Influence of bonding on the tensile creep behavior of paper in a cyclic humidity environment

It has been shown, as paper structure is improved through increased bonding (by increasing relative bonded area or specific bond strength), a fully efficient loaded structure can be achieved. Once fully efficient, further improvements in bonding become redundant and have no effect on some paper deformation behaviors; deformation is dictated only by the characteristics of the fibers. Although previous work had shown this was true for elastic modulus and short time duration stress-strain behavior, it has only recently been shown to be true for constant humidity tensile creep behavior. In this study, the goal was to ascertain if cyclic humidity tensile creep behavior (known as accelerated creep) would follow the same trend. To accomplish this, sheets were made at differing levels of relative bonded area and specific bond strength. This was done by applying two different wet pressing levels (to alter relative bonded area) and using bonder and debonder (to change specific bond strength). It was found that accelerated creep behavior of paper sheets is no different than constant humidity creep behavior; changing bonding does not influence accelerated creep if the sheet has a fully efficient loaded structure. If the sheet structure is inefficiently loaded (there is no redundancy in bonding), accelerated creep will be affected by bonding. However, it is proposed that the only reason accelerated creep is influenced by bonding when inefficiently loaded is because constant humidity creep behavior determines the accelerated behavior and it is influenced, in this case, by bonding.     

Influence of three-dimensional (3D) fabric orientation on flexural properties of cement-based composites

This research studied the flexural behavior of textile reinforced cement-based composites reinforced with 3D fabrics. Three different 3D fabrics were examined, each with a different orientation of the spacer yarns. This work focused on the influences involved in the two plane fabric directions, weft and warp. Plain 2D fabrics (not in cement) and within the cement were also examined for comparison. It was found that the warp direction of the plain fabric has higher tensile strength than the weft direction. On the contrary, when the fabric is in a composite, the weft direction presents improved behavior in flexure due to three mechanisms: the tightening of the warp bundles by the loops, the waviness of the warp yarns, and the angle of the yarns located along the composite thickness to the loading direction. In general, compared with 2D fabrics, 3D fabrics are highly beneficial reinforcements for cement-based composites due to their greater reinforcing efficiency via mechanical anchoring.     

Carbon fabric reinforced polyetherimide composites: Influence of weave of fabric and processing parameters on performance properties and erosive wear

Woven carbon fabric reinforced (55 vol.%) polyetherimide (PEI) composites were fabricated using three types of weaves viz. plain (P), twill (T), and satin-4 H (S) by impregnation technique. Three more similar composites were fabricated with film technique to study the influence of both, weave of fabric and processing technique on the performance properties of the total seven composites including neat PEI. The composites were evaluated for physical and mechanical properties along with erosion wear behavior studied in identical conditions. In almost all properties viz. tensile strength (TS), modulus (TM), elongation to break (e), flexural strength and modulus, interlaminar shear strength (ILSS), etc., film technique proved far inferior to impregnation technique because of improper wetting of fiber strands, as evidenced by SEM studies. CF reinforcement enhanced all the properties of PEI manifold except elongation to break. None of the weaves proved best performer in all the mechanical properties. In case of erosive wear studies, plain weave composite proved slightly better than satin weave composite. Composite with twill weave proved poorest performer. In case of film technique, however, trends were different where plain weave composite proved poorest and satin proved best. Efforts were made to correlate various strength properties with wear resistance W_R. The factor (elongation × toughness) showed fairly good correlation with W_R. SEM studies were conducted to understand wear mechanisms.     

