Influence of low velocity impact on fatigue behaviour of woven hemp fibre reinforced epoxy composites

The purpose of this work is to study the resistance to low velocity impact of woven hemp/epoxy matrix composites and the influence of impact damage on their residual quasi-static tensile and cyclic fatigue strengths. Impact characteristic parameters were evaluated and critically compared to those found in the literature for other similar composites. Damage mechanisms were analysed by using AE monitoring and microscopic observations. An analytical model is used to predict the fatigue lifetime of impacted specimens. Moreover a damage scenario is proposed, reduced to two phases in post-impacted fatigue behaviour, instead of three phases for non impacted specimens.     

Low-velocity impact and static behaviors of high-resilience thermal-bonding inter/intra-ply hybrid composites

This study prepared inter/intra-ply hybrid composites reinforced with sandwich-structure recycled Kevlar nonwoven/glass woven compound fabric. Negative-depth needle punching and thermal bonding were applied to strengthen the structure with two compound cover plies and a fluffy cushioning center ply. The effects of center ply areal density, needle punching depth, and fiber blending ratio on the static and dynamic impact resistance behaviors of the composites were investigated. The results indicated that areal density significantly influenced the static and dynamic impact behaviors, which were both enhanced by the promotion of thermal-bonding points. As the needle punching deepened, the static and dynamic puncture resistances represented opposite tendencies because of different failure mechanisms. Static friction was the dominant factor for static puncture resistance, whereas kinetic friction was the dominant factor for dynamic puncture resistance. A similar phenomenon was observed when fiber blending ratio was varied. In terms of the non-penetrating dynamic cushioning test, areal density was the most distinct influence factor on cushioning behavior and the hybrid composites sample with an areal density of 700 g/m² could eliminate up to 66.5% of the incident force. Therefore, the inter/intra-ply hybrid composites showed high impact resistance and excellent dynamic cushioning property.     

High velocity impact on NCF reinforced composites

In the current paper, a series of high velocity impact tests using ?50 and ?25 mm ice spheres and 0.32 g granite stones on non-crimp fabric (NCF) composite plates are reported. The impact tests were performed using an air gun and velocities between 100 m/s and 199 m/s. The impact events were monitored using a high-speed camera, with a 20 million frames per second capacity, as well as by a displacement transducer for out-of-plane displacement measurements of the impacted plates. NCF composite plates of two different thicknesses were impacted. The composites were manufactured from carbon fibre and epoxy resin by vacuum infusion.     

Damping characteristics of nanoclay filled hybrid laminates during medium velocity impact

The objective of this paper is to study the vibrational damping characteristics during medium velocity impact of nanoclay filled glass fiber reinforced epoxy hybrid laminates. A series of laminates with varying degree of nanoclay concentration (0–5 wt.%) and fiber weight fraction (25–75 wt.%) were prepared by vacuum assisted resin infusion molding (VARIM) method. The laminates were subjected to medium velocity projectile impact using in-house built gas gun set-up and the ballistic limit of laminates series was determined. The result indicated that during impact, the laminate undergoes vibrational damping. This damping property is a function of fiber weight fraction and orientation, nanoclay concentration and nanocomposite structure. A 42% increase of ballistic limit was observed for 5 wt.% nanoclay filled hybrid (50 wt.% fiber) when compared with unfilled composite. Structural and modal analysis of hybrids showed that the increased ballistic limit of nanoclay filled hybrids is due to the nanocomposite structure and improved damping and fracture properties.     

Low velocity localized impact study of cellular foams

This paper deals with low velocity impact behavior of two densities of ductile polyvinylchloride (PVC) foam manufactured by Divinicell. Low velocity impact tests are carried out on foam beam and panel specimens. A drop-weight rig is used to carry-out the impact tests. The test rig is equipped with a load cell connected to a data acquisition PC computer, which allows the most important dynamic and kinetic parameters, such as the contact force, load–time response, impactor velocity and energy to be measured. Post-impact creep response of the foam is also investigated. Finite element analyzes are also conducted to study the dynamic response of foam specimens subjected to a low velocity impact. The present paper contributes towards the development of a damage tolerance design approach for structural foams.     

