Thermo-mechanical characterisation of AA 6056-T4 and estimation of its material properties using Genetic Algorithm

This paper presents an experimental investigation of thermo-mechanical material properties of AA 6056-T4, which is used extensively in aeronautic applications. Monotonic tensile tests have been carried out on the dog-bone type specimens at temperatures ranging from room temperature (16 °C) to high temperature (450 °C) with two different strain rates; viz. high strain rate (∼0.002 s⁻¹) and low strain rate (∼0.0002 s⁻¹). Specimens were heated with the help of Joule heating system using Gleeble® 3500 machine at a temperature rate of 25 °C/s. Material properties which were investigated include the Young’s modulus, yield strength at 0.1% plastic strain and hardening modulus.     

Tensile behavior of glass/epoxy laminates at varying strain rates and temperatures

In the present work tensile tests at different strain rates and temperatures were performed in glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP). It is observed that such kind of composite presents an elasto–viscoplastic behavior – the rate dependency only occurs for loading levels above a given elasticity limit. Strain rate strongly affects the ultimate tensile strength (σ_u) and the modulus of elasticity is almost insensitive to it while temperature only influences the modulus. Analytical expressions to predict the modulus of elasticity and (σ_u) as a function of the temperature and strain rate are proposed and compared with experimental data showing a reasonable agreement.     

The effect of temperature and strain rate on the deformation behaviour, structure development and properties of biaxially stretched PET-clay nanocomposites

The inclusion of a synthetic fluoromica clay in PET affects its processability via biaxial stretching and stretching temperature (95 °C and 102 °C) and strain rate (1 s⁻¹ and 2 s⁻¹) influence the structuring and properties of the stretched material. The inclusion of clay has little effect on the temperature operating window for the PET-clay but it has a major effect on deformation behaviour which will necessitate the use of much higher forming forces during processing. The strain hardening behaviour of both the filled and unfilled materials is well correlated with tensile strength and tensile modulus. Increasing the stretching temperature to reduce stretching forces has a detrimental effect on clay exfoliation, mechanical and O₂ barrier properties. Increasing strain rate has a lesser effect on the strain hardening behaviour of the PET-clay compared with the pure PET and this is attributed to possible adiabatic heating in the PET-clay sample at the higher strain rate. The Halpin-Tsai model is shown to accurately predict the modulus enhancement of the PET-clay materials when a modified particle modulus rather than nominal clay modulus is used.     

Cohesive crack modelling of a simple concrete: Experimental and numerical results

Fracture tests were performed on six types of simple concrete made with two types of mortar matrix w/c = 0.32 and w/c = 0.42, two types of spherical aggregates (strong aggregates that debonded during concrete fracture, and weak aggregates, able to break), and two kinds of matrix-aggregate interface (weak and strong).The tensile strength, fracture energy and elasticity modulus of the six types of concrete were measured. These results are intended to serve as an experimental benchmark for checking numerical models of concrete fracture and for providing certain hints to better understand the mechanical behaviour of concrete.A bilinear softening function was used to model the fracture of concrete. The influence of the type of matrix, aggregate, and interface strength on the parameters of the softening curve are discussed: particularly, the fracture energy, the cohesive strength and the critical crack opening.     

Investigating the transverse behavior of Glass–Epoxy composites under intermediate strain rates

In this study, the strain rate effects on transverse tensile and compressive properties of unidirectional Glass fiber reinforced polymeric composites are investigated. To demonstrate strain rate effects, the tensile and compressive composite specimens with identical configuration are fabricated and tested to failure in the transverse direction at quasi-static strain rate of approximately 0.001 s⁻¹ and intermediate strain rates of 1–100 s⁻¹. The tensile and compressive tests are performed using a servo-hydraulic testing apparatus equipped with strain rate increasing mechanisms. For performing the practical tests, a jig and a fixture and other test supplies are designed and manufactured. The performance of the test jig is evaluated and showed that it is adequate for composites testing under tension and compression loads. The effects of strain rate on mechanical properties (maximum strength, modulus, and strain to failure) are considered. The characteristic results for the transverse properties indicate that damage evolution is strain-rate-dependent for the examined material. Also, a strain-rate-dependent empirical material model associated with different regression constants is proposed based on the experimental results obtained to characterize the rate dependent behavior of Glass/Epoxy composite material.     

