金龟子外甲壳的纤维增强特征和树枝状分叉纤维结构

在扫描电镜下观测了昆虫金龟子外甲壳的微结构特征，发现金龟子外甲壳是一种以几丁质纤维增强角质化蛋白质为基体的层状复合材料，其增强纤维的铺层平行于外甲壳的表面，具有包括螺旋铺层和分叉纤维在内的多种微结构特征，通过与人工合成复合材料的比较，分析了这些结构特征的强韧机理，测量并研究了金龟子外甲壳中的树枝状分叉纤维结构及其拔出力。结果表明，树枝状分叉纤维结构比普通直纤维结构具有更大的拔出力。     

Microstructures of chafer cuticle and biomimetic design

Insect cuticle has high strength and high fracture-toughness. The superior material properties are closely related to the various particular microstructures in the cuticle, which has passed through natural optimization for thousands of years. In this work, a scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used for observing the various microstructures in a chafer cuticle. The observation revealed that there are several special microstructures that include helicoidal layups, round-hole-fiber arrangements and branched fibers in the cuticle. These microstructures were analyzed in order to learn more about the strength and toughness mechanisms of these microstructures. Several biomimetic composites were then designed and fabricated with special processes and moulds. Obtained biomimetic composites were tested for investigating their strength and toughness and then compared with those of conventional man-made composites. It was shown that the mechanical properties of the biomimetic composites are remarkably better than those of the corresponding conventional man-made composites.     

金龟子外甲壳异型纤维结构分析

运用扫描电镜实验观察了金龟子外甲壳内部的微结构,发现其类似于人造纤维增强复合材料,具有几丁质纤维增强角质化蛋白质基体的结构特征.对其仔细观察发现其中存在非均匀的纤维铺层以及奇特的异型刺状和球形纤维.针对发现的异型刺状纤维结构,建立纤维端头模型,用有限元分析方法对其进行了应力和变形分析,结果表明刺状和球形端头纤维能显著地降低其端头界面剪应力集中现象,提高纤维增强复合材料抵抗变形破坏的能力,增加纤维增强复合材料的强度.分析结果对仿生复合材料的设计具有指导意义.     

Simulation of single fiber pullout response with account of fiber morphology

A finite element model was developed at the single fiber length scale to predict the quasi-static pullout response of individual fibers from cementitious composites. The model accounts for energy dissipation through granular flow of the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) and matrix, plastic work in the fiber, and frictional dissipation at the fiber–ITZ interface. The considered fiber morphology was a triangular cross section that had been uniformly twisted along the fiber length. The model was calibrated to published experimental data for fiber pitches of 12.7 and 38.1 mm/revolution pulled from cement mortar with a 44-MPa unconfined compressive strength. The model was used to investigate slip-hardening behavior, tunneling of the cement mortar, in situ pullout behavior of helically twisted fibers at a crack plane, and provide an alternate explanation for the pullout response of twisted fibers from a 84-MPa unconfined compressive strength matrix containing silica fume. Calculations show that twisted fibers can provide up to 5 times the peak pullout force and 10 times the total work compared with straight fibers and infer work-hardening behavior during fiber pullout. The findings indicate that the tailoring of fiber morphology and control of constituent properties are important avenues for achieving significant improvements in the performance of fiber-reinforced cementitious composites.     

Spiry-layup model of Rutelidae cuticle

In this study, the microstructures of Rutelidae cuticle, a natural biocomposite, were observed with scanning electronic microscope (SEM). It was found that the insect cuticle has a laminated microstructure consisting of chitin fiber and protein matrix. There are particular spiry layups in the cuticle. The maximal pull-out force of the spiry layup is analyzed and compared with that of conventional 0°-layup based on their representative models. The result shows that the pull-out force of the spiry layup is markedly larger than that of the conventional 0°-layup. The corresponding experiment on the maximal pull-out forces of both spiry layup and the 0°-layup is conducted, and it shows that the maximal pull-out force of the spiry layup is markedly larger than that of the 0°-layup, which verifies and demonstrates the validity of the presented model.     

