The static and high strain rate behaviour of a commingled E-glass/polypropylene woven fabric composite

In this paper the effect of strain rate on the tensile, shear and compression behaviour of a commingled E-glass/polypropylene woven fabric composite over a strain rate range of 10⁻³–10² s⁻¹ is reported. The quasi-static tests were conducted on an electro-mechanical universal test machine and a modified instrumented falling weight drop tower was used for high strain rate characterisation. The tensile and compression modulus and strength increased with increasing strain rate. However, the shear modulus and strength were seen to decrease with increasing strain rate. Strain rate constants for use in finite element analyses are derived from the data. The observed failure mechanisms deduced from a microscopic study of the fractured specimens are presented.     

The method of cells and the mechanical properties of textile composites

The method of cells has been gaining ground as a method for predicting the elastic properties of textile reinforced composite materials. This method deals away with the constant stress/strain assumption present in most analytical models allowing for a more accurate prediction of the elastic properties, with computational cost only a fraction in comparison with finite element analysis. A new implementation is presented here, which links this method to a mechanistic predictive geometry preprocessor allowing the presented model to deal with 2D and 3D textile reinforced composites. Numerical results for prediction of stiffness and strength of textile composites are generated and compared to other methods.     

Analytical elastic stiffness model for 3D woven orthogonal interlock composites

This research presents the development of an analytical model to predict the elastic stiffness performance of orthogonal interlock bound 3D woven composites as a consequence of altering the weaving parameters and constituent material types.     

Multiscale progressive failure analysis of textile composites

The experimental determination of stiffness and strength of textile composites is expensive and time-consuming. Experimental tests are only capable of delivering properties of a whole textile layer, because a decomposition is not possible. However, a textile layer, consisting of several fiber directions, has the drawback that it is likely to exhibit anisotropic material behavior. In the presented paper a finite element multiscale analysis is proposed that is able to predict material behavior of textile composites via virtual tests, solely from the (nonlinear) material behavior of epoxy resin and glass fibers, as well as the textile fiber architecture. With these virtual tests it is possible to make predictions for a single layer within a textile preform or for multiple textile layers at once. The nonlinear and pressure-dependent behavior of the materials covered in the multiscale analysis is modeled with novel material models developed for this purpose. In order to avoid mesh-dependent solutions in the finite-element simulations, regularization techniques are applied. The simulations are compared to experimental test results.     

Meshfree modeling and homogenization of 3D orthogonal woven composites

In this paper, evaluation of 3D orthogonal woven fabric composite elastic moduli is achieved by applying meshfree methods on the micromechanical model of the woven composites. A new, realistic and smooth fabric unit cell model of 3D orthogonal woven composite is presented. As an alternative to finite element method, meshfree methods show a notable advantage, which is the simplicity in meshing while modeling the matrix and different yarns. Radial basis function and moving kriging interpolation are used for the shape function constructions. The Galerkin method is employed in formulating the discretized system equations. The numerical results are compared with the finite element and the experimental results.     

Micromechanics of hemp strands in polypropylene composites

The present paper investigates micromechanics of hemp strands. The main objective of the present work has been the determination of the intrinsic strength of hemp strands. Hemp strands have been used as reinforcement of Polypropylene composites. Different percentages of hemp strands and coupling agents (MAPP) have been tested to obtain a map of the mechanical properties of that kind of composites and the effect of the components on the final properties. Mechanical properties of the different specimens have been tested using standard experimental methods and equipment. Micromechanics of the strands have been obtained using Hirsch model, Bowyer–Bader methodology and Kelly-Tyson model.     

Stress-dependence and time-dependence of the post-fatigue tensile behavior of carbon fiber reinforced SiC matrix composites

The major objective of this paper is to phenomenally report the stress-dependence and time-dependence of fatigue damage to C/SiC composites, and to tentatively discuss the effects of the fatigue stress levels and the fatigue cycles on the post-fatigue tensile behavior. Results show that compared with the virgin strength of the as-received C/SiC specimens, the tensile strengths of the as-fatigued specimens after 86,400 cycles were increased by 8.47% at the stresses of 90 ± 30 MPa, 23.47% at 120 ± 40 MPa, and 9.8% at 160 ± 53 MPa. As cycles continued, however, the post-fatigue strength of the composites gradually decreased after the peak of 23.47%, at which the optimal strength enhancement was obtained because the mean fatigue stress of 120 MPa was the closest to thermal residual stress (TRS), and caused TRS relieve largely during the fatigue. Most interestingly, there was a general inflexion appeared on the post-fatigue tensile stress-strain curves, which was just equal to the historic maximum fatigue stress acted upon the as-fatigued specimens. Below this inflexion stress the tensile curves revealed the apparent linear behavior with little AE response, and above that nonlinearity with new damage immediately emitted highly increase rate of AE activities. This ‘stress memory’ characteristic was strongly relevant to damaged microstructures of the as-fatigued composites in the form of the coating/matrix cracks, interface debonding/wear, and fiber breaking, which resulted undoubtedly in reduction of modulus but in proper increase of strength via TRS relief.     

