Nonlinear Micromechanical Modelling of Transverse Tensile Damage Behavior in Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites

The investigation focusing on the mechanical behaviors at the microstructural level in composite materials can provide valuable insight into the failure mechanisms at larger scales.A micromechanics damage model which comprises the coupling of the matrix constitutive model and the cohesive zone(CZM)model at fiber-matrix interfaces is presented to evaluate the transverse tensile damage behaviors of unidirectional(UD)fiber-reinforced polymer(FRP)composites.For the polymeric matrix that exhibits highly non-linear mechanical responses,special focus is paid on the formulation of the constitutive model,which characterizes a mixture of elasticity,plasticity as well as damage.The proposed constitutive model includes the numerical implementation of a fracture plane based ellipse-parabola criterion that is an extension of the classic Mohr-Coulomb criterion,corresponding post-yield flow rule and post-failure degradation rule in the fully implicit integration scheme.The numerical results are in good agreement with experimental measurements.It is found that directly using the matrix properties measured at the ply level to characterize the mechanical responses at the constituent level may bring large discrepancies in homogenized stress-strain responses and dominant failure mechanisms.The distribution of fracture plane angles in matrix is predicted,where it is shown to provide novel insight into the microscopic damage initiation and accumulation under transverse tension.

Structural Design Strategies of Polymer Matrix Composites for Electromagnetic Interference Shielding:A Review

With the widespread application of electronic communication technology,the resulting electromagnetic radiation pollution has been significantly increased.Metal matrix electromagnetic interference(EMI)shielding materials have disadvantages such as high density,easy corrosion,difficult processing and high price,etc.Polymer matrix EMI shielding composites possess light weight,corrosion resistance and easy processing.However,the current polymer matrix composites present relatively low electrical conductivity and poor EMI shielding performance.This review firstly discusses the key concept,loss mechanism and test method of EMI shielding.Then the current development status of EMI shielding materials is summarized,and the research progress of polymer matrix EMI shielding composites with different structures is illustrated,especially for their preparation methods and evaluation.Finally,the corresponding key scientific and technical problems are proposed,and their development trend is also prospected.

A comprehensive review on material selection for polymer matrix composites subjected to impact load

Polymer matrix composites(PMC)are extensively been used in many engineering applications.Various natural fibers have emerged as potential replacements to synthetic fibers as reinforcing materials composites owing to their fairly better mechanical properties,low cost,environment friendliness and biodegradability.Selection of appropriate constituents of composites for a particular application is a tedious task for a designer/engineer.Impact loading has emerged as the serious threat for the composites used in structural or secondary structural application and demands the usage of appropriate fiber and matrix combination to enhance the energy absorption and mitigate the failure.The objective of the present review is to explore the composite with various fiber and matrix combination used for impact applications,identify the gap in the literature and suggest the potential naturally available fiber and matrix combination of composites for future work in the field of impact loading.The novelty of the present study lies in exploring the combination of naturally available fiber and matrix combination which can help in better energy absorption and mitigate the failure when subjected to impact loading.In addition,the application of multi attributes decision making(MADM)tools is demonstrated for selection of fiber and matrix materials which can serve as a benchmark study for the researchers in future.

Prediction of Viscoelastic Behavior of Unidirectional Polymer Matrix Composites

To develop a novel method predicting the viscoelastic behavior of polymer matrix composites according to the viscoelasticity of the matrix, we used the viscoelastic model of the matrix to build new models for unidirectional composites in both 0° and 90° directions. Viscoelastic parameters for both new models were derived, and the obtained equations shared the same form as the viscoelastic constitutive equation of matrix material. The viscoelastic behaviors of matrix material and unidirectional composites were also tested. Results showed that fitting parameters of creep compliance equation were close to the theoretical values of viscoelastic constitutive parameters of the unidirectional composites, proving the validity of the models. A new method was obtained to predict the viscoelastic property of the unidirectional composites based on the viscoelastic property of composite matrix and elastic property of the unidirectional composites. This method provides a theoretical basis for future studies on the viscoelasticity of composite laminates.

Preparation and Compressive Stress Effect of Polymer Matrix RE-Fe Giant Magnetostrictive Composite

Polymer matrix RE-Fe giant magnetostrictire composite （GMPC） was prepared using bonding and magnetic field forming technique, and magnetostriction of samples was measured for different compressive stress. The experimental results show thai there is certain compressive effect in GMPC. And the influence of compressive stress on magnetostriction of sample was investigated. It offers essential reference for application and device design of GMPC.

Effect of nano powder(Al2O3-CaO)addition on the mechanical properties of the polymer blend matrix composite

This work describes the preparation and study of the properties of composite nanoparticles prepared by the sol-gel method which consists of two materials(Al2 O3-CaO),and study the effect of these nanoparticles on the mechanical behavior of a polymer blend(EP 4%+96%UPE).The powder was evaluated by X-ray diffraction analysis,scanning electron microscopy analysis(SEM),particle size analysis,and energy dispersive X-ray analysis(EDX).The mechanical behavior of the co mposite material was assessed by tensile test,bending test and hardness test.The evaluation results of the composite nanoparticles showed good distribution of the chemical composition between aluminum oxide and calcium oxide,smoothness in particles’size at calcination in high and low temperatures,formation of different shapes of nanoparticles and different(kappa and gamma)phases of the Al2 O particles.The results of mechanical behavior tests showed marked improvement in the mechanical properties of the resulted composite material,especially at 1.5%,compared with polymer blend material without nano powder addition.The tensile properties improved about(24 and 14.9)%and bending resistance about(23.5 and16.8)%and hardness by(25 and 22)%when adding particles of size(63.8 and 68.6)respectively.Therefore,this reflects the efficiency of the proposed method to manufacture the nanoco mposite powder and the possibility of using this powder as a strengthening material for the composite materials and using these composite materials in bio applications,especially in the fabrication of artificial limbs.

