The prediction of crack growth in bonded joints under cyclic-fatigue loading I. Experimental studies

The performance of adhesively-bonded joints under monotonic and cyclic-fatigue loading has been investigated using a fracture-mechanics approach. The joints consisted of an epoxy film adhesive which was employed to bond aluminium-alloy substrates. The effects of undertaking cyclic-fatigue tests in (a) a ‘dry’ environment of 55% relative humidity at 23°C, and (b) a ‘wet’ environment of immersion in distilled water at 28°C were investigated. In particular, the influence of employing different surface pretreatments for the aluminium-alloy substrates was examined. In addition, single-lap joints were tested under cyclic fatigue loading in the two test environments, and a back-face strain technique has been used which revealed that crack propagation, rather than crack initiation, occupied the dominant proportion of the fatigue lifetime of the single-lap joints. In Part II, the data obtained in the present Part I paper will be employed to predict theoretically the lifetime of the adhesively-bonded single-lap joint specimens.     

Slow stable crack growth in high density polyethylenes

The phenomenon of slow stable crack growth in polyethylene is investigated using notched specimens subject to constant load and the concepts of fracture mechanics. The effect of specimen geometry and dimension, the loading and the mode of loading on the applied stress intensity factor versus crack speed ($\text{K}{}_{\mathrm{c}}\text{-}\text{a}\text{?}$) curves has been studied to demonstrate that K_c is the controlling stress parameter for crack growth under suitable conditions. $\text{K}{}_{\mathrm{c}}\text{-}\text{a}\text{?}$ curves are obtained for a high density polyethylene homopolymer in distilled water and in a diluted detergent solution at four different temperatures. Results are also obtained for a much tougher medium density polyethylene copolymer whenever possible. Several mechanisms can be identified from the form of the $\text{K}{}_{\mathrm{c}}\text{-}\text{a}\text{?}$ curves. Two, in particular, have been observed but not explained before: (i) crack growth with a time dependence of 0.25, and (ii) the high $\text{K}{}_{\mathrm{c}}\text{-}\text{a}\text{?}$ slopes for crack growth in a tough copolymer. With the help of scanning electron microscopic studies of the fracture surfaces, (i) is postulated to be due to diffusion controlled void growth process and (ii) is considered to be the result of crack tip blunting effects. From the temperature dependence of crack growth, the activation energy of the diffusion controlled crack growth process is found to coincide with that of the x-relaxation process in polyethylene implying that diffusion controlled crack growth may be related to the motion of main chains in the polymer.     

磷渣掺和料对混凝土力学性能影响的试验研究

针对当前资源能源匮乏、大量固体废弃物处理困难并严重污染环境的情况,以黄磷工业产生的废渣-磷渣为主要研究对象,通过一系列的试验,研究了磷渣作为掺和料在混凝土中的应用.重点研究了磷渣掺和料对混凝土力学性能影响的规律,以期达到合理利用废渣资源、减少环境污染、提高混凝土质量、降低生产成本的目的.     

Mixing in Wave Processes Propagating in Gas Mixtures (Review)

A review is made of uptodate investigations in the field of physicomathematical modeling of mixing of solid particles with highvelocity gas flows arising under the action on shock waves, compression waves, and expansion waves on unstable dust deposits on the boundaries of channels or plates and in cavities, as well as on free clouds of particles. In particular, experiments in shock tubes with particles initially located in cavities and on surfaces are described. The experimental data presented in the form of distributions of particle concentrations at various points of space above the unstable layer, pressure distributions on the lower wall of the shock tube, etc., are used for verification of proposed mathematical models in regimes of single particles, interacting continua, and turbulent diffusion. An analysis of experimental and numerical data shows that the models considered sometimes allow adequate identification of the wave structure of motion of the mixture and the field of parameters inside and outside the layer.     

Interactive Simulation of Rigid Body Dynamics in Computer Graphics

Interactive rigid body simulation is an important part of many modern computer tools, which no authoring tool nor game engine can do without. Such high‐performance computer tools open up new possibilities for changing how designers, engineers, modelers and animators work with their design problems. This paper is a self contained state‐of‐the‐art report on the physics, the models, the numerical methods and the algorithms used in interactive rigid body simulation all of which have evolved and matured over the past 20 years. Furthermore, the paper communicates the mathematical and theoretical details in a pedagogical manner. This paper is not only a stake in the sand on what has been done, it also seeks to give the reader deeper insights to help guide their future research.     

