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As a low-density, high-strength material with high energy release potential, Al/Ep cast metal braided tubes have a wide range of application prospects in the combatant shell, which is one of the most important means to realize the integrated destructive effect of kill and blast. In this paper, Al/Ep composites with mass ratios of 3:7, 4:6 and 5:5 were prepared, and the intrinsic model of Al/Ep was established by studying its quasi-static and dynamic mechanical properties. The Al/Ep cast three-dimensional braided metal skeletons were used to obtain the required cast braided tubes with different mass ratios, and the destruction behaviors of the tubes under axial and radial compressive loads were analyzed by a combination of experimental and numerical simulations. The results show that the addition of Al particles can significantly improve the elastic-plastic properties of Al/Ep composites, and the energy storage and absorption capacities are positively correlated with the ratio of the relative contents of Al powder. When the mass ratio of Al powder to epoxy resin is 5:5, the energy absorption of Al/Ep composites is 23.16 MJ/m3, which is optimal among similar specimens and much higher than that of pure epoxy resin materials (the energy absorption of epoxy resin is 9.63 MJ/m3). The strength of binary resin matrix composites is improved, and the intrinsic models of three kinds of different mass ratios of Al/Ep composites are obtained. The intrinsic models of various Al/Ep cast braided tubes with crushing force efficiency CFE, energy absorption capacity, and specific energy absorption SEA decreased with the ratio of mass occupied by the braided filaments.

The new STF impregnated Kevlar fabric coated GFRP (glass fiber reinforced polymer) composite structure obtained by combining STF（shear thickening fluid） impregnated Kevlar fabric and GFRP can obtain strong energy absorption capacity with light weight compared with two separate structures, so it has strong impact resistance. In this paper, the experiments of STF impregnated Kevlar fabric, GFRP laminated plate and STF impregnated Kevlar fabric coating GFRP laminated structure were carried out, respectively. Based on reliable numerical simulation, the macroscopic damage and energy absorption characteristics of the same material in STF impregnated Kevlar fabric, GFRP laminated plate and STF impregnated Kevlar fabric coating GFRP laminated structure were analyzed. The results show that the GFRP laminate and the rear Kevlar fabric in the STF-impregnated Kevlar fabric coating GFRP laminate structure show a larger damage area than that of GFRP laminate and STF impregnated Kevlar fabric alone, and a larger deflection is generated during the process of impact. The increase of the number of layers of Kevlar fabric in the front and back of the laminate and the increase of the thickness of the laminate make the Kevlar fabric absorb more energy. If the energy absorption capacity of GFRP laminates is increased, the number of layers of the front Kevlar fabric can be reduced, the thickness of the laminates can be increased, and materials with greater strength can be added to the front ply of the laminates. However, increasing the thickness of GFRP laminates will reduce the lightweight requirements of laminated structures.

The low flexoelectric coefficients of polymers are the key problem that limit their application. In this paper, electret-like PDMS/metal conductive layer/PDMS laminated structures have been prepared, an internal electric field are applied on the metal conductive layer aimed at improving electromechanical response. Experiments on the flexoelectric responses of polymer laminated structures under impact are performed based on SHPB, in-layer voltage supply system and polarization voltage measuring system. Numerical simulations are also conducted to investigate the dynamic stress-strain relationship and polarization characteristics of polymer laminated structure under different in-layer voltages. The results show that maximum stress increases with decreasing in-layer voltage; the maximum polarization voltage increases first and then decreases with absolute value of in-layer voltage; the minimum polarization voltage decreases with absolute value of in-layer voltage. Specimen with negative voltage has advantage of conversing electric energy and transferring charges. The impact induced strain gradients have been investigated based on numerical simulation and the related flexoelectricity coefficients are obtained. Addition of metal conductive layer and application of in-layer voltage are effective ways to enhance flexoelectricity.

