A micromechanical approach for the prediction of the time-dependent failure of high temperature polymer matrix composites

In the present study, a novel micromechanical approach is introduced to study the time-dependent failure of unidirectional polymer matrix composites. The main advantage of the present micromechanical model lies in its ability to give closed-form solutions for the effective nonlinear response of unidirectional composites and to predict the material response to any combination of shear and normal loading. The creep failure criterion is expressed in terms of the creep failure functions of the viscoelastic matrix material. The micromechanical model is also used to calculate these creep failure functions from the knowledge of the creep behavior of the composite material in only transverse and shear loadings, thus eliminating the need for any further experimentation. The composite material used in this study is T300/934, which is suitable for service at high temperatures in aerospace applications. The use of micromechanics can give a more accurate insight into the failure mechanisms of the composite materials in particular at high temperatures where the general behavior of the polymer matrix composite is governed by matrix viscoelasticity and the time-dependent failure of the matrix is a localized phenomenon. The obtained creep failure stresses are found to be in reasonable agreement with the experimental data.     

Processing and high strain rate impact response of multi-functional sandwich composites

Sandwich composites are finding increasing applications in aerospace, marine and commercial structures because they offer high bending stiffness and lightweight advantages. Currently, foam and honeycomb core sandwich composites are widely used in structural applications. However, affordability continues to be the driver to develop sandwich constructions that can be processed at lower costs and containing integrated design features. This paper considers sandwich constructions with reinforced cores by way of three-dimensional Z-pins embedded into foam, honeycomb cells filled with foam, and hollow/space accessible Z-pins acting as core reinforcement. These designs offer added advantages over conventional constructions load bearing by enabling functions such as ability to route wires, mount electronic components, increase transverse stiffness, tailor vibration damping, etc. With the assumption that these sandwich constructions would be part of a larger structure, impact damage is often of concern. This paper deals with: (a) processing of sandwich composites using out-of-autoclave cost-effective liquid molding approach, and (b) investigation of the high strain rate impact (164–326/s) response of the sandwich composite structures. Wherever applicable, comparisons are made to traditional foam core and honeycomb core sandwich constructions.     

Quasi-static and high strain rate response of aluminum matrix syntactic foams under compression

Aluminum alloy matrix syntactic foams were produced by inert gas pressure infiltration. Four different alloys and ceramic hollow spheres were applied as matrix and filler material, respectively. The effects of the chemical composition of the matrix and the different heat-treatments are reported at different strain-rates and in compressive loadings. The higher strain rates were performed in a Split-Hopkinson pressure bar system. The results show that, the characteristic properties of the materials strongly depends on the chemical composition of the matrix and its heat-treatment condition. The compressive strength of the investigated foams showed a limited sensitivity to the strain rate, its effect was more pronounced in the case of the structural stiffness and fracture strain. The failure modes of the foams have explicit differences showing barreling and shearing in the case of quasi-static and high strain rate compression respectively.     

Effect of a viscoelastic interphase on the creep and stress/strain behavior of fiber-reinforced polymer matrix composites

The influence of a viscoelastic interphase on the overall creep compliances and stress/strain relationships of fiber-reinforced polymer-matrix composites under a constant stress and a constant strain-rate loading are examined. The fibers are taken to be elastic but the matrix is also viscoelastic. Evaluation of the overall property is based upon the composite cylinder assemblage and the generalized self-consistent scheme. It is found that, except for the axial tensile behavior, which is fiber-dominated, the creep and stress/strain responses under transverse tension, transverse shear, axial shear, and plane-strain biaxial tension, are all significantly influenced by the interphase. A detailed examination of these effects in the light of the interphase property and volume concentration is carried out, and the results reveal that, when the interphase is viscoelastically softer than the matrix, its presence will cause a very pronounced influence on the creep strength and load-carrying capacity of the three-phase system.     

The effect of interfacial imperfections on the micromechanical stress and strain distribution in fibre reinforced composites

A mathematical model for the determination of micromechanical stress and strain distribution in a unidirectional fibre reinforced composite is developed. The model consists of three phases represented as concentric cylinders, including the existence of an interphase. Both fibre and matrix have well defined elastic properties, while the interphase properties follow an exponential law of variation. The effect of an abrupt variation of elastic properties at the fibre—interphase boundary on the micromechanical state of stress is also presented. The degree of adhesion between fibre and matrix is described by means of adhesion parameters introduced, and a parametric study is performed wherein the stress and strain distribution around the fibre are determined as a function of adhesion efficiency and fibre volume fraction. Analytical results were confirmed by means of a finite element technique introduced and applied to the model.     

