Composite Panels from the Combination of Rice Husk and Wood Chips with a Natural Resin Based on Tannins Reinforced with Sugar Cane Molasses Intended for Building Insulation: Physico-Mechanical and Thermal Properties

The objective of this work is to develop new biosourced insulating composites from rice husks and wood chips that can be used in the building sector. It appears from the properties of the precursors that rice chips and husks are materials which can have good thermal conductivity and therefore the combination of these precursors could make it possible to obtain panels with good insulating properties. With regard to environmental and climatic constraints, the composite panels formulated at various rates were tested and the physico-mechanical and thermal properties showed that it was essential to add a crosslinker in order to increase certain solicitation. an incorporation rate of 12% to 30% made it possible to obtain panels with low thermal conductivity, a low surface water absorption capacity and which gives the composite good thermal insulation and will find many applications in the construction and real estate sector. Finally, new solutions to improve the fire reaction of the insulation panels are tested which allows to identify suitable solutions for the developed composites. In view of the flame tests, the panels obtained are good and can effectively combat fire safety in public buildings.

Multiphysics processes in the interfacial transition zone of fiber-reinforced cementitious composites under induced curing pressure and implications for mine backfill materials: A critical review

The mesoscale fiber-matrix interfacial transition zone(FM-ITZ) under induced curing pressure plays a key role in the effectiveness of fiber reinforcement and the engineering application of fiber-reinforced cementitious composites(FRCCs). This critical review establishes the link among induced curing pressure(i.e., external loading condition), multiphysics processes(i.e., internal governing mechanism), and interface behavior(i.e., material behavior) for FRCC materials through analysis of the state-of-the-art research findings on the FM-ITZ of FRCC materials. The following results are obtained. For the mechanical process, the induced curing pressure changes the stress state and enhances multicracking behavior, which can strengthen the FM-ITZ. For the hydraulic process, the strengthened seepage of the FM-ITZ under induced curing pressure weakens the effective stress and exaggerates the deficiency in water retention capacity between the bulk matrix and the FMITZ. For the thermal process, the induced curing pressure causes a steep temperature gradient in the FM-ITZ and thus influences the temperature evolution and thermally-induced microcracks in the FM-ITZ. For the chemical process, the induced curing pressure enhances hydration kinetics and results in the formation of additional hydration products in the FM-ITZ. Moreover, recommendations are proposed on the basis of findings from this review to facilitate the implementation of fiber reinforcement in cemented paste backfill technology.

Optimization Mechanism of Mechanical Properties of Basalt Fiber-Epoxy Resin Composites by Interfacially Enriched Distribution of Nano-Starch Crystals

Fibre reinforced polymer composites have become a new generation of structural materials due to their unique advantages such as high specific strength,designability,good dimensional stability and ease of large-area monolithic forming.However,the problem of interfacial bonding between the resin matrix and the fibres limits the direct use of reinforcing fibres and has become a central difficulty in the development of basalt fibre-epoxy composites.This paper proposes a solution for enhancing the strength of the fibre-resin interface using maize starch nanocrystals,which are highly yield and eco-friendly.Firstly,in this paper,corn starch nanocrystals(SNC)were prepared by hydrolysis,and were deposited on the surface of basalt fibers by electrostatic adsorption.After that,in order to maximize the modification effect of nano-starch crystals on the interface,the basalt fiber-epoxy resin composite samples were prepared by mixing in a pressureless molding method.The test results shown that the addition of basalt fibers alone led to a reduction in the strength of the sample.Deposition of 0.1 wt%SNC on the surface of basalt fibers can make the strength consistent with pure epoxy resin.When the adsorption amount of SNC reached 0.5 wt%,the tensile strength of the samples was 23.7%higher than that of pure epoxy resin.This is due to the formation of ether bond homopolymers between the SNC at the fibre-epoxy interface and the epoxy resin,which distorts the originally smooth interface,leading to increased stress concentration and the development of cracks.This enhances the binding of basalt fibers.The conclusions of this paper can provide an effective,simple,low-cost and non-polluting method of interfacial enhancement modification.

