Path-Dependent Progressive Failure Analysis for 3D-Printed Continuous Carbon Fibre Reinforced Composites

In order to predict the damage behaviours of 3D-printed continuous carbon fibre(CCF)reinforced composites,when additional short carbon fibre(SCF)composite components are employed for continuous printing or special functionality,a novel path-dependent progressive failure(PDPF)numerical approach is developed.First,a progressive failure model using Hashin failure criteria with continuum damage mechanics to account for the damage initiation and evaluation of 3D-printed CCF reinforced polyamide(PA)composites is developed,based on actual fibre placement trajectories with physical measurements of 3D-printed CCF/PA constituents.Meanwhile,an elastic-plastic model is employed to predict the plastic damage behaviours of SCF/PA parts.Then,the accuracy of the PDPF model was validated so as to study 3D-printed CCF/PA composites with either negative Poisson's ratio or high stiffness.The results demonstrate that the proposed PDPF model can achieve higher prediction accuracies in mechanical properties of these 3D-printed CCF/PA composites.Mechanism analyses show that the stress distribution is generally aggregated in the CCF areas along the fibre placement paths,and the shear damage and matrix tensile/compressive damage are the key damage modes.This study provides a new approach with valuable information for characterising complex 3D-printed continuous fibre-matrix composites with variable mechanical properties and multiple constituents.

Preparation of pitch precursor with excellent spinnability for general-purpose carbon fibre using coal tar pitch as raw material

Tetrahydrofuran(THF) extract of coal tar pitch(CTP) was used instead of blending CTP with pretreated pyrolysis fuel oil to prepare an isotropic pitch precursor with excellent spinnability for general-purpose carbon fibre through bromination-dehydrobromination. The feasibility and effectiveness of synthesising an isotropic pitch precursor derived from THF-soluble(CTP-THFs) is demonstrated in this study.The results show that CTP-THFs contains more light components than CTP;CTP-THFs and CTP monomer proportions were 62.52% and 45.32%, respectively. However, based on comparisons of CTP-THFsBr0 and CTPBr0 characterisations, CTP-THFs exhibits better polycondensation than CTP. Bromination-dehydrobro mination promotes polycondensation of pitch precursors, leading to greater carbon aromaticity in CTP-THFsBr5, CTP-THFsBr10, and CTP-THFsBr15 than that in CTP-THFsBr0 and CTPBr0. CTP-THFsBr5 and CTP-THFsBr10 have excellent spinnability even with softening points as high as 230 ℃. The pericondensed carbon and carbon aromaticity of CTP-THFsBr5 and CTP-THFsBr10 are high owing to the higher degree of polycondensation;however, they still possess a more linear molecular structure. The as-prepared carbon fibre exhibits homogeneity and uniformity, and the mechanical performance is comparable with that of commercial general-purpose carbon fibre products.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF SHORT CARBON FIBRE REINFORCED SILVER COMPOSITES

The electric contact is always made of silver and graphite, the electric conductivity of contact materials decreases as the graphite content increased. The hardness of silver-graphite is low, for example, the hardness of the 3wt% graphite-silver is HB 24.5-39.8MPa, and the electric conductivity is 72% IACS. The present work reports the similarity of electric conductivity for the 3wt% short carbon fibre-Ag composite and 3wt% graphite-silver. However, the hardness of the short carbon fiber-Ag composite is two times harder than that of graphite-silver. The specific gravity of graphite is 2.2 g/cm3, and that of carbon fibre is 1.75 g/cm3, so the 3wt% short carbon fibre-Ag composite contact will still save 5-7%Ag. The electric life of Ag-carbon fibre is much higher than silver-graphite at the same Ag contact.

Interfacial Interaction in Coated Carbon Fibre Reinforced Aluminous Mg-based Composites

Four kinds of Mg alloys reinforced with carbon fibres were fabricated by a gas pressure infiltration technique. The fibres were pre-coated a SiO2 layer prior to fabrication. DifFerent microstructures and interactions in the fibre-matrix interface of these composites were observed by transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The results showed that the interracial interaction strongly depended on the content of Al in the Mg-based matrices. The microstructure of the interface could then be controlled by adjusting the Al content of the Mgbased matrix. In addition, fibres extracted from different Mg-based matrix all had some degradation owing to the interracial reaction and the fibre-matrix interdiffusion.