Determination of strain rate dependent through-thickness tensile properties of textile reinforced thermoplastic composites using L-shaped beam specimens

The presented work focuses on a methodology to characterise strain rate dependent strength and elastic properties of textile reinforced composites in laminate through-thickness direction. Here, for the characterisation L-shaped beam specimens are used. The investigated composite is a fabric reinforced thermoplast made of hybrid E-glass/polypropylene yarns. The analytical solution for the determination of the through-thickness tensile strength as proposed by Lekhnitskii and Shivakumar is verified by means of an optical deformation analysis and is extended for thew determination of the through-thickness elastic modulus. Finally, the possibility of the strain rate dependent characterisation is investigated and a Johnson-Cook based modelling approach is used to represent the apparent strain rate dependency of the through-thickness failure onset. The methodology is successfully used to capture the material strain rate effects with the according strength values and model parameters over a strain rate range of 10 ⁻⁴ s⁻¹ to 10 s⁻¹ as well as the elastic modulus.     

Non-contacting strain measurement for cement-based composites in dynamic tensile testing

This paper presents the development of a test procedure and application of non-contacting strain measurement for cement-based composites under moderately high strain rate tensile tests. The strain time histories of test specimens measured by a laser extensometer in high speed mode were derived by a phase-shift technique based on zero-crossing method. The accuracy of the linear variable differential transformer (LVDT) of the actuator in a servo-hydraulic high rate testing machine was verified by image analysis using sisal fiber reinforced cement composite at a strain rate of 25 s⁻¹. The same procedure was then applied to Alkaline Resistant (AR) glass fabric reinforced cement composite tested at an average strain rate of 17 s⁻¹. Comparison between the strain values measured by the laser extensometer and the LVDT shows a good agreement between these two measurement techniques. The test results show that the Young’s modulus, tensile strength, maximum strain, and toughness of the AR-glass fabric-cement composite increase with increasing strain rate. However, under both static and dynamic loadings the composite has similar behavior: multi-crack development and one dominant crack leading to final failure. In order to ensure the accuracy of dynamic tensile test procedures, non-contacting devices and techniques should be used as an independent means of verification of test results. The accuracy required in quantifying relative improvements in mechanical properties necessitates the various methods of measuring the displacement and strain rate properties.     

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.     

International round Robin test for mechanical properties of BSCCO-2223 superconductive tapes at room temperature

International RRT was carried out in order to establish the test method for mechanical properties of commercial BSCCO superconductive tapes under cooperation of seven research laboratories. From the stress versus strain curve, the following quantities were evaluated; modulus of elasticity, 0.2% proof strength, fracture strength and stresses at fixed strains. The scatter of measured values was analyzed by evaluating the relative standard uncertainty (RSU), which is the standard uncertainty divided by the average. The expected value of RSU for N = 3 was derived for each mechanical quantities. In order to make clear the major contribution to the scatterings, the F test was applied. The major source of RSU’s was attributed mostly to the influence of inter-laboratory scattering.     

Anisotropic and tensile flow behaviors of Mg alloy AZ31B thin sheet in H24 condition at elevated temperatures

In this work, a series of experiments was performed to explore the effects of anisotropy, strain rate, and temperature on microstructure change and associated mechanical response of a rolled AZ31B-H24 Mg alloy sheet under tension. Tensile tests were carried out on specimens in the 0, 45, and 90° to the rolling direction, using initial strain rates in the range of 4 × 10⁻³ to 1 × 10⁻¹ s⁻¹ at temperatures of 250 and 370 °C. Results showed that variations in flow behavior under tension could be related to the changes in microstructure resulting from applied tensile conditions. Resultant microstructures, such as degree of dynamic recrystallization, grain growth, and shape of the grain, were associated with temperature, strain rate, and tensile loading direction. The initial texture influenced the variations in changes in microstructure and mechanical properties upon testing in different directions. The specimens upon testing in the 45° to the rolling direction yielded higher m-value, lower strength, and greater elongation to failure under all test conditions.     

Work hardening associated with ?-martensitic transformation, deformation twinning and dynamic strain aging in Fe-17Mn-0.6C and Fe-17Mn-0.8C TWIP steels

The tensile properties of carbon-containing twinning induced plasticity (TWIP) steels and their temperature dependence were investigated. Two steels with carbon concentrations of 0.6% and 0.8% (w/w) were tensile-tested at 173, 223, 273, 294, and 373 K. Three deformation modes were observed during tensile testing: ?-martensitic transformation, deformation twinning, and dynamic strain aging. The characteristic deformation mode that contributed to the work hardening rates changed with the deformation temperature and chemical compositions. The work hardening rate in the carbon-containing TWIP steels increased according to the deformation modes in the following order: ?-martensitic transformation > deformation twinning > dynamic strain aging.     

