Composites realized by hand lay-up process in a civil engineering environment: initial properties and durability

The repair, the reinforcement as well as the setting in safety of buildings and existing reinforced and/or pre-stressed concrete structure is a real technological stake and a socio-economic problem for the near future. The introduction of composites in civil engineering is an interesting answer to these goals, but they brought an important amount of new problems that have to be solved for safe structural applications under combined mechanical and environmental loadings. In fact during the past five years, we have witnessed exponential growth in research or field demonstrations of fiber-reinforced composites in civil engineering. Manufacturers and designers have now access to a wide range of composite materials. However, they face great problems with forecasting the reliability of composite materials. Their introduction in civil engineering applications is a difficult operation due to working environment and weathering conditions. The objective of this paper is to study the effect of these conditions and their consequences on the mechanical properties of the final composite. An analysis of the rheological (viscoelastic) properties was carried out in order to observe the glass transition temperature evolution according to reactive mixture stoichiometry and weathering conditions.     

Multilevel assessment method for reliable design of composite structures

This work aims at demonstrating the interest of a new methodology for the design and optimization of composite materials and structures. Coupling reliability methods and homogenization techniques allow the consideration of probabilistic design variables at different scales. The main advantage of such an original micromechanics-based approach is to extend the scope of solutions for engineering composite materials to reach or to respect a given reliability level. This approach is illustrated on a civil engineering case including reinforced fiber composites. Modifications of microstructural components properties, manufacturing process, and geometry are investigated to provide new alternatives for design and guidelines for quality control.     

Reliability Analysis of a Composite Wind Turbine Blade Section Using the Model Correction Factor Method: Numerical Study and Validation

Reliability analysis of fiber-reinforced composite structures is a relatively unexplored field, and it is therefore expected that engineers and researchers trying to apply such an approach will meet certain challenges until more knowledge is accumulated. While doing the analyses included in the present paper, the authors have experienced some of the possible pitfalls on the way to complete a precise and robust reliability analysis for layered composites. Results showed that in order to obtain accurate reliability estimates it is necessary to account for the various failure modes described by the composite failure criteria. Each failure mode has been considered in a separate component reliability analysis, followed by a system analysis which gives the total probability of failure of the structure. The Model Correction Factor method used in connection with FORM (First-Order Reliability Method) proved to be a fast and efficient way to calculate the reliability index of a complex composite structure.     

Predicting the Fatigue Life of Different Composite Materials Using Artificial Neural Networks

Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) have been recently used in modeling the mechanical behavior of fiber-reinforced composite materials including fatigue behavior. The use of ANN in predicting fatigue failure in composites would be of great value if one could predict the failure of materials other than those used for training the network. This would allow developers of new materials to estimate in advance the fatigue properties of their material. In this work, experimental fatigue data obtained for certain fiber-reinforced composite materials is used to predict the cyclic behavior of a composite made of a different material. The effect of the neural network architecture and the training function used were also investigated. In general, ANN provided accurate fatigue life prediction for materials not used in training the network when compared to experimentally measured results.     

Multiscale finite element modeling of failure process of composite laminates

A multiscale nonlinear finite element modeling technique is developed in this paper to predict the progressive failure process for composite laminates. A micromechanical elastic–plastic bridging constitutive model, which considers the nonlinear material properties of the constituent fiber and matrix materials and their interaction and the damage and failure in fibrous composites at the fiber and matrix level, is proposed to represent the material behavior of fiber-reinforced composite laminates. The micromechanics constitutive model is employed in the macroscale finite element analysis of structural behavior especially progressive failure process of the fiber-reinforced composites based on a 4-node 24-DOF shear-locking free rectangular composite plate element.     

Using Artificial Neural Networks to Predict the Fatigue Life of Different Composite Materials Including the Stress Ratio Effect

Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) have been successfully used in predicting the fatigue behavior of fiber-reinforced composite materials. In most cases, the predictions were obtained for the same material used in training subjected to different loading conditions. The method would be of greater value if one could predict the failure of materials other than those used for training the network. In a recent paper, ANN trained using the experimental fatigue data obtained for composites subjected to a constant stress ratio ( R = s _min/s _max ) \left( {{\hbox{R}} = {\sigma_{{ \min }}}/{\sigma_{{ \max }}}} \right) was successfully used to predict the cyclic behavior of a composite made of a different material. In this work, this method is extended to include the stress ratio effect. The results show that ANN can provide accurate fatigue life prediction for different materials under different values of the stress ratio. These results can allow for the development of a materials smart database that can be used for various engineering applications.     