3D Printing of Polylactic Acid Bioplastic–Carbon Fibres and Twisted Kevlar Composites Through Coextrusion Using Fused Deposition Modeling

Polylactic acid(PLA)bioplastic is a common material used in Fused Deposition Modeling(FDM)3D printing.It is biodegradable and environmentally friendly biopolymer which made out of corn.However,it exhibits weak mechanical properties which reduced its usability as a functional prototype in a real-world application.In the present study,two PLA composites are created through coextruded with 3K carbon fibres and twisted Kevlar string(as core fibre)to form a fibre reinforced parts(FRP).The mechanical strength of printed parts was examined using ASTM D638 standard with a strain rate of 1 mm/min.It has been demonstrated that the FRPs coextruded with 3K carbon fibres had achieved significant improvement in Young’s modulus(+180.6%,9.205 GPa),ultimate tensile strength(+175.3%,103 MPa)and maximum tensile strain(+21.6%,1.833%).Although the Young’s modulus of Kevlar FRP was found to be similar to as compared to unreinforced PLA(~3.29 GPa),it has gained significant increment in terms of maximum tensile strain(+179.7%,104.64 MPa),and maximum tensile strain(+257%,5.384%).Thus,this study revealed two unique composite materials,in which the 3K carbon FRP can offer stiff and high strength structure while Kevlar FRP offers similar strength but at a higher elasticity.

Critical Thrust Force Forecasting for Drilling Exit Delamination of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastics

Exit delamination is excessive drilling thrust force.Therefore,it is necessary to investigate the critical thrust force which cause exit delamination when carbon fibre reinforced plastics(CRFP)is drilled.According to the linear elastic fracture mechanics,the mechanics of composite material and the classical thin plate bending theory,a common theoretical model of the critical drilling thrust force for CFRP plates is established.Compared with the experimental data of previous studies,the results show that the theoretical values agree well with the experimental values.This model can be used to forecast the critical thrust force for the drilling-induced delamination of CFRP.

ELECTRIC RESISTANCE MEASUREMENT OF CARBON FIBRE SMART CONCRETE

After having measured the electric resistance of carbon firbre reinforced concrete (CFRC) by applying a D. C. current, it was found that the current passing through the specimen under a constant voltage decreased with the time, and if changing the value of voltage, the electric resistance was obviously affected. When current flew through the specimen, polarisation emerged under a high votage (>5 upsilon), but that could be neglected under a low voltage (<5 upsilon).(1)

High temperature tensile,compression and creep behavior of recycled short carbon fibre reinforced AZ91 magnesium alloy fabricated by a high shearing dispersion technique

The present study seeks the feasibility of using short carbon fibres recycled from polymer matrix composites as alternative to virgin carbon fibres in the reinforcement of magnesium alloys.The microstructures,high temperature mechanical and creep properties of AZ91 alloy and its composites with various recycled carbon fibre contents(2.5 and 5 wt.%)and lengths(100 and 500μm)were investigated in the temperature range of 25-200℃.The microstructural characterization showed that the high shear dispersion technique provided the cast composites with finer grains and relatively homogenous distribution of fibres.The materials tested displayed different behaviour depending on the type of loading.In general,while enhancements in the mechanical properties of composites is attributed to the load bearing and grain refinement effects of fibres,the fluctuations in the properties were discussed on the basis of porosity formation,relatively high reinforcement content leading to fibre clustering and interlayer found between the matrix and reinforcement compared to those of AZ91 alloy.The compressive creep tests revealed similar or higher minimum creep rates in the recycled carbon fibre reinforced AZ91 in comparison to the unreinforced AZ91.

