Gypsum-based Silica Gel Humidity-controlling Composite Materials:Preparation,Characterization,and Performance

Gypsum was used as substrate,and silica gel was mixed into substrate at a certain mass ratio to prepare humidity-controlling composites;moreover,the moisture absorption and desorption properties of gypsum-based composites were compared with adding different silica gel particle size and proportion.The morphological characteristics,the isothermal equilibrium moisture content curve,moisture absorption and desorption rate,moisture absorption and desorption stability,and humidity-conditioning performance were tested and analyzed.The experimental results show that,compared with pure-gypsum,the surface structure of the gypsum-based composites is relatively loose,the quantity,density and aperture of the pores in the structure increase.The absorption and desorption capacity increase along with the increase of silica gel particle size and silica gel proportion.When 3 mm silica gel particle size is added with a mass ratio of 40%,the maximum equilibrium moisture content of humidity-controlling composites is 0.161 g/g at 98% relative humidity(RH),3.22 times that of pure-gypsum.The moisture absorption and desorption rates are increased,the equilibrium moisture absorption and desorption rates are 2.68 times and 1.61 times that of pure-gypsum at 58.5% RH,respectively.The gypsum-based composites have a good stability,which has better timely response to dynamic humidity changes and can effectively regulate indoor humidity under natural conditions.

Effect of the Retarder on Initial Hydration and Mechanical Properties of the"one-step"Alkaliactivated Composite Cementitious Materials

This paper studied the effects of different retarders on the performance of the"one-step"alkali-activated composite cementitious material(ACCM)which is composed of ground granulated blast slag(GGBS)and fly ash(FA),and analyzed its mechanical properties,hydration mechanism,and retardation mechanism.The effects of retarders on the hydration products,mechanical properties,and hydration kinetics of ACCM were investigated using XRD,SEM,FTIR,EDS,and thermoactive microcalorimetry.The results showed that Na_(2)B_(4)O_(7)·10H_(2)O(B)delayed the exotherm during the alkali activation process and could effectively delay the setting time of ACCM,but the mechanical properties were slightly decreased.The setting time of ACCM increased with the increase in SG content,but the mechanical properties of ACCM decreased with the increase in SG content.C1_(2)H_(22)O_(11)(CHO)could effectively delay the hydration reaction of ACCM and weakly enhanced the compressive strength.H_(3)PO_(4)(HP)at a concentration of 0.05 mol/L had a certain effect on ACCM retardation,but HP at a concentration of 0.07 and 0.09 mol/L had an effect of promoting the setting and hardening time of ACCM.

A review of classical hydrogen isotopes storage materials

Hydrogen storage alloys(HSAs)are attracting widespread interest in the nuclear industry because of the generation of stable metal hydrides after tritium absorption,thus effectively preventing the leakage of radioactive tritium.Commonly used HSAs in the hydrogen isotopes field are Zr2M(M=Co,Ni,Fe)alloys,metallic Pd,depleted U,and ZrCo alloy.Specifically,Zr2M(M=Co,Ni,Fe)alloys are considered promising tritium-getter materials,and metallic Pd is utilized to separate and purify hydrogen isotopes.Furthermore,depleted U and ZrCo alloy are well suited for storing and delivering hydrogen isotopes.Notably,all the aforementioned HSAs need to modulate their hydrogen storage properties for complex operating conditions.In this review,we present a comprehensive overview of the reported modification methods applied to the above alloys.Alloying is an effective amelioration method that mainly modulates the properties of HSAs by altering their local geometrical/electronic structures.Besides,microstructural modifications such as nano-sizing and nanopores have been used to increase the specific surface area and active sites of metallic Pd and ZrCo alloys for enhancing de-/hydrogenation kinetics.The combination of metallic Pd with support materials can significantly reduce the cost and enhance the pulverization resistance.Moreover,the poisoning resistance of ZrCo alloy is improved by constructing active surfaces with selective permeability.Overall,the review is constructive for better understanding the properties and mechanisms of hydrogen isotope storage alloys and provides effective guidance for future modification research.

