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.

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.

Influence of Low-velocity Impact on Damage Behavior of Carbon Fiber-reinforced Composites

A combination of experimental measurements and numerical analysis was utilized to study the low-velocity impact damage of domestic carbon fiber-reinforced composites(CFRCs).The results indicated that the low-velocity impact damage induced pits and longitudinal cracks on the front side,oblique cracks and delaminationin on the back side.The pit depth increased with the increasing impact energy.It was demonstrated that the numerical analysis strain history curve was similar to the experimentally measured strain history curve,which verified the accuracy of numerical analysis in which the Hashin failure criterion was used.The work provides basic data and theoretical basis for the promotion and application of the domestic carbon fiber,and demonstrates the feasibility of replacing imported carbon fibers with domestic carbon fibers.

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.

Properties of frictional bridging in fiber pull-out for fiber-reinforced composites

Stress equilibrium equations, boundary- and continuity-conditions were used to establish a theoretical model of progressive debonding with friction at the debonded interface. On a basis of the minimum complementary energy principle, an expression for the energy release rate G was derived to explore the interfacial fracture properties. An interfacial debonding crite- rion G≥Γi was introduced to determine the critical debond length and the bridging law. Numerical calculation results for fi- ber-reinforced composite SCS-6/Ti-6Al-4V were compared with those obtained by using the shear-lag models.

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF 2D FIBER-REINFORCED COMPOSITES USING BOUNDARY ELEMENT METHOD

The boundary dement method was improved for the 2D elastic composites with randomly distributed inclusions. This problem can be reduced to a boundary integral equation for a multi-connected domain. Further, considering the matrices of the tractions and displacements for each group of the identical inclusion were the same, an effective computational scheme was designed, since the orders of the resulting matrix equations can be greatly reduced. Numerical examples indicate that this boundary element method scheme is more effective than the conventional multi-domain boundary element method for such a problem. The present scheme can be used to investigate the effective mechanical properties of the fiber-reinforced composites.

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 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.

Compressive Strength Estimation for the Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP)-Confined Concrete Columns with Different Shapes Using Artificial Neural Networks

An evaluation of existing strength of concrete columns confined with fiber-reinforced polymer( FRP) was presented with extensive collection of experimental data. According to the evaluation results, artificial neural networks( ANNs) model to predict the ultimate strength of FRP confined column with different shapes was proposed. The models had seven inputs including the column length,the tensile strength of the FRP in the hoop direction,the total thickness of FRP,the diameter of the concrete specimen,the elastic modulus of FRP,the corner radius and the concrete compressive strength. The compressive strength of the confined concrete was the output data. The results reveal that the proposed models have good prediction and generalization capacity with acceptable errors.

A Biomimetic Model of Fiber-reinforced Composite Materials

In thjs paper. bamboo fiber has been. on micro scale. investigated as a helical. multi-layered hollow cylinder, the stiffness featu res of bamboo bast fiber were compared with those of a multifilament yarn in traditional fiber-reinforced composite materials, Moreover. a biomimetic model of the reinforce ment of fiber-reinforced composite materials was proposed by imitating the fine structure of bamboo bast fiber. The results show that the comprehensive stiffness properties of the cornplicated fine struc ture of bamboo fiber is superior over those of traditional fiber-reinforced composites.

The finite element analysis of articular cartilage fiber-reinforced composite model under rolling load

Articular cartilage is a layer of low-friction,load-bearing soft hydrated tissue covering bone-ends in diarthrosis,which plays an important role in spreading the load,reducing the joint contact stress,joint friction and wear during exercise.The vital mechanical function

