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Bamboo scrimber is a new natural fiber-reinforced composite material in modern industry. In this paper, the tensile creep characteristics of this material were chosen as the object of the study. First, axial tensile fracture experiments were conducted on different test specimens to determine the corresponding strength data. Then six sets of standard tensile creep experiments were conducted under different given stress levels. Finally, the Maxwell constitutive model was applied in fitting the relationship between strain and time. The results showed that the traditional Maxwell viscoelasticity constitutive model will result in some errors in the fitting results, while the combined fractional and Maxwell model can provide much higher accuracy in this study, thus it is more suitable for engineering applications. This paper provides a solid foundation for a better understanding of the mechanism of the bamboo scrimber creep behavior.

The paper presents an impact of the addition of industrial machining chips on the mechanical properties of polymer concrete. As an additional filler, six types of industrial waste machining chips were used: steel fine chips, steel medium chips, steel thick chips, aluminium fine chips, aluminium medium chips, and titanium fine chips. During the research, the influence of the addition of chips on the basic parameters of mechanical properties, i.e., tensile strength, compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and Young’s modulus, was analyzed. On the basis of the obtained results, conclusions were drawn that the addition of chips from machining causes a decrease in the value of the mechanical properties parameters of the polymer concrete even by 30%. The mechanism of cracking of samples, which were subjected to durability tests, was also explored. In addition, it was found that some chip waste can be used as a substitute for natural fillers during preparation of a mineral cast composition without losing much of the strength parameters.

In this article, the ultrasensitive analysis of single-walled boron nitride nanotubes (SW-BNNTs) with an extra attached mass is studied by employing atomistic analysis technique. Numerical examples are carried out for vibration characteristic of SW-BNNT with an extra attached mass. Our results show that the vibration frequencies and magnitudes of SW-BNNT are very sensitive to the extra attached mass. In addition, the influence of length and chirality of SW-BNNT on the vibration frequencies and magnitudes of SW-BNNT with an extra attached mass are also examined in detail. This investigation indicates that SW-BNNTs have a great potential in the field of sensor technology.

The purpose of this study was to solve the chloride corrosion damage problems of the rebar in reinforced concrete structures under the chloride environment. The effects of 1.0% triethanolamine (abbreviated as 1.0% TEA), 1.0% Ca(NO2)2, and 0.5% TEA + 0.5% Ca(NO2)2 (abbreviated as 1.0% composite corrosion inhibitor) on the electrochemical performance and modification mechanism of the mortar specimens were investigated by combining macro experiment and microanalysis. The results showed that the electrode potential of the rebar was effectively improved by incorporating the 1.0% composite corrosion inhibitor. This composite corrosion inhibitor displayed the ability to stabilize the electrode potential of the rebar; it also formed a passive film on the surfaces of the rebar, protected the rebar from chloride attack, and achieved satisfactory electrochemical performance. In addition, it could also effectively improve the strength of the mortar specimens and possessed the strong ability to bind chloride ions, thus signifying that it could promote cement hydration and accelerate the formation of cement to form AFt crystals. Therefore, the results of this investigation confirmed that this composite corrosion inhibitor could be effectively used in practical engineering to prevent the corrosion of reinforced concrete structures.

The paper presents studies performed on polymer-cementitious composite made of epoxy resin coating modified with aggregate and cementitious substrate. Epoxy resin is a perfect material that can be used to protect cementitious materials. According to its manufacturer, it can be mixed with fine aggregate. Coarse aggregate made of building demolition wastes is mostly utilized in concrete mixtures or road structures. Fine aggregate is not widely used. Therefore, the novelty of this research was the utilization of recycled fine aggregate (RFA) in epoxy resin coatings. Natural fine aggregate (NFA) was also used as an extender in the coating. The natural aggregate in the coating was partially replaced with recycled aggregate in amounts of 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100% of its weight. Sixteen specimens of polymer-cementitious composites were prepared for the flexural tensile strength test, and thirty-two specimens for the compressive strength test. The macroscale tests were performed after 35 days of curing (28 days – cementitious substrate, and 7 days – epoxy resin). The results show that the epoxy resin coating does not affect the flexural tensile and compressive strength of the analyzed composites. Moreover, the type of aggregate used in the coating does not have a significant impact on the measured properties of polymer-cementitious composites. Economic analysis was performed in order to estimate the cost of the natural and RFAs used in epoxy resin coatings. The calculations show that a higher amount of RFA should be used to increase savings.

The structure and behaviour of two gypsum composites after exposition to elevated temperatures were investigated. The silica sand and fine basalt aggregate were used as solid fillers. The changes in structure and composition at temperatures from 50 to 1,000°C were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction together with the size and strength of the samples and their pore size distribution. The structure of gypsum matrix changed significantly at 1,000°C in both composites, while the aggregate particles were not changed. It was found that even if the silica sand is considered as less suitable filler at high temperatures because of its volume changes, the gypsum with sand performed better than gypsum with basalt at the highest temperatures, because the shrinkage of the gypsum matrix was compensated by the increase in the volume of aggregate. The final volume change at 1,000°C was 3.5% in composite with silica sand and 6.8% in composite with basalt. The residual compressive strength of both composites was about 9.4%. No cracks appeared in the samples and no spalling was observed.

