Vibrodiagnostic parameters of fatigue damage in rectangular plates. Part 3. Through-the-thickness and surface semi-elliptical cracks

The paper addresses the analytical determination of vibrodiagnostic parameters that describe the presence of normal-rupture flat through-the-thickness and surface semi-elliptical central cracks in a rectangular homogeneous plate of constant thickness for various plate fixing conditions and vibration modes. It is shown that the most sensitive vibrodiagnostic damage parameter of a plate is the variation of the logarithmic decrement in the case of a through-the thickness crack and the second-harmonic ratio of the vibration process in superharmonic resonance in the case of a surface crack. __________ Translated from Problemy Prochnosti, No. 5, pp. 27–47, September–October, 2006.     

Mode III fracture of a magnetoelectroelastic layer: exact solution and discussion of the crack face electromagnetic boundary conditions

This paper develops a closed-form solution for anti-plane mechanical and in plane electric and magnetic fields in a magnetoelectroelastic layer of finite thickness. Explicit expressions for the stresses, electric fields, and magnetic fields, together with their intensity factors are obtained for the extreme cases for impermeable and permeable cracks. Solutions for some special cases, such as a magnetoelectroelastic layer with infinite thickness, are also obtained. Applicability of the crack face electromagnetic boundary conditions is discussed. It is found that the crack profile is important in obtaining the correct electromagnetic fields and their intensity factors. The stress intensity factor, however, does not depend on the crack face electromagnetic boundary condition assumptions.     

Experimental and numerical investigation of the debonding interface between an old concrete and an overlay

The paper focuses on debonding propagation along an interface, notably on the major influence of the interlocking between the two faces of the debonding interface. The aim of the study is to obtain the data necessary for relevant and efficient debonding modelling. The work associates experiment and simulation with the purpose of quantifying the interlocking along the interface. The overlay material investigated was a fibre reinforced mortar (FRM). Direct tension tests of notched FRM specimens were firstly conducted to obtain the tensile strength and the residual normal stress—crack width relationship. Its Young's modulus was determined from compression tests. The substrate-overlay interface was investigated by direct tension tests and flexure tests performed on composite substrate-overlay specimens. The direct tension tests provided the interface tensile strength and the relationship between debonding-opening and residual normal tensile stress. Three point flexural static tests informed on the structural behaviour of the interface. The debonding interface propagation was monitored using a video-microscope with a maximum enlargement of ×175. Using the identified and quantified parameters, modelling of the above mentioned static tests was carried out by the finite elements method using CAST3M code developed in France by CEA (Centre for Atomic Energy). The comparison of modelling and experiment results shows a good coherence and proves the important role of interlocking on the debonding mechanism.     

Plastic Injection Molding of High-Aspect Ratio Micro-Rods

Technological advancements have led to an increase in demand for fabrication of small and cheap miniature components or parts, especially in the medical and electronic fields. In this research work, micro-rods of varying lengths and diameters were molded using a specially designed tabletop injection molding machine. The main purpose was to investigate whether complete filling of the microcavities was possible and whether small cavity openings will restrict melt flow into the cavities.

Process parameters, such as injection pressure, mold temperature and melt temperature were varied. The micro-rods obtained were analyzed with Scanning Electron Micrographs (SEM). The results showed that injection pressure was the most important parameter for microinjection molding. The use of a vacuum system also yielded better results.     

Light composite elliptic springs for vehicle suspension

For composites to compete in vehicle suspension applications, it is essential to control their failure by utilising their strength in principal direction instead of shear. This can be achieved efficiently by employing a new configuration instead of existing one. This study marries between an elliptical configuration and the woven roving composites.

In this paper, the influence of ellipticity ratio on performance of woven roving wrapped composite elliptical springs has been investigated both experimentally and numerically. A series of experiments was conducted for composite elliptical springs with ellipticity ratios (a/b) ranging from one to two. Typical failure histories of their failure mechanism are presented and discussed. In general, this study demonstrated that composites elliptical spring can be used for light and heavy trucks and meet the requirements, together with substantial weight saving. The results showed that the ellipticity ratio significantly influenced the spring rate and failure loads. Composite elliptic spring with ellipticity ratios of a/b 2.0 displayed the highest spring rate.     