基于有限元和DIC测试对FRP部分约束混凝土柱应变响应及数值模型研究

纤维增强聚合物(FRP)部分约束混凝土应用可以提高混凝土的承载力和经济价值。然而,FRP部分约束混凝土在垂直方向上不均匀应变响应还不够深入,应力-应变模型不够准确。本文通过应变片和数字图像相关(DIC)记录对FRP部分约束混凝土进行了轴向压缩试验,并利用ABAQUS有限元建立了包括0/1,1/4,1/3,1/2,2/3,3/4和1/1约束面积比的部分约束混凝土。试验结果表明:DIC和应变片结果分别反应了垂直和水平方向的应变规律,即试件在应变硬化或应变软化响应下均发生了明显的应变局部化;有限元结果能捕捉到试件表面约束力与x,y和z三轴的应变关系,得到了不同约束面积比的FRP部分约束混凝土柱的应力-应变关系,所提出的应力-应变模型能有较高的预测效果。

Disbond detection with piezoelectric wafer active sensors in RC structures strengthened with FRP composite overlays

The capability of embedded piezoelectric wafer active sensors(PWAS)to perform in-situ nondestructive evaluation(NDE)for structural health monitoring(SHM)of reinforced concrete(RC)structures strengthened with fiber reinforced polymer(FRP)composite overlays is explored.First,the disbond detection method were developed on coupon specimens consisting of concrete blocks covered with an FRP composite layer.It was found that the presence of a disbond crack drastically changes the electromecfianical(E/M)impedance spectrum lneasurcd at the PWAS terlninals.The spectral changes depend on the distance between the PWAS and the crack tip.Second,large scale experiments were conducted on a RC beam strengthened with carbon fiber reinforced polymer(CFRP)composite overlay.The beam was subject to an accelerated fatigue load regime in a three-point bending configuration up to a total of 807,415 cycles.During these fatigue tests,the CFRP overlay experienced disbonding beginning at about 500,000 cycles.The PWAS were able to detect the disbonding before it could be reliably seen by visual inspection.Good correlation between the PWAS readings and the position and extent of disbond damage was observed.These preliminary results demonstrate the potential of PWAS technology for SHM of RC structures strengthened with FRP composite overlays.

Electromagnetic Shielding and Absorption Properties of Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Composites

In order to investigate the electromagnetic shielding effectiveness （SE） and absorbing properties of fiber reinforced concrete, steel fiber, carbon fiber and synthetic polyvinyl alcohol （PVA） fiber reinforced concrete were researched. The results show that with the increase of fiber Volume fraction, the SE and trend of frequency change of corresponding fiber reinforced concrete are enhanced. When the volume content of steel fiber is 3%, the SE of concrete is above 50 dB and its frequency is above 1.8 GHz. Moreover, in the range of 8-18 GHz, steel fiber, carbon fiber and PVA fiber all can improve the microwave absorption properties of concrete. The concrete with 0.5% carbon fiber can achieve the best absorbing property, the minimum reflectivity is about -7 dB; while steel fiber optimal volume fraction is 2%. The reflectivity curve of PVA fiber reinforced concrete fluctuates with the frequency, and the minimum value of the reflectivity is below -10 dB. The results show that fiber reinforced concrete could be used as EMI（electromagnetic interference） prevention buildings by attenuating and reflecting electromagnetic wave energy.

Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Bridge Design in the Netherlands： Architectural Challenges toward Innovative, Sustainable, and Durable Bridges

This paper reviews the use of fiber-reinforced polymers （FRPs） in architectural and structural bridge design in the Netherlands. The challenges and opportunities of this relatively new material, both for the architect and the engineer, are discussed. An inventory of recent structural solutions in FRP is included, followed by a discussion on architectural FRP applications derived from the architectural practice of the author and of other pioneers.

Analysis and Control of Surface Delamination Defects During Milling of Orthogonal Aramid Fiber‑Reinforced Composites Laminates

The aramid fiber-reinforced composites(AFRC)can increase the durability of corresponding applications such as aerospace,automobile and other large structural parts,due to the improvement in hardness,heat build-up,wear properties and green environmental protection.However,because of its complex multiphase structure and unique heterogeneity and anisotropy,the poor compression fatigue resistance and the incident surface fibrillation are inevitable.To improve the assembly precision of AFRC,mechanical processing is necessary to meet the dimensional accuracy.This paper focuses on the influence of contour milling parameters on delamination defects during milling of AFRC laminates.A series of milling experiments are conducted and two different kinds of delamination defects including tearing delamination and uncut-off delamination are investigated.A computing method and model based on brittle fracture for the two different types of delamination are established.The results can be used for explaining the mechanism and regularity of delamination defects.The control strategy of delamination defects and evaluation method of finished surface integrity are further discussed.The results are meaningful to optimize cutting parameters,and provide a clear understanding of surface defects control.

