Evolution of residual stresses with fatigue crack growth in integral structures with crack retarders

Bonded straps are investigated for their ability to retard a growing fatigue crack in metallic structures. The evolution of the residual stresses in the vicinity of the strap with fatigue crack growth has been studied. Cracks were grown in single edge-notched tension (SEN(T)) specimens reinforced with either a titanium or a carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP) strap. The residual stress evolution has been measured in situ during crack growth using neutron diffraction, and modelled with a finite element approach. The peak residual stresses induced by the mismatch of the coefficient of thermal expansion between the strap and plate materials were seen to be fairly constant with crack growth. Good correlation between the experimental and the modelling results was found, except at very long crack lengths for a specimen that exhibited considerable fracture surface roughness at long crack lengths. The difference was attributed to wedging of the fracture surface changing the expected stress state, rather than any effect of the strap.     

Distortion and residual stresses in structures reinforced with titanium straps for improved damage tolerance

Distortion and residual stresses induced during the manufacturing process of bonded crack retarders have been investigated. Titanium alloy straps were adhesively bonded to an aluminium alloy SENT specimen to promote fatigue crack growth retardation. The effect of three different strap dimensions was investigated. The spring-back of a component when released from the autoclave and the residual stresses are important factors to take into account when designing a selective reinforcement, as this may alter the local aerodynamic characteristics and reduce the crack bridging effect of the strap. The principal problem with residual stresses is that the tensile nature of the residual stresses in the primary aluminium structure has a negative impact on the crack initiation and crack propagation behaviour in the aluminium. The residual stresses were measured with neutron diffraction and the distortion of the specimens was measured with a contour measurement machine. The bonding process was simulated with a three-dimensional FE model. The residual stresses were found to be tensile close to the strap and slightly compressive on the un-bonded side. Both the distortion and the residual stresses increased with the thickness and the width of the strap. Very good agreement between the measured stresses and the measured distortion and the FE simulation was found.     

Effect of impact damage on fatigue performance of structures reinforced with GLARE bonded crack retarders

Fibre-Metal Laminates (FML) such as GLARE are of interest as bonded crack retarders (BCR) to improve the fatigue performance of aircraft structures. The degradation of the performance of the crack retarder in service if subjected to damage is a critical factor in designing with this concept. Bonded assemblies of an aluminium alloy substrate reinforced with a GLARE strap were prepared, and were subjected to low velocity impact damage onto the GLARE, with impact energies ranging from 10 to 60 J. The thermal residual stresses developed during the bonding process of the GLARE to the aluminium were determined using neutron diffraction, and the change in the thermal residual stresses owing to impact damage onto the GLARE was evaluated. Pre- and post-impact fatigue performance of the BCR assemblies has been investigated. The results show that the BCR provides an improvement in fatigue life, but the reduction is impaired following impact damage. The results show that monitoring of impact damage will be critical in the damage tolerance assurance for aerospace structures containing bonded crack retarders.     

Seismic strengthening of shear critical post-heated circular concrete columns wrapped with FRP composite jackets

An experimental study was carried out to investigate the seismic performance of post-heated circular reinforced concrete columns wrapped with glass or carbon fibre reinforced polymer jackets. Eight shear critical reinforced circular columns with a shear span-to-depth ratio of 2.5 were tested under a combined constant axial and cyclic lateral displacement history, simulating earthquake loading. The columns were tested in three groups, unheated, post-heated and post-heated repaired with either glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) or carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP). In terms of seismic performance the test results indicated that using GFRP or CFRP jackets significantly increased the shear capacity, ductility and energy dissipation of the post-heated damaged columns. However, the GFRP or CFRP did not increase the stiffness of the post-heated damaged columns. It was found that the unheated and post-heated damaged columns failed in a brittle shear mode while the mode of failure of posted-heated columns repaired with GFRP or CFRP was successfully shifted from a shear to a ductile flexural failure.     