Microwave Absorption and Mechanical Properties of Short-cutted Carbon Fiber/glass Fiber Hybrid Veil Reinforced Epoxy Composites

This work aims at investigating the microwave absorption and mechanical properties of short-cutted carbon fiber/glass fiber hybrid veil reinforced epoxy composites.The short-cutted carbon fibers(CFs)/glass fibers(GFs)hybrid veil were prepared by papermaking technology,and composites liquid molding was employed to manufacture CFs/GFs hybrid epoxy composites.The microstructure,microwave absorbing properties and mechanical properties of the hybrid epoxy composites were studied by using SEM,vector network analyzer and universal material testing,respectively.The reflection coefficient of the composites were calculated by the measured complex permittivity and permeability in the X-band(8.2-12.4 GHz)range.The optimum microwave absorption properties can be obtained when the content of CFs in the hybrid veil is 6 wt%and the thickness of the composites is 2 mm,the minimum reflection coefficient of-31.8 dB and the effective absorption bandwidth is 2.1 GHz,which is ascribed to benefitting impedance matching characteristic and dielectric loss of the carbon fiber.Simultaneously the tensile strength and modulus can achieve 104.0 and 2.98GPa,demonstrating that the CFs/GFs hybrid epoxy composites can be a promising candidate of microwave absorbing materials with high mechanical properties.

Characteristic of Fresh and Harden Properties of Polyvinyl Alcohol Fibre Reinforced Alkali Activated Composite

Fibre can enhance the mechanical properties of cement-based composites,but fibre also degrades their workability.However,the quantitative effects of fiber content and length-diameter ratio on alkali-activated materials are still unclear.Various aspect ratio,volume fraction of polyvinyl alcohol fibre(PVAF),and various water-binder ratio were employed to prepare a total of 26 groups of fibre reinforced alkali-activated composite(FRAAC).The influence of PVAF fibre factor(product of fiber volume fraction and length-diameter ratio)on flowability,compactness,strength,and crack fractal dimension of FRAAC was researched.The influence of water-binder ratio on the plastic viscosity of FRAAC was more significant than that on the yield stress.When fibre factor was lower than critical value of 150,the influence of fibres could be overlooked.The reason was that the space between fibres was distant,so the flowability of FRAAC was not impacted by PVAF.At this time,fibres were challenging to restrict the cracks in matrix and increase their mechanical properties.When fibre factor was higher than critical value 150 and lower than density packing value 450,the flexural strength,compressive strength and crack fractal dimension of FRAAC were considerably enhanced,and the FRAAC could still flow easily under dead weight.When fibre factor were above 450,noteworthy fibre balling considerably decreased the flowability,leading to poor solidity and reduced compressive strength.Hence,the ideal content of PVAF in alkali activated composite is between 150/(l/d)and 450/(l/d).

Preparation and Investigation of Mechanical and Physical Properties of Flax/Glass Fabric Reinforced Polymer Hybrid Composites

Synthetic reinforced composites affect the environment adversely and have become a global concern, causing increased natural composite demand for sustainability and cost effectiveness. Glass is a popular material that is highly consumed in reinforced composites for its superior mechanical strength. As opposed to that, flax obtained from flax stalks can be used as an alternative reinforcing material with synthetic fibers to minimize manmade fiber consumption. Hence, this research work addresses a few flax/glass-reinforced hybrid composites by using a thermoset polyester matrix. Here, six categories of samples are made, like neat flax, neat glass, and flax/glass fabric reinforced hybrid composite, followed by different stacking layer sequences and hand layout techniques during processing. Afterwards, the mechanical behavior, thermal stability, morphological behavior, and water absorption of hybrid samples were investigated. Among the developed samples, neat glass (NG) composite exhibits superior mechanical properties, while neat flax (NF) shows the lowest result. It is apparent that the mechanical properties and thermal stability of hybrid samples are in between NF and NG because, by adding glass with flax fabric, the strength of hybrid samples is increased. Moreover, it is noticeable that, due to multiple stacking layers of flax and glass, hybrid 3 and hybrid 4 show better strength than consecutive single stacking layers in hybrid 1 and hybrid 2. Among all hybrid composites, the H4 shows comparatively better mechanical and thermal properties due to having the glass layers on the outermost surface. In summary, this research work demonstrated the feasibility of flax fabric with glass fabric as a reinforced hybrid composite that can be used in automobile inner bodies, household furnishing, and home interior decoration.