Structural health monitoring for smart composites using embedded FBG sensor technology

Abstract

Fibre-optic Bragg grating (FBG) sensors have been recognised as one of the smart localised and globalised structural health monitoring devices for many structural applications. A particular interest has been placed on embedding these sensors into advanced composites for in situ manufacturing process monitoring and then, lifetime structural health monitoring (SHM). There is no doubt that the need of maintaining structural integrity of these composites has been increased owing to an increasing use of carbon and glass fibre composites in real life structural and engineering applications. In the public transportation, the structural components of Airbus 350 XWB and Boeing 787 are made by over 50% of composite materials to replace traditional aluminium alloys. Electric vehicles have used lightweight carbon fibre composites as their chassis to overcome the weight penalty from batteries. With the advantages of high specific stiffness to weight ratio and good damping properties of polymer based composites, these composites are also used to reinforce and strengthen civil concrete structures that are located on the earthquake zones. In some critical engineering components, glass fibre composites with embedded shape memory alloy (SMA) wires are used for stiffness and shape controls during marginally operational conditions. Therefore, developing better SHM technologies is an urgent need to ensure the structural integrity and safety of structures. In this paper, FBG sensors for different SHMs are introduced and discussed. The use of the sensors with appropriate design for smart composites with sensing and actuating capacities is also presented.     

Composite concrete/GFRP slabs for footbridge deck systems

In recent years the use of advanced composite materials has gained wider space in the civil engineering sector, due to some favorable characteristics such as lightweight, high specific strength, resistance to corrosion and fatigue. Innovative systems that combine concrete with advanced composite materials have proved to be a viable and efficient solution as compared to conventional systems. In this work, a new slab system composed of a fiber-reinforced concrete top laid on glass fiber reinforced polymeric (GFRP) wide-flange-section pultruded profiles, filled in with foam blocks, is presented. The material properties of the GFRP profiles were obtained both theoretically and experimentally. Experimental tests to choose the appropriate resin to bond the concrete to the GFRP profiles and to select the appropriate short fiber and volume fraction to be used in the concrete top have also been conducted. The slab was designed to sustain constructive loads and live pedestrian loads for footbridge deck applications. To investigate the slab flexural behavior up to failure, three specimens were tested under four-point bending, and theoretical and finite element analyses were also performed. Comparisons of theoretical, numerical and experimental results show good agreement. Studies under way to complete the development of the proposed slab are briefly described at the end of the work.     

A Biomimetic Model of Fiber-reinforced Composite Materials

In thjs paper. bamboo fiber has been. on micro scale. investigated as a helical. multi-layered hollow cylinder, the stiffness featu res of bamboo bast fiber were compared with those of a multifilament yarn in traditional fiber-reinforced composite materials, Moreover. a biomimetic model of the reinforce ment of fiber-reinforced composite materials was proposed by imitating the fine structure of bamboo bast fiber. The results show that the comprehensive stiffness properties of the cornplicated fine struc ture of bamboo fiber is superior over those of traditional fiber-reinforced composites.     

Closed form constitutive equations for metal matrix composites

Explicit constitutive equations are given for the prediction of the overall behavior of unidirectional fiber-reinforced composites whose constituents are elastoplastic materials. The closed form expressions in these constitutive relations solely involve the elastic and inelastic properties of the phases as well as the fibers volume ratio. In the elastic region the average stress-strain relations are expressed in terms of the effective elastic moduli of the composite, all of which are given by closed form expressions. The derived constitutive relations can be readily implemented for the analysis of metal matrix composites and inelastic composite structures.     

Effective constitutive equations for fiber-reinforced viscoplastic composites exhibiting anisotropic hardening

Effective elastic-viscoplastic stress-strain relations are derived for fiber-reinforced composites whose constituents are elastic-viscoplastic materials displaying anisotropic hardening. The derivation is based on a recently developed high-order continuum theory with microstructure for the modeling of viscoplastic composites, and is generalized here to incorporate anisotropic hardening effects. A specific reduction of the theory gives the effective rate-dependent elastic-plastic behavior of the composite which exhibits plastic anisotropy. In the special case of perfectly elastic constituents, the approximate overall moduli of the fiber-reinforced composite are obtained. Rate-dependent average stress-strain curves are given for numerous modes of cyclic loading of the composite. The effective behavior of periodically bilaminated viscoplastic composites is determined as a special case.     

Friction and wear behavior of carbon fiber reinforced brake materials

A new composite brake material was fabricated with metallic powders, barium sulphate and modified phenolic resin as the matrix and carbon fiber as the reinforced material. The friction, wear and fade characteristics of this composite were determined using a D-MS friction material testing machine. The surface structure of carbon fiber reinforced friction materials was analyzed by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). Glass fiberreinforced and asbestos fiber-reinforced composites with the same matrix were also fabricated for comparison. The carbon fiber-reinforced friction materials (CFRFM) shows lower wear rate than those of glass fiber- and asbestos fiber-reinforced composites in the temperature range of 100°C-300°C. It is interesting that the frictional coefficient of the carbon fiber-reinforced friction materials increases as frictional temperature increases from 100°C to 300°C, while the frictional coefficients of the other two composites decrease during the increasing temperatures. Based on the SEM observation, the wear mechanism of CFRFM at low temperatures included fiber thinning and pull-out. At high temperature, the phenolic matrix was degraded and more pull-out enhanced fiber was demonstrated. The properties of carbon fiber may be the main reason that the CFRFM possess excellent tribological performances.     