Interlaminar shear properties of polymer matrix composites: Strain rate effect

Studies are carried out on interlaminar shear behavior of typical polymer matrix composites under high strain rate shear loading. Torsional split Hopkinson bar (TSHB) apparatus is used for the studies in the shear strain rate range of 496–1000/s. Experimental details, specimen configuration and development, data acquisition and processing are presented. Interlaminar shear strength and shear modulus are presented as a function of shear strain rate. The results are presented for typical plain weave carbon/epoxy and plain weave E-glass/epoxy composites. For comparison, studies are presented at quasi-static loading. It is observed that the interlaminar shear strength at high strain rate is enhanced compared with that at quasi-static loading. Further, it is observed that the interlaminar shear strength increases with increasing shear strain rate within the range of shear strain rate considered.     

High strain rate effects on direct tensile behavior of high performance fiber reinforced cementitious composites

Direct tensile behavior of high performance fiber reinforced cementitious composites (HPFRCCs) at high strain rates between 10 s⁻¹ and 30 s⁻¹ was investigated using strain energy frame impact machine (SEFIM) built by authors. Six series of HPFRCC combining three variables including two types of fiber, hooked (H) and twisted (T) steel fiber, two fiber volume contents, 1% and 1.5%, and two matrix strengths, 56 MPa and 81 MPa, were investigated. The influence of these three variables on the high strain rate effects on the direct tensile behavior of HPFRCCs was analyzed based on the test results. All series of HPFRCCs showed strongly sensitive tensile behavior at high strain rates, i.e., much higher post cracking strength, strain capacity, and energy absorption capacity at high strain rates than at static rate. However, the enhancement was different according to the types of fiber, fiber volume content and matrix strength: HPFRCCs with T-fibers produced higher impact resistance than those with H-fibers; and matrix strength was more influential, than fiber contents, for the high strain rate sensitivity. In addition, an attempt to predict the dynamic increase factor (DIF) of post cracking strength for HPFRCCs considering the influences of fiber type and matrix strength was made.     

Deformation response and constitutive modeling of vinyl ester polymer including strain rate and temperature effects

The deformation behavior of vinyl ester polymer under monotonic tensile loading is characterized and modeled. The Standard Linear Solid model, which is a physical model, was used and modified to represent the stress–strain behavior of this polymer over a wide range of strain rates and temperatures. This model was also used to predict the stress-relaxation and short-term creep behavior of this material. The comparisons between the predictions and experimental data from tensile and relaxation tests demonstrate that this model can represent the deformation behavior of the material reasonably well.     

Effects of mean stress and stress concentration on fatigue behavior of short fiber reinforced polymer composites

An experimental study was conducted to evaluate the effect of mean stress on fatigue behavior of two short glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites and the effect of stress concentration on fatigue behavior of an unreinforced and a short glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic. Load‐controlled fatigue tests were conducted on unnotched (smooth) specimens at R ratios of ?1, 0.1, and 0.3 in different mold flow directions or fiber orientations and at a range of temperatures between ?40 and 125 °C. Effect of mean stress on fatigue life was found to be significant at all temperatures. Several mean stress parameters including modified Goodman, Walker, and Smith–Watson–Topper were evaluated for their ability to correlate mean stress data. A general fatigue life prediction model was also used to account for the effect of mean stress, temperature, and fiber orientation. Notched fatigue tests of an unreinforced polymer and a short glass fiber thermoplastic composite were also conducted using plate type specimens with a central circular hole and with or without the presence of mean stress. Effect of stress concentration was found to be considerable, with or without mean stress and in both the longitudinal and transverse directions. The commonly used Neuber's rule for metallic materials, nonlinear finite element analysis, as well as critical distance approaches were utilized for notch deformation and fatigue life analyses.     

