Tensile strength and failure behavior of rock-mortar interfaces: Direct and indirect measurements

The tensile strength at the rock-concrete interface is one of the crucial factors controlling the failure mechanisms of structures,such as concrete gravity dams.Despite the critical importance of the failure mechanism and tensile strength of rock-concrete interfaces,understanding of these factors remains very limited.This study investigated the tensile strength and fracturing processes at rock-mortar interfaces subjected to direct and indirect tensile loadings.Digital image correlation(DIC)and acoustic emission(AE)techniques were used to monitor the failure mechanisms of specimens subjected to direct tension and indirect loading(Brazilian tests).The results indicated that the direct tensile strength of the rock-mortar specimens was lower than their indirect tensile strength,with a direct/indirect tensile strength ratio of 65%.DIC strain field data and moment tensor inversions(MTI)of AE events indicated that a significant number of shear microcracks occurred in the specimens subjected to the Brazilian test.The presence of these shear microcracks,which require more energy to break,resulted in a higher tensile strength during the Brazilian tests.In contrast,microcracks were predominantly tensile in specimens subjected to direct tension,leading to a lower tensile strength.Spatiotemporal monitoring of the cracking processes in the rock-mortar interfaces revealed that they show AE precursors before failure under the Brazilian test,whereas they show a minimal number of AE events before failure under direct tension.Due to different microcracking mechanisms,specimens tested under Brazilian tests showed lower roughness with flatter fracture surfaces than those tested under direct tension with jagged and rough fracture surfaces.The results of this study shed light on better understanding the micromechanics of damage in the rock-concrete interfaces for a safer design of engineering structures.

Effect of brazing temperature on microstructure and tensile strength ofγ-TiAl joint vacuum brazed with micro-nano Ti−Cu−Ni−Nb−Al−Hf filler

A novel micro-nano Ti−10Cu−10Ni−8Al−8Nb−4Zr−1.5Hf filler was used to vacuum braze Ti−47Al−2Nb−2Cr−0.15B alloy at 1160−1220℃ for 30 min.The interfacial microstructure and formation mechanism of TiAl joints and the relationships among brazing temperature,interfacial microstructure and joint strength were emphatically investigated.Results show that the TiAl joints brazed at 1160 and 1180℃ possess three interfacial layers and mainly consist of α_(2)-Ti_(3)Al,τ_(3)-Al_(3)NiTi_(2) and Ti_(2)Ni,but the brazing seams are no longer layered and Ti_(2)Ni is completely replaced by the uniformly distributed τ_(3)-Al_(3)NiTi_(2) at 1200 and 1220℃ due to the destruction of α_(2)-Ti_(3)Al barrier layer.This transformation at 1200℃ obviously improves the tensile strength of the joint and obtains a maximum of 343 MPa.Notably,the outward diffusion of Al atoms from the dissolution of TiAl substrate dominates the microstructure evolution and tensile strength of the TiAl joint at different brazing temperatures.

Springback and tensile strength of 2A97 aluminum alloy during age forming

The analysis of variance(ANOVA), multiple quadratic regression and radial basis function artificial neural network(RBFANN) methods were used to study the springback and tensile strength in age forming of 2A97 aluminum alloy based on orthogonal array. The ANOVA analysis indicates that the springback reaches the minimum value when age forming is performed at 210 °C for 20 h using a single-curvature die with a radius of 400 mm, and the tensile strength reaches the maximum value when age forming is performed at 180 °C for 15 h using a single-curvature die with a radius of 1000 mm. The orders of the importance for the three factors of pre-deformation radius, aging temperature and aging time on the springback and tensile strength were determined. By analyzing the predicted results of the multiple quadratic regression and RBFANN methods, the prediction accuracy of the RBFANN model is higher than that of the regression model.

