Selective use of rubber toughening to optimize lap-joint strength

This paper introduces a novel approach to increasing the lap joint strength, different from the traditional methods of either increasing the lap joint area or altering the joint geometry. This is accomplished by the selective use of rubber toughening in epoxy to optimize lap joint strength. This was accomplished in three stages. In the first stage an adduct was prepared, this was used to make bulk tensile specimens to calculate the bulk properties for various concentrations of rubber, i.e. 0, 10, and 20 parts per hundred parts of resin (epoxy). In the second stage finite element models were developed using the bulk properties previously obtained. Interfacial stresses were used to access the trends obtained by the selective use of rubber toughening at different locations of the overlap in different configurations. The modeling of adhesive joints was done using ALGOR 2-D, linear and nonlinear finite element analyses (FEA). In the third stage, tensile shear tests conducted on the lap joints validated the trends from the finite element models. Finite element modeling and meshing of the lap joints having 25.4 and 50.8 mm adhesive overlap lengths were completed. Different configurations of rubber toughened and untoughened adhesive were tried in these two overlaps. The validation was done by lap joint tests conducted on an Instron mechanical tester coupled with an extensometer. Comparable strengths were obtained for completely toughened overlap and the configuration where only the edges of the adhesive overlap were toughened and the region in-between was untoughened. Also, the nonlinear FEA was shown to represent the experimental results more closely than the linear approach.     

Combustion and decomposition of VOCs from shell moulds by regenerative thermal oxidiser

Abstract

In the present work, the regenerative thermal oxidiser (RTO) with preheating and baking system was applied to treating volatile organic compounds (VOCs) discharged from the shell mould casting. As a result, it was found that the tar characterised by more than 523 K of high boiling point was formed by the shell mould casting. The Fourier transform infrared spectrometry analysis showed that the tar was composed of paraffin, zinc stearate and quartz. A part of the tar was deposited on the ceramic honeycombs in the heat exchanger. However, the tar can be almost completely removed by means of baking treatment at 623 K in the RTO. Regarding the decomposition of VOCs, it was found that the concentrations of all VOCs were reduced to less than 1 ppm. Further, 98% of offensive odour was removed by the treatment. Thus, it can be concluded that the RTO is suitable for decreasing VOCs from the shell mould casting in the foundry.     

Modelling of dealumination of aluminium silicate molecular sieves

Abstract

A simplified treatment of the dealumination of aluminium silicate (zeolite like) molecular sieves has been developed that considers both the diffusion of aluminium atoms and the formation and migration of vacancy sites. The instantaneous concentration of aluminium atoms as a function of time and location has been derived according to Fick's second law. Critical parameters affecting the dealumination process are discussed. The calculated results agree with the ratios of silicon to aluminium reported in the literature from infrared and ²⁷Al NMR spectroscopy studies on the commercial aluminium silicate molecular sieves materials Mordenite and ZSM-5, following exposure to air and water vapour.     

Adhesively Bonded Patch Repair of Composite Laminates

Damaged composite laminates repaired using adhesively bonded patches have been studied. A special adhesive element is developed to examine the stress distribution in the bonded region. Utilizing the adhesive element, one is able to incorporate the regular elements in the laminate and patch. It has the advantage of reducing the adhesive bonding problem to a two-dimensional in-plane problem, and avoiding the need for refined meshes in the adhesive. The special adhesive element is derived based on the assumption of constant shear stress through the thickness of the adhesive. The damaged area of the composite laminate is simulated as a hole. The repair efficiency is evaluated by comparing the stress concentration factor in the damaged hole before and after repair. The effects of the thickness, size and material properties of both patch and adhesive on the stress distribution are presented through a parametric study. Numerical results indicate that a stiffer and thicker patch is able to carry higher loads, and, consequently, reduce the load across the damaged area yielding less stress concentration in the damaged hole. For a high shear modulus and thin thickness of the adhesive layer, less loads are transferred to the patch resulting in a high stress concentration in the damaged hole.     

Structural analysis considering shrinkage defect of cast part

Abstract

Flow and solidification of fusion metal at high temperature may introduce defects in cast components. As a results, many components have unsound internal areas. However, most engineers do not consider the effect of shrinkage defects when designing components; it is generally assumed that the material is completely sound. The material property reduction method is one approach to taking into account the effect of unsound areas, but it cannot consider stress concentration effects around the shrinkage. To compensate for this limitation, a shape simplification method is proposed. The method reconstructs shrinkage defects as hollow spheroid primitives based on shrinkage shape data obtained from industrial computerised tomography. The shape simplification method offers a smaller number of elements than other methods for modelling of shrinkages, and is also able to calculate the stress concentration. The present study examines the effect of shrinkage on a component structure subject to practical loads. It is possible to improve the productivity and reliability of cast products by such considerations.     