Interface effects on the viscoelastic characteristics of carbon nanotube polymer matrix composites

It is generally known that load transfer from the polymer matrix to carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can be greatly hindered due to the pristine CNT surface condition. This imperfect condition can have a profound influence on the effectiveness of CNT reinforcement. In order to address this issue in the context of viscoelastic response, an effective medium theory is first presented, and then applied to study the effect of interfacial sliding on the time-dependent creep, stress relaxation, strain-rate sensitivity, and storage and loss moduli of a multi-walled CNT/polypropylene nanocomposite. We show that, without accounting for the imperfect load transfer at the interface, the predicted creep compliances are too stiff, but with the introduction of a weakened interface, the measured creep curves at various CNT loading can be well captured. Both stress relaxation and stress–strain relations are also found to greatly depend on the interface condition. Under low-frequency harmonic loading our calculations also reveal that the interface condition is further weakened and that a larger interface sliding parameter is required to reflect the measured storage and tangent moduli. We conclude that the viscoelastic characteristics of a CNT nanocomposite are very sensitive to the interface condition, and that continued improvement in surface functionalization is necessary to realize the full potential of CNT reinforcement.     

Enhancing damping features of advanced polymer composites by micromechanical hybridization

A hybrid configuration at the micromechanical level is presented and described as a suitable approach to enhance the damping features of advanced polymer composites. A micro-level hybridization was achieved on dry preform reinforcements by embedding visco-elastic fibres within standard carbon tows. Unidirectional composites with two viscoelastic volume fractions (2.5% and 5% vol/vol) were manufactured by a vacuum infusion process and later tested by dynamic mechanical analysis along the principal directions. Final results reveal a significant enhancement (+80% and +56%) of the damping properties, respectively, for the longitudinal and the transverse directions in the case of the highest viscoelastic fibre content.In turn, the elastic properties of the final composite were greatly reduced (−37% and −35%) with respect to the standard composite. Final results support further work in the direction of micromechanical hybridization looking at the potential exploitation of standard textile configurations with different viscoelastic fibre content to enhance damping properties.     

Thermomechanically coupled micromechanical analysis of multiphase composites

One- and two-way thermomechanically coupled micromechanical analyses of multiphase composites are presented. In the first type of thermomechanical coupling, a constant temperature that affects the mechanical field only is prescribed at any point of the composite’s constituents. In the two-way thermomechanical coupling, on the other hand, a mutual interaction exists between the mechanical and temperature fields. It is shown that the macroscopic coupled energy equation that is established from a homogenization procedure cannot provide reliable information about the induced temperature that is caused by an applied far-field mechanical loading of the composite. The details of the induced temperature-field variations can be obtained, on the other hand, by the derived two-way thermomechanically coupled micromechanical analysis, thus enabling the identification of critical hot spots in the mechanically loaded composite. Results exhibit, in particular, the induced temperature field in metal-matrix and polymer-matrix composites.     

Effect of strain rate on the fracture of ceramic fibre reinforced glass matrix composites

The effect of strain rate on the fracture behaviour of two ceramic fibre reinforced glass matrix composites was studied. Increasing the strain rate was found to enhance catastrophic failure in both of these composites. This was attributed to the crack deflection and changes in the fibre pullout length as a function of strain rate. Enhanced strain rates were found to decrease the strength, static toughness and fracture energy of the composites. This effect was more pronounced in the case of the coated fibre composites as compared to the uncoated fibre composites. This is because of fibre/matrix isolation, obtained as a result of the coating.     

拉应力下碳纳米管增强高分子基复合材料的应力分布EI北大核心CSCD

采用基于剪切滞后模型的数值计算和有限元仿真结合的研究方法,通过构建由碳纳米管增强的高分子复合材料的圆柱形代表性体积元模型,分析在一定拉伸应力下不同碳纳米管的层数、长径比、含量以及环氧树脂、尼龙和聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯3种基体材料对碳纳米管内各层应力分布的影响。结果表明:在一定的拉伸应力下,层数和长径比对碳纳米管中各层的应力分布影响很大。碳纳米管的饱和应力值随着层数增加而减小,其值与层数存在一定的相关性,在对碳纳米管本身性能的利用率上,单壁碳纳米管表现最好;长径比的增大能有效提升碳纳米管的有效长度;随着碳纳米管含量的减少,其饱和应力值明显增大,有效长度不断减小;不同的高分子基体材料对碳纳米管的应力分布影响并不明显。     