Mechanics of textile composites: Micro-geometry

Textile fabric geometry determines textile composite properties. Textile process mechanics determines fabric geometry. In previous papers, the authors proposed a digital element model to generate textile composite geometry by simulating the textile process. The greatest difficulty encountered with its employment in engineering practice is efficiency. A full scale fiber-based digital element analysis would consume huge computational resources. Two advances are developed in this paper to overcome the problem of efficiency. An improved contact-element formulation is developed first. The new formulation improves accuracy. As such, it permits a coarse digital element mesh. Then, a static relaxation algorithm to determine fabric micro-geometry is established to replace step-by-step textile process simulation. Employing the modified contact element formulation in the static relaxation approach, the required computer resource is only 1–2% of the resource required by the original process. Two critical issues with regards to the digital element mesh are also examined: yarn discretization and initial yarn cross-section shape. Fabric geometries derived from digital element analysis are compared to experimental results.     

Platelet-reinforced polymer matrix composites by combined gel-casting and hot-pressing. Part I: Polypropylene matrix composites

Platelet-reinforced polymer matrix composites were fabricated by a combined gel-casting and hot-pressing method. Submicrometer-thin alumina platelets were dispersed in a highly diluted grafted maleic anhydride polypropylene solution. Upon cooling, the polymer formed a gel which trapped the platelets in their well separated positions. During subsequent solvent evaporation, the polymer–platelet gel densified and the platelets were oriented horizontally. The dried composites were hot-pressed to further improve the platelet orientation and increase the density of entanglements in the polymer. This method combines several advantages of large scale and lab-scale fabrication methods in that it is fast, simple but also versatile. Composites with platelet volume fractions up to 0.5 were easily fabricated. The maximal achieved yield strength and elastic modulus of the composites were 82% and 13 times higher, respectively, than the values of the polymer alone. The enhancement in the composites mechanical properties was caused by classical load transfer into the platelets as the crystallinity of the polymeric matrix was not affected by the platelets. Alumina platelets with an aspect ratio below the critical value allowed for the ductile platelet pull-out fracture mode enabling large plastic deformation of the composites prior to fracture. At high concentrations of platelets, the strength and stiffness decreased again and the ductility was almost lost due to out-of-plane misalignment of platelets and the increasing number and size of voids incorporated during the fabrication. The designing principles and fabrication method described in this work can potentially be extended to other types of polymers and platelets to create new composites with tailored properties.     

Load-sharing and Monte Carlo models of defects in a bundle of fibres

Two methods for modelling and random simulation of progressive deformation and breaks in a bundle of parallel fibres are proposed. First, a stochastic load-sharing reliability model of a parallel system and of its resistance against a stress is utilized. The method of its statistical analysis is presented, too. In order to improve certain limitations of such model, a complementary method based on the Monte Carlo simulation is introduced. The bundle of fibres is modelled as a grid consisting of a set of nodes and connecting arcs. The deformation and breaks are caused by an external load stretching the grid. The first objective is to find an optimal, stabilized, states of the grid corresponding to each load level. Optimal configuration is found with the help of Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) procedures. In order to model the breaking process, the load is increased sequentially. It is shown that the model is applicable also to other structures, namely to the plain weave fabric and its defects simulation. The results with bundle of fibres are compared with real stress–strain curves. The parameters for simulation were selected in such a way that obtained stress–strain curve corresponds to a real experiment with carbon fibres.     