J resistance behavior in functionally graded materials using cohesive zone and modified boundary layer models

This paper describes elastic–plastic crack growth resistance simulation in a ceramic/metal functionally graded material (FGM) under mode I loading conditions using cohesive zone and modified boundary layer (MBL) models. For this purpose, we first explore the applicability of two existing, phenomenological cohesive zone models for FGMs. Based on these investigations, we propose a new cohesive zone model. Then, we perform crack growth simulations for TiB/Ti FGM SE(B) and SE(T) specimens using the three cohesive zone models mentioned above. The crack growth resistance of the FGM is characterized by the J-integral. These results show that the two existing cohesive zone models overestimate the actual J value, whereas the model proposed in the present study closely captures the actual fracture and crack growth behaviors of the FGM. Finally, the cohesive zone models are employed in conjunction with the MBL model. The two existing cohesive zone models fail to produce the desired K–T stress field for the MBL model. On the other hand, the proposed cohesive zone model yields the desired K–T stress field for the MBL model, and thus yields J _R curves that match the ones obtained from the SE(B) and SE(T) specimens. These results verify the application of the MBL model to simulate crack growth resistance in FGMs.     

Obtaining mode mixity for a bimaterial interface crack using the virtual crack closure technique

We review, unify and extend work pertaining to evaluating mode mixity of interfacial fracture utilizing the virtual crack closure technique (VCCT). From the VCCT, components of the strain energy release rate (SERR) are obtained using the forces and displacements near the crack tip corresponding to the opening and sliding contributions. Unfortunately, these components depend on the crack extension size, Δ, used in the VCCT. It follows that a mode mixity based upon these components also will depend on the crack extension size. However, the components of the strain energy release rate can be used for determining the complex stress intensity factors (SIFs) and the associated mode mixity. In this study, we show that several—seemingly different—suggested methods presented in the literature used to obtain mode mixity based on the stress intensity factors are indeed identical. We also present an alternative, simpler quadratic equation to this end. Moreover, a Δ-independent strain energy release based mode mixity can be defined by introducing a “normalizing length parameter.” We show that when the reference length (used for the SIF-based mode mixity) and the normalizing length (used for Δ-independent SERR-based mode mixity) are equal, the two mode mixities are only shifted by a phase angle, depending on the bimaterial parameter ε.     

Non-Local Theory Solution for an Anti-Plane Shear Permeable Crack in Functionally Graded Piezoelectric Materials

In this paper, the non-local theory solution of a Griffith crack in functionally graded piezoelectric materials under the anti-plane shear loading is obtained for the permeable electric boundary conditions, in which the material properties vary exponentially with coordinate parallel to the crack. The present problem can be solved by using the Fourier transform and the technique of dual integral equation, in which the unknown variable is the jump of displacement across the crack surfaces, not the dislocation density function. To solve the dual integral equations, the jump of the displacement across the crack surfaces is directly expanded in a series of Jacobi polynomials. From the solution of the present paper, it is found that no stress and electric displacement singularities are present near the crack tips. The stress fields are finite near the crack tips, thus allows us to use the maximum stress as a fracture criterion. The finite stresses and the electric displacements at the crack tips depend on the crack length, the functionally graded parameter and the lattice parameter of the materials, respectively. On the other hand, the angular variations of the strain energy density function are examined to associate their stationary value with locations of possible fracture initiation.     

Effect of residual stresses on interface crack growth by void expansion mechanism

Crack growth along an interface between two adjacent elastic–plastic materials in a layered solid is analysed, using special interface elements to represent the fracture process ahead of the crack-tip. These interface elements account for ductile failure by the nucleation and growth of voids to coalescence. In these elements the stress components normal to the interface and the shear stresses are given by equilibrium with the surrounding material, and the stress component tangential to the interface is determined by the requirement of compatibility with the surrounding material in the tangential direction. It is assumed that the layers are sufficiently thick, so that the plastic regions around the crack-tip are much smaller than the thickness of the nearest layers. The analyses focus on the effect of initial residual stresses in the layered material, or on T-stress components induced during loading. The results show that the value of the T-stress component in the softer material adjacent to the interface crack plays the dominant role, such that a negative value of this stress component gives a significant increase of the interface fracture toughness.     

SHS法制备AlN粉体的研究

以Al，N2为合成原料，AlN为稀释剂，4F为燃烧调节剂，NH采用SHSSelf-propagating High-temperature Synthesis）摘要以（法合成AlN粉体，实验系统地研究了稀释剂含量、燃烧调节剂含量、N2压力等因素对AlN合成率和粒径的影响。结果表明：在稀释剂AlN外加量为40%，燃烧调节剂NH4F外加量为5%，N2压力为8MPa条件下，AlN合成率为100%，粉体的平均粒径小于2μm。采用XRD、SEM、XDC等检测手段对粉体的物相组成和形貌进行表征，揭示了粉体性能与工艺因素之间的关系。