Mechanical Properties of Bio-Based Epoxy Composites Reinforced with Hybrid-Interlayer Ramie and Recycled Carbon Fibres

The growing environmental concerns have led to attention on bio-based composite materials, such as the natural fibres, recycled carbon fibres and bio-based resins. Herein, the bio-based epoxy composites were reinforced with ramie fibre (RF) and recycled carbon fibre (rCF) via inter-layer hybridisation. The dynamic mechanical analysis, tensile, flexural and impact properties characterisation were conducted to analyse the mechanical behaviour of the specimens. Also, the morphology of fractured surface after mechanical tests was studied under a scanning electron microscope. When the volume ratio between RF and rCF was varied from 100/0 to 0/100, the flexural and tensile strength of composites was significantly increased, while the impact strength was reduced. Thus the maximum values of flexural strength (182 MPa) and tensile strength (165 MPa) were observed for rCF reinforced composite, whilst impact strength of 24 kJ/m2 was found for RF reinforced composite. Furthermore, the values of storage and loss modulus were increased with the rCF incorporation due to a greater degree of restriction with the addition of rCF into the matrix. The hybridisation was able to combine the specific properties of RF and rCF and optimise the mechanical performance of composites. Therefore, the alternative low-cost green composites are prepared which can replace synthetic materials for semi-structural applications.

Recipe Development and Mechanical Characterization of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Recycled Polypropylene 3D Printing Filament

Recycled polypropylene filaments for fused filament fabrication were investigated with and without 14 wt% short fibre carbon reinforcements. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the filaments and 3D printed specimens were characterized using scanning electron microscopy and standard tensile testing. It was observed that recycled polypropylene filaments with 14 wt% short carbon fibre reinforcement contained pores that were dispersed throughout the microstructure of the filament. A two-stage filament extrusion process was observed to improve the spatial distribution of carbon fibre reinforcement but did not reduce the pores. Recycled polypropylene filaments without reinforcement extruded at high screw speeds above 20 rpm contained a centreline cavity but no spatially distributed pores. However, this cavity is eliminated when extrusion is carried out at screw speeds below 20 rpm. For 3D printed specimens, interlayer cavities were observed larger for specimens printed from 14 wt% carbon fibre reinforced recycled polypropylene than those printed from unreinforced filaments. The values of tensile strength for the filaments were 21.82 MPa and 24.22 MPa, which reduced to 19.72 MPa and 22.70 MPa, respectively, for 3D printed samples using the filaments. Likewise, the young’s modulus of the filaments was 1208.6 MPa and 1412.7 MPa, which reduced to 961.5 MPa and 1352.3 MPa, respectively, for the 3D printed samples. The percentage elongation at failure for the recycled polypropylene filament was 9.83% but reduced to 3.84% for the samples printed with 14 wt% carbon fiber reinforced polypropylene filaments whose elongation to failure was 6.58%. The SEM observations on the fractured tensile test samples showed interlayer gaps between the printed and the adjacent raster layers. These gaps accounted for the reduction in the mechanical properties of the printed parts.

THE STRUCTURES OF SOME MESOPHASE PITCH-BASED CARBON FIBRES

The macro-and micro-structure of two groups(high modulus and high thermalconductivity)of MP-based carbon fibres were studied using X-ray diffraction,and both scanningand transmission electron microscopy.The dominant macrostructure in cross section is of foldedpseudo-radial layers which have a tendency to form a quasi-uniform domain as the fibre modulusincreases.It is found that high thermal conductivity fibres have both missimg sector and circularcross sections(possessed predominantly by the high modulus fibre group).The microstructuralstudy indicates that apart from the fibre C700,which has a three-dimensional graphite structure,these two groups of carbon fibres all exhibit a turbostratic stacking order.Furthermore it is foundthat the turbostratic stacking thickness as determined from dark-field measurement is much largerthan the classical crystallite thickness L_c as measured from X-ray diffraction.