Effect of statistical yarn tensile strength on the probabilistic impact response of woven fabrics

The probabilistic impact response of flexible woven fabrics can be described through the V₀–V₁₀₀ or probabilistic velocity response (PVR) curve which describes the probability of fabric penetration as a function of projectile impact velocity. One source of variability that affects the probabilistic nature of fabric impact performance is the statistical distribution of yarn tensile strengths. In this paper the effects of the statistical yarn strength distribution characteristics on the probabilistic fabric impact response are computationally studied using five different strength distributions with differing mean strengths and distribution widths. Corresponding fabric PVR curves are generated for each strength distribution using a probabilistic computational framework that involves randomly mapping yarn strengths onto the individual woven yarns of a fabric finite element model and then running a series of impact simulations for the case of a four-sided clamped fabric impacted at the center by a spherical projectile.     

Damage modes in 3D glass fiber epoxy woven composites under high rate of impact loading

A qualitative analysis of experimental results from small caliber ballistic impact and dynamic indentation on a 3D glass fiber reinforced composite are presented. Microscopic analysis of the damaged specimens revealed that the current 3D weaving scheme creates inherently two weak planes which act as potential sites for delamination in the above experiments. It is concluded that while the z-yarns may be effective in limiting the delamination damage at low loads and at low rates of impact, at high loads and high loading rates delamination continues to be the dominant failure mode in 3D woven composites. It is shown that dynamic indentation can be used to capture the progression of damage during impact of 3D woven composites.     

Processing and mechanical properties of carbon nanotube-alumina hybrid reinforced high density polyethylene composites

Carbon nanotube-alumina hybrid reinforced high density polyethylene (HDPE) matrix composites were prepared by melt processing technique. Microstructure studies verified that the nanotubes consisting of well-crystallized graphite formed a network structure with Al₂O₃ in the hybrid, which was homogeneously dispersed in the HDPE matrix composites. Mechanical measurements revealed that 5% addition of nanotube-alumina hybrid results in 100.8% and 65.7% simultaneous increases in Young's modulus and tensile strength, respectively. Fracture surface showed homogenous dispersion of nanotubes and Al₂O₃ in the HDPE matrix and presence of interlocking like phenomena between hybrid and HDPE matrix, which might contribute to the effective reinforcement of the HDPE composites.     

Fabrication and characterization of three-dimensional PMR polyimide composites reinforced with woven basalt fabric

A PMR polyimide composite reinforced with three-dimensional (3D) woven basalt fabric is fabricated for medium high temperature applications. The PMR polyimide matrix resin is derived from 4,4′-methylenediamine (MDA), diethyl ester of 3,3′,4,4′-oxydiphthalic (ODPE) and monoethyl ester of Cis-5-norbornene-endo-2,3-dicarboxylic acid (NE). The rheological properties of the PMR polyimide matrix resin are investigated. Based on the curing reaction of the PMR type polyimide and the rheological properties, an optimum two-step fabrication method is proposed. The three dimensional fabric preforms are impregnated with the polyimide resin in a vacuum oven at 70 °C for 1 h followed by removing the solvent and pre-imidization. The composites are then consolidated by an optimized molding procedure. Scanning electron microscopy analysis shows that needle shaped voids are generated in yarns and the void volume fraction is 4.27%. The decomposition temperature and the temperature at 5% weight loss of the composite post-cured at 320 °C for 24 h are 440 °C and 577 °C, respectively. The dielectric constant and the dielectric loss of the composite are measured by circular cavity method at 7–12 GHz. The tensile strength and the modulus in the warp direction of the composite are 436 MPa and 22.7 GPa. The composite shows a layer-by-layer fracture mode in three-point bending test. The flexure strength and modulus in the warp direction of the composite are 673 MPa and 27.1 GPa, respectively.     

Effect of areal weight and chemical treatment on the mechanical properties of bidirectional flax fabrics reinforced composites

In this paper several bidirectional flax fibers, usually used to made curtains, were employed as reinforcement of an epoxy matrix. Four different laminates were made by a vacuum bagging process, with varying both the areal weight and the treatment of the fabric.     

