Microstructure-related fracture toughness and fatigue crack growth behaviour in toughened, anhydride-cured epoxy resins

Fracture toughness and fatigue crack propagation (FCP) of plain and modified anhydride-cured epoxy resin (EP) were studied at ambient temperature. Liquid carboxyl-terminated acrylonitrile-butadiene (CTBN) and silicon (SI) rubber dispersions were used as tougheners for the EP. The morphology of the modified EP was characterized by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The fracture toughness, K_c, of the compositions decreased with increasing deformation rate. K_c of the EP was slightly improved by CTBN addition and practically unaffected by incorporation of the SI dispersion when tests were performed at low cross-head speed, v. Both modifiers improved K_c at high v, and also the resistance to FCP, by shifting the curves to higher stress intensity factor ranges, ΔK, by comparison with the plain EP. It was established that both fracture and fatigue performance rely on the compliance, J_R, at the rubbery plateau, and thus on the apparent molecular mass between crosslinks, M_c. The failure mechanisms were less dependent upon the loading mode (fracture, fatigue), but differed basically for the various modifiers. Rubber-induced cavitation and shear yielding of the EP were dominant for CTBN, whereas crack bifurcation and branching controlled the cracking in SI-modified EP. The simultaneous use of both modifiers resulted in a synergistic effect for both the fracture toughness at high deformation rate and the FCP behavior.     

The combined effects of curing and environmental exposure on fracture properties of woven carbon/epoxy laminates

This paper concerns a study of the combined effects of curing conditions and environmental exposure on the ultimate properties of two commercial woven carbon/epoxy laminates. Curing parameters (heating rate and applied pressure) were varied so as to obtain six different conditions for each material. Moisture saturation was also achieved by exposing some of the cured samples to environmental conditions of 70°C and 95% relative humidity. Four different tests (tensile, impact, Mode I and Mode II interlaminar fracture resistance) were therefore performed, and the results obtained on the different materials before and after moisture saturation compared. Neither curing pressure nor heating rate nor moisture absorption were observed to have any practical effect on tensile and impact properties. On the contrary, one noticeable effect was the interlaminar fracture resistance of the laminates. The results are discussed and interpreted in terms of damage formation and stress intensification mechanisms.     

基于神经网络的河道浅滩演变预测模型

河道浅滩演变是一个复杂的非线性动力学过程, 作者借助神经网络处理非线性问题的优势, 在分析影响河道浅滩演变因素的基础上, 建立了预测河道浅淮演变的BP网络模型, 并对模型中的输入因子和样本的提取进行了探讨. 以闽江竹岐至侯官河段为实例,用“试控法”给出了BP网络模型的建模方案, 用正交设计原理选取相应的训练样本集, 利用该样本集对网络进行学习和训练, 并用训练好的BP网络模型预测浅滩上年内最小水深和年平均淤积厚度. 计算结果表明: 模型预测结果与实际值吻合良好. 这为河道浅滩演变预测研究提供了新方法.     

Effect of crack-growth mechanism on the prediction of fracture load of adhesive joints

This paper presents observations regarding the cracking behavior of tensile-loaded structural adhesive joints. Experiments showed that fracture occurred by the development and propagation of a damage zone, rather than a single, sharp crack, and that the presence of the adhesive spew fillet did not affect the fracture load of the adhesive joints studied. For joints bonded with the mineral-filled epoxy Cybond 4523GB (American Cyanamid), there was approximately 5 mm of subcritical crack propagation prior to final fracture. Fracture-load predictions based on the initial uncracked geometry made in previous papers were unaffected by this small change in geometry. For joints bonded with the rubber-toughened epoxy Permabond ESP 310, approximately 50 mm of subcritical crack propagation was observed. It was again found that predictions made in previous papers on the basis of the initial geometry gave a good estimate of the final fracture load even though this subcritical crack propagation significantly altered the geometry, and thus the applied energy release rates. The effect of shear deformations of the adherends was also investigated, and it was found that shear deformations could be neglected in engineering calculations for joints subject to remote tensile loading.     