INTERFACE AND PROPERTIES OF ALKALI-TREATED CARBON FIBRE REINFORCED CEMENT COMPOSITES

The surface of carbon fibre is studied which has been treated with heated sodium hydrate solution (NaOH) . It is found that the surface of carbon fibre is not corroded during the treatment. But at the same time, it is also found that after this treatment, a certain number of carbonyl groups (C O) and (-COOH or ?COONa) are produced on the treated surface of carbon fibre. When carbon fiber is mixed with cement paste, the above reactive groups will link with Ca+2 in the paste, which will result in an early stage hydration of cement in inter facial areas. In addition, the experiments show that the rheological properties of cement paste reinforced with alkali-treated carbon fibre differ greatly from that of untreated carbon fibre reinforced cement paste.

Effect of Fibre Packing on Random Variability of Compressive Strength of Unidirectional Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic

Compression tests on twenty unidirectional(UD) carbon fibre reinforced plastic(CFRP) specimens are conducted, the statistics on the measured compressive strength is calculated, and the fracture surface is characterized. Two types of different fracture surface are experimentally observed, and they are corresponding to very different values on the compressive strength. A finite element(FE) analysis is conducted to investigate the influence of random fibre packing on the compressive strength. And a riks method(provided in ABAQUS software) is applied in FE model to analyze fibre buckling behaviour in the vicinity of compressive failure. The FE analysis agrees well with the experimental observation on the two types of buckling modes and also the partition of compressive strength. It is clearly shown that the random fibre packing lays a significant influence on the random variability of compressive strength of CFRP.

Determination of Epinephrine Using Poly(Neutral Red)Modified Carbon Fibre Microelectrodes by Anodic Stripping Voltammetry

Poly(neutral red) film modified carbon fibre microelectrodes offer substantial improvement in voltammetric sensitivity and selectivity towards epinephrine (EP). The poly(neutral red) film was electropolymerized by cycling the potential between -0.8 V and +0.8 V. The anodic stripping voltammetric response for EP was found to be dependent on accumulation time and potential. By using a poly(neutral red) film modified carbon fibre microelectrode with a 1 min preconcentration at -1.2 V in biological phosphate buffer solution (pH=7.4), a good linear relationship between the anodic stripping peak currents and EP concentrations was obtained in the range of 2.0×10 -7 ￣ 2.0×10 -5 mol/L. The detection limit was up to 9.0 ×10 -8 mol/L. Moreover, 400 times higher concentrations of vitamin C did not interfere with the measurement of EP. This method was used for determining EP concentrations in epinephrine hydrochloride injection solution with satisfactory results.

NOVEL OXIDATION RESISTANT CARBON SILICON ALLOY FIBRES

Anovel silicon containing carbon precursor was synthesised by reacting a petroleum pitchfraction and polydimethylsilane. The precursor containing about 26wt% Si was meltspunintofibresand then oxidativelystabilised in airto renderthefibresinfusiblebefore pyrolysisat1200℃underinertatmospheretoproduceC Sialloy( CSA) fibres. Theextentofstabili sation wasfoundto becriticalto the development of mechanicalstrength of thefibres which varied with heattreatmenttemperature, showing a maximum at 1200 ℃when thestrength was 1 4 1 6 GPa. Thesestrengthsareremarkably goodconsideringthelow modulus whichis duetothe quite high failurestrains. Thefibrescanshow excellentresistanceto oxidation if given an initialshortexposureto oxygen athigh temperature duetotheformation of an im perceptiblelayer of silica. CSAfibreshavethe advantagesof both carbon fibresand SiCfi bres,thusextended application areascan beenvisaged .

Physico-Chemical Characterization of Novel Epoxy Matrix System Reinforced with Recycled Short Milled Carbon Fibre

As received recycled short milled carbon fiber (SMCF) reinforced diglycidal ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) epoxy matrix materials have been developed by ultra-sonication mixing of SMCF in epoxy then curing at room temperature for nine days. The SMCF with mean diameter 7.5 μm, and length 100 - 300 μm, was used at different loadings i.e. 1, 2, 3, 5 and 10 wt%. Elemental analysis, surface chemistry and crystallography of SMCF were examined using X-ray fluorescence, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Fourier Transform IR spectroscopy confirmed that both in unmodified and SMCF-modified epoxies, 99% curing was achieved. Surface microhardness study showed a slight increase with 5% and 10% SMCF addition. Raman study confirms no structural change in SMCF after incorporation in epoxy. Also, a numerical modelling is implemented to correlate the density of the modified epoxy and SMCF volume fraction/distribution uniformity.

