Materials Selection of Thermoplastic Matrices of Natural Fibre Composites for Cyclist Helmet Using an Integration of DMAIC Approach in Six Sigma Method Together with Grey Relational Analysis Approach

Natural fibre reinforced polymer composite(NFRPC)materials are gaining popularity in the modern world due to their eco-friendliness,lightweight nature,life-cycle superiority,biodegradability,low cost,and noble mechanical properties.Due to the wide variety of materials available that have comparable attributes and satisfy the requirements of the product design specification,material selection has become a crucial component of design for engineers.This paper discusses the study’s findings in choosing the suitable thermoplastic matrices of Natural Fibre Composites for Cyclist Helmet utilising the DMAIC,and GRA approaches.The results are based on integrating two decision methods implemented utilising two distinct decision-making approaches:qualitative and quantitative.This study suggested thermoplastic polyethylene as a particularly ideal matrix in composite cyclist helmets during the selection process for the best thermoplastic matrices material using the 6σtechnique,with the decision based on the highest performance,the lightest weight,and the most environmentally friendly criteria.The DMAIC and GRA approach significantly influenced the material selection process by offering different tools for each phase.In the future study,selection technique may have been more exhaustive if more information from other factors had been added.

Preparation of graphene oxide/natural rubber composites by latex co-coagulation: Relationship between microstructure and reinforcement

Graphene oxide(GO)has recently attracted substantial interest as a possible reinforcing agent for next generation rubber composite materials.In this research,GO was incorporated in natural rubber(NR)composites through latex co-coagulation technique.The microstructures of GO/NR composites were characterized through a combination of transmission electron microscope,scanning electron microscope,X-ray diffraction,Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,and Differential scanning calorimeter.The results showed that highly exfoliated GO sheets were finely dispersed into NR rubber matrix with strong interface interaction between GO and NR.The mechanical properties of the GO/NR composites were further evaluated.The results showed that the tensile strength,tear strength and modulus can be significantly improved at a content of less than 2 phr.Especially,GO exhibited specific reinforce mechanism in NR due to the stress-induced crystallization effects of NR.The stress transfer from the NR to the GO sheets and the hindrance of GO sheets to the stress-induced crystallization of NR were further displayed in stress-strain behavior of GO/NR composites.These enhanced properties were attributed to the high surface area of GO sheets and highly exfoliated microstructures of GO sheets in NR.

Binary Relations between Magnitudes of Different Dimensions Used in Material Science Optimization Problems Pseudo-State Equation of Soft Magnetic Composites

New algorithm for optimizing technological parameters of soft magnetic composites has been derived on the base of topological structure of the power loss characteristics. In optimization magnitudes obeying scaling, it happens that one has to consider binary relations between the magnitudes having different dimensions. From mathematical point of view, in general case such a procedure is not permissible. However, in a case of the system obeying the scaling law it is so. It has been shown that in such systems, the binary relations of magnitudes of different dimensions is correct and has mathematical meaning which is important for practical use of scaling in optimization processes. The derived structure of the set of all power loss characteristics in soft magnetic composite enables us to derive a formal pseudo-state equation of Soft Magnetic Composites. This equation constitutes a relation of the hardening temperature, the compaction pressure and a parameter characterizing the power loss characteristic. Finally, the pseudo-state equation improves the algorithm for designing the best values of technological parameters.

Case studies on testing with compositional metamorphic relations

Some metamorphic relations （MR） are not good at detecting faults in metamorphic testing. In this paper, the method of making compositional MR （CMR） based on the speculative law of proposition logic is presented. This method constructs new MRs by composing existing MRs in a pairwise way. Because CMR contains all the advantages of the MRs that form it, its fault detection performance is wonderful. On the other hand, the number of relations will decrease greatly after composing, so a program can be tested with much fewer test cases when CMRs are used. In order to research the characteristics of a CMR, two case studies are analyzed. The experimental results show that the CMR＇s performance is mostly determined by the central MRs forming it and the sequence of composition. Testing efficiency is improved greatly when CMRs are used.