Quasi-static tensile behavior and damage of carbon/epoxy composite reinforced with 3D non-crimp orthogonal woven fabric

This paper presents a comprehensive experimental study and detailed mechanistic interpretations of the tensile behavior of one representative 3D non-crimp orthogonal woven (3DNCOW) carbon/epoxy composite. The composite is tested under uniaxial in-plane tensile loading in the warp, fill and ±45° bias directions. An “S-shape” nonlinearity observed in the stress–strain curves is explained by the concurrent contributions of inherent carbon fiber stiffening (“non-Hookean behavior”), fiber straightening, and gradual damage accumulation. Several approaches to the determination of a single-value Young’s modulus from a significantly nonlinear stress–strain curve are discussed and the best approach recommended. Also, issues related to the experimental determination of effective Poisson’s ratios for this class of composites are discussed, and their possible resolution suggested. The observed experimental values of the warp- and fill-directional tensile strengths are much higher than those typically obtained for 3D interlock weave carbon/epoxy composites while the nonlinear material behavior observed for the ±45°-directional tensile loading is in a qualitative agreement with the earlier results for other textile composites. Results of the damage initiation and progression, monitoried by means of acoustic emission, full-field strain optical measurements, X-rays and optical microscopy, are illustrated and discussed in detail. The damage modes at different stages of the increasing tensile loading are analyzed, and the principal progressive damage mechanisms identified, including the characteristic crack patterns developed at each damage stage. It is concluded that significant damage initiation of the present material occurs in the same strain range as in traditional cross-ply laminates, while respective strain range for other previously studied carbon/epoxy textile composites is significantly lower. Overall the revealed advantages in stiffness, strength and progressive damage behavior of the studied composite are mainly attributed to the absence of crimp and only minimal fiber waviness in the reinforcing 3DNCOW preform.     

Effect of pore size on the tensile behavior of open-cell Ti foams: Experimental results

Open-cell Ti foams having an average pore size of 50 and 150 µm, respectively have been subjected to room temperature tensile tests to explore their tensile properties. Since extensometry is difficult in foams due to problems such as localized surface deformation and attachment of clip gauges, the foams' mechanical properties have been measured in this work accurately by the help of a camera which records the resulting dimensional changes during the loading. The camera acts as a non-contact extensometer and thus it helps in avoiding any small amounts of pre-deformation that might be caused by the attachment of conventional extensometer to the sample's surface prior to testing. Ti foam samples of smaller pores were found to experience higher strength and elongation than those with larger ones. The cell walls in both foam samples failed suddenly in the 45° maximum shear plane direction.     

Comparative study on tensile fracture behavior of monofilament and bundle C/C composites

Strength controlling factors in C/C composites were experimentally examined using monofilament fiber reinforced C/C composites and those reinforced by one carbon fiber bundle. Tensile strength of the monofilament C/C composites was almost the same level with that of the carbon fiber. This result indicated that carbon fibers in the C/C composites were intact even after the processing. On the other hand, remarkable reduction was observed in the bundle C/C composites. It was indicated that the fracture of the C/C composite is dominated by the brittle fracture of the sub-bundles, in which the fiber/matrix interface is bonded well.     

织物形式对苎麻纤维渗透率及其复合材料力学性能的影响

采用树脂传递模塑工艺(RTM)研究了三种典型苎麻纤维织物结构(平纹、 斜纹和缎纹)对树脂流动性的影响, 并研究了三种苎麻纤维织物结构对其增强酚醛树脂复合材料的拉伸性能和层间剪切性能的影响。结果表明, 苎麻纤维织物树脂渗透率主要受纤维屈曲和流道面积的影响。斜纹和缎纹苎麻织物的纤维屈曲较小且流道面积较大, 其织物的树脂渗透率较大, 同时, 较小的纤维屈曲使其增强的复合材料拉伸性能也较优。然而, 不同织物形式对苎麻纤维织物/树脂复合材料的层间性能影响不大。     

Mechanisms governing the tensile,fatigue, and wear behavior of carbon nanotube reinforced aluminum alloy

This work is concerned with understanding the influence of reinforcement mechanisms of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on mechanical, wear, and fatigue tests on an Aluminium-Silicon (AlSi) alloy. The reinforcement mechanism is presented through the observation of fracture morphology of the different tests. Results of mechanical properties, fatigue life performance, and wear loss is presented and discussed. It is shown that the CNTs reinforcement effect is active simultaneously in all previous properties and the reinforcement physical mechanism seems to be essentially due to a reinforcement effect of the interface that seems to be similar in all mentioned mechanical solicitations.     