High strain rate compression response of carbon/epoxy laminate composites

Composite materials exhibit excellent mechanical properties over metallic materials and hence are increasingly considered for high technology applications. In many practical situations, the structures are subjected to loading at very high strain rates. Material and structural response vary significantly under such loading as compared to static loading. A structure that is expected to perform under dynamic loading conditions, if designed with the static properties, might be too conservative. Hence, it is necessary to characterize the advanced composites under high strain rate loading. In the current investigations, the response of carbon/epoxy laminated composites under high strain rate compression loading is considered using a modified split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) setup at three different strain rates of 82, 164 and 817 s⁻¹. The laminates were fabricated using 32 plies of a DA 4518 unidirectional carbon/epoxy prepreg system. Both unidirectional and cross-ply laminates were considered for the study. In the case of cross-ply laminates, the samples were tested in the thickness as well as in the in-plane direction. The unidirectional laminate samples were subjected to loading along 0° and 90° directions. Dynamic stress–strain plot was obtained for each sample and compared with the static compression test result. The results of the study indicate that the dynamic strength (with the exception of through the thickness loading of cross-ply laminates) and stiffness exhibit considerable increase as compared to the static values within the tested range of strain rates.     

A micromechanical approach for the fatigue failure prediction of unidirectional polymer matrix composites in off-axis loading including the effect of viscoelasticity

A novel micromechanical approach is used to study the fatigue failure of unidirectional polymer matrix composites subject to off-axis loading. The main advantage of the present micromechanical model lies in its ability to give closed form solutions for the effective nonlinear response of unidirectional composites and to predict the material response to any combination of shear and normal loading. The fatigue failure criterion is expressed in terms of the fatigue failure functions of the constituent materials. The micromechanical model is also used to calculate these fatigue failure functions from the knowledge of the S–N diagrams of the composite material in longitudinal, transverse, and shear loadings; thus, eliminating the need for any further experimentation. Unlike previous works, the present study accounts for the viscoelasticity of the matrix material rendering it the capability of modeling creep damage accumulation in high-temperature composite materials. The results are found to be in good agreement with the literature. In particular, for higher off-axis angles, the results are seen to be in better concurrence with the experimental data compared to when the effect of viscoelasticity is overlooked. The present approach is also capable of accounting for the strain evolution due to viscoelasticity of the matrix material.     

聚合物基导电复合材料研究进展

本文介绍了聚合物基导电复合材料的种类、用途及导电机理。并对碳系填料填充聚合物基导电复合材料及金属系填料填充聚合物基导电复合材料的研究进展进行了综述 ,最后展望了聚合物基导电复合材料的发展趋势。     

金属基复合材料热弹塑性变分渐近细观力学模型

基于变分渐近法建立具有周期性微结构的金属基复合材料（MMCs）细观力学模型及相应的增量方程,以准确预测其典型的热弹塑性行为和初始屈服面。利用细、宏观尺度比很小的特点,对单胞变分能量泛函变化进行渐近扩展,计算得到有效瞬时弹塑性刚度矩阵和热应力矩阵;利用迭代均质化及局域化技术模拟MMCs的非线性热弹塑性性能,并通过有限元技术实现相应的数值模型。算例分析表明:该模型能较好地预测MMCs的初始屈服面,并模拟热弹塑性耦合行为,研究成果为MMCs的进一步研究和实际应用提供了技术支撑。      

Influence of microstructure and strain rate on the compressive strength of whisker-reinforced ceramic matrix composites

The compressive strength of pyroceramic reinforced with a wide variety of SiC whiskers was characterized at loading rates which range from quasi-static to dynamic. It was found that strength is inversely related to whisker size, and essentially strain rate insensitive. The same strain rate independence was obtained for unreinforced matrix, but the strength of the latter lies below that for small ( 1 m diameter) whisker-reinforced composites, and above that for large ( > 3 m diameter) whisker material. Whisker/crack interaction and (to a lesser extent) whisker pull-out seem to be responsible for the beneficial influence of small whiskers, while the apparently detrimental large whiskers serve as microcrack-nucleating inclusions.