Influence of yield-to-tensile strength ratio(Y/T) on failure assessment of defect-free and corroded X70 steel pipeline

The effect of yield-to-tensile strength ratio(Y/T) on failure pressure of X70 pipeline without and with corrosion defects was investigated.The stress-strain response of materials was characterized by a power-law hardening curve.Two formulas to estimate the strain hardening exponent n for a special Y/T were obtained by least squared regression method and the influence of Y/T on n was analyzed.As an application of n-Y/T expression,the analytical solutions of burst pressure for X70 pipeline without and with corrosion defects were also obtained.The results indicate that the burst pressure of defect-free X70 pipe without corrosion defects is a function of the Y/T,pipe geometry t0/D0 and engineering tensile strength,and increases as Y/T or t0/D0 increases; whilst the burst pressure of corroded X70 pipe decreases with the increase of defect depths,d/t.Comparisons indicate that the present analytical solutions closely match available experimental and numerical data.

TENSILE STRENGTH OF RANDOM ORIENTED SHORT FIBER COMPOSITE

This paper shows a calculation model and a method for predicting the tensile strength of the random distributed short fiber composite.On the basis of Renjie Mao's model,the longitudinal tensile strength of the aligned short fiber composite is formulated.Considering the transverse tensile strength and in plane shear strength of the unidirectional fiber composite,and the stress transformation relations of two couples of axes,the stress of the unidirectional fiber composite when it is loaded at an arbitrary angle is obtained.With the aid of an equivalence relation,the calculation formulation of the tensile strength of the random short fiber reinforced composite is deduced.

Establishing empirical relationships to predict grain size and tensile strength of friction stir welded AA 6061-T6 aluminium alloy joints

AA 6061-T6 aluminium alloy(Al-Mg-Si alloy) has gathered wide acceptance in the fabrication of light weight structures requiring a high specific strength and good corrosion resistance.Compared with the fusion welding processes that are routinely used for joining structural aluminium alloys,friction stir welding(FSW) process is an emerging solid state joining process in which the material welded does not melt and recast.Joint strength is influenced by the grain size and tensile strength of the weld nugget region.Hence,an attempt was made to develop empirical relationships to predict grain size and tensile strength of friction stir welded AA 6061-T6 aluminium alloy joints.The empirical relationships are developed by response surface methodology(RSM) incorporating FSW tool and process parameters.A linear regression relationship was also established between grain size and tensile strength of the weld nugget of FSW joints.

Effects of laser energy density on forming accuracy and tensile strength of selective laser sintering resin coated sands

Baozhu sand particles with size between 75 μm and 150 μm were coated by resin with the ratio of 1.5 wt.% of sands. Laser sintering experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of laser energy density(E = P/v), with different laser power(P) and scanning velocity(v), on the dimensional accuracy and tensile strength of sintered parts. The experimental results indicate that with the constant scanning velocity, the tensile strength of sintered samples increases with an increase in laser energy density; while the dimensional accuracy apparently decreases when the laser energy density is larger than 0.032 J·mm-2. When the laser energy density is 0.024 J·mm-2, the tensile strength shows no obvious change; but when the laser energy density is larger than 0.024 J·mm-2, the sample strength is featured by the initial increase and subsequent decrease with simultaneous increase of both laser power and scanning velocity. In this study, the optimal energy density range for laser sintering is 0.024-0.032 J·mm-2. Moreover, samples with the best tensile strength and dimensional accuracy can be obtained when P = 30-40 W and v = 1.5-2.0 m·s-1. Using the optimized laser energy density, laser power and scanning speed, a complex coated sand mould with clear contour and excellent forming accuracy has been successfully fabricated.

TENSILE STRENGTH AND CREEP RESISTANCE OF Mg-9Al-1Zn BASED ALLOYS WITH CALCIUM ADDITION

Small amount of calcium addition to the Mg-9Al-0.8Zn-0.2Mn (AZ91) alloy resulted in obvious influence on mechanical properties. The yield strength of the alloys increased with the increase of Ca addition and the maximum strength was obtained from the alloy containing 0.15% of Ca. The creep resistance at the temperatures between 150-220°C was also significantly increased with Ca addition. The creep rate (at 200°C, 50 MPa) of the alloy with 0.15% Ca addition was one order of magnitude lower than that of the base alloy (AZ91). Microstructural observations revealed that the addition of calcium refined the microstructure and enhanced the thermal stability of the β precipitates, which accounted for the improvement of creep resistance at high temperatures.