Characterization of shear behavior in composite materials remains a not fully solved problem. In the last fifty years, many different approaches have been proposed to solve this problem (rail shear, thin-walled tube torsion, off-axis tensile, ±45° tensile, Arcan, Iosipescu, asymmetric four-point bend, plate twist, v-notched rail shear, off-axis flexural, and shear frame), although none of these approaches have achieved an unquestionable solution. For this reason, proposals of alternative methods and comparison between different experimental techniques are of interest. In the present work, the use of cruciform samples with the fiber oriented at 45° with respect to the load directions, and subjected to tension-compression (creating a pure shear stress state at the central part of the samples), is studied. The experimental results of the cruciform samples have been compared with the off-axis tests (with the fiber at 10°) for the same material (AS4/8552), finding a good agreement between the shear experimental curves, especially at the initial part of the curve, where the shear modulus is calculated. Nevertheless, the shear strength value obtained by means of the cruciform specimen has shown to be significantly lower than that obtained using the off-axis test. A Finite Element numerical model of the cruciform specimen has been developed to analyze the stress field of the samples. Numerical results have shown that there is a central area of the cruciform specimens where a pure and uniform shear stress state is developed, which is suitable for the evaluation of the shear constitutive law of the material. It has been observed that there is a (σ 22) stress concentration in the transition between the straight and curved parts of the boundary geometry of the samples, which explain some premature failures of the samples. This premature failure could be avoided with tabs extended up to the beginning of the central part of the sample.

The objective of this work is to improve the structural characteristics of hollow glass microsphere (HGM) filled epoxy syntactic foam composites with little voids content and improved HGM dispersion in the composite. A modified degassing technique has been introduced during resin casting process of the HGM filled syntactic foam composites. The effect of HGM content volume fractions (5–25%) on the degassing techniques was examined. The syntactic foam composites were characterized by analysing structural morphology using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy(TEM), and density measurements (theoretical and experimental). Less than 5% void content has been achieved in this study. This resulted in improved tensile and dynamic mechanical properties (DMA).

In this study, the flexural bearing capacity and failure mechanism of carbon fiber-reinforced aluminum laminate (CARALL) beams with a double-channel cross-section and a 3/2 laminated configuration were experimentally and numerically studied. Two types of specimens using different carbon fiber layup configurations ([0°/90°/0°]3 and [45°/0°/−45°]3) were fabricated using the pressure molding thermal curing forming process. The double-channel CARALL beams were subjected to static three-point bending tests to determine their failure behaviors in terms of ultimate bearing capacity and failure modes. Owing to the shortcomings of the two-dimensional Hashin failure criterion, the user-defined FORTRAN subroutine VUMAT suitable for the ABAQUS/Explicit solver and an analysis algorithm were established to obtain a progressive damage prediction of the CFRP layer using the three-dimensional Hashin failure criterion. Various failure behaviors and mechanisms of the CARALL beams were numerically analyzed. The results indicated that the numerical simulation was consistent with the experimental results for the ultimate bearing capacity and final failure modes, and the failure process of the double-channel CARALL beams could be revealed. The ultimate failure modes of both types of double-channel CARALL beams were local buckling deformation at the intersection of the upper flange and web near the concentrated loading position, which was mainly caused by the delamination failure among different unidirectional plates, tension and compression failure of the matrix, and shear failure of the fiber layers. The ability of each fiber layer to resist damage decreased in the order of 90° fiber layer > 0° fiber layer > 45° fiber layer. Thus, it is suggested that 90°, 0°, and 45° fiber layers should be stacked for double-channel CARALL beams.

Interfacial degradation is the main reason for deterioration of mechanical properties of composites in hydrothermal environments. In this study, the effect of the interphase on water diffusion in two types of unidirectional continuous carbon fiber-reinforced polyamide 6 (CF/PA6) composites is investigated through experimental measurements, theoretical analysis, and numerical simulation. The moisture diffusion coefficient of composite at different environmental temperatures is characterized by water immersion tests for analyzing the barrier and accelerating effects of the interphase layer. Based on the experimental results, the three-phase Halpin–Tsai model is derived and validated, and then the critical diffusivity is obtained to quantify the interfacial effect during the diffusion process. To further validate the present three-phase Halpin–Tsai model, the stable and transient finite element models of moisture diffusion are developed. It is found that the critical diffusivity coefficient of the interphase for the CF/PA6 composite system is 7.31 times higher than that of the matrix.

In this paper effects of material constructions on natural frequencies and critical aerodynamic pressures are investigated. It is assumed that the rectangular plate is made of a polymeric matrix reinforced with graphene nanoplatelets or carbon nanotubes. A general closed analytical method of solution is presented. It is demonstrated that three parameters define entirely the location of the critical flutter pressure. The influence of material properties and transverse shear effects is characterized by a set of multipliers. They can be easily adopted in design procedures.

A modified vertical braiding machine and closed annular axis mandrels with a special-shaped cross section were used to braid annular axis preforms under four different technical parameters. After measuring the braiding angles and yarn spacing of the braided preform in different areas of the mandrels, it was found that the braiding angle increased by 20.9% and the yarn spacing decreased by 19.8% when the speed of the yarn carrier was doubled. The braiding angle decreased by 31.1% and the yarn spacing increased by 28.6% when the rotation speed of the mandrels was doubled. The results show that the rotation speed of the mandrel has a slightly greater influence on the braiding angle and the yarn spacing. By using the modified braiding machine to braid the annular axis preforms, multi-layer continuous braided preforms can be achieved on compact equipment. And the structure of the annular axis braided preforms can be changed by changing the technical parameters.

In-situ TiB2 particles can be synthesized via the salts-Al reaction by adding mixed K2TiF6 and KBF4 (Ti/B=1/2) salts into Al melt. In this research, a novel electroslag melting technology was proposed to synthesize TiB2 particles by the salts-Al reaction in order to reduce the reaction time period and purify the melt of composite. The effects of current of electroslag melting on the synthesis of TiB2 particles and mechanical properties of composite were investigated. The results showed that TiB2 particles could be in-situ synthesized by electroslag melting at 600 A for 15min. Compared with 60 min at 850°C of traditional LSM method, the efficiency of preparation was greatly improved. In addition, the dispersion of TiB2 particles in the composite prepared by electroslag melting was improved, meanwhile the non-metallic inclusions in the composite was reduced. The values of YS, UTS and El pct of composite prepared by electroslag melting were higher than that of the composite prepared by traditional LSM method.