超塑20钢的空洞与断裂行为

本文在获取２０钢超塑性的基础上，对其空洞与断裂行为进行了研究，通过观察空洞的产生和测定空洞的长大，提出了一种超塑材料空洞的形核模型。研究确认，超塑２０钢的断裂由沿晶和穿晶两种断裂类型组成。     

美国COMSTAC/AST卫星发射市场预测

隶属于美国联邦航空管理委员会（FAA）的美国商业航天运输咨询委员会（COMSTAC）和商业航天运输管理协会（AST）在每年的5-6月份都对未来10年的商业卫星发射市场进行预测。2001年该委员会对商业同步轨道（GEO）和非同步轨道（NGEO）的卫星需求和发射需求都进行了预测。     

Optimizing the Vacuum Heat-Treatment of Hot-Work Tool Steels by Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics

Linear elastic fracture mechanics was used to optimize the vacuum heat-treatment procedures for conventional hot-work AISI H11 tool steel. The fracture toughness was determined with non-standard, circumferentially notched and fatigue-precracked tensile-test specimens. The fracture-testing method is sensitive to changes caused by variations in the microstructure resulting from the austenitizing and tempering temperatures as well as the homogeneity of the material itself. The combined tempering diagram- Rockwell-C hardness, Fracture toughness K_Ic, Tempering temperature was used for the choice of the vacuum heat-treatment parameters necessary to obtain the best properties for a given application with respect to the investigated steel.     

应用地应力模拟技术研究断块区剩余油分布

应力场数值模拟不仅能够重塑出不同阶段地应力场，而且还可以定量一半定量地预测破裂的发生、裂缝的方向和密度，进一步探讨时间和空间上油气运移的规律，为油田勘探、开发提供必要的依据。本文以大庆萨北开发区北二西断层区为研究对象，通过应力场数值模拟研究了流体运移势场与剩余油分布的关系、流体运移与构造应力的关系、裂缝形成与剩余油分布的关系，确定了剩余油分布的有利区域，为油田注采系统的设计、部署和油田开发及措施调整提供了依据。     

Simulation of cup-cone fracture using the cohesive model

The cohesive model is used for the prediction of the crack path during stable crack extension in ductile materials. The problem of crack-path deviation is investigated by means of simulation of crack propagation in a round tensile bar. The respective phenomenon is known as cup-cone fracture. It is shown that the model is able to predict the failure mechanism, which consists of normal fracture in the center and combined normal/shear fracture in the so-called “shear lips” at the specimen’s rim. The damage evolution and crack path predicted by the model are presented. The effect of the normal and shear failure parameters on the crack-deflection point and several aspects of the finite element mesh are discussed.     

Thermomechanical fatigue—damage mechanisms and mechanism-based life prediction methods

An existing extensive database on the isothermal and thermomechanical fatigue behaviour of high-temperature titanium alloy EVII 834 and dispersoid-strengthened aluminum alloy X8019 in SiC particle-reinforced as well as unreinv conditions was used to evaluate both the adaptability of fracture mechanics approaches to TMF and the resulting predictive capabilities of determining material life by crack propagation consideration. Selection of the correct microstructural concepts was emphasised and these concepts were, then adjusted by using data from independent experiments in order to avoid any sort of fitting. It is shown that the cyclic /-integral (δJ_eff concept) is suitable to predict the cyclic lifetime for conditions where the total crack propagation rate is approximately identical to pure fatigue crack growth velocity. In the case that crack propagation is strongly affected by creep, the creep-fatigue damage parameter δ_CF introduced by Riedel can be successfully applied. If environmental effects are very pronounced, the accelerating influence of corrosion on fatigue crack propagation can no longer implicitly be taken into account in the fatigue crack growth law. Instead, a linear combination of the crack growth rate contributions from plain fatigue (determined in vacuum) and from environmental attack is assumed and found to yield a satisfactory prediction, if the relevant corrosion process is taken into account.