Dynamic tensile strength and failure mechanisms of thermally treated sandstone under dry and water-saturated conditions

To study the tensile strength and failure mechanisms of rock with hydro-thermal coupling damage under different loading rates,a series of static and dynamic splitting tests were conducted on thermally treated sandstone under dry and water-saturated conditions.Experimental results showed that high temperatures effectively weakened the tensile strength of sandstone specimens,and the P-wave velocity declined with increasing temperature.Overall,thermal damage of rock increased gradually with increasing temperature,but obvious negative damage appeared at the temperature of 100℃.The water-saturated sandstone specimens had lower indirect tensile strength than the dry ones,which indicated that water-rock interaction led to secondary damage in heat-treated rock.Under both dry and water-saturated conditions,the dynamic tensile strength of sandstone increased with the increase of strain rate.The water-saturated rock specimens showed stronger rate dependence than the dry ones,but the loading rate sensitivity of thermally treated rock decreased with increasing treatment temperature.With the help of scanning electron microscopy technology,the thermal fractures of rock,caused by extreme temperature,were analyzed.Hydro-physical mechanisms of sandstone under different loading rate conditions after heat treatment were further discussed.

Compressive and tensile strength of polymer-based fiber composite sand

Traditional soil additives like Portland cement and lime are prone to cause the brittle fracture behavior of soil,and possibly,environmental impacts.This study explores the potential use of polyurethane organic polymer and sisal fiber in improving the mechanical performance of sand.The effects of polymer content,fiber content,and dry density on the unconfined compressive strength(UCS)and direct tensile strength(DTS)of the polymer-fiber-sand composite were evaluated.The results showed significant increase in UCS and DTS of the reinforced sand with the increase of polymer content,fiber content,and dry density.At high dry density condition,a single peaked stress−strain curve is often observed.Higher polymer content is beneficial to increasing the peak stress,while higher fiber content contributes more to the post-peak stress.The combined use of polymers and fibers in soil reinforcement effectively prevents the propagation and development of cracks under the stress.Scanning electron microscopy(SEM)test was also performed to investigate the micro-structural changes and inter-particle relations.It was found through SEM images that the surface coating,bonding,and filling effects conferred by polymer matrix greatly enhance the interfacial interactions,and hence provide a cohesive environment where the strength of fibers could be readily mobilized.

Application of response surface methodology to maximize tensile strength and minimize interface hardness of friction welded dissimilar joints of austenitic stainless steel and copper alloy

An attempt was made to optimize friction welding parameters to attain a minimum hardness at the interface and a maximum tensile strength of the dissimilar joints of AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel （ASS） and copper （Cu） alloy using response surface methodology （RSM）. Three-factor, five-level central composite design matrix was used to specify experimental conditions. Twenty joints were fabricated using ASS and Cu alloy. Tensile strength and interface hardness were measured experimentally. Analysis of variance （ANOVA） method was used to find out significant main and interaction parameters and empirical relationships were developed using regression analysis. The friction welding parameters were optimized by constructing response graphs and contour plots using design expert software. The developed empirical relationships can be effectively used to predict tensile strength and interface hardness of friction welded ASS-Cu joints at 95% confidence level. The developed contour plots can be used to attain required level of optimum conditions to join ASS-Cu alloy by friction welding process.

Optimization of pulsed current gas tungsten arc welding process parameters to attain maximum tensile strength in AZ31B magnesium alloy

An empirical relationship to predict tensile strength of pulsed current gas tungsten arc welded AZ31B magnesium alloy was developed. Incorporating process parameters such as peak current, base current, pulse frequency and pulse on time were studied. The experiments were conducted based on a four-factor, five-level, central composite design matrix. The developed empirical relationship can be effectively used to predict the tensile strength of pulsed current gas tungsten arc welded AZ31B magnesium alloy joints at 95% confidence level. The results indicate that pulse frequency has the greatest influence on tensile strength, followed by peak current, pulse on time and base current.