The axial compressive bearing capacity, failure modes, and failure mechanisms of carbon fiber-reinforced aluminum laminate (CARALL) columns with single-channel cross sections were studied in detail. In this study, two types of short CARALL specimens with a 5/4 configuration were first fabricated using 2024-T3 aluminum alloy and different fiber orientations ([0°/90°/0°]3, [45°/0°/−45°]3) via a pressure-molding thermal-curing forming process. The short CARALL columns were then subjected to static loading tests to determine their axial compressive behaviors in terms of ultimate bearing capacity and failure modes. Thereafter, the user-defined FORTRAN subroutine VUMAT, which is based on ABAQUS, was used to investigate the failure mechanism of the proposed CARALL columns. Meanwhile, based on the classic laminated panel mechanics theory, a theoretical method was proposed to predict the safe bearing capacity of the designed compressive CARALL columns. The results indicated that the ultimate failure of both types of short CARALL columns was a strength failure caused by the delamination of the layers. When the short CARALL columns were subjected to an axial compressive load, the fiber spread angle of the carbon fiber-reinforced polymer prepregs in the laminate panels had a significant influence on the resistance to interlaminar delamination. A smaller fiber layer angle resulted in greater resistance to interlaminar delamination. Setting a certain number of fiber layers with angles between 0° and 45° could increase the toughness of the compression column member against interlaminar shear delamination at the initial stage. Comparisons of the experimental, numerical, and theoretical results demonstrated good agreement, indicating that the proposed theoretical method is feasible for predicting the safe bearing capacity of CARALL columns with a single-channel cross section and can be applied to the design of compressive laminate pillar components.

Poly-lactic acid based biocomposite strengthened with magnesium alloy wires (Mg wires/PLA composite) is prepared for bone fixation implantation. The influence of wire content and load mode on the degradation performances of the composite and its components is studied. The result suggests the degradation of Mg wires could slow down the pH decrease originated from the degradation of PLA, while a relatively high wire content contributes to descend the degradation rate of Mg wire in the composite. Dynamic load significantly promotes the mechanical loss of the specimens. After 30 days immersion, the Sb retention is about 65%, 52% and 55%, respectively for pure PLA, the composite at 10 vol% and 20 vol% under dynamic load, comparing to 75%, 70% and 72% under no load. Moreover, dynamic load could further mitigate the degradation of Mg wires by increasing convective transport of acidic products out of the composite.

Fiber reinforced rubber pipes are widely used to transport fluid at locations requiring flexible connections in pipeline systems. The spherical self-balancing fiber reinforced rubber pipes with low stiffness are drawing attention because of their vibration suppression performance under high internal pressure. In this paper, a theoretical model is proposed to calculate the axial stiffness and lateral stiffness of spherical self-balancing fiber reinforced rubber pipes. The inhomogeneous anisotropy of the reinforced layer and the nonlinear stress-strain relationship of the reinforced fiber are considered in the model. The accuracy of the model is verified by experimental results. Theoretical calculation finds that both the axial and lateral stiffness are influenced significantly by the key structural parameters of the pipe (the axial length, the circumferential radius at the end, the meridional radius, and the initial winding angle). The stiffness can be reduced remarkably with optimal meridional radius and initial winding angle, without any side effect on the self-balance of the pipe. The investigation methods and results presented in this paper will provide guidance for design of fiber reinforced rubber pipes in the future.

Composite structures (SiC/UHMWPE/TC4; SiC/TC4/UHMWPE) were designed using silicon carbide (SiC)ceramics, ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) laminate, and titanium alloys (TC4s). Penetration experiments and numerical simulations were carried out to study the anti-penetration mechanism and energy characteristics of the composite structures, and the microstructure of the TC4 was analyzed. The results show that the two composite structures designed have advantages in reducing mass and thickness. The energy proportion of the TC4 is the largest among the three materials, which mainly determines the anti-penetration performance. The microstructure of the TC4 in composite structure I shows rough edges of bullet holes, a large number of adiabatic shear bands (ASBs), ASB bends and bifurcates, and many cracks, which lead to spalling damage of the TC4. The microstructure of the TC4 in composite structure II shows flat edges of bullet holes, several straight ASBs, and no cracks, which leads to brittle fragmentation. The initiation, expansion, combination of ASBs and cracks lead to more energy consumption. Therefore, the combination form of composite structure I can give full play the energy dissipation mechanism of the TC4 and has better anti-penetration performance than composite structure II.

This article discusses the influence of fiber types, including polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber, polyethylene (PE) fiber, and steel fiber (SF), on the compressive strength, flexural strength, bending toughness, and tensile ductility of lightweight cement-based composites. The fiber dispersion and the microscopic morphology were assessed using fluorescence and scanning electron microscopes. The result showed that the SFs had the best effect in enhancing the compressive and flexural strengths of lightweight cement-based composites, and its compressive and flexural strengths reached 88.9 and 17.6 MPa, respectively. Compared with the PVA and the SFs, the PE fiber had the most significant effect on the ductility of lightweight cement-based composites; the tensile strength and the ultimate tensile strain were 3.29 MPa and 2.56%, respectively, due to a very high bridging capability provided by the PE fiber. A large amount of hydration products adhered to the surface of the PVA fiber, which improved the adhesion between the cement matrix and the PVA fiber and caused the rupture of most of the PVA fiber. Overall, lightweight toughness cement-based composites containing PVA and PE fibers have a good deformability, which can meet the needs of construction and transportation engineering applications.