Constitutive modelling of fibre-reinforced composites with unidirectional plies using a plasticity-based approach

This paper presents the development of a constitutive model able to accurately represent the full non-linear mechanical response of polymer-matrix fibre-reinforced composites with unidirectional (UD) plies under quasi-static loading. This is achieved by utilising an elasto-plastic modelling framework. The model captures key features that are often neglected in constitutive modelling of UD composites, such as the effect of hydrostatic pressure on both the elastic and non-elastic material response, the effect of multiaxial loading and dependence of the yield stress on the applied pressure.The constitutive model includes a novel yield function which accurately represents the yielding of the matrix within a unidirectional fibre-reinforced composite by removing the dependence on the stress in the fibre direction. A non-associative flow rule is used to capture the pressure sensitivity of the material. The experimentally observed translation of subsequent yield surfaces is modelled using a non-linear kinematic hardening rule. Furthermore, evolution laws are proposed for the non-linear hardening that relate to the applied hydrostatic pressure.Multiaxial test data is used to show that the model is able to predict the non-linear response under complex loading combinations, given only the experimental response from two uniaxial tests.     

Characterising and modelling variability of tow orientation in engineering fabrics and textile composites

Variability of tow orientation is unavoidable for biaxial engineering fabrics and their composites. Since the mechanical behaviour of these materials is strongly dependent on the fibre direction, variability should be considered and modelled as exactly as possible for more realistic estimation of their forming and infusion behaviour and their final composite mechanical properties. In this study, a numerical code, ‘VariFab’, has been written to model realistic full-field variability of the tow directions across flat sheets of biaxial engineering fabrics and woven textile composites. The algorithm is based on pin-jointed net kinematics and can produce a mesh of arbitrary perimeter shape, suitable for subsequent computational analysis such as finite element forming simulations. While the shear angle in each element is varied, the side-length of all unit cells within the mesh is constant. This simplification ensures that spurious tensile stresses are not generated during deformation of the mesh during forming simulations. Variability is controlled using six parameters that can take on arbitrary values within certain ranges, allowing flexibility in mesh generation. The distribution of tow angles within a pre-consolidated glass–polypropylene composite and self-reinforced polypropylene and glass fabrics has been characterised over various length scales. Reproduction of the same statistical variability of tow orientation as in these experiments is successfully achieved by combining the VariFab code with a simple genetic algorithm.     

Fabrication and mechanical behaviors of cementitious composites reinforced by 3D woven lattice sandwich fabrics

Glass fibers were firstly woven to form three-dimensional (3D) woven lattice sandwich fabrics (WLSFs) which then were applied to reinforce cementitious foams and mortars to fabricate novel ductile cementitious composites. Failure behaviors of WLSF reinforced cementitious composite structures were studied through compression and three-point bending experiments. The WLSF greatly enhances the strength of cementitious foams at a level of four times. For cementitious mortars, compression strength of WLSF reinforced blocks is a little greater for the fraction of the textile is small as well as the compression strength of the textile pillars is not strong. But in flexure, excellent stretching ability of the glass fiber textiles greatly improves the flexural behavior of WLSF reinforced cementitious composite panels. Load capacity and ultimate deflection of these composite panels were greatly enhanced. Flexural capacity of the WLSF reinforced beam is four times greater. Reinforced by WLSF, failure of the cementitious composite is ductile.     

Development of woven fabric reinforced all-polypropylene composites with beta nucleated homo- and copolymer matrices

In the present work self-reinforced polypropylene composites (SRPPC) were developed and investigated. As reinforcement a fabric, woven from highly stretched split PP yarns, whereas as matrix materials α and β crystal forms of isotactic PP homopolymer and random copolymer (with ethylene) were selected and used. The composite sheets were produced by film-stacking method and compression moulded at different processing temperatures keeping the holding time and pressure constant. The quality of the composite sheets was assessed by optical microscopy, density and peel-strength measurements. The SRPPC specimens were subjected to static tensile and flexural, and dynamic falling weight impact tests and the related results were analyzed as a function of processing temperature and polymorphic composition. Based on the results the optimum processing temperature was determined and found by 20–25 °C above the related matrix melting temperature. It was established that the β-modified PP homopolymer based one-component SRPPCs possessed similar attractive mechanical properties as the intensively studied α-random PP copolymer based two-component ones.     

Modeling and experimental verification of dielectric constants for three-dimensional woven composites

In order to determine the dielectric constants of 3D orthogonal woven single fiber type (SFT) and hybrid composites from their component dielectric properties, a theoretical model is proposed based on the rule of binary mixtures. The model shows that with the same fiber volume fraction, a component with a larger cross-sectional area perpendicular to the electric field has a greater contribution to the composite dielectric constant. For experimental verification, SFT basalt/epoxy and aramid (Kevlar 129)/epoxy as well as interply and intraply basalt/aramid/epoxy 3D orthogonal woven hybrid composites were fabricated and their dielectric properties were measured using the waveguide method at a frequency range of 8–12 GHz. At 10 GHz, the experimental results agreed well with the calculated results from the model for the SFT composites, while a positive hybrid effect on the dielectric constant was observed for the two hybrid composites.     

