplitudes. The CM materials exhibited softening during the first cycle, similar to other alloys produced by conventional powder metallurgy, followed by continual hardening to saturation before failure. The results reported in this study show that fatigue deformation in the CM material is accompanied by slight grain growth, pinning of dislocations at the grain boundaries, and grain rotation to produce macroscopic slip bands that localize strain, creating a single dominant fatigue crack. In contrast, the conventional alloy exhibits a cell structure and more diffuse fatigue damage accumulation.     

The influence of matrix microstructure

The low-cycle and high-cycle fatigue behavior and cyclic response of naturally aged and artificially aged 2219/TiC/15_p and unreinforced 2219 Al were investigated utilizing plastic strain-controlled and stress-controlled testing. The cyclic response of both the reinforced and un-reinforced materials was similar for all plastic strain amplitudes tested except that the saturation stress level for the composite was always greater than that of the unreinforced material. The cyclic response of the naturally aged materials exhibited cyclic hardening and, in some cases, cyclic softening, while the cyclic response for the artificially aged materials showed no evidence of either cyclic hardening or softening. The higher ductility of the unreinforced material made it more resistant to fatigue failure at high strains, and thus, at a given plastic strain, it had longer fatigue life. It should be noted that the tensile ductilities of the 2219/TiC/15_p were significantly higher than those previously reported for 2XXX-series composites. During stress-controlled test-ing at stresses below 220 MPa, the presence of TiC particles lead to an improvement in fatigue life. Above 220 MPa, no influence of TiC reinforcement on fatigue life could be detected. In both the composite and unreinforced materials, the low-cycle and high-cycle fatigue lives were found to be virtually independent of matrix microstructure. G.M. VYLETEL, formerly Graduate Student, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Michigan D.C. VAN AKEN, formerly Assistant Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Michigan     

Fatigue and Overloading Behavior of Steel–Concrete Composite Flexural Members Strengthened with High Modulus CFRP Materials

Due to corrosion and the continuous demand to increase traffic loads, there is a need for an effective system which can be used to repair and/or strengthen steel bridges and structures. This paper describes an experimental program, recently completed, to investigate the fundamental behavior of steel–concrete composite scaled bridge beams strengthened with new high modulus carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (HM CFRP) materials. The behavior of the beams under overloading conditions and fatigue loading conditions was studied as well as the possible presence of shear lag at the interface of the steel surface and the CFRP strengthening material. The test results are compared to an analytical model based on the fundamental principles of equilibrium and compatibility, to predict the behavior of the strengthened steel–concrete composite beams. Based on the findings of this research work, combined with other work in the literature, a design guideline is proposed for the use of HM CFRP for strengthening the steel flexural members typically used for bridges and structures.     

Probabilistic Approaches for Pavement Fatigue Cracking Prediction based on Cumulative Damage Using Miner’s Law

In mechanistic-empirical (M-E) pavement design, pavement damage is modeled as a random variable with a pre-specified distribution (normal or lognormal). The extent of fatigue cracking in terms of percentage cracking is computed as the probability of cumulative damage exceeding unity. This paper provides a methodological framework for characterizing damage distribution under mixed traffic loading (multiple strain levels) with an improved forecast of traffic spectrum based on renewal theory. Using the linear Miner’s law for damage accumulation, analytical representation of damage distribution is obtainable owing to the proportional relationship between maximum tensile strain of pavement and traffic load under linear elasticity condition. Numerical computation shows that percent of cracking from derived damage distribution is greater than that from hypothetical normal or lognormal distributions traditionally used in the M-E pavement design. The method developed here and the derived model can be used in pavement design and pavement management systems.     

Fully Coupled Micro/Macro Deformation, Damage, and Failure Prediction for SiC/Ti-15-3 Laminates

The deformation, failure, and low-cycle fatigue life of SCS-6/Ti-15-3 composites are predicted using a coupled deformation and damage approach in the context of the analytical generalized method of cells (GMC) micromechanics model. The local effects of inelastic deformation, fiber breakage, fiber-matrix interfacial debonding, and fatigue damage are included as submodels that operate on the microscale for the individual composite phases. For the laminate analysis, lamination theory is employed as the global or structural scale model, while GMC is embedded to operate on the mesoscale to simulate the behavior of the composite material within each laminate layer. While the analysis approach is quite complex and multifaceted, it is shown through comparison with experimental data to be quite accurate and realistic, while remaining extremely efficient.     