Aluminum honeycomb framework reinforced Al/PTFE material is a kind of high inert energetic material, which has higher strength and structure advantages than that of pure Al/PTFE material. In order to meet the requirements of special penetration/blasting performance, this paper adds aluminum honeycomb framework with arm length of 1.5 mm into the traditional formula Al/PTFE (mass percentage of Al and PTFE is 26.5% and 73.5%). The energetic material reinforced by aluminum honeycomb framework (20.5% Al/73.5% PTFE/6% aluminum honeycomb) is obtained by cold pressing sintering，and the experimental evaluation of release energy generated by high velocity impact in vacuum was performed by using two-stage light gas gun loading system, transient optical fiber pyrometer measurement system, overpressure measurement system and infrared thermal imager measurement system. Experimental results show that the impact reaction temperature is about 700 °C in vacuum in the velocity range of 0.96–1.5 km/s, and the energy release of the specimen increases with the increase of impact velocity. When the impact velocity is greater than 1.5 km/s, the specimen fully reacts, and the energy released by the complete reaction of the specimen does not exceed 8.3 kJ/g.

The structures composed by metal fiber and auxiliary elastomer are stretchable and have potential application under larger strain. Nowadays, interfacial failure is still the key problem affecting practicability of the structures. The result of typical pull-out test indicates that three stages exist in this pull-out process: elastic deformation, interfacial debonding and interfacial friction. For the sake of determination of interfacial parameters, a numerical method has been proposed to characterize the damage initiation point by using the slope of force-displacement curve of pull-out experiment. Furthermore, based on the basic material and interfacial parameters, extensive simulations have been conducted to study parametric effect on the general mechanical behavior of structures, including interfacial elastic modulus, failure strength and damage evolution law and friction. The results indicate both interfacial cohesive and friction contribute to the force increasing after damage initiation points.

Aluminum/Polytetrafluoroethylene (Al/PTFE) reactive material occurs chemical reaction and release a large amount of energy under the impact load, which has the dual characteristics of strength and energy release, so it can be applied to the attack of confined space targets to enhance the damage effect on the target. In order to study the dynamic strength of enhanced Al/PTFE and the real-time impact release energy, based on the traditional formula Al/PTFE (26.5%/73.5%), enhanced Al/PTFE reactive material specimens were prepared by cold pressing and rapid cooling processes, and the dynamic mechanical properties of the specimens were tested by the Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) testing system. The experiments have been conducted by using two-stage light gas gun loading system combining with the impact release energy related testing system under vacuum condition. Meanwhile, the evolutionary process of reaction product was numerically simulated by ANSYS/Fluent, and the boundary conditions of the numerical simulation were defined by self-programmed UDF subroutine. Experiments, theoretical analysis and numerical simulation were adopted to obtain the real time energy release of Al/PTFE reactive materials at different impact velocities. The results show that the maximum dynamic failure strength of the enhanced Al/PTFE reactive projectile is 126 MPa, and the strain rate hardening phenomenon and viscoelastic effect are exhibited when the strain rate is in the range of 1500 ∼ 3000 s−1. When the strain rate is in the range of 3000 ∼ 4000 s−1, the specimen is insensitive to strain rate. When the impact velocities are 2.30 km/s and 2.54 km/s, the energies that the reactive projectiles release are 8.36 kJ/g and 8.38 kJ/g, respectively, and the reactive material reacts completely. When the impact velocities are 1.64 km/s, 1.80 km/s and 1.94 km/s, the projectiles have not fully reacted. The reactive degree of the reactive projectile increases with the increase of the impact velocity. For the complete reaction of Al/PTFE reactive projectile, the critical impact velocity of the enhanced reactive material is between 1.94 km/s and 2.30 km/s.

In order to clarify the electromechanical coupling characteristics of polymer materials and extend their applications in MEMS (Micro-electromechanical Systems), electromechanical responses of PDMS (Polydimethylsiloxane) with different electrodes and thicknesses under different loading conditions have been performed experimentally and numerically. Basic electrical parameters measurement and quasi-static tensile experiment of PDMS specimens were conducted. Furthermore, the dynamic mechanical properties and polarization voltage of PDMS with different electrodes and thicknesses under different loading conditions have been studied by Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) system integrating with electrical output measuring system. Beyond that, Abaqus/Explicit numerical simulation of PDMS specimen under different loading conditions was carried out based on Yeoh viscoelastic model and Prony series, then the strain gradient and the flexoelectric coefficients were obtained. The results show that the maximum stress of PDMS increases with increasing of loading speed and decreases with increasing of thickness, the maximum polarization voltage increases with increasing of strain rate, the maximum polarization voltages of PDMS with “C” electrode and “+” electrode are about 14 times of that with circular electrode, the flexoelectric coefficients of PDMS are within the range of 10−11–10−9C/m.