Evaluation of microstructure and mechanical properties of squeeze overcast Al7075-Cu composite joints

Al7075-Cu composite joints were prepared by the squeeze overcast process.The effects of melt temperature,die temperature,and squeeze pressure on hardness and ultimate tensile strength(UTS)of squeeze overcast Al7075-Cu composite joints were studied.The experimental results depict that squeeze pressure is the most significant process parameter affecting the hardness and UTS.The optimal values of UTS(48 MPa)and hardness(76 HRB)are achieved at a melt temperature of 800℃,a die temperature of 250℃,and a squeeze pressure of 90 MPa.Scanning electron microscopy(SEM)shows that fractured surfaces show flatfaced morphology at the optimal experimental condition.Energy-dispersive spectroscopy(EDS)analysis depicts that the atomic weight percentage of Zn decreases with an increase in melt temperature and squeeze pressure.The optimal mechanical properties of the Al7075-Cu overcast joint were achieved at the Al2Cu eutectic phase due to the large number of copper atoms that dispersed into the aluminum melt during the solidification process and the formation of strong intermetallic bonds.Gray relational analysis integrated with the Taguchi method was used to develop an optimal set of control variables for multi-response parametric optimization.Confirmatory tests were performed to validate the effectiveness of the employed technique.The manufacturing of squeeze overcast Al7075-Cu composite joints at optimal process parameters delivers a great indication to acknowledge a new method for foundry practitioners to manufacture materials with superior mechanical properties.

EFFECT OF DENTIN TUBULES ON THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF DENTIN. PART Ⅰ: STRESS-STRAIN RELATIONS AND STRENGTH CRITERION

As known, there is a large number of dentin tubules in dentin. These tubules have varying radii and are shaped into radially parallel pattern. The anisotropy of microstructure of dentin shows that dentin should be treated as a ma- terial of varying transverse isotropy. In this Part, the elastic stress-strain relations and the quadratic strength criterion are established in the form of having varying transverse isotropy, in the framework of micromechanics to take into account of the effect of the microstructures-dentin tubules. Simplified forms for isotropic and ho- mogeneous cases, as well as the corresponding plane stress form of the stress-strain relations are also given. These theoretical models are very well supported by the experiments shown later in the continued paper (Part Ⅱ).

Nonlinear analysis on electrical properties in a bended composite piezoelectric semiconductor beam

In this paper,the interactions between the transverse loads and the electrical field quantities are investigated based on the nonlinear constitutive relation.By considering a composite beam consisting of a piezoelectric semiconductor and elastic layers,the nonlinear model is established based on the phenomenological theory and Euler’s beam theory.Furthermore,an iteration procedure based on the differential quadrature method(DQM)is developed to solve the nonlinear governing equations.Before analysis,the convergence and correctness are surveyed.It is found that the convergence of the proposed iteration is fast.Then,the transverse pressure induced electrical field quantities are investigated in detail.From the calculated results,it can be found that the consideration of nonlinear constitutive relation is necessary for a beam undergoing a large load.Compared with the linear results,the consideration of the nonlinear constitutive relation breaks the symmetry for the electric potential,the electric field,and the perturbation carrier density,and has little influence on the electric displacement.Furthermore,the non-uniform pressures are considered.The results show that the distributions of the electric field quantities are sensitively altered.It indicates that the electrical properties can be manipulated with the design of different transverse loads.The conclusions in this paper could be the guidance on designing and manufacturing electronic devices accurately.