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) is widely used in high-tech industries because of its interesting characteristics and properties. This material presents good strength and stiffness, relatively low density, high damping ability, good dimensional stability, and good corrosion resistance. However, the machinability of composite materials is complex because of the matrix/fiber interface, being a challenging machining material. The CFRP milling process is still necessary to meet dimensional tolerances, the manufacture of difficult-to-mold features like pockets or complexes advance surfaces, finish the edges of laminated composites, or drill holes for the assembly of the components. Besides, the demand for low-cost, reconfigurable manufacturing systems of the industry demonstrates that the application of industrial robots (IRs) in the CFRP milling process becomes an alternative for providing automation and flexibility. Therefore, the objective of this work is to evaluate the performance of the low payload IR KUKA KR60 HA in a milling experiment of CFRP, which indicates its potential application as an alternative to milling process. Furthermore, the influence of the cutting tool geometry as well as the cutting parameters in the machining behavior with IRs is evaluated.

The accurate characterization of fabrics used in vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) is essential in order to model the flow through these porous preforms. A wide range of these fabrics are available for composite manufacturing through VARTM and thus brings about a need to opt a methodology which characterizes the in-plane permeability of these preforms. These permeability values can then be used in simulations that can track the flow front progression and mold filling time. This work identifies the permeability of an E-glass fabric based on Darcy's law. Woven fabric having areal weight of 200 grams per square meter (gsm) is under consideration. The experiments are conducted at constant pressure conditions using 2D Radial flow method. Stereo microscopy of the preform material is done for detailed study of the weaving pattern. It is concluded that plain woven fabric exhibits anisotropic behavior when tested for in-plane permeability. Permeability is found to be higher in a direction which offers more interspacing between adjacent fibers threads causing more resin to flow in this direction.

Metal-composite laminates and joints are applied in aircraft manufacturing and maintenance (repairing) using aluminum alloys (AA) and glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP). In these applications, drilling has a prominent place due to its vast application in aeronautical structures’ mechanical joints. Thus, this study presents the influence of uncoated carbide drills (85C, 86C, H10N), cutting speeds (v c = 20, 40, and 60 m min−1), and feed rates (f = 0.05, 0.15, and 0.25 mm rev−1) on delamination factor, thrust force ( F t {F}_{\text{t}} ), and burr formation in dry drilling metal-composite laminates and joints (AA2024/GFRP/AA2024). Experiments were performed, analyzed, and optimized using the Box–Behnken statistical design. Microscopic digital images for delamination evaluation, piezoelectric dynamometer for thrust force acquisition, and burr analysis were considered. The major finding was that the thrust force during drilling depends significantly on the feed rate. Another significant factor was the influence of the drill type (combined or not with feed rate). In fact, it was verified that the feed rate and the drill type were the most significant parameters on the delamination factor, while the feed rate was the most relevant on thrust force. The cutting speed did not affect significantly thrust force and delamination factor at exit ( F da S ) \hspace{.25em}({F}_{{\text{da}}_{\text{S}}}) . However, the combination f × v c was significant in delamination factor at entrance ( F da E ) \text{ }({F}_{{\text{da}}_{\text{E}}}) . Based on the optimized input parameters, they presented lower values for delamination factors ( F da E = 1.18 {F}_{{\text{da}}_{\text{E}}}=1.18 and F da S = 1.33 {F}_{{\text{da}}_{\text{S}}}=\hspace{.25em}1.33 ) and thrust force ( F t = 67.3 N {F}_{\text{t}}=67.3\hspace{.5em}\text{N} ). These values were obtained by drilling the metal-composite laminates with 85C-tool, 0.05 mm rev−1 feed rate, and 20 m min−1 cutting speed. However, the burrs at the hole output of AA2024 were considered unsatisfactory for this specific condition, which implies additional investigation.

3D-printing finds increasing applications including the dental implant. We report in this study a nicely printed and then cured composite consisting of nano-ceramic and photosensitive resin, targeting oral prosthesis application. The results show that the 3D-printed material has good geometry accuracy and satisfactory hardness, justifying its potential as an advanced manufacturing methodology for future dentistry.

This study experimentally investigates the effect of the opening configuration on the buckling stability and bearing performance of a structural beam web used in a commercial aircraft made of composite materials. The buckling and strength analyses on three opening configurations (circular, oblong, and rhombic) were carried out using test samples with identical web surface size. It is found that the rhombic opening has the minimum effect on the buckling stability and strength of the structure. To compensate for the effect of the opening, two reinforcement methods, using reinforcement rib and thickening the sample, were also investigated in this study. It is concluded that thickening the sample can more effectively improve the buckling stability and strength performance of beam web structure and hence has relatively higher structural reinforcement efficiency.

The paper corrugation tube is an innovative kind of energy absorbing structure and shock absorber which can play an important role on the cushioning energy absorption for airdrop equipments and transportation packaging. The deformation characteristics and failure modes of the regular triangle, quadrangle, pentagon and hexagon paper corrugation tubes were comparatively studied by a series of axial static compression experiments, the cushioning energy absorption was evaluated by the seven characteristic parameters (e.g. initial peak force, mean crush force, total energy absorption, specific energy absorption, crush force efficiency, unit area energy absorption and stroke efficiency), and the influences of tube direction, cross-sectional shape, tube length and compression rate on failure modes and cushioning energy absorption were analyzed and compared. These researches showed that the tubes along X direction only have the accordion deformation mode, yet the tubes along Y direction have four deformation modes including steady state progressive buckling, Euler buckling, angular tear and transverse shear. For the paper corrugation tubes along Y direction, the cross-sectional shape has obvious influence on the cushioning energy absorption of structures, and the specific energy absorption and unit area energy absorption of regular triangle and pentagon tubes are better than those of the tubes with regular quadrilateral and hexagonal cross-section at compression rates of 12 and 48mm/min. The tube length of 150 mm or compression rate of 72 mm/min would cause the increase of contribution proportion of non-ideal deformation mode and the decrease of cushioning properties. The paper corrugation tubes along X direction have more stable and controllable deformation mode, yet the paper corrugation tubes along Y direction have better cushioning energy absorption.

