Underwater blast response of free-standing sandwich plates with metallic lattice cores

The underwater blast response of free-standing sandwich plates with a square honeycomb core and a corrugated core has been measured. The total momentum imparted to the sandwich plate and the degree of core compaction are measured as a function of (i) core strength, (ii) mass of the front face sheet (that is, the wet face) and (iii) time constant of the blast pulse. Finite element calculations are performed in order to analyse the phases of fluid–structure interaction. The choice of core topology has a strong influence upon the dynamic compressive strength and upon the degree of core compression, but has only a minor effect upon the total momentum imparted to the sandwich. For both topologies, a reduction in the mass of the front (wet) face reduces the imparted momentum, but at the expense of increased core compression. Conversely, an increase in the time constant of the blast pulse results in lower core compression, but the performance advantage over a monolithic plate in terms of imparted momentum is reduced. The sandwich panel results are compared with analytical results for monolithic plates of mass equal to that of (i) the sandwich panel and (ii) the front face alone. (Case (i) represents a rigid core while (ii) represents a core of negligible strength.) For most conditions considered, the sandwich results lie between these limits reflecting the coupled nature of core deformation and fluid–structure interaction.     

Fabrication and Testing of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Truss Core Sandwich Panels

Truss core sandwich panels reinforced by carbon fibers were assembled with bonded laminate facesheets and carbon fiber reinforced truss cores.The top and bottom facesheets were interconnected with truss cores.Both ends of the truss cores were embedded into four layers of top and bottom facesheets.The mechanical properties of truss core sandwich panels were then investigated under out-of-plane and in-plane compression loadings to reveal the failure mechanisms of sandwich panels.Experimental results indicated...     

Mechanical behavior of carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite sandwich panels with 2-D lattice truss cores

Composite sandwich structures with lattice truss cores are attracting more and more attention due to their superior specific strength/stiffness and multi-functional applications. In the present study, the carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite sandwich panels with 2-D lattice truss core are manufactured based on the hot-pressing method using unidirectional carbon/epoxy prepregs. The facesheets are interconnected with lattice truss members by means of that both ends of the lattice truss members are embedded into the facesheets, without the bonding procedure commonly adopted by sandwich panels. The mechanical properties of the 2-D lattice truss sandwich panels are investigated under out-of-plane compression, shear and three-point bending tests. Delamination of the facesheets is observed in shear and bending tests while node failure mode does not occur. The tests demonstrate that delamination of the facesheet is the primary failure mode of this sandwich structure other than the debonding between the facesheets and core for conventional sandwiches.     

Fabrication and crushing behavior of low density carbon fiber composite pyramidal truss structures

A new method for fabricating carbon fiber composite pyramidal truss cores was developed based on the molding hot-press technique. In this method, all the continuous fibers of composite are aligned in the direction of struts and thus, the truss structure can fully exploit the intrinsic strength of the fiber reinforced composite. The microstructure and organizations of fibers of fabricated composite structures were examined using scanning electron microscope. The crushing response of the truss cores was also investigated and the corresponding failure modes were studied and complemented with an analytic model of the core crushing response. Our results show that the fabricated low-density truss cores have superior compressive strength and thus, could be used in development of novel lightweight multifunctional structures.     

A novel carbon fiber reinforced lattice truss sandwich cylinder: Fabrication and experiments

To get a strong, stiff and weight efficient cylindrical shell, a novel carbon fiber reinforced corrugated lattice truss-core sandwich cylinder (LTSC) was designed and fabricated. The core is made up of orthogonal corrugated trusses and manufactured by mould pressing method. The LTSC is fabricated by filament winding and co-curing method. The face sheets have layups of [0°/30°/−30°/−30°/30°/0°] to improve the fundamental frequency as it is controlled by the circumferential stiffness. In end-free vibration the fundamental frequency of the LTSC is 112.18 Hz, higher than the referenced quasi-isotropic Isogrid-core sandwich cylinder. Determined by the skin fracture, the compression strength of the LTSC is 328.03 kN, stronger than the referenced Isogrid-core sandwich cylinder failed at rib buckling and the post-failure deformation is ductile. According to the optimization scheme jointly constrained by the strength and the fundamental frequency, an ultra-light and strong cylinder with high fundamental frequency was successfully fabricated.     