High-performance composites based on all-aromatic liquid crystal thermosets

In this study, a new high-performance liquid crystal ester-based thermoset for composite applications was investigated. All-aromatic liquid crystalline thermosets (LCTs) are a promising class of polymers that offer a unique combination of properties such as solvent resistivity, high modulus, high strength, low coefficient of thermal expansion and high after cure glass-transition temperatures (T_g ? 150 °C). Fully cured LCTs offer superior thermo-mechanical properties over high-performance thermoplastic polymers such as PPS, PEEK and PEI. For this study we used a 9000 g mol⁻¹ ester-based LCT based on cheap and readily available monomers, i.e. 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (H), isophthalic acid (I) and hydroquinone (Q), abbreviated by us as HIQ-9. Composite panels prepared from T300 carbon fiber (5-harness satin weave) showed in-plane shear strength of 154 MPa and an in-plane shear modulus of 3.7 GPa. The tensile strength and modulus were measured to be 696 MPa and 57 GPa, respectively. A post-mortem inspection showed that the interfacial strength was excellent and no delamination was observed in the test specimen. Preliminary results show that LCT-based composites exhibit a better combination of (thermo) mechanical properties over PPS and PEI-based composites.     

Evaluation of grain refiners influence on the mechanical properties in a CuAlBe shape memory alloy by ultrasonic and mechanical tensile testing

This work carried out a non-destructive evaluation of grain size influence on the mechanical properties of a CuAlBe shape memory alloy with and without grain refiners. Ultrasonic signal processing, considering only the longitudinal velocity, was used for the non-destructive evaluation. Therefore, the average modulus of elasticity values found for the CuAlBe shape memory alloy was 45.7 GPa and 57.3 GPa with and without grain refiners, respectively. The corresponding values obtained by conventional mechanical tensile testing were equal to 43.2 GPa and 52.6 GPa, respectively. Additionally the mechanical tensile testing verified that the addition of grain refiners increases the stress of the alloy but has a slight effect on the alloy’s ductility. Thus, the modulus of elasticity and consequently the ultrasonic velocity, as well as the stress and strain values of CuAlBe alloy are fully dependent on its grain size. The ultrasonic analysis shows that this alloy is an excellent sound, vibration and mechanical wave absorber, presenting a high attenuation coefficient related to the wave scattering through the grains. In addition, the ultrasonic signal processing method used here confirms its main advantages of fastness and reliability.     

Monotonic properties of unidirectional glass fiber (U)/random glass fiber (R)/epoxy hybrid composites

The main objective of the present paper is to study the tensile and bending behaviors of unidirectional glass fiber (U)/random glass fiber (R)/epoxy hybrid composites with total fiber volume fraction (V_fT) = 37%. Six kinds of laminated composites of average thickness 5.5 mm were manufactured using hand lay-up technique; i.e. [R]₅, [U/R/U/R/U], [U/0.5R/U]_S, [0.5R/U/U]_S, [U/U/0.5R]_S, and [U]₅. In bending test, notched and unnotched specimens were tested. For this purpose different circular notch sizes (D = 3, 6, 9 mm) were drilled at the specimen center. Tensile strength, tensile modulus, Poisson’s ratio, bending strength and bending modulus were determined experimentally. The effect of stacking sequences, random fiber relative volume fraction (V_fR/V_fT), and notch diameter on the mechanical properties of the mentioned composite types were studied. Failure modes of all specimens were investigated.     

Stress-induced martensitic phase transformation in Cu-Zr nanowires

A novel stress-induced martensitic phase transformation in an initial <100>/{100} B2-CuZr nanowire is reported for the first time in this letter. Such behavior is observed in a nanowire with cross-sectional dimensions of 19.44 × 19.44 Å² over a temperature range of 100-400 K and at a strain rate of 1 × 10⁹ s^− 1 using atomistic simulations. Phase transformation from an initial B2 phase to a BCT (Body-Centered-Tetragonal) phase is observed via nucleation and propagation of {100} twinning plane under high strain rate tensile deformation.     

Tensile behavior of carbon fiber bundles at different strain rates

Quasi-static and high strain rate tensile tests have been performed on T700 carbon fiber bundles and complete stress-strain curves at the strain rate range of 0.001 s^− 1 to 1300 s^− 1 were obtained. Results show that strain rate has negligible effect on both ultimate strength and failure strain, and T700 carbon fiber can be regarded as strain rate insensitive materials. On the basis of the fiber bundles model and the statistic theory of fiber strength, a damage constitutive model based on Weibull distribution function has been developed to describe tensile behavior of T700 fiber bundles. And the method to determine the statistic parameters of fibers by tensile tests of fiber bundles is established, too.     