The response of aluminium/GLARE hybrid materials to impact and to in-plane fatigue

Fibre metal laminates (FMLs), such as glass reinforced aluminium (GLARE), are a family of materials with excellent damage tolerance and impact resistance properties. This paper presents an evaluation of the low velocity impact behaviour and the post-impact fatigue behaviour of GLARE laminate adhesively bonded to a high strength aluminium alloy substrate as a fatigue crack retarder. The damage initiation, damage progression and failure modes under impact and fatigue loading were examined and characterised using an ultrasonic phased array C-scan together with metallography and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). After impact on the substrate, internal damage to the GLARE bonded on the opposite side of the substrate occurred in the form of fibre and matrix cracking. No delamination was detected at the GLARE/substrate bond. Before impact the bonded GLARE strap caused reductions in substrate fatigue crack growth rate of up to a factor of 5. After impact the retardation was a factor of 2. The results are discussed in terms of changes to the GLARE stiffness promoted by the impact damage.     

FATIGUE BEHAVIOUR OF FIBRE ALUMINIUM LAMINATES WITH DIFFERENT RESIDUAL STRESSES

In this study two kinds of fibre aluminium laminates (aramid aluminium laminates, ARALL and glass aluminium laminates, GLARE) with different residual stresses in the aluminium layers were prepared. Fatigue crack propagation tests were performed. It is found that the residual stress condition plays an important role in the fatigue behaviour of fibre aluminium laminates. With a decrease of the tensile residual stress in the aluminium layers, the fatigue crack growth rate of the laminates is greatly reduced, and the shape of the curves of fatigue crack propagation rate as a function of the stress intensity factor changed. Compared to GLARE, the ARALL is more sensitive to the residual stress condition. The fatigue properties of non-prestressed GLARE are better than those of ARALL. The influence of the residual stress is discussed in detail.     

Mechanical behaviour of glass and carbon fibre reinforced composites at varying strain rates

The choice of composite materials as a substitute for metallic materials in technological applications is becoming more pronounced especially due to the great weight savings these materials offer. In many of these practical situations, the structures are prone to high impact loads. Material and structural response vary significantly under impact loading conditions as compared to quasi-static loading. The strain rate sensitivity of both carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) and glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) are studied by testing a single laminate configuration, viz. cross-ply [0°/90°] polymer matrix composites (PMC) at strain rates of 10⁻³ and 450 s⁻¹. The compressive material properties are determined by testing both laminate systems, viz. CFRP and GFRP at low to high strain rates. The laminates were fabricated from 48 layers of cross-ply carbon fibre and glass fibre epoxy. Dynamic test results were compared with static compression test carried out on specimens with the same dimensions. Preliminary compressive stress–strain vs. strain rates data obtained show that the dynamic material strength for GFRP increases with increasing strain rates. The strain to failure for both CFRP and GFRP is seen to decrease with increasing strain rate.     

CFRP筋增强ECC梁弯曲性能试验研究

为研究碳纤维增强树脂复合材料(Carbon fiber reinforced polymer,CFRP)筋/超高韧性纤维增强水泥基复合材料(Engineered cementitious composite,ECC)梁的抗弯性能,对3根CFRP筋/ECC梁、1根玻璃纤维增强树脂复合材料(Glass fiber reinforced polymer,GFRP)筋/梁和1根CFRP筋混凝土梁进行了四点弯曲试验,分析了配筋率、纤维增强树脂复合材料(Fiber reinforced polymer,FRP)筋类型和基体类型对梁抗弯性能的影响。试验结果表明:CFRP筋/ECC梁与GFRP筋/ECC梁和CFRP筋混凝土梁类似,均经历了弹性阶段、带裂缝工作阶段和破坏阶段;配筋率对CFRP筋/ECC梁的受弯性能影响较大。随着配筋率的增加,CFRP筋/ECC梁的承载能力不断提高,延性性能逐渐减弱;ECC材料优异的应变硬化能力和受压延性,使得CFRP筋/ECC梁的极限承载能力和变形能力均优于CFRP筋混凝土梁;由于ECC材料多裂缝开裂能力,CFRP筋/ECC梁开裂后,纵筋表面应变分布比CFRP筋混凝土梁更均匀; 由于聚乙烯醇(Polyvinyl alcohol,PVA)纤维的桥联作用,CFRP筋/ECC梁破坏时,其表面出现了大量的细密裂缝,且能保持较好的完整性和自复位能力;正常使用阶段,CFRP筋/ECC梁的最大弯曲裂缝宽度均小于CFRP筋混凝土梁。最后,根据试验结果,建立了基于等效应力图的CFRP筋/ECC梁弯曲承载力简化计算模型,确定模型中的相关系数。由简化模型计算的极限承载力与试验结果具有较好的相关性。      