The model of SMA reinforced composite is separated into three parts: reinforce, interphase and matrix. Taking effect of strain rate into consideration, the visco-hyperelastic model is employed in the constitutive law of interphase part. A damage model based on Hashin criterion is developed to simulate the SMA reinforced composite plate subject to low or high velocity impact. Effect of the impact velocity on the shape memory alloy reinforced composite plate under fixed boundary condition is investigated by finite element method, also as the damage state. Low velocity is applied to the model firstly to illustrate the accuracy of parameters and procedures by comparing with the experimental data. In next step, several impact velocities are applied during the simulation process to invest the impact resistance and failure mechanism. Simulation results indicate that damage model of composite is sensitive to loading speed and it is easier for the creak to grow under high velocity. Keywords: Low-high velocity impact, Interphase, Numerical analysis, SMA reinforced composites

In this paper, solution casting method is used to prepare the PP (polypropylene) non-woven fabric based composite film filled with silicon dioxide/polyvinylidene fluoride (SiO2/PVDF). The mechanical and thermodynamic properties of PP/SiO2/PVDF composites were studied by a uniaxial tensile test under different temperature and combustion experiment. It is found that the stress of PP/SiO2/PVDF composite film with 4 wt % SiO2 is the maximum value, reaching 18.314 MPa, 244.42% higher than that of pure PP non-woven. Meanwhile, the thermal−mechanical coupling tests indicate that with the increase of temperature, the ultimate stress and strain of the composite decrease. At the same time, the thermal shrinkage property of the composite during the heating process is studied. The modified composite has good thermal stability under 180 °C. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric (TG) were used to characterize the pore shape, distribution and crystal phase change of the composite. The modified PP/SiO2/PVDF composite film structure shows high strength and good thermal stability, and can better meet the requirements of strength and thermal performance of lithium-ion battery during the charging and discharging process.

Damage is a key problem that limits the application of polymer membranes. In this paper, conductive carbon black (CB) and silicon dioxide (SiO2)-reinforced polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) composites were prepared using a solution mixing method. Through a uniaxial tensile test, the fracture and damage characteristics of the material were analyzed. When the structure had inevitable notch damage, changing the notch angle was very helpful for the material to bear more load. In addition, when there were two kinds of fillers in the PVDF matrix at the same time, there was an interaction between particles. The microstructure of the composite was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS), and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. The experimental results indicate that, when the ratio of CB:SiO2:PVDF was 1:4:95, the general mechanical properties of the composite were the best.

In this work, a model is proposed extending the basic concept of particle of continuum mechanics combining the distribution of polymer chain. Particularly, the general mechanical behavior of complex system, including complex geometry of interface and material defect, can be described by the local distribution of polymer chain. Furthermore, the local density of the polymer chain derived from the Gaussian statistics has been introduced and related to the electromechanical behavior. When the system is in thermodynamic equilibrium, the free surface charge density is modified according to the external voltage and deformation. The total stress field, which includes the electrical effect, has emerged as a function of deformation and time history. Eventually, the model is fitted to experimental data available in the literature.

In this paper, a progressive damage model reflecting the interaction between delamination and intralaminar crack is developed to predict fracture behaviors and the ultimate load-bearing ability of the fiber-reinforced polymer laminates subject to quasi-static load. Initiation and evolution of intralaminar crack in composites are modeled using a continuum damage mechanics model, which has the capability to reliably predict the discrete crack direction by introducing the crack direction parameter while analyzing the multi-failure of FRP composites. Delamination is modeled using a cohesive zone method with the mixed bilinear law. When the continuum damage model and cohesive zone model are used together, the interactive behavior between multiple failure mechanisms such as delamination induced by matrix cracking often seen in the failure of composite laminates is not generally captured. Interaction between delamination and intralaminar crack in FRP composite structures is investigated in detail and reflected in a finite element analysis in order to eliminate the drawbacks of using both models together. Good agreements between numerical results and experimental data are obtained.