钢筋增强超高韧性水泥基复合材料(RUHTCC)梁弯曲性能影响的几何参数分析

具有超高韧性新型随机PVA短纤维增强的水泥基复合材料(UHTCC)代替传统的具有准脆性应力软化特征的混凝土或纤维混凝土材料制作的钢筋(RUHTCC)受弯梁,可提高承载力,改善构件的延性,并具有良好的损伤演变能力,被认为是一种抗震性能较好的新型构件形式。除了配筋率和UHTCC拉压材料性能外,截面几何尺寸是影响其弯曲性能的一个重要因素。基于受弯理论分析和试验验证,采用该理论公式对截面几何尺寸(截面高度、宽度以及面积)的影响规律进行了系列分析。结果发现:对承载力,梁高度比宽度影响明显,而对承载力提高幅度和变形而言,随梁高的增加而减小,梁宽没有影响;对裂缝控制来说,只要梁下边缘的极限拉应变小于UHTCC材料的极限拉应变,截面尺寸的变化几乎不影响裂缝宽度的大小。并进一步针对RUHTCC梁的受弯设计提出了一些设计建议。     

Progression of failure in fiber-reinforced materials

Decohesion is an important failure mode associated with fiber-reinforced composite materials. Analysis of failure progression at the fiber-matrix interfaces in fiber-reinforced composite materials is considered using a softening decohesion model consistent with thermodynamic concepts. In this model, the initiation of failure is given directly by a failure criterion. Damage is interpreted by the development of a discontinuity of displacement. The formulation describing the potential development of damage is governed by a discrete decohesive constitutive equation. Numerical simulations are performed using the direct boundary element method. Incremental decohesion simulations illustrate the progressive evolution of debonding zones and the propagation of cracks along the interfaces. The effect of decohesion on the macroscopic response of composite materials is also investigated.     

Prediction of tensile strength of discontinuous carbon fiber/polypropylene composite with fiber orientation distribution

This study proposes the layer-wise method (LWM) as a new approach for predicting the tensile strength of discontinuous fiber-reinforced composites that have arbitrary fiber orientation angles. The LWM assumes the discontinuous fiber-reinforced composites are identical to laminates that are composed of unidirectional fiber-reinforced plies and have the same distribution of fiber angles over the entire laminate. We applied the LWM to discontinuous carbon fiber polypropylene composites and evaluated the effect of fiber length on tensile strength and fracture mode. Simulated results agreed well with those of experiments. In addition, we proposed a simple analytical model based on micromechanics. This analytical model can correctly evaluate the strength and the fracture mode as effectively as the LWM. We also compared these models with a rule of mixture considering the failure criterion of fiber breakage and examined the limitation of the rule of mixture in predicting composite strength.     

灾害荷载下结构体系失效模式的相关性及可靠度计算

本文通过引入荷载粗糙度指标,根据有关统计参数讨论了灾害荷载的特性,研究了灾害荷载下结构体系失效模式的相关性及可靠度的近似计算方法,得到了以下结论：灾害荷载下结构体系的失效模式近似完全相关,结构体系可靠度由结构的最弱失效模式决定。     

Multiscale mechanical and structural characterizations of Palmetto wood for bio-inspired hierarchically structured polymer composites

There has been a great deal of effort focused on engineering polymer composites with hierarchical microstructures consisting of one or more ingredients that can be organized differently across multiple length scales. However, there are hierarchical microstructures that have evolved over eons in biological materials. These unique structure–property relationships may serve as templates for engineering hierarchically structured polymer composites with tailored properties. One such biological material is the Palmetto wood of South Carolina, which was successfully used as a protective structure during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars to absorb cannon shot. Through an assembly of microfibers into macrofibers embedded in a cellulose matrix, the Palmetto wood has optimized its ability to resist failure when subjected to extreme dynamic loading events, such as hurricanes. Understanding of the dynamic and static structure–property relationship in Palmetto wood can facilitate the development of new hierarchically structured polymer composites with increased resistance to failure. Therefore, the structure–property relationship in Palmetto wood has been studied using novel multiscale microstructural and mechanical characterization techniques. Models have been developed that indicate that the hierarchical structure of Palmetto wood obeys the linear Rule-of-Mixtures across multiple length scales. This understanding has led to the development of new polymer composite structures that exhibit properties similar to Palmetto wood using conventional laminated carbon fiber–epoxy composites and new polymer nanocomposites consisting of carbon nanofibers. The use of the nanofibers appears to enhance the interaction between the composite components in a manner similar to the interaction between fibers in the Palmetto wood that enables the laminated composite to behave more like the individual layers by resisting the tendency to delaminate and increasing the Weibull statistical parameters closer to those observed in Palmetto wood.