Experimental Investigation of Bond Stress and Deformations in LWAC Ties Reinforced with GFRP Bars

The structures' durability is an engineering concern for a long time but has been increased in the last years. Lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC) combined with glass fibre reinforced polymer bars allows to create structures with high performance in terms of durability. The glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars have different ribs from those of steel bars, and consequently, its bond to concrete is affected. Moreover, the Young's modulus of GFRP is much below compared with that of steel, and this influences significantly the behaviour of structural elements reinforced with this material. This paper presents an experimental study focused on bond between LWAC and reinforcing bars of GFRP. Thirty‐six pull‐out tests were carried out using steel and GFRP bars. These reinforcements were combined with three types of concrete, all with the same design density 1900 kg m^?3 but with different values of compressive strength: 35, 55 and 70 MPa. Furthermore, 12 reinforced ties were tested, combining different types of bars (steel and GFRP), two different diameters (12 and 16 mm) and the three types of LWAC. Based on experimental results, several relations were established to understand the behaviour of LWAC structures reinforced with GFRP bars, mainly in the serviceability conditions. These results point out that ties deformation and crack width are very affected by the reduced Young's modulus of GFRP: deformations and crack width of ties reinforced with GFRP are significantly higher, approximately three times greater, compared with those of ties reinforced with steel. The tension stiffening effect was also analysed in detail, and it was found that it is slightly influenced by the concrete compressive strength but is highly dependent of the Young's modulus of the reinforcing material.     

Carbon fiber-reinforced cyanate ester/nano-ZrW2O8 composites with tailored thermal expansion

Fiber-reinforced composites are widely used in the design and fabrication of a variety of high performance aerospace components. The mismatch in coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) between the high CTE polymer matrix and low CTE fiber reinforcements in such composite systems can lead to dimensional instability and deterioration of material lifetimes due to development of residual thermal stresses. The magnitude of thermally induced residual stresses in fiber-reinforced composite systems can be minimized by replacement of conventional polymer matrices with a low CTE, polymer nanocomposite matrix. Zirconium tungstate (ZrW(2)O(8)) is a unique ceramic material that exhibits isotropic negative thermal expansion and has excellent potential as a filler for development of low CTE polymer nanocomposites. In this paper, we report the fabrication and thermal characterization of novel, multiscale, macro-nano hybrid composite laminates comprising bisphenol E cyanate ester (BECy)/ZrW(2)O(8) nanocomposite matrices reinforced with unidirectional carbon fibers. The results reveal that incorporation of nanoparticles facilitates a reduction in CTE of the composite systems, which in turn results in a reduction in panel warpage and curvature after the cure because of mitigation of thermally induced residual stresses.     

Effect of Temperature on the Residual Stresses in an Integral Structure with a Crack‐Retarding Patch

Abstract: The application of bonded ‘straps’ has been proposed for extending the fatigue life of aircraft structures, particularly for integral structures with low inherent crack‐retarding capability. A potential disadvantage in the use of bonded crack retarders is the difference between the coefficients of thermal expansion between the strap and substrate materials, which causes residual stresses when the temperature deviates from the curing or assembly temperature. The evolution of these stresses in flight is important to take into account to accurately assess the fatigue crack growth behaviour of the structure. In this work, the residual strains in an aluminium compact‐tension sample adhesively reinforced with a titanium strap have been measured with neutron diffraction and modelled with a finite element approach at room temperature and at ?50 °C. It was found that a linear elastic approach could accurately be used to predict the residual stresses. The residual stresses were found to be about twice as large at ?50 °C as at room temperature.     