Physical and Thermo-Mechanical Properties of Composite Materials Based on Raw Earth and Crushed Palm Leaf Fibers (Borassus aethiopum)

The objective of this study is to seek solutions to reduce the impact of buildings on climate change and to promote the use of local bio-sourced or geo-sourced materials for sustainable construction. Different samples of raw earth from 3 sites were taken in the commune of Mlomp. Geotechnical tests showed that the raw earth samples from sites 2 and 3 have more clay fraction while site 1 contains more sand. The fact of integrating fibers from crushed palm leaves (Borassus aethiopum) (2%, 4% and 6%) into the 3 raw earth samples reduced the mechanical resistance to compression and traction of the 3 raw earths. The experimental results of thermal tests on samples of earth mixtures with crushed Palma leaf fibers show a decrease in thermal conductivity as well as thermal effusivity as the percentages increase (2%, 4% and 6%) of fibers in raw earth for the 3 sites. This shows that this renewable composite material can help improve the thermal insulation of building envelopes.

Research on Silicon Carbide Dispersion-Reinforced Hypereutectic Aluminum-Silicon Electronic Packaging Materials

The objective of this study is to improve the mechanical properties and machining performance of high thermal conductivity and low expansion silicon carbide dispersion-strengthened hypereutectic aluminum-silicon electronic packaging materials to meet the needs of aviation,aerospace,and electronic packaging fields.We used the powder metallurgy method and high-temperature hot pressing technology to prepare SiC/Al-Si composite materials with different SiC contents(5vol%,10vol%,15vol%,and 20vol%).The results showed that as the SiC content increased,the tensile strength of the composite material first increased and then decreased.The tensile strength was the highest when the SiC content was 15%;the sintering temperature significantly affected the composite material’s structural density and mechanical properties.Findings indicated 700℃was the optimal sintering and the optimal SiC content of SiC/Al-Si composite materials was between 10%and 15%.Besides,the sintering temperature should be strictly controlled to improve the material’s structural density and mechanical properties.

Research Progress of Carbon-Silicone Composite Materials

Silicone is a kind of polymer material with high cross-linked structure,which is com-posed by Si-O-Si main chain.Due to the special molecular chain structure,silicone mate-rials are characterized by oxidation resistance,aging resistance,high and low temperature resistance and chemical corrosion resistance.Moreover,silicone materials have process-able properties,simple forming process,good mechanical property,non-toxic and pollution-free.Therefore,silicone has been widely concerned by researchers at home and abroad.In this paper,the main research progress and application directions of carbon-silicone composite at home and abroad in recent years are reviewed.

Exploration on the Optimization Strategy for the Layup of Composite Material Pressure Vessels Based on Advanced Algorithms

This study aims to explore the influence of the laying angle on the pressure shell structure made of composite materials under the condition of a fixed shape. By using a composite material composed of a mixture of T800 carbon fiber and AG80 epoxy resin to design pressure vessels, this material combination can significantly improve the interlaminar shear strength and heat resistance. The article elaborates on the basic concepts and failure criteria of composite materials, such as the maximum stress criterion, the maximum strain criterion, the Tsai-Hill criterion, etc. With the help of the APDL parametric modeling language, the arc-shaped, parabolic, elliptical, and fitting curve-shaped pressure vessel models are accurately constructed, and the material property settings and mesh division are completed. Subsequently, APDL is used for static analysis, and the genetic algorithm toolbox built into Matlab is combined to carry out optimization calculations to determine the optimal laying angle. The research results show that the equivalent stress corresponding to the optimal laying angle of the arc-shaped pressure vessel is 5.3685e+08 Pa, the elliptical one is 5.1969e+08 Pa, the parabolic one is 5.8692e+08 Pa, and the fitting curve-shaped one is 5.36862e+08 Pa. Among them, the stress distribution of the fitting curve-shaped pressure vessel is relatively more uniform, with a deformation of 0.568E−03 m, a minimum equivalent stress value of 0.261E+09 Pa, a maximum equivalent stress value of 0.537E+09 Pa, and a ratio of 0.48, which conforms to the equivalent stress criterion. In addition, the fitting curve of this model can adapt to various models and has higher practical value. However, the stress distribution of the elliptical and parabolic pressure vessels is uneven, and their applicability is poor. In the future, further exploration can be conducted on the application of the fitting curve model in composite materials to optimize the design of pressure vessels. This study provides important theoretical support and practical guidance for the design of composite material pressure vessels.