Effect of Post Spinning Modification on the PAN Precursors and Resulting Carbon Fibres

The impregnation of a special grade polyacrylonitrile （PAN） precursor fibres was carried out in a 8 wt. % KMnO4 aqueous solution to obtain modified PAN precursor fibres. The foctts is primarily on the effects of modification on the chemical structure and the physical mechanical properties of precursor ribres, them-aft stabilised and their resulting carbon fibres, which were characterized by the con-bination use of densities, wide-angle X-my diffraction （WAXD）, X-my photoelectron spectrosopy （XPS）, Elemental analysis （EA）, Fourier transform infrared （FT-IR） and scanning clectronmicroscope （SEM）, etc. KMnO4 as a strong oxidizer can swell, oxidize and corrode the skin of a precursor fibre, tin, form partly C≡N groups to C=N ones, decrcase the crystal size, increase the orientation index, increase the crystallinity index, furthermore increase the densities of modified PAN precursors and resulting thermal stabiliscd fibres. As a result, the carbonfibres developed from modified PAN fibres show an improvement in tensile strength of 31.25% and an improvement in elongation of 77.78%, but a decrease of 16.52% in Young＇s modulus.

Carbon Fibre Reinforced Concrete: Dependency of Bond Strength on T_gof Yarn Impregnating Polymer

In this paper, a method for the evaluation of the influence of different polymer suspensions and environmental conditions on adhesion between an impregnated carbon fibre heavy tow and concrete for reinforcement will be proposed. For this purpose, the impregnation material itself was investigated as a polymer film before and after incubation in water and aqueous suspensions, such as NaOH and a cementitious solution, in terms of its thermal properties, swelling behaviour and morphology. Thin polymer films were manufactured and subsequently investigated with quantification of the swelling for 28 d by thermal and scanning electron microscope analysis. The effect of pull-out shear stress was evaluated to investigate parameters such as high temperature and moisture on adhesion to concrete. Contact angle measurements were used to determine the surface energy of the polymer films. All incubated polymer films yielded a change in both surface morphology and specific residues on the polymer film surface, e.g. in the form of calcium carbonate, but no change in glass-transition temperature. A high correlation between glass-transition temperature and measured shear stress was shown during single yarn pull-out tests. Furthermore, the water treatment of pull-out samples strengthened the influence for the glass-transition temperature during the adhesion test. No influence of the surface energy of the used polymer impregnation for carbon fibres on the pull-out test was detected.

Development of Diamond-like Carbon Fibre Wheel

A unique diamond-like carbon (DLC) grinding wheel was developed, in which the DLC fibres were made by rolling Al sheets coated with DLC films and aligned no rmally to the grinding wheel surface by laminating Al sheets together with DLC fibres. In this paper, the formation process of DLC fibres and the fabrication process of a DLC fibre wheel were investigated. Many grinding experiments were also carried out on a precision NC plane milling machine using a newly developed DLC wheel. Grinding of specimens of silicon wafers, optical glasses, quartz, granites and hardened die steel SKD11 demonstrated the capabilities of nanometer surface finish. A smooth surface with a roughness value of Ra2.5 nm (Ry26 nm) was achieved.

Effects of Electrolytes on the Oxidation of Carbon Fibres

Effects of electrolytes on the oxidation of carbon fibreswere investigated by ion chromatography and cyclic vol-tammogram measurement.The results indicate that theconcentration of nitrate ion decreases with increase oftreatment time,and the concentration of phosphate ionkeeps a constant in the process of electrochemical oxida-tion.Nitrate ions have more effective electrochemical ox-idation ability than other anions.The mechanism of elec-trochemical oxidation of carbon fibres was suggested.