Impact of carbon fibre/epoxy corrugated cores

The dynamic compressive response of corrugated carbon-fibre reinforced epoxy sandwich cores has been investigated using a Kolsky-bar set-up. Compression at quasi-static rates up to v₀ = 200 ms⁻¹ have been tested on three different slenderness ratios of strut. High speed photography was used to capture the failure mechanisms and relate these to the measured axial compressive stress. Experiments show significant strength enhancement as the loading rate increases. Although material rate sensitivity accounts for some of this, it has been shown that the majority of the strength enhancement is due to inertial stabilisation of the core members. Inertial strength enhancement rises non-linearly with impact velocity. The largest gains are associated with a shift to buckle modes composed of 2–3 half sine waves. The loading rates tested within this study are similar to those that are expected when a sandwich core is compressed due to a blast event.     

Bending response of sandwich panels with discontinuous wire-woven metal cores

The effects of a gap between discontinuous WBK (Wire-woven Bulk Kagome) cores on the bending properties of mild steel sandwich panels were elaborated. Analytic solutions were derived, and the experimental and numerical results of the bending response of sandwich panels with continuous and discontinuous WBK cores were presented. The analytic solutions of sandwich panels with continuous or discontinuous WBK cores under bending load provided good estimations of the failure mode, peak load, and bending stiffness in comparison with the experimental results. The strength and stiffness of sandwich panels with discontinuous WBK cores under bending load often substantially deteriorated depending on the gap width between the cores and on the detailed geometry near the gap. The analytic solutions successfully explained how the deterioration of the bending strength or stiffness could be minimized, when two separate sandwich panels or cores are to be joined.     

Manufacturing and testing of a CFRC sandwich cylinder with Kagome cores

Filament winding and twice co-curing processes were proposed to make a carbon fiber reinforced composite (CFRC) sandwich cylinder with Kagome cores. Axial compression was carried out to reveal the stiffness and load capacity of the fabricated sandwich cylinder. Compared with the stiffened cylinder with similar dimensions and mass, the sandwich cylinder is shown to be stiffer and stronger by several times. Restrained by the double skins, the buckling of lattice ribs is effectively suppressed, leading to the elimination of the dominant failure mode. Skin crippling and strength failure were observed in the testing to be the competing failure mechanisms of the lattice sandwich cylinder. The prediction based on the weakest link of these mechanisms only overestimates the testing load capacity by 30%. The novel sandwich structure shows the promise of lattice composites in upgrading the mechanical properties.     

碳纤维混杂纤维混凝土抗冲击性能研究

对比美国混凝土学会的混凝土落锤冲击试验装置,自行设计了混凝土落锤弯曲冲击试验装置,进行了不同几何尺寸及弹性模量的碳纤维、钢纤维和聚丙烯纤维混凝土的抗冲击力学性能试验研究。分析比较了不同纤维几何尺寸和弹性模量、种类和掺量对混杂纤维混凝土抗冲击性能的影响和增强机理。本文通过定义混杂效应系数,可定量评价混凝土抗冲击力学性能的正混杂效应。研究表明纤维可以明显提高混凝土的抗冲击强度,其中碳纤维混杂纤维混凝土的提高幅度更为显著。     

Recycling of carbon fibers from carbon fiber reinforced polymer using electrochemical method

In this research, we proposed an electrochemical method for the recycling of carbon fibers from carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP). Experiments were designed with different solution concentrations (3%, 10%, and 20% NaCl) and various levels of applied current (4 mA, 10 mA, 20 mA, and 25 mA) so as to identify the significant parameters that affect carbon fiber recycling efficiency. The recycled carbon fibers were characterized by using the single fiber tensile strength test, SEM, XRD, and XPS techniques. Test results showed that the maximum tensile strength of the reclaimed carbon fibers was 80% of the virgin carbon fibers (VCF). The increase in electrolyte concentration did not improve the recycling efficiency but resulted in severe oxidation and chlorination on the surface of recycled carbon fibers. From the experimental results, it can be concluded that the recycling of carbon fibers with electrochemical method is simple, effective, and economical.     