Enhanced microwave absorption property of silver decorated biomass ordered porous carbon composite materials with frequency selective surface incorporation

Porous carbon(PC)is a promising electromagnetic(EM)wave absorbing material thanks to its light weight,large specific surface area as well as good dissipating capacity.To further improve its microwave absorbing performance,silver coated porous carbon(Ag@PC)is synthesized by one-step hydro-thermal synthesis process making use of fir as a biomass formwork.Phase compositions,morphological structure,and microwave absorption capability of the Ag@PC has been explored.Research results show that the metallic Ag was successfully reduced and the particles are evenly distributed inward the pores of the carbon formwork,which accelerates graphitization process of the amorphous carbon.The Ag@PC composite without adding polyvinyl pyrrolidone(PVP)exhibits higher dielectric constant and better EM wave dissipating capability.This is because the larger particles of Ag give rise to higher electric conductivity.After combing with frequency selective surface(FSS),the EM wave absorbing performance is further improved and the frequency region below-10 d B is located in8.20-11.75 GHz,and the minimal reflection loss value is-22.5 dB.This work indicates that incorporating metallic Ag particles and FSS provides a valid way to strengthen EM wave absorbing capacity of PC material.

A strategy for lightweight designing of a railway vehicle car body including composite material and dynamic structural optimization

Rolling stock manufacturers are finding structural solutions to reduce power required by the vehicles,and the lightweight design of the car body represents a possible solution.Optimization processes and innovative materials can be combined in order to achieve this goal.In this framework,we propose the redesign and optimization process of the car body roof for a light rail vehicle,introducing a sandwich structure.Bonded joint was used as a fastening system.The project was carried out on a single car of a modern tram platform.This preliminary numerical work was developed in two main steps:redesign of the car body structure and optimization of the innovated system.Objective of the process was the mass reduction of the whole metallic structure,while the constraint condition was imposed on the first frequency of vibration of the system.The effect of introducing a sandwich panel within the roof assembly was evaluated,focusing on the mechanical and dynamic performances of the whole car body.A mass saving of 63%on the optimized components was achieved,corresponding to a 7.6%if compared to the complete car body shell.In addition,a positive increasing of 17.7%on the first frequency of vibration was observed.Encouraging results have been achieved in terms of weight reduction and mechanical behaviour of the innovated car body.

Deformation Characteristics and Mechanical Properties of Ti/Al Bimetallic Composite Materials Fabricated by Wire Plus Arc Additive Manufacturing

We focused on Ti/Al composite materials fabricated by wire and arc addictive manufacturing,and the microstructure and interface characteristics of them before and after hot compression deformation were compared.After compression deformation,allαstructures of titanium were compacted with the emergence of Widmanstatten structures.Coarsened coloniesαof titanium were elongated and waved along the original growth direction,resulting in anisotropy of grains.Pores and Ti/Al intermetallic compounds of aluminum are significantly decreased after hot compression.Meanwhile,a good bonding interface between titanium and aluminum is obtained after hot compression,and the element diffusion is more intense.In addition,the mechanical properties and fracture behaviors of Ti/Al composite material with different clad ratio that is defined as the ratio of the thickness of titanium to that of the Ti/Al composite material are investigated by uniaxial tensile test.The experimental results show that the ultimate tensile strength of Ti/Al composite material is between that of single deposited titanium and aluminum,while the elongation of Ti/Al composite material with low clad ratio is lower than that of single aluminum due to the metallurgical reaction.As the clad ratio increases,the two component layers are harder to separate during deformation,which is resulted from the decrease of the inward contraction stress of three-dimensional stress caused by necking of aluminum.This work may promote the engineering application of Ti/Al bimetallic structures.

Mechanical behavior of entangled metallic wire materials-polyurethane interpenetrating composites

Composite materials exhibit the impressive mechanical properties of high damping and stiffness,which cannot be attained by employing conventional single materials.Along these lines,a novel material architecture is presented in this work in order to fabricate composites with enhanced mechanical characteristics.More specifically,entangled metallic wire materials were used as the active matrix,whereas polyurethane was employed as the reinforcement elements.As a result,an entangled metallic wire material-polyurethane composite with high damping and stiffness was prepared by enforcing the vacuum infiltration method.On top of that,the mechanical properties(loss factor,energy consumption,and average stiffness)of the proposed composite materials were characterized by performing dynamic tests,and its fatigue characteristics were verified by the micro-interface bonding,as well as the macro-damage factor.The impact of the density,preloading spacing,loading amplitude,and exciting frequency on the mechanical properties of the composites were also thoroughly analyzed.The extracted results indicate that the mechanical properties of the composites were significantly enhanced than those of the pure materials due to the introduction of interface friction.Moreover,the average stiffness of the composites was about 10 times the respective value of the entangled metallic wire material.Interestingly,a rise in the loading period leads to some failure between the composite interfaces,which reduces the stiffness property but enhances the damping dissipation properties.Finally,a comprehensive dynamic mechanical model of the composites was established,while it was experimentally verified.The proposed composites possess higher damping features,i.e.,stiffness characteristics,and maintain better fatigue characteristics,which can broaden the application range of the composites.In addition,we provide a theoretical and experimental framework for the research and applications in the field of metal matrix composites.