Mechanical and statistical analyses of fracture of whisker-reinforced ceramic-matrix composites

This paper analyzes the fracture toughness of short-fiber reinforced ceramic-matrix composites (CMC). The effects of crack deflection and fiber pullout on matrix cracking are examined using a combination of mechanical and statistical models. First, the stress intensity factors of a deflected crack subjected to closure stress due to fiber pullout are analyzed based upon the mechanical model. Distributed dislocation method is used for the elastic analysis. Since the deflected crack is subjected to biaxial loading, a mixed mode fracture criterion in linear elastic fracture mechanics is applied to calculate the fracture toughness. Secondly, the number of pullout fibers on the fracture surface is treated as a random variable, and the statistical distribution of these fibers has been determined. The pullout force acting on a deflected crack is also obtained as a random variable by assuming a simple mechanism of fiber pullout. The probability of failure of CMC can thus be estimated from the strength characteristics of the fiber and matrix as well as the interface between these two.     

Effect of loading rates on pullout behavior of high strength steel fibers embedded in ultra-high performance concrete

In this paper single fiber pull-out performance of high strength steel fibers embedded in ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) is investigated. The research emphasis is placed on the experimental performance at various pullout rates to better understand the dynamic tensile behavior of ultra-high performance fiber reinforced concrete (UHP-FRC). Based on the knowledge that crack formation is strain rate sensitive, it is hypothesized that the formation of micro-splitting cracks and the damage of cement-based matrix in the fiber tunnel are mainly attributing to the rate sensitivity. Hereby, different pull-out mechanisms of straight and mechanically bonded fibers will be examined more closely. The experimental investigation considers four types of high strength steel fibers as follows: straight smooth brass-coated with a diameter of 0.2 mm and 0.38 mm, half end hooked with a diameter of 0.38 mm and twisted fibers with an equivalent diameter of 0.3 mm. Four different pull out loading rates were applied ranging from 0.025 mm/s to 25 mm/s. The loading rate effects on maximum fiber tensile stress, use of material, pullout energy, equivalent bond strength, and average bond strength are characterized and analyzed. The test results indicate that half-hooked fibers exhibit highest loading rate sensitivity of all fibers used in this research, which might be attributed to potential matrix split cracking. Furthermore, the effect of fiber embedment angles on the loading rate sensitivity of fiber pullout behavior is investigated. Three fiber embedment angles, 0°, 20°, and 45°, are considered. The results reveal that there is a correlation between fiber embedment angle and loading rate sensitivity of fiber pullout behavior.     

钢纤维对掺花岗岩石粉UHPC的增强增韧:磷酸锌改性和纤维形状的影响及机理

采用自制的单根钢纤维拉拔试验装置等,通过拉拔试验和SEM-EDS等试验,开展钢纤维的磷酸锌(ZnPh)改性及其形状对在蒸压养护条件下的掺花岗岩石粉超高性能混凝土(UHPC)增强增韧影响机理的研究。所研究钢纤维形状包括:镀铜平直型S、镀铜单折线端钩型G1、镀铜双折线端钩型G2和镀铜波浪型L。研究表明,钢纤维的机械咬合力起主导作用,钢纤维平均粘结强度与拔出功大小顺序均为:G1G2LS。ZnPh改性后,钢纤维表面变粗糙,这增强了钢纤维与UHPC基体间的化学粘结力和静摩擦力,从而提高了钢纤维在UHPC中的平均粘结强度和拔出功。在UHPC韧性的提高方面,采用ZnPh改性,对S钢纤维最明显,而对异型钢纤维(G1、G2和L)则不明显。     