Platelet-reinforced polymer matrix composites by combined gel-casting and hot-pressing. Part II: Thermoplastic polyurethane matrix composites

A combined gel-casting and hot-pressing method was used to fabricate platelet-reinforced polymer matrix composites. Submicrometer thin alumina platelets were dispersed in a highly diluted polymer solution. A thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer was used as matrix for its high elasticity and excellent adhesion to the platelets. After dissolution of the polymer and casting, quick evaporation of the solvent triggered the formation of a polymer gel trapping the platelets in their well dispersed positions. The polymer–platelet gel densified during drying and the platelets were oriented horizontally due to the capillary forces and the large decrease in the thickness of the gel. The dried composites were hot-pressed to further improve the platelet orientation along the shear flow and close potential pores in the polymer. While the ultimate tensile strength of the composites gradually decreased with increasing platelet volume fractions, the increase in the elastic modulus and the stress necessary to deform the composite 10% was more than 100 and 18 times higher than the respective values of the pure polymer. The use of alumina platelets with an aspect ratio below the critical value allowed for the ductile platelet pull-out fracture mode. Since the polymer had to deform more to achieve identical deformation of the composite at higher platelet volume fraction, the strain at rupture steadily decreased. The incorporation of voids towards high platelet concentrations and the thereby triggered crack initiation and growth during straining lead to an additional decrease in the elasticity of composites with increasing platelet volume fractions. However, the extremely high extensibility of a polymer matrix allowed for the fabrication of composites that still deformed up to 162 ± 19% at platelet volume fractions as high as 0.33. When compared to other platelet-reinforced elastomers, the achieved platelet volume fraction is much higher and the relative increase in elastic modulus and stress at low strains is therefore much larger at the expense of a decrease in the strain at rupture. The fabrication method and designing principles employed in this study are transferable to other types of polymers and platelets and potentially allow the creation of new composites with tailored properties.     

Three consistent approaches of the multiple cracking process in 1D composites

Most modellings found in literature for the multiple cracking process of 1D composites can be categorised into three different approaches: a Continuous Approach (CA) that assumes an infinitely long composite, and two random approaches that consider composites of finite length. The Random Strength Approach (RSA) rests on a spatial discretization of the composite on which a strength distribution is applied, whereas the Random Crack Approach (RCA) generates the location and the strength of each new crack without any discretization.     

Development of viscoelastic/rate-sensitive-plastic constitutive law for fiber-reinforced composites and its applications. Part I: Theory and material characterization

The viscoelastic/rate-sensitive plastic constitutive law to describe the nonlinear, anisotropic/asymmetric and time/rate-dependent mechanical behavior of fiber-reinforced (sheet) composites was developed under the plane stress condition. In addition to the theoretical aspect of the developed constitutive law, experiments to obtain the material parameters were also carried out for the woven fabric composite based on uni-axial tension and compression tests as well as stress relaxation tests, while the numerical formulation and verifications with experiments are discussed in Part II.     

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.     

Effects of loading rate and temperature on tensile yielding and deformation mechanisms of nylon 6-based nanocomposites

Tensile tests were conducted on nylon 6/organoclay nanocomposites, with and without POE-g-MA rubber particles, over a range of temperatures and strain rates 10⁻⁴–10⁻¹ s⁻¹. It was shown that the 0.2% offset yield strength varied with both temperature and strain rate which could be described by the Eyring equation thus providing results on the activation energy and activation volume for the physical processes involved. In addition, their tensile deformation mechanisms were characterized using the tensile dilatometry technique to differentiate the dilatational processes (e.g., voiding/debonding caused by the organoclay and rubber particles or matrix) and shear yielding (e.g., matrix with zero volume change). Dilatometric responses indicated that the presence of POE-g-MA rubber particles did not alter the shear deformation mode of neat nylon 6. In contrast, the presence of organoclay layers changed the tensile yield deformation behavior of nylon 6 matrix from dominant shear yielding to combined shear yield plus dilatation associated with delaminations of nanoclay platelets. In nylon 6/organoclay/POE-g-MA ternary nanocomposite, the volume strain response indicated that the POE-g-MA rubber particles promoted shear deformation and suppressed delamination of the organoclay layers. Supports for the deformation mechanisms deduced from the tensile dilatometry tests were corroborated by optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy micrographs of the studied materials.