Structural vibration induced by dynamic load or natural vibration is a non-negligible factor in failure analysis. Based on a vibrating boundary condition, the impact resistance of shape memory alloy (SMA)-reinforced composites was investigated. In this investigation, a modified Hashin’s failure criterion, Brinson’s model, and a visco-hyperelastic model were implemented into a numerical model to characterize the mechanical behavior of glass fiber/epoxy resin laminates, SMAs, and interphase, respectively. First, a fixed boundary condition was maintained in the simulation to verify the accuracy of the material parameters and procedures by a comparison with experimental data. Then, a series of vibrating boundaries with different frequencies and amplitudes was applied during the simulation process to reveal the effect on impact resistances. The results indicate that the impact resistance of the composite under a higher frequency or a larger amplitude is lower than that under a lower frequency or a smaller amplitude.

In the present work, we study the low velocity impact, both central and eccentric, on square and rectangular laminated composite plates with embedded shape memory alloy (SMA) wires, which are stitched on the top and bottom surfaces of the plate, by using the finite element method. In finite element methods (FEM) simulations, a super-elastic SMA constitutive model is implemented in Abaqus/Explict by using a user defined material subroutine to describe the behaviors of SMAs. The three-dimensional (3D) Hashin failure criterion is adopted to model the damage initiation of laminated composite plates. To model the delamination failure, a cohesive damage zone model is introduced in interface elements. A comprehensive parametric study has been carried out to analyze the effects of eccentricity for the case of square and rectangular laminated composite plates.

The effects of shape memory alloy (SMA) wires on the damage behavior of glass fibers/epoxy resin composite laminates for the case of low-velocity impact are investigated experimentally and numerically. In this work, the low-velocity impact tests of SMAs/glass fibers/epoxy resin composite laminates are carried out. The elastic⁻plastic theory was adopted to simulate the mechanical behavior of SMA during the loading stage. The three-dimensional (3D) Hashin failure criterion is adopted in Abaqus/Explicit to model the damage initiation of composite laminates. The cohesive damage model is introduced to control the interface element and model the delamination failure. Moreover, the impact damage mechanisms of composite laminates are analyzed based on the experimental and numerical simulation results. These results show that the numerical results obtained in the present study have a reasonably good agreement with the experimental results. In addition, it is also found that impact damages are mainly caused by matrix cracks and delamination with no perforation for the case of 32-J impact energy, and impact damages are mainly caused by fibers breakage with perforation for the case of 64-J impact energy.

The low-velocity impact behavior of Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) reinforced resin matrix polymers is investigated and the influence of the SMA volume fraction on the impact performance of polymer composites is considered for the first time, which are the highlights in this paper. Firstly, 12 kinds of polymer composite specimens with different SMA volume fractions are fabricated in terms of the SMA layup spacing, SMA diameter, and the interaction between the two. Secondly, a low-velocity impact test is carried out in order to study the impact performances of the above polymer composites. Finally, the damage morphology of the specimen after impact is observed by the visualization method and the low-velocity impact performance of the 12 kinds of polymer composites is analyzed on the basis of the force and energy history curve.

A novel model for a network of polymer chains is proposed considering the distribution of polymer chains inside the composite in this work. Some factors that influence the distribution of polymer chains are quantitatively investigated, such as external surface geometry, internal filler, and local deformation. Furthermore, the Maxwell stress induced by an electric field is characterized by the statistics of local charge density, as the basic analyzing electromechanical properties of materials. In particular, taking the non-uniform distribution of polymer chains into account, the electromechanical properties of two materials—VHB 4910 and CaCu3Ti4O12-polydimethylsiloxane (CCTO-PDMS)—are investigated to validate the applicability of the proposed model. The comparison between simulation results and experimental results from existing literature shows that the model was successfully employed to predict the electromechanical properties of polymer composites.