Fatigue Life Prediction for SiC/Al Materials Based on Path Planning Algorithm Considering Residual Stress

To explore the influence of path deflection on crack propagation,a path planning algorithm is presented to calculate the crack growth length.The fatigue crack growth life of metal matrix composites(MMCs)is estimated based on an improved Paris formula.Considering the different expansion coefficient of different materials,the unequal shrinkage will lead to residual stress when the composite is molded and cooled.The crack growth model is improved by the modified stress ratio based on residual stress.The Dijkstra algorithm is introduced to avoid the cracks passing through the strengthening base and the characteristics of crack steps.This model can be extended to predict crack growth length for other similarly-structured composite materials.The shortest path of crack growth is simulated by using path planning algorithm,and the fatigue life of composites is calculated based on the shortest path and improved model.And the residual stress caused by temperature change is considered to improve the fatigue crack growth model in the material.The improved model can well predict the fatigue life curve of composites.By analyzing the fatigue life of composites,it is found that there is a certain regularity based on metal materials,and the new fatigue prediction model can also reflect this regularity.

Machine learning-based stiffness optimization of digital composite metamaterials with desired positive or negative Poisson's ratio

Mechanical metamaterials such as auxetic materials have attracted great interest due to their unusual properties that are dictated by their architectures.However,these architected materials usually have low stiffness because of the bending or rotation deformation mechanisms in the microstructures.In this work,a convolutional neural network(CNN)based self-learning multi-objective optimization is performed to design digital composite materials.The CNN models have undergone rigorous training using randomly generated two-phase digital composite materials,along with their corresponding Poisson's ratios and stiffness values.Then the CNN models are used for designing composite material structures with the minimum Poisson's ratio at a given volume fraction constraint.Furthermore,we have designed composite materials with optimized stiffness while exhibiting a desired Poisson's ratio(negative,zero,or positive).The optimized designs have been successfully and efficiently obtained,and their validity has been confirmed through finite element analysis results.This self-learning multi-objective optimization model offers a promising approach for achieving comprehensive multi-objective optimization.

Unsteady Heat Transfer in Bilayer,and Three-Layer Materials

The heat transfer equation is used to determine the heat flow by conduction through a composite material along the real axis.An analytical dimensionless analysis is implemented in the framework of a separation of variables method(SVM).This approach leads to an Eigenvalues problem that is solved by the Newton’s method.Two types of dynamics are found:An unsteady condition(in the form of jumps or drops in temperatures depending on the considered case),and a permanent equilibrium(tending to the ambient temperature).The validity and effectiveness of the proposed approach for any number of adjacent layers is also discussed.It is shown that,as expected,the diffusion of the temperature is linked to the ratio of the thermo-physical properties of the considered layers and their number.

Durability Testing of Composite Aerospace Materials Based on a New Polymer Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Epoxy Resin

In this study,the durability of a new polymer carbonfiber-reinforced epoxy resin used to produce composite material in the aerospacefield is investigated through analysis of the corrosion phenomena occurring at the microscopic scale,and the related infrared spectra and thermal properties.It is found that light and heat can con-tribute to the aging process.In particular,the longitudinal tensile strength displays a non-monotonic trend,i.e.,itfirst increases and then decreases over time.By contrast,the longitudinal compressive and inter-laminar shear strengths do not show significant changes.It is also shown that the inter-laminar shear strength of carbonfiber/epoxy resin composites with inter-laminar hybrid structure is better than that of pure carbonfiber materials.The related resistance to corrosion can be improved by more than 41%.