恶劣环境下纤维增强聚合物片材拉伸性能

通过拉伸试验,研究了恶劣环境作用后纤维增强聚合物(FRP)片材的拉伸性能。试验参数包括恶劣环境类别和作用方式、FRP片材种类和层数。试验结果表明,常温环境下、冻融和干湿循环作用后,碳纤维增强聚合物(CFRP)片材和玻璃纤维增强聚合物(GFRP)片材的拉伸应力-应变关系近似为直线;常温环境下,CFRP片材和GFRP片材的拉伸强度和延伸率几乎不受片材层数的影响;冻融循环对GFRP片材的影响大于CFRP片材,冻融循环75次时,CFRP片材和GFRP片材的拉伸强度分别是未冻融的0.978倍和0.898倍,并且随着循环次数的增加,CFRP片材和GFRP片材拉伸强度逐渐下降;干湿循环作用对GFRP片材拉伸性能没有明显的影响。基于对有关文献及本文试验结果的分析,提出了恶劣环境下FRP片材拉伸强度的计算方法。     

Experimental and finite element analysis of a double strap joint between steel plates and normal modulus CFRP

Strengthening of steel structures using externally-bonded carbon fibre reinforced polymers ‘CFRP’ is a rapidly developing technique. This paper describes the behaviour of axially loaded flat steel plates strengthened using carbon fibre reinforced polymer sheets. Two steel plates were joined together with adhesive and followed by the application of carbon fibre sheet double strap joint with different bond lengths. The behaviour of the specimens was further investigated by using nonlinear finite element analysis to predict the failure modes and load capacity. In this study, bond failure is the dominant failure mode for normal modulus (240 GPa) CFRP bonding which closely matched the results of finite elements. The predicted ultimate loads from the FE analysis are found to be in good agreement with experimental values.     

An experimental characterization of the acoustic fatigue endurance of GLARE and comparison with that of CFRP

GLARE is a new aerospace structural material composed of alternating, bonded layers of aluminium alloy and glass fibre reinforced plastic. The results of an experimental study are presented here concerning mechanical fatigue testing of GLARE structural specimens in conditions relevant to the acoustic fatigue problem.

Endurance testing of 35 GLARE Tee-coupons under simulated random acoustic loading has been carried out and resonance frequency, damping loss factor, and strain response of the specimens have been experimentally determined. CFRP specimens have also been tested to provide a benchmark against which to compare the properties of GLARE. FE analysis of the coupons has also been carried out to support the experimental work and the theoretical results have been compared with the experimental data.

Damage mechanisms have been observed and fatigue data established. Using these experimental data, surface strain versus number of cycles to failure curves have been established. In particular, this work has assessed the behaviour of GLARE in bending and has highlighted the importance of the lay-up sequence for the “fibre bridging effect” on crack propagation to be effective.     

An experimental study on the effect of environmental exposures and corrosion on RC columns with FRP composite jackets

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of various environmental conditions on the long-term behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) columns strengthened with carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) and glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) sheets. Small-scale RC columns were manufactured in the laboratory and conditioned under accelerated environmental cycling and accelerated corrosion process of reinforcing bars. Then, uni-axial compressive failure tests were conducted in order to evaluate the change of mechanical properties of the test columns due to the environmental effects. The results revealed that the mechanical properties of RC column system (RC + FRP) were altered due to the environmental conditioning and the corrosion of steel reinforcement, and each type of environmental conditions had its unique effects and features.     