Thermomechanical behavior of Ti-Ni shape memory alloy films deposited by DC magnetron sputtering

In this study, thermomechanical properties of titanium-nickel (Ti-Ni) shape memory alloy (SMA) films are investigated in order to derive constitutive relations. Ti-Ni SMA films, deposited by DC magnetron sputtering under controlled film composition, are characterized by uniaxial tensile tests. At room temperature (R.T.), Ti-Ni films having Ti contents less than 50 at% exhibit superelastic behavior, and those having Ti contents greater than 50 at% exhibit shape memory behavior. However, the Ni—53.2 at% Ti film fractured at a tensile strain of 0.8% because of an increase in brittleness with increasing Ti content. At elevated temperatures, Ti-Ni films having Ti contents of 50.2 to 52.6 at% undergo phase change from martensite to austenite. The Young's modulus of the Ti-Ni films depends on temperature at each phase, regardless of film composition. Film composition does, however, affect the measured material constants b_A, b_M, c_A, and c_M. Stress-strain curves calculated from the constructed constitutive equation closely agree with those obtained from tensile tests, for both the martensite and austenite phases. The constitutive equations are expected to find great utility in the design of Ti-Ni film-actuated microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).     

Effect of strain rate on tensile behavior of carbon fiber reinforced aluminum laminates

In this paper, the tensile behavior of carbon fiber reinforced aluminum laminates (CRALL) has been determined at a strain rate range from 0.001 s^− 1 to 1200 s^− 1. Experimental results show that CRALL composite is a strain rate sensitive material, and the tensile strength and failure strain both increased with increasing strain rate. A linear strain hardening model has been combined with Weibull distribution function to establish a constitutive equation for CRALL at different strain rates. The analysis of the model shows that the Weibull scale parameter, σ₀, increased with increasing strain rate, but Weibull shape parameter, β, can be regarded as a constant.     

The influence of dynamic strain aging on resistance to strain reversal as assessed through the Bauschinger effect

The Bauschinger effect of three commercially produced medium carbon bar steels representing different microstructural classes with similar tensile strengths and substantially different yielding and work-hardening behaviors at low-strain was evaluated at room temperature and in situ at temperatures up to 361 °C. The influence of deformation at dynamic strain aging temperatures as a means to produce a more stable dislocation structure was evaluated by measuring the resistance to strain reversal during in situ Bauschinger effect tests. It was shown that the three medium carbon steels exhibited substantial increases in strength at dynamic strain aging temperatures with the peak in flow stress occurring at a test temperature of 260 °C for an engineering strain rate of 10⁻⁴ s⁻¹. Compressive flow stress data following tensile plastic prestrain levels of 0.01, 0.02 and 0.03 increased with an increase in temperature to a range between 260 °C and 309 °C, the temperature range where dynamic strain aging was shown to be most effective. The increased resistance to flow on strain reversal at elevated temperature was attributed to the generation of more stable dislocation structures during prestrain. It is suggested that Bauschinger effect measurements can be used to assess the potential performance of materials in fatigue loading conditions and to identify temperature ranges for processing in applications that utilize non-uniform plastic deformation (e.g. shot peening, deep rolling, etc.) to induce controlled residual stress fields stabilized by the processing at temperatures where dynamic strain aging is active.     

Tensile deformation behavior of nano-sized Mo particles reinforced SnAgCu solders

In this work, tensile deformation of Sn-3.8Ag-0.7Cu (SAC387) solder and composite of SAC387 reinforced with nano-sized Mo particles have been studied with strain rates from 10⁻⁵ to 10⁻¹ s⁻¹ and temperatures of 25, 75 and 125 °C. It is found that the yield strength (σ_Y.S) and strain hardening exponent (n) are increased with the strain rate, but the n values decrease with increasing temperatures. The n values of the composite solder are also increased with the percentage of the Mo nano-particles (up to 1 wt.%) and thereafter decrease with further increasing of the Mo particle. The strain rate dependence of the Hollomon parameters is found to be stronger at higher temperatures for SAC387 solder, but it is weaker for the composite solders. Empirical equations for σ_Y.S and Hollomon parameters with strain rate and temperatures have been found for both SAC387 and composite solders. Finally, the fracture surfaces of the solders are examined.