Influence of Some Plant Fibers on the Mechanical Performance of Composite Materials

This work focused on the search for biobased materials capable of being used in road techniques as soil inclusions, and on studying the influence of their incorporation on the characteristic parameters of pavement layers. To this end, pineapple, cyperus and imperata plant fibers, due to their endemic availability, were used as reinforcement on sourced materials, notably bar soil, lateritic gravel and silty sand. Complete identification and mechanical tests (Proctor and CBR) were carried out on materials in their natural state (soil) and on composite materials (soil + plant fibers) in the laboratory to determine their classification in road geotechnics, their compaction parameters and their mechanical behavior. Firstly, the various types of 2.5 cm long fibers were incorporated into the different types of soil at mass contents of 1% and 2%. This part of the study showed that the pineapple fiber composite incorporated into class A2 bar soil offered the best results, with a 38% gain in CBR index compared with the natural soil. Pineapple fibers incorporated at 1% in lateritic gravel raise the CBR value of the reinforced soil to 10% of the CBR value of the natural soil and to 7% for silty sand.

Wear behavior of SiC/PyC composite materials prepared by electromagnetic-field-assisted CVI

Silicon carbide/pyrolytic carbon (SiC/PyC) composite materials with excellent performance of self-lubrication and wear resistance were prepared on SiC substrates by electromagnetic-field-assisted chemical vapor infiltration (CVI). The composition and microstructure of the SiC/PyC materials were investigated in detail by XRD, SEM and EDS, etc. The effects of the deposition temperature on the section features and wear resistance of the SiC/PyC were studied. The results show that the PyC layers were deposited onto SiC substrates spontaneously at a lower deposition temperature. The SiC substrates deposited with PyC can significantly reduce the wear rate of the self-dual composite materials under dry sliding condition. The wear tests suggest that the SiC/PyC composite materials own a better wear resistance property when the deposition temperature is 800 °C, and the wear rate is about 64.6% of that without the deposition of PyC.

Electrochemical performance of LiFePO_(4)-Li_(3)V_(2)(PO_4)_3 composite material prepared by solid-hydrothermal method

LiFePO4-Li3V2（PO4）3 composites were synthesized by solid-hydrothermal method and by ball milling,respectively.The electrochemical performance of the solid-hydrothermally obtained materials（C-LFVP） was significantly improved compared with LiFePO4（LFP） and Li3V2（PO4）3（LVP）,and it was also much better than that of the ball-milled LiFePO4-Li3V2（PO4）3（P-LFVP）.C-LFVP and P-LFVP both had four REDOX peaks（voltage plateaus）,which coincided with that of LFP and LVP.Some new trace substances were found in C-LFVP which had more perfect morphology,this was responsible for the better electrochemical performance of C-LFVP than P-LFVP.

Effects of current density on preparation and performance of Al/conductive coating/α-PbO_2-Ce O_2-TiO_2/β-Pb O_2-MnO_2-WC-ZrO_2 composite electrode materials

Al/conductive coating/α-Pb O2-Ce O2-Ti O2/β-PbO 2-MnO 2-WC-Zr O2 composite electrode material was prepared on Al/conductive coating/α-PbO 2-Ce O2-Ti O2 substrate by electrochemical oxidation co-deposition technique. The effects of current density on the chemical composition, electrocatalytic activity, and stability of the composite anode material were investigated by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy（EDXS）, anode polarization curves, quasi-stationary polarization（Tafel） curves, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy（EIS）, scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, and X-ray diffraction（XRD）. Results reveal that the composite electrode obtained at 1 A/dm2 possesses the lowest overpotential（0.610 V at 500 A/m2） for oxygen evolution, the best electrocatalytic activity, the longest service life（360 h at 40 °C in 150 g/L H2SO4 solution under 2 A/cm2）, and the lowest cell voltage（2.75 V at 500 A/m2）. Furthermore, with increasing current density, the coating exhibits grain growth and the decrease of content of Mn O2. Only a slight effect on crystalline structure is observed.

STUDY OF THE PERFORMANCE ON THE WEAR AND FRICTION OF THE C/Cu COMPOSITE MATERIAL

The friction and wear properties of the C/Cu composite material were investigated. The experiments were conducted on a block on ring type friction machine. It has been found that the friction coefficient and the wear rate of the composite material increase slowly as the pressure is increased in a mild wear state. Scanning electron microscopy and electron probe X ray micro analyzer observations indicate that the low values of μ and W L are due to the formation of a film that impedes adhesion and confers some degree of self lubrication.