Mechanical properties of hybrid fabrics in pultruded cement composites

This work concerns the tensile properties of cement-based hybrid composites manufactured as: (i) sandwich composites that combine different layers of single fabric types; and (ii) hybrid composites, made from several yarn types within the same fabric. Hybrid combinations of low-modulus fabrics of polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP) and high-modulus AR glass or aramid fabrics were prepared by the pultrusion process and tested in tension. Influence of pultrusion direction on the results was one of the parameters studied. It was found that hybrid composites made from PE and AR glass sustain strains better than 100% AR glass composites, and are stronger than a single PE fabric composite. A hybrid fabric composites made with combination of high strength–high cost aramid and low stiffness–low cost PP yarns performed better than a single aramid fabric composite relative to their reinforcing volume contents. Results show that making hybrid composites is an attractive option for cement-based elements. The performance of hybrid fabric composites is also influenced by the arrangement of fabric layers in the laminates. Composites with brittle and relatively strong fabrics (glass) at the mid-section and ductile fabrics (PE) near the surfaces of the composite performed better in tension than composites with the opposite arrangement.     

Prediction of the elastic behaviour of hybrid and non-hybrid woven composites

A micromechanical model called MESOTEX is presented for prediction of the elastic behaviour of composites reinforced with non-hybrid weave (plain weave, satin weave and twill weave) and hybrid weave (hybrid plain weave and hybrid twill weave) fabrics. By using the classical thin laminate theory applied to each woven structure, this analytical model takes into account the strand undulations in the two directions and also integrates the geometrical and mechanical parameters of each constituent (resin, fill and warp strands). A representative volume is chosen for each woven composite and the fibre architecture is described by several functions. To determine the effectiveness of this analysis, the elastic properties predicted for each woven composite are compared with experimental results and results extracted from the literature. This correlation shows excellent agreement between measured and predicted values, with a very low calculation cost (CPU time of less than 0·01 s).     

Low velocity impact modeling in composite laminates capturing permanent indentation

This paper deals with impact damage and permanent indentation modeling. A numerical model has been elaborated in order to simulate the different impact damage types developing during low velocity/low energy impact. The three current damage types: matrix cracking, fiber failure and delamination, are simulated. Inter-laminar damage, i.e. interface delamination, is conventionally simulated using interface elements based on fracture mechanics. Intra-laminar damage, i.e. matrix cracks, is simulated using interface elements based on failure criterion. Fiber failure is simulated using degradation in the volume elements. The originality of this model is to simulate permanent indentation after impact with a “plastic-like” model introduced in the matrix cracking elements. This model type is based on experimental observations showing matrix cracking debris which block crack closure. Lastly, experimental validation is performed, which demonstrates the model’s satisfactory relevance in simulating impact damage. This acceptable match between experiment and modeling confirms the interest of the novel approach proposed in this paper to describe the physics behind permanent indentation.     

Impact behaviour of basalt fibre reinforced furan composites cured under microwave and thermal conditions

Basalt fibre reinforced furan composites were successfully manufactured by microwave technology. The samples were tested under instrumented falling weight impact loading and compared with conventionally cured ones. The microwave cured composites present higher values for ILLS (13.1%), delamination threshold force (5.2%), maximum load (17.8%) and penetration threshold (14.5%). The better impact performance of microwave curing composites is suggested to be due to its lower residual stresses and more homogeneous crosslinking induced by mass volumetric heating.     

Normal and oblique penetration of woven CFRP laminates by a high velocity steel sphere

In this research, two thicknesses of a woven CFRP laminate have been subjected to impact by a steel sphere in a velocity regime ranging from 170 to 374 m/s. Impact and penetration of targets at normal and oblique incidence were studied using high speed video. For the normal incidence targets at the higher velocities of impact, a conical mass of laminate was ejected ahead of the projectile. Furthermore, despite the energy transferred to the plate increasing with impact energy, the degree of delamination in the thicker targets decreased indicating a change in projectile penetration mechanism. Eventually, the degree of delamination in the thicker targets appeared to approach an asymptotic level whereas for the thinner targets the degree of delamination appeared constant regardless of impact energy. For oblique targets, more of the kinetic energy was transferred from the projectile when compared to the same thickness of target that had been subjected to a normal incidence impact. However, this was merely due to a geometrical effect. Further, thicker panels appeared to behave more efficiently by absorbing more kinetic energy per effective linear thickness at the lower impact energies where petalling is a dominant factor in the penetration. This advantage appeared to disappear as the impact energy was increased.     