Bio-inspired tapered fibers for composites with superior toughness

The toughness of fiber-reinforced composites largely relies on crack bridging. More specifically, intact fibers left behind the tip of a propagating crack are progressively pulled out of the matrix, dissipating energy which translates into toughness. While short fibers are traditionally straight, recent work has showed that they can be shaped to increase the pullout strength, but not necessarily the energy to pullout. In this work we have modeled, fabricated and tested short fibers with tapered ends inspired from a high-performance natural material: nacre from mollusc shells. The main idea was to duplicate a key mechanism where a slight waviness of the inclusion can generate strain hardening and energy dissipation when the inclusion is pulled out. We have incorporated a similar feature to short fibers, in the form of tapered ends with well defined opening angles. We performed pullout tests on tapered steel fibers in epoxy matrices, which showed that the pullout of tapered fiber dissipates up to 27 times more energy than straight fibers. The experimental results also indicated the existence of an optimum taper angle to maximize work of pullout while preventing the brittle fracture of the matrix. An analytical model was developed to capture the pullout mechanism and the interaction between fiber and matrix. The analytical model can guide the design of tapered fibers by providing predictions on the influence of different parameters.     

Static and fatigue mechanical characterizations of variable diameter fibers reinforced bone cement

Fibers can be used to improve the mechanical properties of bone cement for the long-term stability of hip prostheses. However, debonding of the fibers from the matrix due to the poor fiber/matrix interface is a major failure mechanism for such fiber reinforced bone cements. In this study, a novel fiber (variable diameter fibers or VDFs) technology for reinforced bone cement was studied to overcome the interface problem of short-fiber composites. These fibers change their diameters along their length to improve the fiber/matrix interfacial bond by the mechanical interlock between the VDFs and the matrix. A novel composite made from novel ceramic VDFs incorporated in PMMA matrix was developed. Both static and fatigue tests were carried out on the composites. Conventional straight fiber (CSF) reinforced bone cement was also tested for comparison purposes. Results demonstrated that both the stiffness and the fatigue life of VDF reinforced bone cement are significantly improved (P < 0.05) compared with the unreinforced bone cement. VDF contents of 10% by volume increased the fatigue life over unreinforced bone cement by up to 100-fold. Also, the fatigue life and modulus of toughness of VDF reinforced cement were significantly greater than those of CSF reinforced cement (P < 0.05 and P < 0.001, respectively). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs revealed that VDFs can bridge the matrix cracks effectively and pullout of VDFs results in much more extensive matrix damage than pullout of CSFs increasing the resistance to fatigue. Therefore, VDF reinforced cement was significantly tougher, having a greater energy dissipation capacity than CSF reinforced cement. VDFs added to bone cement could potentially avoid implant loosening due to the mantle fracture of bone cement and delay the need for revision surgery.     

Theoretical Prediction of Strength of Composite with Fractal-tree Structure Fibers

Theoretically;the strength of composite with branched fibers is predicted to be greater than that ofcomposite with plain fibers.The effects of the branching angle of the fiber,and the snubbing frictionbetween the fiber and the matrix at the fiber branching point and the branching step's number of thefiber on the strength of the composite with branched fibers have been studied.It has been shownthat the strength of the composite increases with branching angle,the snubbing friction and thebranching step's number.     

Interface engineering of fiber-reinforced all-oxide composites fabricated by the sol–gel method with fugitive pyrolytic carbon coatings

This paper describes the interface engineering of three–dimensional (3D) Nextel™440 fiber-reinforced aluminosilicate composites fabricated by the sol–gel method with fugitive pyrolytic carbon (PyC) coatings. The coating thickness on the fiber strength, interfacial characteristics and there corresponding effects on mechanical properties of the composites were investigated. The study shows that the fiber strength was influenced by the coating thickness and optimized with the thickness of 0.15 μm. The composites with uncoated fibers showed brittle fracture behavior without fiber pullout because of strong interactions between the fiber and the matrix. However, higher strengths and pseudo-ductile fracture behaviors were obtained in the composites with PyC interphases, where different deflections and branches of propagating cracks and fiber pullout patterns were observed. Moreover, induced fugitive PyC interface conditions have great effects on the density, microstructure and mechanical properties of the resultant composites.     