In this paper, a new method is developed to investigate the anti-penetration performance of the steel/nylon sandwich plate, which incorporates experimental method with numerical simulation. Constitutive parameters of the steel/nylon sandwich plate are measured by the Hopkinson Pressure Bar, and LS-DYNA is applied to simulate the penetration process of projectiles into the sandwich plate. The dynamic response, failure modes and energy absorption coefficients are obtained, and the penetration tests are conducted to verify the numerical method. Results show: results obtained by experimental and numerical methods have very high agreement, which demonstrates that the method proposed can be applicable for predicting the anti-penetration performance of the sandwich plate.

As the wind turbine size gets larger, the optimal design of blades, which is a major source of energy for the wind turbines and also the cause of loads, is becoming more important than anything else. Therefore, reducing the load on the blade should be the top priority in designing a blade. In this article, we studied the vibration control of the stiffened wind blades subjected to a wind load with piezoelectric sensors and actuators to mitigate fluctuations in loading and adding damping to the blade. The model is a laminated composite blade with a shear web and the PZT piezomaterial layers embedded on the top and bottom surfaces act as a sensor and actuator, respectively. A uniformly distributed external wind load is assumed over the entire plate surface for simplicity. The first-order shear deformation (FSDT) theory is adopted, and Hamilton’s principle is used to derive the finite element equation of motion. The modal superposition technique and the Newmark- β \beta method are used in numerical analysis to calculate the dynamic response. Using the constant gain negative velocity feedback control algorithm, vibration characteristics and transient responses are compared. Furthermore, vibration control at various locations of the shear webs subjected to an external load is discussed in detail. Through various calculation results performed in this study, this article proposes a method of designing a blade that can reduce the load by actively responding to the external load acting on the wind turbine blade.

In this article, mode II fracture toughness ( G IIc {G}_{\text{IIc}} ) of unidirectional E-glass/vinyl ester composites subjected to sulfuric acid aging is studied at two different temperatures (25 and 90°C). Specimens were manufactured using the hand lay-up method with the [ 0 ] 20 {{[}0]}_{20} stacking sequence. To study the effects of environmental conditions, samples were exposed to 30 wt% sulfuric acid at room temperature (25°C) for 0, 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks. Some samples were also placed in the same solution but at 90°C and for 3, 6, 9, and 12 days to determine the interlaminar fracture toughness at different aging conditions. Fracture tests were conducted using end notched flexure (ENF) specimens according to ASTM D7905. The results obtained at 25°C showed that mode II fracture toughness increases for the first 2 weeks of aging and then it decreases for the last 8 weeks. It was also found that the flexural modulus changes with the same trend. Based on the results of the specimens aged at 90°C, a sharp drop in fracture toughness and flexural modulus with a significant decrease in maximum load have been observed due to the aging. Finite element simulations were performed using the cohesive zone model (CZM) to predict the global response of the tested beams.

In this study, the effects of steel fibers on the mechanical properties of the geopolymer concrete – compressive, splitting tensile, and flexural strength; compressive elastic modulus; and fracture properties – were evaluated. Milling steel fibers were incorporated into the geopolymer concrete, and the volume fraction of the steel fibers was varied from 0 to 2.5%. Fly ash and metakaolin were chosen as the geopolymer precursors. Fracture parameters – critical effective crack length, initial fracture toughness, and unstable fracture toughness – were measured by a three-point bending test. The results indicated that all the mechanical properties of the geopolymer concrete are remarkably improved by the steel fibers with the optimum dosage. When the steel fiber content was under 2%, the cubic and axial compressive strength and the compressive elastic modulus increased. The inclusion of 2% steel fibers enhanced the cubic and axial compressive strength and the compressive elastic modulus by 27.6, 23.7, and 47.7%, respectively. When the steel fiber content exceeded 2%, the cubic and axial compressive strength and the compressive elastic modulus decreased, having values still higher than those of the geopolymer concrete without steel fibers. The splitting tensile strength and flexural strength of the concrete were enhanced with increasing steel fiber content. When the steel fiber content was 2.5%, the increment of the splitting tensile strength was 39.8%, whereas that of the flexural strength was 134.6%. The addition of steel fibers effectively improved the fracture toughness of the geopolymer concrete. With 2.5% steel fibers, the initial fracture toughness had an increase of 27.8%, and the unstable fracture toughness increased by 12.74 times compared to that of the geopolymer concrete without the steel fibers.

The undoped YVO4 and Ce3+-doped YVO4 single crystals have been successfully grown by the Czochralski method in a medium frequency induction furnace. The X-ray diffraction patterns testified that all samples exhibited the pure tetragonal YVO4 crystalline phase without any parasitic phases. The optical properties of Ce3+-doped YVO4 single crystals with different doping concentrations were investigated via a combination of absorption, emission, and excitation spectra. Dependence of luminescence and absorption intensity on Ce3+ doping concentration was discussed at different excitation wavelengths. The typical transitions of Ce3+ ions and the unusual intrinsic luminescent phenomena of VO 4 3 − {\text{VO}}_{4}^{3-} groups were observed and investigated in Ce3+-doped YVO4 crystals. More attentions were paid to ascertaining the corresponding transition states, analyzing luminescent mechanism, and revealing the energy transfer from VO 4 3 − {\text{VO}}_{4}^{3-} to Ce3+ ions. In addition, the CIE chromaticity coordinates and correlated color temperature were calculated on a basis of emission spectra under different excitation wavelengths.

In this study an automated composite layup end effector is presented which is the first to be able to find defects in real time during layup using tactile shape sensing. Based around an existing sensor concept developed by the Bristol Robot Laboratory known as the ‘TacTip’, a new end effector is developed, replacing the soft gel core of the original sensor was replaced by a much firmer elastomer, enabling it to apply up to 400N of compaction force. In this paper it is shown to successfully detect typical defects such as wrinkles, foreign objects, layup errors or incorrect material types while simultaneously compacting preimpregnated composite materials over complex mould shapes.