Finite element analysis of sandwich panels with stepwise graded aluminum honeycomb cores under blast loading

This paper presents details and brief results of an experimental investigation on the response of metallic sandwich panels with stepwise graded aluminum honeycomb cores under blast loading. Based on the experiments, corresponding finite element simulations have been undertaken using the LS-DYNA software. It is observed that the core compression stage was coupled with the fluid–structure interaction stage, and the compression of the core layer decreased from the central to the peripheral zone. The blast resistance capability of sandwich panels was moderately sensitive to the core relative density and graded distribution. For the graded panels with relative density descending core arrangement, the core plastic energy dissipation and the transmitted force attenuation were larger than that of the ungraded ones under the same loading condition. The graded sandwich panels, especially for relative density descending core arrangement, would display a better blast resistance than the ungraded ones at a specific loading region.     

利用感应加热技术进行炭纤维连续石墨化

采用感应加热技术研制出炭纤维连续高温热处理专用设备石墨化炉，最高使用温度3000℃。对PAN基炭纤维T300进行了连续石墨化处理，热处理温度为2000℃～3000℃，制备出力学性能相当于日本东丽公司M40的石墨纤维，验证了该设备的技术可行性。考察了热处理温度对炭纤维力学性能、密度和直径的影响，用SEM观察了石墨化前后炭纤维表面微观形态的变化。结果表明：随热处理温度的提高，炭纤维的密度增大、直径减小，弹性模量升高，而抗拉强度下降。经3000℃高温热处理后，纤维的弹性模量高达450GPa。     

炭纤维表面生长碳纳米管

采用化学气相沉积工艺在炭纤维表面生长了碳纳米管,并观察了它的微观形貌,且对其影响因素进行了初步研究.结果表明:纤维表面的纵向沟槽可以负载催化剂粒子,是生长碳纳米管的物理基础;催化剂的浓度太高,金属粒子容易团聚长大,所得碳纳米管的管径较大;而催化剂浓度太低,则不能在炭纤维整个表面均匀生长碳纳米管;最佳的催化剂溶液的浓度是0.05mol/L的硝酸钴.比较了铁、钴、镍三种过渡金属催化剂,从形成的碳纳米管的质量来看,钴催化剂最佳.     

Structural behaviour of composite sandwich panels with plain and fibre-reinforced foamed concrete cores and corrugated steel faces

This paper studies the four-point bending response and failure mechanisms of sandwich panels with corrugated steel faces and either plain or fibre-reinforced foamed concrete core. Mechanical properties of both plain and polyvinyl alcohol fibre-reinforced foamed concrete were obtained, which are needed for the design of sandwich panel and numerical modelling. It is found that the fibre-reinforcement largely enhances the mechanical behaviour of foamed concrete and composite sandwich panels. Finite element code Abaqus/Standard was employed to investigate the influence of face/core bonding and fastening on the four-point bending response of the sandwich panels. It was found that face/core bonding plays a crucial role in the structural performance while the influence of fastening is negligible.     

碳纤维增强金字塔点阵夹芯结构的抗压缩性能

提出了一种碳纤维增强复合材料点阵夹芯结构的一体化成型工艺方法。该方法克服了传统夹芯结构面板与芯子之间因需要二次粘接或焊接的方法所带来弱界面的缺点。将纤维杆两端埋入面板内,使面板与芯子成为一体而不存在明显的界面。对用该方法制备的碳纤维增强金字塔点阵夹芯板进行平压试验,研究发现随着载荷的增加,纤维杆发生弹性屈曲并在中间部位出现断裂。理论分析了点阵夹芯结构平压载荷下的弹性模量和纤维杆极限屈曲载荷。通过与传统夹芯材料相比较发现,这种新型复合材料点阵夹芯结构具有密度低、比强度和比刚度高等优点。      

Optimal design of sandwich panels made of wood veneer hollow cores

In response to the growing interest in replenishable, lightweight, stiff and strong materials, a novel sandwich panel with a hollow core has been manufactured using commercially produced 3-ply veneer. In this paper, the out-of-plane shear behaviour of the novel hollow core is analysed and the expressions for the failure loads are developed. A strength-based optimisation problem is formulated for predicting the optimum values of the panel dimensions that would produce minimum panel weight when subjected to bending. It has been found that the minimum weight, as predicted by the full four-parameter optimisation, is slightly lower than that obtained by using the closed form expressions derived on the basis of simplified three-parameter optimisation. Relationships between the active failure modes are explored. Design maps are shown for a wide range of loading that can be used to calculate the minimum panel weight and the corresponding values of the geometric parameters. The approach developed is general and is equally applicable for sandwich panels with similar hollow cores made of other materials.     