考虑卸荷损伤的柱状节理岩体开挖特性研究

通过建立柱状节理岩体径向应力比与力学劣化系数的数学关系,获取柱状节理岩体卸荷损伤效应的定量表达式。结合FLAC~(3D)提出一种考虑卸荷损伤的柱状节理岩体开挖分析方法,实现岩体单元的力学参数在开挖过程中随实际应力状态得到动态调整。在此基础上开展柱状节理岩体试验洞的开挖特性分析。结果表明,考虑卸荷损伤的计算数据与实测数据基本吻合,试验洞围岩的位移、体积应变增量和塑性区均随开挖断面的逐步增加而增大,且呈边墙最大,底板次之,拱顶最小的分布规律。最后采用体积应变增量大于0.10%和塑性区作为岩体松弛的综合判别指标,其分析结果与钻孔声波测试数据相一致。     

Toughening of vinylester–urethane hybrid resins through functionalized polymers

Liquid nitrile rubber, hyperbranched polyester, and core/shell rubber particles of various functionality, namely, vinyl, carboxyl, and epoxy, were added up to 20 wt % to a bisphenol‐A‐based vinylester–urethane hybrid (VEUH) resin to improve its toughness. The toughness was characterized by the fracture toughness (K_c) and energy (G_c) determined on compact tensile (CT) specimens at ambient temperature. Toughness improvement in VEUH was mostly achieved when the modifiers reacted with the secondary hydroxyl groups of the bismethacryloxy vinyl ester resin and with the isocyanate of the polyisocyanate compound, instead of participating in the free‐radical crosslinking via styrene copolymerization. Thus, incorporation of carboxyl‐terminated liquid nitrile rubber (CTBN) yielded the highest toughness upgrade with at least a 20 wt % modifier content. It was, however, accompanied by a reduction in both the stiffness and glass transition temperature (T_g) of the VEUH resin. Albeit functionalized (epoxy and vinyl, respectively) hyperbranched polymers were less efficient toughness modifiers than was CTBN, they showed no adverse effect on the stiffness and T_g. Use of core/shell modifiers did not result in toughness improvement. The above changes in the toughness response were traced to the morphology assessed by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and fractographic inspection of the fracture surface of broken CT specimens. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 84: 672–680, 2002; DOI 10.1002/app.10392     

Combustion characteristics and flame stability at the microscale: a CFD study of premixed methane/air mixtures

A two-dimensional elliptic, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of a microburner is solved to study the effects of microburner dimensions, conductivity and thickness of wall materials, external heat losses, and operating conditions on combustion characteristics and flame stability. We have found that the wall conductivity and thickness are very important as they determine the upstream heat transfer, which is necessary for flame ignition and stability, and the material's integrity by controlling the existence of hot spots. Two modes of flame extinction occur: a spatially global type for large wall thermal conductivities and/or low flow velocities and blowout. It is shown that there exists a narrow range of flow velocities that permit sustained combustion within a microburner. Large transverse and axial gradients are observed even at these small scales under certain conditions. Periodic oscillations are observed near extinction in cases of high heat loss. Engineering maps that delineate flame stability, extinction, and blowout are constructed. Design recommendations are finally made.     

Toughness response of vinylester/epoxy‐based thermosets of interpenetrating network structure as a function of the epoxy resin formulation: Effects of the cyclohexylene linkage

Vinylester/epoxy (VE/EP)‐based thermosets of interpenetrating network (IPN) structures were produced by using a VE resin (bismethacryloxy derivative of a bisphenol A–type EP resin) with aliphatic (Al‐EP) and cycloaliphatic (Cal‐EP) EP resins. Curing of the EP resins occurred either with an aliphatic (Al‐Am) or cycloaliphatic diamine compound (Cal‐Am). Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) suggested the presence of an interpenetrating network (IPN) in the resulting thermosets. Fracture toughness (K_c) and fracture energy (G_c) were used as the toughness characterization parameters of the linear elastic fracture mechanics. Unexpectedly high K_c and G_c data were found for the systems containing cyclohexylene units in the EP network, such as VE/Al‐EP+Cal‐Am and VE/Cal‐EP+Al‐Am. This was attributed to the beneficial effects of the conformational changes of the cyclohexylene linkages (chair/boat), which were closely analogous to those in some thermoplastic copolyesters. The failure mode of the VE/EP thermoset combinations was studied in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and discussed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 2124–2131, 2003     

Transition of the flow in a symmetric channel with periodically expanded grooves

Transition of the flow in a periodically grooved channel is numerically investigated for periodicity indices m=1 up to 6 by assuming the two-dimensional and fully developed flow field, where m is defined as a number of grooves in which the flow repeats periodically. Critical Reynolds numbers for the onset of a self-sustained oscillatory flow from a steady-state flow are evaluated by numerical simulations. It is found that the bifurcations occur at the critical Reynolds numbers as a result of Hopf bifurcation, and a period in the streamwise direction of the oscillatory flow is twice as long as the groove pitch of the channel. In addition, flow visualization with the aluminum dust method is carried out to confirm the results obtained from the numerical simulations. The experimental results are in good agreement with the numerical ones.