Two categories of GFRP specimens, in nominal diameters of 11.2 mm and 15.6 mm respectively, made of E-glass fibers and a vinylester resin were immersed in alkaline solution, saline solution and tap water solution at room temperature. The mechanical and durability properties of tested GFRP bar specimens were determined through direct tensile test and short-beam shear test after exposure to aggressive solutions for different days. The obtained results indicated that for all tested GFRP bar specimens the failure modes of fiber rupture in the tensile test and horizontal cracking in the short-beam shear test would not obviously change with the increasing of exposure period. However, the impact of immersion solutions on the durability degradation of mechanical properties of GFRP bars appeared in the ultimate strength and displacement at failure, and at room temperature the alkaline solution had a greater impact than another two solutions. Under the same exposure conditions, the resistance to the strength degradation of the GFRP bars with a larger diameter was better than that of the smaller GFRP bars. The comparison results indicated that the strength degradation trend of conditioned GFRP bars presented in our study was basically in agreement with the data given in previous studies.

The article describes a method of creating a mesoscale finite element model of a fabric reinforced laminate that replicates the smallest repetitive fragment of its microstructure – RUC (Repetitive Unit Cell). The model takes into account the influence of the number and orientation of layers, the weave of the reinforcement fabric as well as manufacturing technology on the strength and stiffness of the laminate. The constants of the finite elements forming RUC (equivalent cross-sectional parameters, limit values of forces ensuring layer integrity) are determined experimentally by performing uncomplicated tests of specimens of a particular laminate. A special preprocessor was developed to generate the finite element model of the construction element from laminate, which automatically creates the so-called batch file defining the model. The usefulness of the preprocessor was checked by simulating a three-point bending test of a laminate door beam of a passenger car. The obtained calculation results were verified experimentally.

In the present contribution, an environmental-friendly and cost-effective adsorbent was reported for soil treatment and desertification control. A novel foam gel material was synthesized here by the physical foaming in the absence of catalyst. By adopting modified microcrystalline cellulose and chitosan as raw materials and sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS) as foaming agent, a microcrystalline cellulose/chitosan blend foam gel was synthesized. It is expected to replace polymers derived from petroleum for agricultural applications. In addition, a systematical study was conducted on the adsorbability, water holding capacity and re-expansion performance of foam gel in deionized water and brine under different SDS concentrations (2%–5%) as well as adsorption time. To be specific, the adsorption capacity of foam gel was up to 105g/g in distilled water and 54g/g in brine, indicating a high water absorption performance. As revealed from the results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis, both the amino group of chitosan and the aldehyde group modified by cellulose were involved. According to the results of Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis, the foam gel was found to exhibit an interconnected pore network with uniform pore space. As suggested by Bet analysis, the macroporous structure was formed in the sample, and the pore size ranged from 0 to 170nm. The mentioned findings demonstrated that the foam gel material of this study refers to a potential environmental absorbent to improve soil and desert environments. It can act as a powerful alternative to conventional petroleum derived polymers.

The aim of the present work is to upgrade the functionality and environmental friendliness of polypropylene (PP) by means of a blending technique. The influence of the metal pigment on the odor, volatile organic compounds (VOC) and metal texture of PP, and the effects of the extractant, adsorbent and processing technology on the odor and VOC of PP composites were studied systematically. It was found that metallic pigment significantly increased the VOC, odor, metallic texture and MFR of PP, and reduced the impact strength and elongation at break. The adsorbent and extractant can effectively reduce the VOC and odor of the PP composites. When the adsorbent and extractant contents were 0.5 and 5 wt%, respectively, the maximum reduction in the VOC and odor reached 73.6% and 1 level, respectively. When the extractant and adsorbent were used at the same time, the method of adding extractant and adsorbent from the main and the secondary feeding port respectively was significantly superior to the method of adding the extractant and adsorbent from the main feeding port together in reducing the odor and VOC of PP composites, which displayed a good synergistic effect.

The Pb(Ni1/3Nb2/3)O3-Pb(Zr x Ti1−x )O3 (PNN-PZT) piezoelectric ceramics with CuO and LiBiO2 doping were successfully fabricated by the low-temperature solid-state reaction to effectively restrain the PbO volatilization. The microstructure and electrical properties of the PNN-PZT ceramics were characterized. The experimental results reveal that the PNN-PZT ceramics are composed of a pure perovskite structure in which the rhombohedral and tetragonal phases coexist. Meanwhile, the good electric properties, including low dielectric loss, outstanding diffusion phase transition and palpable dielectric relaxation, are exhibited in PNN-PZT ceramics with 0.2 wt.% CuO and 1 wt.% LiBiO2 addition. This piezoceramic composition possibly provides a reference for the application of multi-layer piezoelectric actuators.

The rheology of cement paste under vibration follows the transformation from Bingham model to Hershel-Bulkly model to Power-Law model. Most of the existing research is obtained through a large number of experiments in the data fitting process, and cannot express the time-varying characteristics of viscosity. Furthermore, thixotropy of cement paste is based on static experiment and cannot be applied under vibration. In this paper a shear-vibration equivalent theory is proposed, which consider the effect of vibration is the same as the shear effect on the viscosity change of cement paste. Combining vibrational shear equivalent theory and HI theory, the rheological changes of cement paste under vibration are obtained through numerical simulation. This theory has been verified by a series of experiments with numerical simulations, and can be used to study the rheology of concrete under vibration.

Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) composite materials have been widely used in high-tech fields because of their outstanding physical properties. However, barely visible impact damage can be introduced by low velocity impact, which might bring tremendous risk. Monitoring impact forces is essential for the integrity and reliability of CFRP structures. In this paper, a reverse localization scheme on CFRP composite materials is developed. The scheme is based on a predictive mode of attenuated strain wave. The signals induced by low velocity impact are obtained by strain gauges. The proposed localization scheme has been verified by experimental tests of the CFRP plates with symmetrical stacking [0/45/90/−45]2s The errors occurring in the test can be accepted for engineering application. The calculated impact locations are generally in consistent with the testing impact locations.