The effect of non-symmetric distribution of fiber orientation and aspect ratio on elastic properties of composites

A composite’s microstructure significantly influences its overall properties. Orientation and aspect ratio of the fiber are two key parameters that describe the microstructures of a composite with straight short fibers. This paper discusses the effects of fiber orientation and aspect ratio distribution on the overall elastic properties of composites using the Mori–Tanaka’s method in this paper. The results show that using an average aspect ratio of the fibers to estimate overall elastic properties is not appropriate under some conditions. When the aspect ratio of the fibers does not follow a symmetric distribution, the overall elastic properties obtained by the average aspect ratio of the fibers may differ by more than 30% from those obtained by the method considering the aspect ratio distribution. This paper presents a model used to predict the properties of nanotube-reinforced composites. The results obtained by the model were compared with experimental results.     

先驱体浸渍-裂解法制备SiBN纤维增强SiBN陶瓷基复合材料

连续纤维增强氮化物陶瓷基复合材料是耐高温透波材料的主要发展方向,纤维是目前制约耐高温透波复合材料发展的关键,而SiBN陶瓷纤维是一种兼具耐高温、透波、承载的新型陶瓷纤维。以聚硅氮烷为陶瓷先驱体,以SiBN连续陶瓷纤维为增强体,采用先驱体浸渍-裂解法制备了SiBN陶瓷纤维增强SiBN陶瓷基复合材料,研究了复合材料的热膨胀特性、力学性能、断裂模式以及微观结构。结果表明:SiBN陶瓷纤维增强SiBN陶瓷基复合材料呈现明显的脆性断裂特征,复合材料的弯曲强度和拉伸强度分别为88.52 MPa和6.6 MPa,纤维的力学性能仍有待于提高。     

Effects of steel fiber reinforcement on surface wear resistance of self-compacting repair mortars

Self-compacting repair mortars (SCRM), as new technology products, are especially preferred for the rehabilitation and repair of reinforced concrete structures. The self-compactability of repair mortars may bring considerable advantages at narrow mould systems. However, due to the high powder content and absence of coarse aggregate, plain SCRMs are susceptible to surface abrasion, especially in case of repair of surfaces under high rates of abrasion (floors, slabs). Steel fiber reinforcement can be an excellent solution for the abrasion resistance problem of SCRMs. However, the optimum amount of fiber reinforcement to sustain self-compactability should be pre-determined. In this study, the optimum superplasticizer dosage and the maximum possible amount of fiber addition, which maintain the self-compactability and stability, was determined for mortars incorporating steel fibers. In addition, the mechanical performance and abrasion resistance of SCRMs prepared by using these fibers were determined. It was concluded that steel fibers can have rheological and mechanical synergistic effects, and that optimised fiber – superplasticizer dosage combinations can better improve the wear resistance while maintaining adequate flow properties for FR-SCRM.     

Influence of bundle coating on the tensile behavior,bonding, cracking and fluid transport of fabric cement-based composites

The goal of this work was to study the mechanical performance and fluid ingress of fabric cement based components made of epoxy coated and non-coated multifilament carbon fabrics. Direct tensile, pullout, and fluid transport tests were performed. Cracking was observed using four test geometries: (i) tensile tests, (ii) pullout tests, (iii) restrained shrinkage tests, and (iv) wedge splitting tests. The results show that coating multifilament carbon yarns improves mechanical behavior and bonding of the composite when compared with non-coated carbon yarn composites. The non-coated carbon systems may be problematic due to poor bonding as well as their potential to permit fluid ingress along the bundle–matrix interface and through the empty spaces between filaments. In addition, it was also found that fabric with coated bundles reduces crack width and develops dense branched network cracks. However, these additional fine cracks were found to increase fluid ingress into the matrix as compared with the plain cement paste.     

Influence of the fiber/matrix strength on the mechanical properties of a glass fiber/thermoplastic-matrix plain weave fabric composite

In this work, we analyze the influence of different fiber surface treatments on the mechanical properties of plain weave composites. The reinforcement is a glass fibers fabric and the matrix is an acrylic polymer. Until very recently, this thermoplastic polymer family was not used in composite industry. It is therefore necessary to study if the existing fiber surface treatments are suitable for acrylic resins or if new ones have to be found. At the macroscale, composite materials corresponding to different fiber surface treatments were characterized with: (i) monotonic in-plane shear tests and (ii) heat-build up fatigue measurements on specimens with ±45° fiber orientations with respect to the tensile force. At the mesoscale (fabric scale), the development of damage was experimentally analyzed from (i) 3-D DIC (Digital Image Correlation) full-field strain measurements with spatial resolution smaller than the textile repeating unit and (ii) X-ray microtomography. We show that the analyzed composite materials exhibit linear viscoelastic behavior until a given stress threshold above which damage develops in the material. It was also found that the application on the fibers of a coupling agent specifically developed for promoting the bond between glass fibers and acrylic resins improves the composite mechanical properties, in particular the fatigue properties.     