Effect of fibre coating and geometry on the tensile properties of hybrid carbon nanotube coated carbon fibre reinforced composite

Hierarchically structured hybrid composites are ideal engineered materials to carry loads and stresses due to their high in-plane specific mechanical properties. Growing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the surface of high performance carbon fibres (CFs) provides a means to tailor the mechanical properties of the fibre–resin interface of a composite. The growth of CNT on CF was conducted via floating catalyst chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The mechanical properties of the resultant fibres, carbon nanotube (CNT) density and alignment morphology were shown to depend on the CNT growth temperature, growth time, carrier gas flow rate, catalyst amount, and atmospheric conditions within the CVD chamber. Carbon nanotube coated carbon fibre reinforced polypropylene (CNT-CF/PP) composites were fabricated and characterized. A combination of Halpin–Tsai equations, Voigt–Reuss model, rule of mixture and Krenchel approach were used in hierarchy to predict the mechanical properties of randomly oriented short fibre reinforced composite. A fractographic analysis was carried out in which the fibre orientation distribution has been analyzed on the composite fracture surfaces with Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and image processing software. Finally, the discrepancies between the predicted and experimental values are explained.     

Influence of fibre architecture on the tensile,compressive and flexural behaviour of 3D woven composites

This paper presents a comprehensive study on the tensile, compressive, and flexural performance of six types of 3D woven carbon-fibre/epoxy composites which were manufactured using a traditional narrow fabric weaving loom and resin transfer moulding. Four orthogonal and two angle-interlock weaves were tested with the primary loading direction parallel to the warp direction. The mechanical performance was found to be affected by the distribution of resin rich regions and the waviness of the load-carrying fibres, which were determined by the fibre architectures. The binding points within the resin rich regions were found to be the damage initiation sites in all weave types under all loading conditions, which were confirmed with both visual observation and digital image correlation strain maps. Among all weave types, the angle interlock weave W-3 exhibited the highest properties under all loading conditions.     

Study on the friction and wear behavior of basalt fabric composites filled with graphite and nano-SiO2

To improve the friction and wear behavior of basalt fabric reinforced phenolic composites, single graphite or nano-SiO₂ and both of them were incorporated. The tribological properties of the resulting composites under different sliding conditions were investigated systematically on a model ring-on-block test rig. The friction and wear mechanisms of the composites were studied through analyzing the worn surfaces and transfer films by a scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Experimental results showed that graphite (Gr) was more beneficial than nano-SiO₂ in improving the tribological properties of basalt fabric composites (BFC) when they were singly incorporated. It is well worth noting that the friction and wear behavior of the filled composites was improved further when nano-SiO₂ and graphite were added together, indicating that there was a synergistic effect between them. Tribological tests under different sliding conditions revealed that the BFC/Gr/SiO₂ composites seemed to be more suitable for tribological applications under higher sliding speed and load.     

铺层顺序对预成型体搭接复合材料拉伸性能影响的仿真与验证

使用有限元理论模拟分析了几种不同铺层顺序的预成型体搭接复合材料的拉伸性能,并且使用国产碳纤维与快速固化环氧树脂制备相应的单下陷搭接试样,测试其搭接接头的拉伸性能,对有限元计算结果进行了验证。结果表明,使用有限元计算与实验方法得到的结果基本相符。有限元模拟及实验验证发现不同铺层结构的预成型体搭接复合材料有两种不同的破坏损伤模式。搭接上层板的层间剥离强度与层板本身弯曲性能共同决定了搭接接头的破坏模式及拉伸性能,两者中强度较弱的先发生破坏,导致试样失效。在预成型体搭接接头中,0°铺层越靠近搭接面,对搭接性能的影响越明显,搭接强度越高。搭接界面处纤维层之间的相对角度不同,纤维铺层刚度不同,刚度差别越大,搭接强度就越低。     

Influence of fabric structure and thickness on the ballistic impact behavior of Ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene composite laminate

This paper presents the influence of fabric structure and thickness on the ballistic impact behavior of Ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) composite laminate. UHMWPE composite laminates, reinforced by three kinds of fabric structures, unidirectional prepreg, 2D plain-woven and 3D single-ply orthogonal woven fabrics, were fabricated via hot pressing curing process. Through a series of standard ballistic tests, we demonstrated that unidirectional composite laminates exhibit higher ballistic impact velocity and absorbed energy capacity compared to others. A bi-linear relationship was found between the ballistic limit velocity and specimen thickness. Furthermore, the dominant failure mechanisms of unidirectional composite laminates were identified to be plugging and hole friction for thin laminates, whereas delamination, fiber tension and bulging for thick ones.     