Dynamic rock tensile strengths of Laurentian granite: Experimental observation and micromechanical model

Tensile strength is an important material property for rocks. In applications where rocks are subjected to dynamic loads, the dynamic tensile strength is the controlling parameter. Similar to the study of static tensile strength, there are various methods proposed to measure the dynamic tensile strength of rocks.Here we examine dynamic tensile strength values of Laurentian granite(LG) measured from three methods: dynamic direct tension, dynamic Brazilian disc(BD) test, and dynamic semi-circular bending(SCB). We found that the dynamic tensile strength from direct tension has the lowest value, and the dynamic SCB gives the highest strength at a given loading rate. Because the dynamic direct tension measures the intrinsic rock tensile strength, it is thus necessary to reconcile the differences in strength values between the direct tension and the other two methods. We attribute the difference between the dynamic BD results and the direct tension results to the overload and internal friction in BD tests. The difference between the dynamic SCB results and the direct tension results can be understood by invoking the non-local failure theory. It is shown that, after appropriate corrections, the dynamic tensile strengths from the two other tests can be reduced to those from direct tension.

Effect of process parameters on tensile strength of friction stir welded cast A356 aluminium alloy joints

A356 is a high strength aluminium-silicon cast alloy used in food,chemical,marine,electrical and automotive industries.Fusion welding of this cast alloy will lead to many problems such as porosity,micro-fissuring,and hot cracking.However,friction stir welding（FSW） can be used to weld this cast alloy without above mentioned defects.An attempt was made to study the effect of FSW process parameters on the tensile strength of cast A356 aluminium alloy.Joints were made using different combinations of tool rotation speed,welding speed and axial force.The quality of weld zone was analyzed by macrostructure and microstructure analyses.Tensile strengths of the joints were evaluated and correlated with the weld zone hardness and microstructure.The joint fabricated using a rotational speed of 1000 r/min,a welding speed of 75 mm/min and an axial force of 5 kN showed a higher tensile strength compared to the other joints.

A Study of Tensile Strength Tests of Arborous Species Root System in Forest Engineering Technique of Shallow Landslide

One experiment was conducted, through tensile tests of Albazzia and Eucalypt roots culled from the fields. The other experiment was conducted, by testing anti-drawing strength of these root systems in the Albazzia and Eucalypt lands. These two experiments had an aim to give insights into the maximum tensile strength and anti-drawing strength of the root systems. Results indicated that the maximum tensile strength of root system is in an exponential relation with the diameter of root system while the maximum tensile strength is positively correlative with the diameter of root system. Anti-drawing force of root system together with root diameter, length, and soil bulk density are folded into a regression equation in an attempt to figure out the static friction coefficient between root system and its ambient soil.

Optimization of tensile strength for new type acetone-urea-formaldehyde furan resin using uniform design

In this study,the 24 h tensile strength of new type acetone-urea-formaldehyde furan resin (nitrogen content 3%) was investigated by uniform design optimization.Four independent variables such as acetone:formaldehyde molar ratio (mol/mol),solution pH value,reaction temperature (℃) and reaction time (min) were considered in the experiments.U13(134) uniform design was employed and the equation of 24 h tensile strength model was obtained after 13 experimentations.The 24 h tensile strength was optimized by applying single factor experiments and stepwise non-linear regression analysis.Minitab (Minitab 15 trial version) and MATLAB (R2010a trial version) were used for data analysis.The t-value and p-value indicate that the major impact factors include the interaction effect of solution pH value and reaction temperature (X2X3),the linear terms of acetone:formaldehyde molar ratio (X1),reaction time (X4) followed by the square effects of acetone/formaldehyde molar ratio (X1X1).The optimized results were achieved with the acetone:formaldehyde molar ratio (mol/mol) at 3:1,solution pH value at 6.0,reaction temperature at 70℃,and reaction time at 140 min,respectively.This method can not only significantly reduce the number and cost of the tests,but also provide a good experimental design strategy for the development of furan resin.The investigation shows that the predicted results of 24 h tensile strength are consistent well with the experimental ones.