Fiber-end deformation effects in enlarged-end, fiber-reinforced composites

Composite materials reinforced by fibers with enlarged ends are known to have significantly better strength and toughness than those reinforced by flat-end fibers. The objective of this study is to develop an analytical model to determine the importance of deformation of the enlarged end on the reinforcement performance of ellipsoidal enlarged-end fibers. The resisting pullout load of the fiber is composed of a component due to interfacial bond at the fiber/matrix interface and a component due to mechanical anchorage at the embedded enlarged end of the fiber. The component due to mechanical anchorage at the enlarged end is due to both mechanical interlock and deformation of the enlarged end. In the past, little has been done to account for the deformation of the enlarged end. To account for this component of the mechanical anchorage resistance at the embedded enlarged end, a spring component is introduced to connect the embedded fiber with the enlarged ellipsoid. Analytical solutions were derived to predict the effects of the rigid enlarged end shape on the pullout load and stress distribution. These solutions were then compared to finite element solutions. It is shown that the shape of enlarged end has a significant influence on the stress distribution of the short fiber. Specially, the model demonstrates that the enlarged ends deform significantly for some shapes and are not effective for long fibers.     

Mechanical Properties of the TaSi2 Fibers by Nanoindentation

The Si-TaSi₂ eutectic in situ composite, which has highly-aligned and uniformly-distributed TaSi₂ fibers in the Si matrix, can be obtained when the solidification rate changes from 0.3 to 9.0 mm/min. It is very interesting that one or two TaSi₂ fibers are curved when the solidification rate reaches 6.0 mm/min, although it is very brittle in general. The formation mechanism of the curved fiber is discussed and mechanical properties of the TaSi₂ fibers are examined by nanoindentation. It is found that the hardness and the elastic modulus of the bended TaSi₂ fiber are much higher than that of the straight TaSi₂ fiber. Moreover, the reasons why the mechanical properties of the straight TaSi₂ fiber are different from that of the curved TaSi₂ fiber are discussed. This can be ascribed to internal stress which results from mismatch of the thermal expansion coefficients of the two phases and di®erent crystallographic orientations.     

Responses of viscoelastic polymer composites with temperature and time dependent constituents

This study formulates a concurrent micromechanical model for predicting effective responses of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites, whose constituents exhibit thermo-viscoelastic behaviors. The studied FRP composite consists of orthotropic unidirectional fiber and isotropic matrix. The viscoelastic material properties for the fiber and matrix constituents are allowed to change with the temperature field. The composite microstructures are idealized with periodically distributed square fibers in a matrix medium. A unit-cell model, consisting of four fiber and matrix subcells, is generated to obtain effective nonlinear thermo-viscoelastic responses of the composites. A time-integration algorithm is formulated to link two different thermo-viscoelastic constitutive material models at the lowest level (homogeneous fiber and matrix constituents) to the effective material responses at the macro level, and to transfer external mechanical and thermal stimuli to the constituents. This forms a concurrent micromechanical model, which is needed as the material properties of the constituents depend on the temperature field. Consistent tangent stiffness matrices are formulated at the fiber and matrix constituents and also at the effective composite level to improve prediction accuracy. The thermo-viscoelastic responses obtained from the concurrent micromodel are verified with available experimental data. Detailed finite element (FE) models of the FRP microstructures are also generated using 3D continuum elements for several fiber volume fractions. Thermo-viscoelastic responses of the concurrent micromodel are also compared to the ones of the detailed FRP microstructures.