Effect of microstructure and overaging on the tensile behavior at room and elevated temperature of C355-T6 cast aluminum alloy

The present study was focused on the microstructural and mechanical characterization of the Al–Si–Cu–Mg C355 alloy, at room and elevated temperature. In order to evaluate the influence of microstructural coarseness on mechanical behavior, samples with different Secondary Dendrite Arm Spacing (SDAS) (20–25 μm for fine microstructure and 50–70 μm for coarse microstructure), were produced through controlled casting conditions. The tensile behavior of the alloy was evaluated at T6 condition and at T6 with subsequent high temperature exposure (41 h at 210 °C, i.e. overaging), both at room and elevated temperature (200 °C). Microstructural investigations were performed through optical and electron microscopy.The results confirmed the important role of microstructure on the tensile behavior of C355 alloy. Ultimate tensile strength and elongation to failure strongly increased with the decrease of SDAS. Larger SDAS, related to lower solidification rates, modify microstructural features, such as eutectic Si morphology and size of the intermetallic phases, which in turn influence elongation to failure. Overaging before tensile testing induced coarsening of the strengthening precipitates, as observed by STEM analyses, with consequent reduction of the tensile strength of the alloy, regardless of SDAS. A more sensible decrease of tensile properties was registered at 200 °C testing temperature.     

Influence of boron carbide content on the microstructure,tensile strength and fracture behavior of boron carbide reinforced aluminum metal matrix composites

In the present work, an indigenously developed low cost modified stir casting technique is developed for the processing of 6061 Al‐B₄C composites containing high‐volume fraction of boron carbide particles (up to 20 vol. %). The influence of varying reinforcement content on the spatial distribution of boron carbide in the aluminum matrix is qualitatively characterized using scanning electron microscope. At a lower volume fraction of reinforcement, wide particle free zone and large interparticle spacing were observed in the matrix while the composite with high reinforcement content displayed relatively homogeneous and discrete particle distribution. X‐ray diffraction analysis confirms the presence of only aluminum and boron carbide diffraction peaks, indicating that no significant reaction occurs during composite processing. The tensile behavior of composites revealed that strength and ductility are influenced by varying particulate content. The quantitative analysis of strengthening mechanism in the casted composites showed that higher volume fraction of boron carbide lead to larger values of thermal dislocation strengthening, grain size and strain gradient strengthening. The morphology of fracture surfaces reveals the presence of dimple network and the average size of dimples gradually decreases with the increase in particulate content, which indicates the co‐existence of ductile and brittle fracture.     

Influence of nano-reinforcements on the mechanical properties and microstructure of titanium matrix composites

The goal of this work is the evaluation of nanoscaled reinforcements; in particular nanodiamonds (NDs) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on properties of titanium matrix composites (TiMMCs). By using nano sized materials as reinforcement in TiMMCs, superior mechanical and physical properties can be expected. Additionally, titanium powder metallurgy (P/M) offers the possibility of changing the reinforcement content in the matrix within a very wide range. In this work, TiMMCs have been produced from titanium powder (Grade 4). The manufacturing of the composites was done by hot pressing, followed by the characterisation of the TiMMCs. The Archimedes density, hardness and oxygen content of the specimens in addition to the mechanical properties were compared and reported in this work. Moreover, XRD analysis and SEM observations revealed in situ formed titanium carbide (TiC) phase after hot pressing in TiMMCs reinforced with NDs and CNTs, at 900 °C and 1100 °C respectively. The strengthening effect of NDs was more significant since its distribution was more homogeneous in the matrix.     