Distribution and tensile strength of Hornbeam （Carpinus betulus） roots growing on slopes of Caspian Forests, Iran

Biomechanical characteristics of the root system of hornbeam （Carpinus betulus） were assessed by measuring Root Area Ratio （RAR） values and tensile strength of root specimens of eight hornbeam trees growing on hilly terrain of Northern Iran. RAR values of the roots were obtained using profile trenching method at soil depth of the top 0.1 m. In total 123 root specimens were analyzed for tensile strength. Results indicate that in general, RAR decreases with depth, following a power function. The RAR values in up and down slopes have no significant statistical differences. In most cases, the maximum RAR values were located in soil depth of the top 0.1 m, with maximum rooting depth at about 0.75 m. The minimum and maximum RAR values along the profiles were 0.004% and 6.431% for down slope and 0.004% and 3.995% for up slope, respectively. The number of roots in the up and down slope trenches was not significantly different. In the same manner as for RAR, number of roots distributing with depth was satisfactorily approximated a power function. The penetration depths of above 90 percent of the roots were at soil depths of 50 cm and 60 cm for up and down slopes, respectively. Results of Spearman＇s bivariate correlation showed no significant correlation between the RAR value with tree diameter and gradient of slope and number of roots. The mean value of root tensile strength was 31.51 ± 1.05 MPa and root tensile strength decreased with the increase in root diameter, following a power law equation. Using ANCOVA, we found intraspecies variation of tensile strength.

Stress-deformed state of cylindrical specimens during indirect tensile strength testing

In this study, the interaction between cylindrical specimen made ofhomogeneous, isotropic, and linearlyelastic material and loading jaws of any curvature is considered in the Brazilian test. It is assumed thatthe specimen is diametrically compressed by elliptic normal contact stresses. The frictional contactstresses between the specimen and platens are neglected. The analytical solution starts from the contactproblem of the loading jaws of any curvature and cylindrical specimen. The contact width, correspondingloading angle （2 ^0）, and elliptical stresses obtained through solution of the contact problems are used asboundary conditions for a cylindrical specimen. The problem of the theory of elasticity for a cylinder issolved using Muskhelishvili＇s method. In this method, the displacements and stresses are represented interms of two analytical functions of a complex variable. In the main approaches, the nonlinear interactionbetween the loading bearing blocks and the specimen as well as the curvature of their surfacesand the elastic parameters of their materials are taken into account. Numerical examples are solved usingMATLAB to demonstrate the influence of deformability, curvature of the specimen and platens on thedistribution of the normal contact stresses as well as on the tensile and compressive stresses actingacross the loaded diameter. Derived equations also allow calculating the modulus of elasticity, totaldeformation modulus and creep parameters of the specimen material based on the experimental data ofradial contraction of the specimen.

Tensile strength prediction of dual-phase Al0.6CoCrFeNi high-entropy alloys

The evolution of the microstructure and tensile properties of dual-phase Al0.6CoCrFeNi high-entropy alloys(HEAs)subjected to cold rolling was investigated.The homogenized Al0.6CoCrFeNi alloys consisted of face-centered-cubic and body-centered-cubic phases,presenting similar mechanical behavior as the as-cast state.The yield and tensile strengths of the alloys could be dramatically enhanced to^1205 MPa and^1318 MPa after 50%rolling reduction,respectively.A power-law relationship was discovered between the strain-hardening exponent and rolling reduction.The tensile strengths of this dual-phase HEA with different cold rolling treatments were predicted,mainly based on the Hollomon relationship,by the strain-hardening exponent,and showed good agreement with the experimental results.

Effect of Process Parameters on Tensile Strength of Friction Stir Welded Cast LM6 Aluminium Alloy Joints

This paper reports the effect of friction stir welding （FSW） process parameters on tensile strength of cast LM6 aluminium alloy. Joints were made by using different combinations of tool rotation speed, welding speed and axial force each at four levels. The quality of weld zone was investigated using macrostructure and microstructure analysis. Tensile strength of the joints were evaluated and correlated with the weld zone hardness and microstructure. The joint fabricated using a rotational speed of 900 r/min, a welding speed of 75 mm/min and an axial force of 3 kN showed superior tensile strength compared with other joints. The tensile strength and microhardness of the welded joints for the optimum conditions were 166 MPa and 64.8 Hv respectively.