Crack closure in fibre metal laminates

GLARE is a fibre metal laminate (FML) built up of alternating layers of S2-glass/FM94 prepreg and aluminium 2024-T3. The excellent fatigue behaviour of GLARE can be described with a recently published analytical prediction model. This model is based on linear elastic fracture mechanics and the assumption that a similar stress state in the aluminium layers of GLARE and monolithic aluminium result in the same crack growth behaviour. It therefore describes the crack growth with an effective stress intensity factor (SIF) range at the crack tip in the aluminium layers, including the effect of internal residual stress as result of curing and the stiffness differences between the individual layers. In that model, an empirical relation is used to calculate the effective SIF range, which had been determined without sufficiently investigating the effect of crack closure. This paper presents the research performed on crack closure in GLARE. It is assumed that crack closure in FMLs is determined by the actual stress cycles in the metal layers and that it can be described with the available relations for monolithic aluminium published in the literature. Fatigue crack growth experiments have been performed on GLARE specimens in which crack growth rates and crack opening stresses have been recorded. The prediction model incorporating the crack closure relation for aluminium 2024-T3 obtained from the literature has been validated with the test results. It is concluded that crack growth in GLARE can be correlated with the effective SIF range at the crack tip in the aluminium layers, if it is determined with the crack closure relation for aluminium 2024-T3 based on actual stresses in the aluminium layers.     

Thermal expansion and stress relaxation of metal-matrix composites

The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of a series of Al-6%Si matrix samples, with reinforcements of carbon, SiC, Al₂O₃, or boron fibres, cloths, or ceramic particles was measured in the range 60°–220°C with a dilatometer. The anisotropy of the CTE was measured and found to be very large for specimens unidirectionally reinforced with carbon fibre. Relaxation of stresses due to the different thermal expansion of matrix and reinforcement was studied by using the bending of asymmetrically reinforced samples and the magnitude of the stresses evaluated using bending beam theory.     

Structural behaviour of RC beams with external flexural and flexural–shear strengthening by FRP sheets

This paper presents experimental research on reinforced concrete (RC) beams with external flexural and flexural–shear strengthening by fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) sheets consisting of carbon FRP (CFRP) and glass FRP (GFRP). The work carried out has examined both the flexural and flexural–shear strengthening capacities of retrofitted RC beams and has indicated how different strengthening arrangements of CFRP and GFRP sheets affect behaviour of the RC beams strengthened. Research output shows that the flexural–shear strengthening arrangement is much more effective than the flexural one in enhancing the stiffness, the ultimate strength and hardening behaviour of the RC beam. In addition theoretical calculations are developed to estimate the bending and shear capacities of the beams tested, which are compared with the corresponding experimental results.     

Static and fatigue investigation of second generation steel-free bridge decks

This paper outlines the static and fatigue behavior of two different cast-in-place second generation steel-free bridge decks. Although cast monolithically, the first bridge deck was divided into three segments. The first segment was reinforced according to conventional design with steel reinforcement. The other two segments were both steel-free designs with internal crack control grids, one comprised of CFRP, and the other with GFRP. The hybrid CFRP/GFRP and steel strap design is called the second generation of the steel-free concrete bridge deck. The hybrid system reduces the development of longitudinal crack width and eliminates corrosion in the deck. All three segments were tested under a 25 ton and 60 ton cyclic load to investigate fatigue behavior. The second bridge deck is comprised of an internal panel and two cantilevers and incorporates a complete civionics system [Klowak C, Mufti A. Implementation of civionics in a second generation steel-free bridge deck. In: Proceedings of the 33rd annual general conference of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering. Toronto, Ont., June 2–4, 2005]. The static test outlined in this paper is useful in the development of fatigue theory derived from the fatigue testing of the first bridge deck.     

全玻璃纤维增强树脂筋混凝土电缆排管的抗弯试验

提出了采用全玻璃纤维增强树脂基复合材料（GFRP）筋混凝土电缆排管代替传统的钢筋混凝土电缆排管,该结构形式具有减少能耗的优点。通过对小尺寸和足尺GFRP筋混凝土电缆排管试件进行抗弯性能试验,研究其抗弯能力、变形及破坏特征等。试验结果表明,GFRP筋混凝土电缆排管具有与普通钢筋混凝土梁相似的力学特征,以混凝土开裂为分界点,位移-荷载曲线表现为双线性,排管侧面拉应力分布不均匀,部分区域出现了较高拉应力。提出了GFRP筋混凝土电缆排管的抗弯设计计算方法,理论计算结果与试验测试结果较为吻合。