Preparation and Investigation of Mechanical and Physical Properties of Flax/Glass Fabric Reinforced Polymer Hybrid Composites

Synthetic reinforced composites affect the environment adversely and have become a global concern, causing increased natural composite demand for sustainability and cost effectiveness. Glass is a popular material that is highly consumed in reinforced composites for its superior mechanical strength. As opposed to that, flax obtained from flax stalks can be used as an alternative reinforcing material with synthetic fibers to minimize manmade fiber consumption. Hence, this research work addresses a few flax/glass-reinforced hybrid composites by using a thermoset polyester matrix. Here, six categories of samples are made, like neat flax, neat glass, and flax/glass fabric reinforced hybrid composite, followed by different stacking layer sequences and hand layout techniques during processing. Afterwards, the mechanical behavior, thermal stability, morphological behavior, and water absorption of hybrid samples were investigated. Among the developed samples, neat glass (NG) composite exhibits superior mechanical properties, while neat flax (NF) shows the lowest result. It is apparent that the mechanical properties and thermal stability of hybrid samples are in between NF and NG because, by adding glass with flax fabric, the strength of hybrid samples is increased. Moreover, it is noticeable that, due to multiple stacking layers of flax and glass, hybrid 3 and hybrid 4 show better strength than consecutive single stacking layers in hybrid 1 and hybrid 2. Among all hybrid composites, the H4 shows comparatively better mechanical and thermal properties due to having the glass layers on the outermost surface. In summary, this research work demonstrated the feasibility of flax fabric with glass fabric as a reinforced hybrid composite that can be used in automobile inner bodies, household furnishing, and home interior decoration.

Effect of Silane Coupling Agent Concentration on Interfacial Properties of Basalt Fiber Reinforced Composites

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of the concentration of silane coupling solution on the tensile strength of basalt fiber and the interfacial properties of basalt fiber reinforced polymer composites.The surface treatment of basalt fibers was carried out using an aqueous alcohol solution method.Basalt fibers were subjected to surface treatment with 3-Methacryloxypropyl trimethoxy silane at 0.5 wt.%,1 wt.%,2 wt.%,4 wt.%and 10 wt.%.The basalt monofilament tensile tests were carried out to investigate the variation in strength with the concentration of the silane coupling agent.The microdroplet test was performed to examine the effect of the concentration of the silane coupling agent on interfacial strength of basalt reinforced polymer composites.The film was formed on the surface of the basalt fiber treated silane coupling agent solution.The tensile strength of basalt fiber increased because the damaged fiber surface was repaired by the firm of silane coupling agent.The firm was effective in not only the surface protection of basalt fiber but also the improvement on the interfacial strength of fiber-matrix interface.However,the surface treatment using the high concentration silane coupling agent solution has an adverse effect on the mechanical properties of the composite materials,because of causing the degradation of the interfacial strength of the composite materials.

Mechanical Properties of Mo Fiber-reinforced Resin Mineral Composites with Different Mass Ratio of Resin and Hardener

Mo fibers were added to RMC with different mass ratios of resin and hardener to improve its mechanical properties. The influences of fiber surface state and hardener content on interface bonding strength and mechanical properties of RMC were studied, respectively. Furthermore, strain values of typical measuring points on samples of Mo fiber reinforced RMC(MFRRMC) under different loads were obtained by experiments and finite element analysis. The experimental results prove that scrap Mo fibers can improve interface bonding strength and mechanical properties of RMC better than new smooth Mo fibers because of the discharge pits randomly distributed on the surface of scrap fibers. With the decrease of hardener content, not only interface bonding strength between fiber and matrix, but also compression and flexural strength of MFRRMC increase firstly and then decrease. The properties are best while the mass ratio of resin and hardener reaches 4:1. It is indicated that finite element calculation data basically agree with experimental data by comparison of strain values on typical measuring points, which can provide an important intuitive reference for successive study on other mechanical properties of MFRRMC, validating the correctness of simulation method as well.

Porosity Effects on Interlaminar Fracture Behavior in Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites

Fiber-reinforced polymer composite materials have become materials of choice for manufacturing application due to their high specific stiffness, strength and fatigue life, low density and thermal expansion coefficient. However, there are some types of defects such as porosity that form during the manufacturing processes of composites and alter their mechanical behavior and material properties. In his study, hand lay-up was conducted to fabricate samples of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composites with three different vacuum levels in order to vary porosity content. Nondestructive evaluation, destructive techniques and mechanical testing were conducted. Nondestructive evaluation results showed the trend in percentages of porosity through-thickness. Serial sectioning images revealed significant details about the composite’s internal structure such as the volume, morphology and distribution of porosity. Mechanical testing results showed that porosity led to a decrease in both Mode I static interlaminar fracture toughness and Mode I cyclic strain energy release rate fatigue life. The fractographic micrographs showed that porosity content increased as the vacuum decreased, and it drew a relationship between fracture mechanisms and mechanical properties of the composite under different modes of loading as a result of the porosity effects. Finally, in order to accurately quantify porosity percentages included in the samples of different vacuum levels, a comparison was made between the parameters and percentages resulted from the nondestructive evaluation and mechanical testing and the features resulted from fractography and serial sectioning.