Effect of Stress‐Dependent Base Layer on the Superposition of Flexible Pavement Solutions

Flexible pavement structural analysis for design usage must consider (as a minimum) multiple wheel/axle loading configurations, seasonal variations of material layer properties, and the nonlinear behavior of unbound materials. Although these requirements are all easily within the capabilities of three‐dimensional finite element analysis, the required computation times may be impracticably long for routine design. Compromises between analytical rigor (e.g., three‐dimensionality) and analysis features (e.g., multiple wheels, seasonal property variations, material nonlinearity) must be made. One compromise is to retain seasonal property variations and material nonlinearity within an axisymmetric single wheel finite element model and to approximate multiple wheel effects via superposition. Although this superposition of nonlinear solutions is undeniably invalid from a rigorous theoretical viewpoint, the errors may be well within acceptable magnitudes for practical design. The paper investigates this issue by comparing superimposed nonlinear solutions against computationally rigorous three‐dimensional nonlinear solutions and evaluating the discrepancies in key pavement response quantities. The results suggest that the errors from superimposing nonlinear solutions are acceptably small for key pavement response quantities. Moreover, these errors are substantially smaller than those resulting from neglect of nonlinear unbound material behavior, a modeling compromise that is common in pavement structural analysis today.     

Shakedown Approaches to Rut Depth Prediction in Low-Volume Roads

Rutting, due to permanent deformations of unbound materials, is one of the principal damage modes of low traffic pavements. Flexible pavement design methods remain empirical; they do not take into account the inelastic behavior of pavement materials and do not predict the rutting under cyclic loading. A finite-element program, based on the concept of the shakedown theory developed by Zarka for metallic structures under cyclic loadings, has been used to estimate the permanent deformations of unbound granular materials subjected to traffic loading. Based on repeated load triaxial tests, a general procedure has been developed for the determination of the material parameters of the constitutive model. Finally, the results of a finite-element modeling of the long-term behavior of a flexible pavement with the simplified method are presented and compared to the results of a full-scale flexible pavement experiment performed by Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées. Finally, the calculation of the rut depth evolution with time is carried out.     

Three-Dimensional Micromechanical Finite-Element Network Model for Elastic Damage Behavior of Idealized Stone-Based Composite Materials

This paper presents a three-dimensional (3D) micromechanical finite-element (FE) network model for predicting elastic damage behavior of the idealized stone-based materials. Stone-based composite materials have multiphase structures: an aggregate (or stone) skeleton, a binding medium, fillers, and air voids. Numerical simulation of the micromechanical behavior of the idealized stone-based materials was accomplished by using a microframe element network model that incorporated the mechanical load transfer between adjacent particles. The elastic stiffness matrix of this special element was obtained from an approximate elastic stress-strain analysis of straight cement between particle pairs. A damage-coupled microframe element was then formulated with bilinear damage laws, including elastic and softening behavior based on the equivalent fracture release energy. Indirect tension and compression simulations were conducted with developed FE models on the idealized digital samples of the stone-based materials. These simulations predicted the internal microdamage distribution and global fracture behavior of these samples, which qualitatively agree with the laboratory observations. The results indicate that the developed FE models have the capability to predict the typical loading-related damage behavior observed from the stone-based materials.     

Simulated Micromechanical Models Using Artificial Neural Networks

A new method, termed simulated micromechanical models using artificial neural networks (MMANN), is proposed to generate micromechanical material models for nonlinear and damage behavior of heterogeneous materials. Artificial neural networks (ANN) are trained with results from detailed nonlinear finite-element (FE) analyses of a repeating unit cell (UC), with and without induced damage, e.g., voids or cracks between the fiber and matrix phases. The FE simulations are used to form the effective stress-strain response for a unit cell with different geometry and damage parameters. The FE analyses are performed for a relatively small number of applied strain paths and damage parameters. It is shown that MMANN material models of this type exhibit many interesting features, including different tension and compression response, that are usually difficult to model by conventional micromechanical approaches. MMANN material models can be easily applied in a displacement-based FE for nonlinear analysis of composite structures. Application examples are shown where micromodels are generated to represent the homogenized nonlinear multiaxial response of a unidirectional composite with and without damage. In the case of analysis with damage growth, thermodynamics with irreversible processes (TIP) is used to derive the response of an equivalent homogenized damage medium with evolution equations for damage. The proposed damage formulation incorporates the generalizations generated by the MMANN method for stresses and other possible responses from analysis results of unit cells with fixed levels of damage.