Effects of curing age on compressive and tensile stress-strain behaviors of ecological high ductility cementitious composites

To obtain the design parameters of the structure made by ecological high ductility cementitious composites(Eco-HDCC),the effects of curing age on the compressive and tensile stress-strain relationships were studied.The reaction degree of fly ash,non-evaporable water content and the pH value in pore solution were calculated to reveal the mechanical property.The results indicate that as the curing age increases,the peak compressive strength,peak compressive strain and ultimate tensile strength of Eco-HDCC increase.However,the ultimate compressive strain and ultimate tensile strain of Eco-HDCC decrease with the increase in curing age.Besides,as the curing age increases,the reaction degree of fly ash and non-evaporable water content in Eco-HDCC increase,while the pH value in the pore solution of Eco-HDCC decreases.Finally,the simplified compressive and tensile stress-strain constitutive relationship models of Eco-HDCC with a curing age of 28 d were suggested for the structure design safety.

Effect of sintering on the relative density of Cr-coated diamond/Cu composites prepared by spark plasma sintering

Cr-coated diamond/Cu composites were prepared by spark plasma sintering. The effects of sintering pressure, sintering temperature, sintering duration, and Cu powder particle size on the relative density and thermal conductivity of the composites were investigated in this paper. The influence of these parameters on the properties and microstructures of the composites was also discussed. The results show that the relative density of Cr-coated diamond/Cu reaches ~100% when the composite is gradually compressed to 30 MPa during the heating process. The densification temperature increases from 880 to 915℃ when the diamond content is increased from 45vol% to 60vol%. The densification temperature does not increase further when the content reaches 65vol%. Cu powder particles in larger size are beneficial for increasing the relative density of the composite.

Picture Fuzzy Relations over Picture Fuzzy Sets

Nowadays, picture fuzzy set theory is a flourishing field in mathematics with uncertainty by incorporating the concept of positive, negative and neutral membership degrees of an object. A traditional crisp relation represents the satisfaction or the dissatisfaction of relationship, connection or correspondence between the objects of two or more sets. However, there are some problems that can’t be solved through classical relationships, such as the relationship between two objects being vague. In those situations, picture fuzzy relation over picture fuzzy sets is an important and powerful concept which is suitable for describing correspondences between two vague objects. It represents the strength of association of the elements of picture fuzzy sets. It plays an important role in picture fuzzy modeling, inference and control system and also has important applications in relational databases, approximate reasoning, preference modeling, medical diagnosis, etc. In this article, we define picture fuzzy relations over picture fuzzy sets, including some other fundamental definitions with illustrations. The max-min and min-max compositions of picture fuzzy relations are defined in the light of picture fuzzy sets and discussed some properties related to them. The reflexivity, symmetry and transitivity of a picture fuzzy relation are described over a picture fuzzy set. Finally, various properties are explored related to the picture fuzzy relations over a picture fuzzy set.

One-dimensional Incremental Constitutive Relation of SMA Wire Reinforced Smart Composites with Damages

A new Martensitic transformation kinetic model for shape memory alloy （SMA） is proposed based on the phenomenological description of the Martensitic transformation heat flow-temperature curve and on the linear relationship between the partial derivatives of Martensite fraction and of Gbbis free energy with respect to the temperature. A meso-mechanical model is developed to describe the longitudinal stiffness reduction and thermo-dilatation variation of the composites caused by fiber breaking or fiber peeling off the base material. One-dimensional incremental constitutive relation is then established for SMA wire reinforced smart composites with damages by introducing three parameters to respectively describe the extent of fiber breaking, fiber peeling off the base material and interface weakening. The results presented herein may provide a theoretical basis for further studying on SMA smart composites with damages.

PROPERTY DEGRADATION OF ANISOTROPIC COMPOSITELAMINATES WITH MATRIX CRACKING(Ⅰ)──CONSTITUTIVE RELATION DEVELOPING FOR (θ_m/90_n)_s CRACKED LAMINATES BY STIFFNESS PARTITION

The study on property degradation of damaged composite laminates is extendedto anisotropic laminates with matrix cracking. In (I) of the paper, an idea of 'stiffnesspatition' is proposed to deal with the puzzle that the in-plane normal response iscoupled with the shear response of the laminates. For (θm/90n.), laminates containingtransversely cracked layers under general in-plane loading, the constitutive relationsare derived and the effective stiffnesses are expressed as the function of crack density.