This work focuses on dip coating and further phase inversion prepared polysulfone/LTA zeolite mixed matrix membranes (MMMs). The Linde Type A (LTA) zeolite synthesized under hydrothermal conditions by the organic free method was introduced as fillers at 10 and 20 wt.% loadings into the polysulfone polymer matrix to obtain MMMs. The x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis indicated that the as-synthesized LTA zeolite samples were crystalline and mainly composed of crystal of predominantly cubic shape. Textural characterisation using Ar adsorption/desorption data of LTA zeolite shown the existence of mesoporous. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) in combination with the SEM characterised the membrane morphology and the dispersion of zeolite fillers. The effect of the zeolite loading on the performance of the MMMs was analysed. It points out that N2 permeability was increased with the increment of zeolite filler, also the high membranes permeability and the weak dependence upon transmembrane pressure and therefore its high selectivity. The average membrane thickness was 150 μm.

In this study, the effective elastic modulus (Ec ) of a cellulose nanocrystal fiber reinforced polymer composite was evaluated using the Mori-Tanaka and finite element (FE) model. The FE model was generated using a representative volume element with a periodic boundary condition. The mass fractions of the fiber in the composites (MFf ) were set to 1, 2, and 3 wt.%. Elastic modulus values for interphase were input and were either uniform or exhibited a gradient. The E c for the uniform interphase region increased significantly with MFf , but was relatively low for interphase regions exhibiting a gradient. The results show that interphase parameters must be considered carefully when predicting Ec using the FE model.

In this study, the foam sandwich panels were manufactured by integrating top facesheet and bottom facesheet with pyramidal lattice stitched core to overcome the weak interface between the core and skins of the sandwich structures. Low-velocity impact test and numerical simulation were conducted to reveal the failure mechanisms and energy absorption capacity at sandwich composite with foam core, different strut stitched foam core under different impact energy. The experimental results show showed that the strut core can improve the impact resistance of the specimen, and which is closely related to the diameter of the strut core. Compared with foam sandwich structure, pyramidal lattice stitched foam sandwich composites have comparable specific energy absorptions. The failure modes were also analyzed which is: fiber breakage, delamination, foam deformation and strut core breakage. The research presented here confirms that numerical simulation show good agreement with the experiment.

Recently, basalt fiber reinforced polymer (BFRP) is acknowledged as an outstanding material for the strengthening of existing concrete structure, especially it was being used in marine vehicles, aerospace, automotive and nuclear engineering. Most of the structures were subjected to severe dynamic loading during their service life that may induce vibration of the structures. However, free vibration studied on the basalt laminates composite plates with elliptical cut-out and correlation of natural frequency with buckling load has been very limited. Therefore, effects of the elliptical hole on the natural frequency of basalt/epoxy composite plates was performed in this study. Effects of stacking sequence (θ), elliptical hole inclination (ϕ), hole geometric ratio (a/b) and position of the elliptical hole were considered. The numerical modeling of free vibration analysis was based on the mechanical properties of BFRP obtained from the experiment. The natural frequencies as well as mode shapes of basalt laminates composite plates were numerically determined using the commercial program software (ABAQUS). Then, the determination of correlation of natural frequencies with buckling load was carried out. Results showed that elliptical hole inclination and fiber orientation angle induced the inverse proportion between natural frequency and buckling load.

In this study, a thermal buckling analysis of laminate composite square plate was performed with elliptical hole cutout using the finite element method. Graphite/Epoxy laminate plate used in this study is symmetrical stacking sequence plate [(0/90)2] s . This laminate square plate was subjected to temperature loading with clamped support on all edges. Moreover, the parameters considered were fiber orientation (θ), a/b ratio (elliptical hole), elliptical hole inclination (φ), thermal expansion coefficient ratio (α 1/α 2), and thickness of plates (t). The results showed that as the thermal expansion coefficient ratio changes, the elliptical hole ratio and the elliptical hole inclination have inconsequential effects on the performance of the resistance of laminate composite plates. The maximum values of thermal buckling amplification factor were obtained when the ratio a/b = 1.0, which is a circle cutout,while the minimum values were obtained when the ratio a/b = 0.5, regardless of the thickness of plates. Moreover, the plate with elliptical or circle cutout hole provides about 4% to 9% higher buckling resistance than that of the plate without hole cutout, because when subjected to temperature loading the plate with hole can release stress better than the plate without hole.

The effect of CNTs on the mechanical and damping properties of macro-defect-free (MDF) cements was studied, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers were also studied as a contrast. It was found that the compressive strength of MDF cements was not significantly affected by the two types of fibers. The CNTs enhanced the flexural strength of MDF, while PVA fibers made negative contribution. The strengthening mechanism of flexural strength of MDF cements by CNTs can be summarized as fiber bridging, crack deflection and fiber slippage. For the damping properties, the proper contents of CNTs and PVA fibers improved the loss factor significantly. The interface transition zone (ITZ) between the PVA fibers and matrix was large, which was favorable for fiber slippage. The damping property of MDF cements with CNTs was mainly due to the slippage between the inner tubes of the CNTs rather than the slippage between the CNTs and matrix.

In this paper, the effects of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the mechanical and damping properties of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) were investigated. The results show that the proper amount of MWCNTs can improve mechanical properties as well as the damping properties. For the mechanical properties, the compressive strength and flexural strength of the specimens increased with the increase of MWCNTs content in the range of 0~0.05% (mass ratio to cement). However, when the content of MWCNTs was more than 0.05wt.%, the mechanical properties of UHPC could not be improved continually because too many MWCNTs were difficult to disperse and agglomerated easily in UHPC. Similar laws also have been found for the damping property of UHPC. The loss factor of UHPC increased with the increase of MWCNTs content in the range of 0 ~ 0.05%. The incorporation of MWCNTs would introduce a large number of interfaces into UHPC, the friction and slip between interfaces were the main reasons for the improvement of the damping property of UHPC. However, when the content of MWCNTs was more than 0.05%, it was difficult to disperse effectively. As a result, the overall energy consumption efficiency of MWCNTs was decreased.