INTERFACIAL DEBONDING OF COATED-FIBER-REINFORCED COMPOSITES UNDER TENSION-TENSION CYCLIC LOADING

A new degradation function of the friction coefficient is used.Based on the double shear-lag model and Paris formula,the interracial damage of coated- fiber-reinforced composites under tension-tension cyclic loading is studied.The effects of strength and thickness of the coating materials on the debond stress,debond rate as well as debond length are simulated.

Fiber-reinforced Mechanism and Mechanical Performance of Composite Fibers Reinforced Concrete

To understand the enhancing effect and fiber-reinforced mechanism of composite fibers reinforced cement concrete, the influences of composite fibers on micro-cracks and the distribution of composite fibers were evaluated by optical electron micrometer(OEM) and scanning electron microscope(SEM). Three kinds of fiber, such as polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fiber, basalt fiber, and glass fiber, were used in the composite fibers reinforced cement concrete. The composite fibers could form a stable structure in concrete after the liquid-phase coupling treatment, gas-liquid double-effect treatment, and inert atmosphere drying. The mechanical properties of composite fibers reinforced concrete(CFRC) were studied by universal test machine(UTM). Moreover, the effect of composite fibers on concrete was analyzed based on the toughness index and residual strength index. The results demonstrated that the composite fibers could improve the mechanical properties of concrete, while the excessive amount of composite fibers had an adverse effect on the mechanical properties of concrete. The composite fibers could significantly improve the toughness index of CFRC, and the increment rate is more than 30%. The composite fibers could form a mesh structure, which could promote the stability of concrete and guarantee the excellent mechanical properties.

A parallel fast multipole BEM and its applications to large-scale analysis of 3-D fiber-reinforced composites

In this paper, an adaptive boundary element method （BEM） is presented for solving 3-D elasticity problems. The numerical scheme is accelerated by the new version of fast multipole method （FMM） and parallelized on distributed memory architectures. The resulting solver is applied to the study of representative volume element （RVE） for short fiberreinforced composites with complex inclusion geometry. Numerical examples performed on a 32-processor cluster show that the proposed method is both accurate and efficient, and can solve problems of large size that are challenging to existing state-of-the-art domain methods.

A refined finite element method for bending analysis of laminated plates integrated with piezoelectric fiber-reinforced composite actuators

This research presents a finite element formulation based on four-variable refined plate theory for bending analysis of cross-ply and angle-ply laminated composite plates integrated with a piezoelectric fiber-reinforced composite actuator under electromechanical loading. The four-variable refined plate theory is a simple and efficient higher-order shear deformation theory, which predicts parabolic variation of transverse shear stresses across the plate thickness and satisfies zero traction conditions on the plate free surfaces. The weak form of governing equations is derived using the principle of minimum potential energy, and a 4-node non-conforming rectangular plate element with 8 degrees of freedom per node is introduced for discretizing the domain. Several benchmark problems are solved by the developed MATLAB code and the obtained results are compared with those from exact and other numerical solutions, showing good agreement.

Mechanical and Microstructural Characteristics of the Fiber-Reinforced Composite Materials

Composite fiber materials are superior materials due to their high strength and light weight. Composites reflect the properties of their constituents, which is proportional to the volume fraction of each phase. There are different fiber reinforcement types and each affects its flexural, tensile and compression strength. When selecting a composite for a specific application, the forces excreted on the composite must be known in order to determine the reinforcement type. Unidirectional fiber reinforcement will allow very strong load resistance but only in one direction where as a random orientated fiber reinforcement can resist less load but can maintain this quota in all directions. These materials are said to be anisotropic. Certain composite fibers, taking into consideration their weights, are physically stronger than conventional metals. In this paper, specific light-weight components with different reinforcement types, volume fraction and phase content were newly composed, tested, characterized and evaluated. By applying a novel method, a model which including the various matrix compositions, reinforcement types of each specific component, and its dual-properties was developed according to the structure characteristics. It was shown that certain reinforced composites such as carbon fiber, tend to be much stronger than metals when taking account its weight ratio. The outcome of this research lays a good foundation for the further carbon fiber-based material design work.