An Expert System in FRP Composite Material Design

An expert system prototype for fibre-reinforced plastic matrix (FRP) composite material design, ESFRP, has been developed. The system consists of seven main functional parts: a general inference engine, a set of knowledge bases, a material properties algorithm base, an explanation engine, various data bases, several function models and the user interface. The ESFRP can simulate human experts to make design scheme for fibre-reinforced plastics design, FRP layered plates design and FRP typical engineering components design. It can also predict the material properties and make strength analysis according to the micro and macro mechanics of composite materials. A satisfied result can be gained through the reiterative design.

Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Sugar Palm Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic Polyurethane Composites:Effect of Silane Treatment and Fiber Loading

The aim of the present study was to develop sugar palm fiber(SPF)reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane(TPU)composites and to investigate the effects of fiber surface modification by 2%silane treatment and fiber loading(0,10,20,30,40 and 50 wt%)on the mechanical and thermal properties of the obtained composites.Surface treatment was employed to improve the fiber-matrix interface,which was expected to boost the mechanical strength of the composites,in terms of tensile,flexural and impact properties.Thermal properties were also investigated by thermal gravimetric analysis(TGA)and dynamic mechanical analysis(DMA)to assess the thermal stability of the developed composites.Furthermore,scanning electron microscopy(SEM)was used to study the tensile fracture samples of composites with a view towards evaluating the effects of fiber surface treatments on the fiber/matrix interfacial bonding.The findings of this study reveal that the silane treatment has determined good bonding and linkage of the cellulose fiber to the TPU matrix,hence contributing to enhanced mechanical and thermal properties of the composites.The composite formulation with 40 wt%sugar palm fiber loading showed optimum values such as 17.22 MPa for tensile,13.96 MPa for flexural,and 15.47 kJ/m^2 for impact strength.Moreover,the formulations with higher fiber content exhibited satisfactory values of storage modulus and thermal degradation,while their good interfacial adhesion was evidenced by SEM images.

Structural Performance of Light Weight Multicellular FRP Composite Bridge Deck Using Finite Element Analysis

Fiber reinforced polymer （FRP） composite materials having advantages such as higher strength to weight than conventional engineering materials, non-corrosiveness and modularization, which should help engineers to obtain more efficient and cost effective structural materials and systems. Currently, FRP composites are becoming more popular in civil engineering applications. The objectives of this research are to study performance and behavior of light weight multi-cellular FRP composite bridge decks （both module and system levels） under various loading conditions through finite element modeling, and to validate analytical response of FRP composite bridge decks with data from laboratory evaluations. The relative deflection, equivalent flexural rigidity, failure load （mode） and load distribution factors （LDF） based on FE results have been compared with experimental data and discussed in detail. The finite element results showing good correlations with experimental data are presented in this work.

Fabrication of solid-phase-sintered Si C-based composites with short carbon fibers

Solid-phase-sintered Si C-based composites with short carbon fibers（Csf/SSi C） in concentrations ranging from 0 to 10wt% were prepared by pressureless sintering at 2100°C. The phase composition, microstructure, density, and flexural strength of the composites with different Csf contents were investigated. SEM micrographs showed that the Csf distributed in the SSi C matrix homogeneously with some gaps at the fiber/matrix interfaces. The densities of the composites decreased with increasing Csf content. However, the bending strength first increased and then decreased with increasing Csf content, reaching a maximum value of 390 MPa at a Csf content of 5wt%, which was 60 MPa higher than that of SSi C because of the pull-out strengthening mechanism. Notably, Csf was graphitized and damaged during the sintering process because of the high temperature and reaction with boron derived from the sintering additive B4C; this graphitization degraded the fiber strengthening effect.