The present study addresses the mechanical behavior of polypropylene self-reinforced composites (SRC’s) considering polymeric structural changes after cutting. Self-reinforced polypropylene composite is fabricated using the HOT compaction method by maintaining the processing temperature at 164∘C. Conventional and unconventional cutting methods were used to cut the samples of standard dimensions. FTIR images revealed the formation of C=C, C-F, Halogen bonds after AWJ cutting initiated a decrease in the surface roughness value to 4.5μm (R a ). SEM analysis is performed to analyse structural integrity and damage of SRC’s. Structural changes formation after AWJ cutting leads to improve the ultimate tensile strength of the laminate by 20% compared to conventional cut samples. A similar trend is noticed for flexural properties and Shore –D hardness values for the SRC composite laminate correlated to polymeric changes with Conventional cutting due to the formation of C-N bond is observed after Laser cutting.

Electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) is a well-known process for machining of particulate reinforced metal matrix composites (MMCs). However, ECDM process suffers several drawbacks such as the lower material removal rate (MRR), high risks of tool wear rate (TWR) and relatively poor surface quality, etc. This study proposes a kind of electrochemical discharge grinding machining (ECDGM) method which employs a special shaped tool electrode. During the process, not only the can the hybrid action of electrochemical dissolution, spark erosion, and abrasive grinding improve the performance of machining MMCs, but also the special shaped of the tool electrode can be used to discharge the machined debris. And thus a higher machining efficiency and lower TWR can be obtained. The performance of developed process was conducted on machining of SiC particulate reinforced aluminum workpiece. The role of peak curre+nt, pulse duration, duty cycle, rotary speed and abrasive grit size has been investigated on MMR and TWR using the nonabrasive round electrode, abrasive round electrode, and abrasive shaped electrode respectively. The experimental results showed that using the shaped abrasive electrode for machining MMCs can achieve a higher MRR and lower TWR, as compared to the non-abrasive round electrode, abrasive round electrode. Besides, the orthogonal method was employed to analyze the relative importance of the machining parameters on MRR and TWR, it has been observed that MRR is affected by the processing parameters following the order of rotary speed > peak current > duty cycle > pulse duration, and TWR is following the order of peak current > duty cycle > pulse duration > rotary speed.

In this paper, multiscale acoustic emission (AE) signal analysis was applied to acoustic emission data processing to classify the AE signals produced during the tensile process of C/SiC mini-composites. An established unsupervised clustering algorithm was provided to classify an unknown set of AE data into reasonable classes. In order to correctly match the obtained classes of the AE signals with the damage mode of the sample, three scales of materials were involved. Single fiber tensile test and fiber bundle tensile test were firstly performed to achieve the characteristics of AE signal of fiber fracture. Parameter analysis and waveform analysis were added to extract the different features of each class of signals in the In-situ tensile test of C/SiC mini-composite. The change of strain field on the sample surface analyzed by DIC (Digital Image Correlation) revealed the corresponding relationship between matrix cracking and AE signals. Microscopic examinationwas used to correlate the clusters to the damage mode. By analyzing the evolution process of signal activation for each class against the load, it also provided a reliable basis for the correlation between the obtained classes of the AE signals and the damage mechanism of the material.

The article outlines the methods, which has designated Young’s Modulus and Poisson’s Ratio of deformable cement adhesives. These indicators are necessary for the strength calculation of the lightweight floor systems (LFS), that do not require screeds with and without heating, using the finite element method. It was noticed that the diagrams of the dependence the stress on deformation in deformable cement adhesives are similar to the model of the ‘Madrid parabola’ used in testing concrete and cement mortar. In order to determine that the theory of ‘Madrid parabola’ is correct, calculations were performed using the least amount of squares approximation method. The data of the experimental studies combined with the formula calculations, allowed the study to achieve a reliable result, together to determine whether the theory of relative approximation is correct or not. All these actions have allowed determining the smallest deformations εc 2 in deformable cement adhesives type C2S1 and C2S2 and their compressive strength. Thanks, these two methods (experimental and calculation) the functions describing deformable cement adhesives are defined. They were named S1 and S2 Evola and can be used by designers and producers of floor systems that do not require screeds.

The use of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWC-NTs), as excellent mechanical and conductive fibers, for making self-sensing cementitious composites has attracted great interest. However, few researches have focused on the durability of mortar with MWCNTs. This paper attempts to explore the corrosion of embedded steel rebar in cement mortar with different contents of MWC-NTs. Tests for compressive strength, chloride migration coefficient, conductivity, and corrosion behaviors of MWCNT-cement mortar were carried out. The results show that the addition of MWCNTs to the cement mortar accelerated the development of the steel corrosion under chloride environment. The migration behavior of chlorine ions and steel corrosion rate were related to the carbon nanotube content. The increase in carbon nanotube content resulted in higher steel corrosion intensities. Moreover, the rates of chloride transport into the mortar increased with the nanotube content under both accelerated and natural chloride conditions.

Al3Ti/ADC12 composite was synthesized in situ using Al-fluoride potassium titanate (K2TiF6) as the reaction system and an ultrasonic assisted direct melt reaction. Results indicate ultrasonic chemistry reactions are both accelerated and more complete compared to traditional in situ reactions. Al3Ti reinforced particles with a regular shape and size of 1-2 μm were well distributed and as-cast microstructures of composites were superior. Composite particles under ultrasonic assistance were also refined to a greater extent. Tensile strength and elongation rate of the composites reached 255 MPa and 2.2%, an increase of 19.1% and 37.5% respectively to those without ultrasonic aid. Cleavage surface of the composite declined and the number of dimples increased while dimples became smaller and deeper, showing obvious ductile fracture.