Novel Ring Compression Test Method to Determine the Stress-Strain Relations and Mechanical Properties of Metallic Materials

Although there are methods for testing the stress-strain relation and strength,which are the most fundamental and important properties of metallic materials,their application to small-volume materials and tube components is lim-ited.In this study,based on energy density equivalence,a new dimensionless elastoplastic load-displacement model for compressed metal rings with isotropy and constitutive power law is proposed to describe the relations among the geometric dimensions,Hollomon law parameters,load,and displacement.Furthermore,a novel test method was developed to determine the elastic modulus,stress-strain relation,yield and tensile strength via ring compression test.The universality and accuracy of the method were verified within a wide range of imaginary materials using finite element analysis(FEA),and the results show that the stress-strain curves obtained by this method are consistent with those inputted in the FEA program.Additionally,a series of ring compression tests were performed for seven metallic materials.It was found that the stress-strain curves and mechanical properties predicted by the method agreed with the uniaxial tensile results.With its low material consumption,the ring compression test has the potential to be as an alternative to traditional tensile test when direct tension method is limited.

Effect of Relative Reduction on Property of Steel-Mushy Cu-Graphite Composite

The rolling treatment of steel-mushy QTi3.5-3.5 graphite composite was conducted under different relative reduction at room temperature. The effect of room-temperature rolling on interracial mechanical property of steel-mushy QTi3.5-3.5 graphite composite was studied and the relationship between interracial shear strength and relative reduction was established. The results show that, for steel-mushy QTi3.5-3.5 graphite composite, which consists of 1.2 mm-thick 08AI steel plate and 2.8 mm-thick QTi3.5-3.5 graphite layer, there is a nonlinear relationship between interracial shear strength and relative reduction in graphite layer. When relative reduction is smaller than 1.1%,interracial shear strength increases with increasing the relative reduction. When relative reduction is larger than 1.1%, interracial shear strength decreases with increasing the relative reduction. When relative reduction is 1.1%,the largest interracial shear strength of 145.2 MPa can be obtained.

The Constitutive Relation of a Fabric Membrane Composite for a Stratospheric Airship Envelope Based on Invariant Theory

The study of stratospheric airships has become the focus in many countries in recent years,because of its potential applications in many fields.Lightweight and high strength envelopes are the keys to the design of stratospheric airships,as it directly determines the endurance flight performance and loading deformation characteristics of the airship.A typical envelope of any stratospheric airship is a coated-fabric material which is composed of a fiber layer and several functional membrane layers.According to composite structure,nonlinearity and viscoelasticity are the two main characteristics of such envelope.Based on the analysis on the interaction between the different components in the micro-mechanical model of the coated-fabric,several invariant values reflecting the characteristics of the envelope material are obtained according to invariant theory.Furthermore,the constitutive equation that describes the viscoelasticity of the envelope material is derived.The constitutive equation can represent both the individual roles of the warp and weft fibers,and their further coupled interactions.The theoretical computation results were verified by off-axial tension tests.The results can help gain a deeper understanding of the mechanical mechanism and provide a reference for structural design of envelope material.

Optimization of Tribological Performance of Al-6061T6-15% SiCp-15% Al₂O₃Hybrid Metal Matrix Composites Using Taguchi Method &Grey Relational Analysis

In this investigation, optimization of tribological performance parameters of Al-6061T6 alloy reinforced with SiC (15% by weight) and Al2O3 (15% by weight) particulates having particle size of 37 μm each has been presented. The wear and frictional properties of the hybrid metal matrix composites have been studied by performing dry sliding wear test using pin-on-disc wear tester. A L27 orthogonal array is selected for the analysis of the data. From the test results it is observed that sliding distance has the significant contribution in controlling the friction and wear behaviour of hybrid composites. A confirmation test is also carried out to verify the accuracy of the results obtained through the optimization. In addition an optical micrograph test is also performed on the wear tracks to study the wear mechanism.