6—THE EFFECT OF ALKALINE AND ACID SWELLING AGENTS ON THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF COTTON FIBRES

A study of the changes in mechanical properties of cotton brought about by sodium hydroxide, an iron tartrate complex in caustic soda (EWNN), cuprammonium hydroxide, and sulphuric, phosphoric, nitric, and perchloric acids has been made. Instead of choosing the normal mercerizing conditions with sodium hydroxide, different temperatures of treatment and of washing were studied to see what effect the condition had on the subsequent mechanical properties of the fibres. The variable studied with the other reagents was that of concentration, so that a distinction between interfibrillar and intrafibrillar swelling could be made. The main effect of swelling is to alter the extensibility of the fibre, and this has been analysed at different stages of loading up to break.     

Photoelastic thermal stress measurements in scarf adhesive joints under uniform temperature changes

This study deals with the investigation of thermal stresses and delamination growth in scarf joints under a uniform temperature change by photoelastic measurements and a two-dimensional finite element analysis. The adherends were fabricated from aluminum plates, and an adhesive layer was modeled and fabricated from an epoxide resin plate. The adherends and the epoxide resin plate were bonded using a heat-setting and one-component-type adhesive. The adhesive was cured at 85 °C and cooled down to room temperature. The thermal stress was then generated in the scarf joint under a temperature change and measured by photoelasticity. After the scarf joints were cooled in a stepwise manner, the delamination growth, which initiates from the edge of the interface, was measured. It was found that the delamination initiates from the edge of the interface with the acute angle side and it never initiates from the edge with the obtuse angle side. When the scarf angle is 90°, i.e. in adhesive butt joints, the resistance against the delamination is minimal. The thermal stresses in the scarf joints with a thin adhesive layer were also analyzed. It was found that the thermal strength increases as the adhesive thickness decreases. The stress singularity near the edge of the interface was calculated from the stress distributions in the joints with different scarf angles. As a result, it was found that the stress singularity in the scarf joints under thermal loads is quite different from that under static tensile loads.     

Effect of halide anions and temperature on initiation of pitting in Cr–Mn–N and Cr–Ni steels

Abstract

The pitting corrosion of Cr₁₈Mn₁₂N and Cr₁₈Ni₉ steels in halide solutions (F^?, Cl^?, Br^? and I^?) has been investigated. The study involved cyclic potentiodynamic polarisation tests with subsequent examination of the specimens by both optical and scanning electron microscopy. Values of the critical concentrations of halide ions, [X^?]_cr, beyond which pitting occurs, as well as breakdown potentials for pitting in chloride solution, have been established. In addition, the effect of the temperature over the range of 5–80°C on the critical chloride ion concentration [Cl^?]_cr has been investigated and it has been found that temperature has a negligible effect beyond 40°C.     

The Effect of Interparticle Stresses on Debonding in Spherical Silica Particle-Filled Composites with a Poly(vinyl butyral) Matrix

The effect of varying the volume fraction of 650 μm glass beads in a poly(vinyl butyral) matrix on the level of debonding in the particulate composites at a given applied tensile stress was investigated. Both clean beads and ones surface treated with the adhesion promoter 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane were used. A model was developed to predict the observed behavior, based on Goodier's analytical solution for the stress concentration developed by a single sphere in an infinite matrix and the superposition of stress concentrations. By increasing the volume fraction of glass beads the average interparticle distance is decreased, leading to an increase of the overlap of the stress concentration fields surrounding the beads, thus causing debonding at a lower applied stress. The use of an adhesion promoter increased the maximum local stress required to cause debonding, but had no effect on the interparticle stress fields so the same trends, at higher applied stress, were observed. The model, although quite simple, showed good agreement with the experimental results for the dependence of the particle–matrix debonding behavior on the volume fraction of beads.     

Prediction of Carbon Concentration and Ferrite Volume Fraction of Hot-Rolled Steel Strip During Laminar Cooling

A phase transformation model was presented for predicting the phase fraction transformed and the carbon concentration in austenite for austenite to ferrite transformation during laminar cooling on run-out table in hot rolling strip mill. In this model, the parameter k in Avrami equation was developed for carbon steels. The wide range of chemical composition, the primary austenite grain size, and the retained strain were taken into account. It can be used to predict the ferrite volume fraction and the carbon concentration in austenite of hot-rolled steel strip during laminar cooling on run-out table. The coiling temperature controlling model was also presented to calculate the temperature of steel strip. The transformation kinetics of austenite to ferrite and the evolution of carbon concentration in austenite at different temperatures during cooling were investigated in the hot rolled Q235B strip for thickness of 9.35, 6.4, and 3.2mm. The ferrite volume fraction along the length of the strip was also calculated. The calculated ferrite volume fraction was compared with the log data from hot strip mill and the calculated results were in agreement with the experimental ones. The present study is a part of the prediction of the mechanical properties of hot-rolled steel strip, and it has already been used on-line and off-line in the hot strip mill.