A Comparative Study on the Post-Buckling Behavior of Reinforced Thermoplastic Pipes(RTPs)Under External Pressure Considering Progressive Failure

The collapse pressure is a key parameter when RTPs are applied in harsh deep-water environments.To investigate the collapse of RTPs,numerical simulations and hydrostatic pressure tests are conducted.For the numerical simulations,the eigenvalue analysis and Riks analysis are combined,in which the Hashin failure criterion and fracture energy stiffness degradation model are used to simulate the progressive failure of composites,and the“infinite”boundary conditions are applied to eliminate the boundary effects.As for the hydrostatic pressure tests,RTP specimens were placed in a hydrostatic chamber after filled with water.It has been observed that the cross-section of the middle part collapses when it reaches the maximum pressure.The collapse pressure obtained from the numerical simulations agrees well with that in the experiment.Meanwhile,the applicability of NASA SP-8007 formula on the collapse pressure prediction was also discussed.It has a relatively greater difference because of the ignorance of the progressive failure of composites.For the parametric study,it is found that RTPs have much higher first-ply-failure pressure when the winding angles are between 50°and 70°.Besides,the effect of debonding and initial ovality,and the contribution of the liner and coating are also discussed.

INTERFACE DAMAGE ANALYSIS OF FIBER REINFORCED COMPOSITES WITH DUCTILE MATRIX

A cohesive zone model is employed to simulate the fiber/matrix interface damage of composites with ductile matrix. The study is carried out to investigate the dependence of the interface damage and the composite tensile strength on the micro parameters of the composite. These parameters contain fiber packing pattern, fiber volume fraction, and the modulus ratio of the fiber to the matrix. The investigation reveals that though the high fiber vo lume fraction, the high fiber′s modulus and the square fiber packing can supply strong reinforcement to the composite, the interface damage is susceptible in these cases. The tensile strength of the composite is dominated by the interface strength when the interface debonding occurs.

Impact Responses of the Carbon Fiber Fabric Reinforced Composites

To study the response characteristics of the carbon fiber fabric reinforced composites under impact loading, one dimensional strain impact test, multi gauge technique and Lagrange analysis method are used. The decaying rule of the stress σ , strain ε , strain rate ε · and density ρ with time and space is obtained. By the theory of dynamics, the impact response characteristics of the material is analyzed and discussed.

ANALYTICAL SOLUTIONS FOR ELASTOSTATIC PROBLEMS OF PARTICLE-AND FIBER-REINFORCED COMPOSITES WITH INHOMOGENEOUS INTERPHASES

By transforming the governing equations for displacement components into Riccati equations, analytical solutions for displacements, strains and stresses for Representive Volume Elements (RVEs) of particle_ and fiber_reinforced composites containing inhomo geneous interphases were obtained. The analytical solutions derived here are new and general for power_law variations of the elastic moduli of the inhomogeneous interphases. Given a power exponent, analytical expressions for the bulk moduli of the composites with inho mogeneous interphases can be obtained. By changing the power exponent and the coefficients of the power terms, the solutions derived here can be applied to inhomogeneous interphases with many different property profiles. The results show that the modulus variation and the thickness of the inhomogeneous interphase have great effect on the bulk moduli of the composites. The particle will exhibit a sort of “size effect”, if there is an interphase.

Development and application of novel high‐efficiency composite ultrafine cement grouts for roadway in fractured surrounding rocks

The fractured surrounding rocks of roadways pose major challenges to safe mining.Grouting has often been used to reinforce the surrounding rocks to mitigate the safety risks associated with fractured rocks.The aim of this study is to develop highly efficient composite ultrafine cement(CUC)grouts to reinforce the roadway in fractured surrounding rocks.The materials used are ultrafine cement(UC),ultrafine fly ash(UF),ultrafine slag(US),and additives(superplasticizer[SUP],aluminate ultrafine expansion agent[AUA],gypsum,and retarder).The fluidity,bleeding,shrinkage,setting time,chemical composition,microstructure,degree of hydration,and mechanical property of grouting materials were evaluated in this study.Also,a suitable and effective CUC grout mixture was used to reinforce the roadway in the fractured surrounding rock.The results have shown that the addition of UF and US reduces the plastic viscosity of CUC,and the best fluidity can be obtained by adding 40%UF and 10%US.Since UC and UF particles are small,the pozzolanic effect of UF promotes the hydration reaction,which is conductive to the stability of CUC grouts.In addition,fine particles of UC,UF,and US can effectively fill the pores,while the volumetric expansion of AUA and gypsum decreases the pores and thus affects the microstructure of the solidified grout.The compressive test results have shown that the addition of specific amounts of UF and US can ameliorate the mechanical properties of CUC grouts.Finally,the CUC22‐8 grout was used to reinforce the No.20322 belt roadway.The results of numerical simulation and field monitoring have indicated that grouting can efficaciously reinforce the surrounding rock of the roadway.In this research,high‐performance CUC grouts were developed for surrounding rock reinforcement of underground engineering by utilizing UC and some additives.