Properties and microstructure of Cu/diamond composites prepared by spark plasma sintering method

Cu/diamond composites have been considered as the next generation of thermal management material for electronic packages and heat sinks applications. Cu/diamond composites with different volume fractions of diamond were successfully prepared by spark plasma sintering（SPS） method. The sintering temperatures and volume fractions（50%, 60% and 70%） of diamond were changed to investigate their effects on the relative density, homogeneity of the microstructure and thermal conductivity of the composites. The results show that the relative density, homogeneity of the microstructure and thermal conductivity of the composites increase with decreasing the diamond volume fraction; the relative density and thermal conductivity of the composites increase with increasing the sintering temperature. The thermal conductivity of the composites is a result of the combined effect of the volume fraction of diamond, the homogeneity and relative density of the composites.

Stress-strain relationship for reactive powder concrete with recycled powder under uniaxial compression

The recycled powder(RP)from construction wastes can be used to partially replace cement in the preparation of reactive powder concrete.In this paper,reactive powder concrete mixtures with RP partially replacing cement,and natural sand instead of quartz,are developed.Standard curing is used,instead of steam curing that is normally requested by standard for reactive powder concrete.The influences of RP replacement ratio(0%,10%,20%,30%),silica fume proportion(10%,15%,20%),and steel fiber proportion(0%,1%,2%)are investigated.The effects of RP,silica fume,and steel fiber proportion on compressive strength,elastic modulus,and relative absorption energy are analyzed,and theoretical models for compressive strength,elastic modulus,and relative absorption energy are established.A constitutive model for the uniaxial compressive stress-strain relationship of reactive powder concrete with RP is developed.With the increase of RP replacement ratio from 0% to 30%,the compressive strength decreases by 42% and elastic modulus decreases by 24%.

Composite Sand Bodies Architecture of Deep-Water Turbidite Channels in the Niger Delta Basin

Deep-water turbidite channels have attracted much attention as a focused issue in petroleum exploration and development. Extensive studies have been performed on the architecture of turbidite channels, and most researches have focused on their geometric shapes, sedimentary processes and controlling factors. However, little attention has been paid to the distribution patterns, distribution laws and quantitative studies of composite sand bodies of turbidite channels. Taken one slope area of the Niger Delta Basin as an example, this study conducted a semi-quantitative to quantitative analysis on architecture of composite sand bodies of turbidite channels based on cores, well logging and seismic surveys. It is shown that turbidite channel systems can be classified as confined and unconfined channel systems. For confined channel systems, the vertical evolution process involves four stages. The sinuosity of a channel system is controlled by slope, with a negative power function relationship between them. When slope gradient reaches four degrees, the channel system is nearly straight. Based on the migration direction and migration amount of single channels within channel complexes, channel composite patterns can be divided into four classes（the lateral composite, en-echelon composite, swing composite and vertical composite） and several subclasses. Various channel composite patterns show specific distribution laws spatially. For meandering channel complexes at the middle-late evolution stage of confined channel systems, the lateral migration amongst single channels shows the features of integrity and succession. The sinuosity of single channels in the late period is greater than that in the early period, and cut-offs may occur locally when the sinuosity is larger than five degrees. This study provides a better understanding for the geological theory of deep-water sedimentary, and also improves exploitation benefits of this type of reservoirs.

Optimization of machining parameters in drilling hybrid aluminium metal matrix composites

Taguchi method with grey relational analysis was used to optimize the machining parameters with multiple performance characteristics in drilling hybrid metal matrix A1356/SiC-mica composites. Experiments were conducted on a computer numerical control vertical machining centre and Lzs orthogonal array was chosen for the experiments. The drilling parameters namely spindle speed, feed rate, drill type and mass fraction of mica were optimized based on the multiple performance characteristics including thrust force, surface roughness, tool wear and burr height （exit）. The results show that the feed rate and the type of drill are the most significant factors which affect the drilling process and the performance in the drilling process can be effectively improved by using this approach.