Free vibration analysis of simply supported sandwich beams with lattice truss core

Free vibration of AISI 304 stainless steel sandwich beams with pyramidal truss core is investigated in the present paper. The lattice truss core is transformed to a continuous homogeneous material. Considering the deformation characteristics of the sandwich beam, the following assumptions are made: (1) the thickness of the sandwich beam remains constant during deformation; (2) for the thin face sheets, only bending deformation is considered, neglecting the effect of transverse shear deformation; (3) for the core, only shear deformation is considered as the core is too weak to provide a significant contribution to the bending stiffness of the sandwich beam. The shear stress is assumed to be constant along the thickness of the core. The governing equation of free vibration is derived from Hamilton's principle, and the natural frequencies are calculated under simply supported boundary conditions. Finally, numerical simulation is carried out to get the mode shapes and natural frequencies. Our results show that the theoretical solutions agree well with the numerical results. It indicates the present method would be useful for free vibration analysis of sandwich beams with lattice truss core.     

碳纳米管增强PA6纤维的性能

将碳纳米管(CNT)在分散剂或分散剂和聚合物(PA6)载体中处理后制备出两种母粒,将其作为增强材料分别和PA6切片熔融共混纺丝,制备出碳纳米管的增强PA6纤维,研究其结构和力学性能.CNT含量低于0.5%(质量分数)时,使用两种母粒制备出的纤维强度和模量都提高,NT含量为0.03%时增强的效果最好.由碳纳米管和分散剂组成的母粒增强效果更好,NT的含量为0.03%时就能使PA6纤维的强度和模量分别提高23%和76%.这种增强纤维是一种微纤增强纤维,纳米CNT在纤维中均匀分散且沿着纤维轴的方向取向.这种结构能有效地转移载荷,具有增强作用,且取向性越好,增强效果越好.     

炭纤维阳极氧化法表面改性

采用阳极氧化法对聚丙烯腈（PAN）基炭纤维进行表面改性，利用原子力显微镜（AFM）、X射线光电子能谱（XPS）、扫描电子显微镜（SEM）和动态力学热分析（DMTA）对炭纤维表面改性效果进行了研究。研究结果表明，炭纤维经适当的阳极氧化表面改性后，表面的粗糙度和比表面积增大，表面羟基含量提高31％，羰基含量提高61％。表面改性炭纤维增强树脂基复合材料（CFRP）较未改性炭纤维CFRP，玻璃化温度（Tg）升高，损耗角正切峰值（tanδmax）降低，定量计算出的界面黏结参数A和a与CFRP的层间剪切强度（ILSS）所反映的炭纤维与树脂间界面黏结效果一致。采用适当的改性条件可使CFRP的ILSS提高25％，纤维抗拉强度仅损失5％。     

Energy absorption during projectile perforation of lightweight sandwich panels with metallic fibre cores

This paper concerns energy absorption during projectile penetration of thin, lightweight sandwich panels with metallic fibre cores. The panels were made entirely of austenitic stainless steel (grade 304). The faceplates were 0.4 mm thick and the core (∼1–2 mm thick) was a random assembly of metallic fibres, consolidated by solid state sintering. The impact tests were simulated using ABAQUS. Faceplate behaviour was modelled using the Johnson and Cook plasticity relation and a strain rate-dependent, critical plastic strain failure criterion. The core was modelled as an anisotropic, compressible continuum, with failure based on a quadratic, shear stress-based criterion. The experimental data show that, with increasing impact velocity, the absorbed energy decreased from the ballistic limit, reached a minimum value, and then underwent a monotonic increase. The FEM modelling demonstrates that this increase arises from the kinetic energy of ejected fragments, while the energy absorbed by plastic deformation and fracture tends to a plateau. Normalised absorbed energies have been compared to values for single faceplates. The sandwich panels are marginally superior to single plates on an areal density basis.