Sr effect on the microstructure and tensile properties of A357 aluminum alloy and Al2O3/SiC-A357 cast composites

The effect of strontium as a modifier on the microstructures and tensile properties of two castable particulate metal matrix composites has been studied. The particulate metal matrix composites had similar matrix alloy (A357) but different reinforcing fine particles (silicon carbide and alumina). Results showed that the addition of 0.03% strontium makes a modest improvement to the yield strength, ultimate tensile strength and elongation percentage values, and the scatter of these properties, but makes a significant improvement to minimum strength and elongation results. Microstructural examinations by scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis of metal matrix composites showed segregation of strontium on both the silicon carbide and alumina particles. Further results showed that the addition of higher strontium levels contributes to the over-modification of the eutectic silicon and promotes the formation of an Al–Si–Sr intermetallic compound on the particle/matrix interface.     

Influence of additives on the global mechanical behavior and the microscopic strain localization in wood reinforced polypropylene composites during tensile deformation investigated using digital image correlation

The structural integrity of polypropylene (PP) matrix composites reinforced by natural wood fibers is investigated by digital image correlation (DIC) coupled with tensile tests. The use of the material as an alternative construction material requires extensive understanding of its micromechanical properties, which primarily define its performance. Addition of several additives such as coupling agents is common practice for such materials. These ingredients improve the performance of these materials mainly by improvement of the chemical and physical interactions between the nonpolar matrix and the polar wood fibers. These interactions facilitate the transfer of the applied deformation particularly in the interphase region between the polymer matrix and the reinforcing fibers. Such localized changes can influence the performance of the material specially its micromechanical behavior. The DIC via photogrammetry was used to study the spatial distribution of the accumulated plastic surface strain, which is based on pattern recognition of the surface before and after straining. The heterogeneous strain distribution reveals a structural inhomogeneity of the material. The magnitude of local strain was much higher than the global strain, suggesting preferred regions for plastic deformation formed by the microstructure.     

Multi-walled carbon nanotube-filled polyvinyl chloride composites: Influence of processing method on dispersion quality,electrical conductivity and mechanical properties

The influences of dispersion quality and processing conditions on the electrical and mechanical properties of multi-walled carbon nanotube-filled polyvinyl chloride (MWCNT/PVC) composites are examined for potential use in sensor-enabled geosynthetics and other applications involving electrically-conductive polymer composites. Electrical conductivity and mechanical properties of the composite samples made using four different dispersion methods (i.e. probe sonication, bath sonication, mechanical stirring and batch mixing) are measured. Subsurface dispersion in the samples is quantified using laser scanning confocal microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, indicating that MWCNT bundle volumes resulting from all dispersion methods had a log-normal distribution. Dispersion qualities using different mixing methods are compared using the Kolmogorov–Smirnov D-statistic. Findings indicate that samples with higher dispersion quality exhibit greater ultimate strength and failure strain, whereas poorly-dispersed specimens have greater elastic modulus values, which are found to be in good agreement with those predicted by the Halpin–Tsai model.     

Effects of extrusion temperature on the rheological,dynamic mechanical and tensile properties of kenaf fiber/HDPE composites

The effects of extrusion processing temperature on the rheological, dynamic mechanical analysis and tensile properties of kenaf fiber/high-density polyethylene (HDPE) composites were investigated for low and high processing temperatures. The rheological data showed that the complex viscosity, storage and loss modulus were higher with high processing temperature. Complex viscosities of pure HDPE and 3.4 wt% composite with zero shear viscosity of ⩽2340 Pa s were shown to exhibit Newtonian behavior while composites of 8.5 and 17.5 wt% with zero shear viscosity ⩾30,970 Pa s displayed non-Newtonian behavior. The Han plots revealed the sensitivity of rheological properties with changes in processing temperature. An increase in storage and loss modulus and a decrease in mechanical loss factor were observed for 17.5 wt% composites at high processing temperature and not observed at low processing temperature. Processing at high temperature was found to improve the tensile modulus of composites but displayed diminished properties when processed at low processing temperature especially at high fiber content. At both low and high processing temperatures, the tensile strength and strain of the composite decreased with increased content of the fiber.