Synthesis of polyoxometalates-functionalized carbon nanotubes composites and relevant electrochemical properties study

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-based polyoxometalates (POMs)-functionalized nanocomposites were synthesized by simply functionalizing CNTs with Keggin and Dawson-type POMs. The positively charged polyelectrolyte poly (diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) was introduced to assemble negatively charged POMs and CNTs. The composition, structure and morphology were investigated by UV-visible (UV-vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Cyclic voltammetry (CV) was employed to investigate the electrochemical properties of the resulting nanocomposites. The cyclic voltammograms indicate that the electrochemical properties of POMs are fully maintained. Functionalizing CNTs with POMs not only retains the unique properties of nanotubes, but also endows CNTs with the reversible redox activity of POMs.     

Effect of heat treatment on the properties of Metglas foils, and laminated magnetoelectric composites made thereof

Annealing of magnetostrictive Metglas foils, subsequently incorporated into laminated Metglas/Pb(Zr, Ti)O₃ magnetoelectric (ME) composites, is shown to result in improved magnetic properties, as well as ME coefficients. Annealing of the foils at 350 °C resulted in partial crystallization, without oxidation or magnetic cluster formation that would reduce the magnetization. Laminate composites made with these annealed Metglas foils had improved ME coefficients.     

Experimental and numerical investigations of low velocity impact on functionally graded circular plates

This paper addresses low-velocity impact behaviour of functionally graded clamped circular plates. An experimental work was carried out to investigate the impact behaviour of FG circular plates which is composed of ceramic (SiC) and metal (Al) phases varying through the plate thickness by using a drop-weight impact test system. The influence of the compositional gradient exponent and impactor velocity on the contact forces and absorbed energies was concentrated on the tests. The explicit finite element method, in which a volume fraction based elastic–plastic model (the TTO model) was implemented for the functionally graded materials, was used to simulate their drop-weight impact tests. Effective material properties at any point inside FGM plates were determined using Mori–Tanaka scheme. The experimental and numerical results indicated that the compositional gradient exponent and impactor velocity more effective on the elasto-plastic response of the FG circular plates to a low-velocity impact loading. The comparison at the theoretical and experimental results showed that the use of the TTO model in modelling the elasto-plastic behaviour of FG circular plates results in increasing deviations between the numerical and experimental contact forces for ceramic-rich compositions whereas it becomes more successful for metal-rich compositions.     

The effect of hybridization on the GFRP behavior under high velocity impact

In the present study, experimental and analytical investigations for the behavior of E-glass fiber reinforced composite hybridized with a layer of Kevlar 29 fiber, under high velocity impact, were performed. The experimental work includes the placement of the Kevlar layer at four different locations to verify the effects of the stacking sequence on the impact behavior. Three different projectile geometries, namely, flat-ended, hemispherical and conical were used. The experimental results reveal that hybridization improves the laminates performance under dynamic penetration. The results also indicate that the laminates response was found to be highly sensitive to the projectile geometry. In the case of analytical modeling, two energy models were conducted to calculate the projectile residual velocities. The results obtained from the two models were compared with those obtained experimentally and some conclusions were drawn.     

Split Hopkinson pressure bar testing of 3D woven composites

Results from a series of split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) tests on 3D woven tetxile composites (3DWC) are presented. These tests were done to determine the rate dependent compression response of 3DWC. Three different configurations of the 3DWC, corresponding to compression response in the plane of the material and through-the-thickness direction (out-of-plane) were studied. The rate dependent responses were compared against quasi-static test results and it was found that 3DWC showed an increase in strength in all three directions studied, however, accompanied by a transition in the failure mechanism. The in-plane orientations showed the largest increase in (about 100%) strength at the elevated rates of loading. A follow-on paper provides finite element based results that correspond to the experimental results presented here.