Thermal conductivity model of filled polymer composites

Theoretical and empirical models for predicting the thermal conductivity of polymer composites were summarized since the 1920s.The effects of particle shape,filler amount,dispersion state of fillers,and interfacial thermal barrier on the thermal conductivity of filled polymer composites were investigated,and the agreement of experimental data with theoretical models in literatures was discussed.Silica with high thermal conductivity was chosen to mix with polyvinyl-acetate （EVA） copolymer to prepare SiO2/EVA co-films.Experimental data of the co-films＇ thermal conductivity were compared with some classical theoretical and empirical models.The results show that Agari＇s model,the mixed model,and the percolation model can predict well the thermal conductivity of SiO2/EVA co-films.

Material selection of polymeric composite automotive bumper beam using analytical hierarchy process

Selection of materials,as an area of design research,has been under considerable interest over the years.Materials selection is one of the most important activities in the product development process.Inappropriate decision of materials can cause the product to be reproduced or remanufactured.To avoid this circumstance,one of the useful tools that can be employed in determining the most appropriate material is analytical hierarchy process(AHP).To illustrate the application of AHP,six different types of composite materials were considered.The most appropriate one for suitability of use in manufacturing automotive bumper beam was determined by considering eight main selection factors and 12 sub-factors.The AHP analysis reveals that the glass fibre epoxy is the most appropriate material because it has the highest value(25.7%,mass fraction) compared with other materials.The final material is obtained by performing six different scenarios of the sensitivity analysis.It is proved that glass fibre epoxy is the most optimum decision.

Fabrication and Characterization of Glass Fiber with SiC Reinforced Polymer Composites

Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymeric (GFRP) Composites are most commonly used as bumpers for vehicles, electrical equipment panels, and medical devices enclosures. These materials are also widely used for structural applications in aerospace, automotive, and in providing alternatives to traditional metallic materials. The paper fabricated epoxy and polyester resin composites by using silicon carbide in various proportions along with GFRP. The hand lay-up technique was used to fabricate the laminates. To determine the properties of fabricated composites, the tensile, impact, and flexural tests were conducted. This method of fabrication was very simple and cost-effective. Their mechanical properties like yield strength, yield strain, Young’s modulus, flexural modulus, and impact energy were investigated. The mechanical properties of the GFRP composites were also compared with the fiber volume fraction. The fiber volume fraction plays a major role in the mechanical properties of GFRP composites. Young’s modulus and tensile strength of fabricated composites were modelled and compared with measured values. The results show that composites with epoxy resin demonstrate higher strength and modulus compared to composites with polyester resin.

Ultrathin poly(cyclocarbonate-ether)-based composite electrolyte reinforced with high-strength functional skeleton

Composite polymer electrolytes(CPEs)are considered to be the most promising to break through the performance and safety limitations of traditional lithium-ion batteries because of their excellent electrochemical and mechanical properties.Aiming at the performance limitations of the most common polyether matrix such as poly(ethylene oxide)(PEO),a novel poly(cyclocarbonate-ether)polymer matrix was prepared by in-situ thermal curing,the weaker interaction between its C=O bond and Li^(+)can promote the rapid transport of Li^(+).Adding ionic liquid and active filler LLZTO to the matrix can synergistically reduce the crystallinity of matrix and promote the dissociation of lithium salts.In addition,a 3D functional skeleton made of polyacrylonitrile(PAN)and lithium fluoride(LiF)can greatly improve the mechanical strength of polymer matrix after cold pressing,and Li F is also conducive to interface stability.The thickness of the optimal sample(VP6L/CPL)was only 25μm,and its ionic conductivity,lithium ion transference number,and electrochemical stability window were as high as 7.17×10^(-4)S cm^(-1)(25℃),0.54 and 5.4 V,respectively,while the mechanical strength reaches 6.1 MPa,which can fully inhibit the growth of lithium dendrites.The excellent electrochemical performance and mechanical strength enable the assembled Li|VP6L/CPL|Li battery to be continuously charged for over 200 h and cycled stably for more than 2300 h,and Li|VP6L/CPL|LFP battery can be stably cycled for more than 400 and 550 cycles at 1 C(40℃)and 0.5 C(25℃),respectively.

Inherent relationship between process parameters,crystallization and mechanical properties of continuous carbon fiber reinforced PEEK composites

High-performance thermoplastic composites have been developed as significant structural materials for cutting-edge equipment in the aerospace and defence fields.However,the internal mechanism of processing parameters on mechanical properties in the manufacturing process of thermoplastic composite structures is still a serious challenge.The purpose of this study is to investigate the process/crystallization/property relationships for continuous carbon fiber(CF)reinforced polyether-ether-ketone(PEEK)composites.The composite laminates are fabricated according to orthogonal experiments via the thermoforming method.The mechanical performance is investigated in terms of crystallization properties and fracture morphology characterizations.Experimental results show that the mechanical performance and crystallization properties of thermoplastic composites are significantly affected by the coupling of processing parameters.The increased molding temperature,pressure,and holding time improve the degree of fiber/matrix infiltration and affect the crystallinity and crystalline morphology of the matrix,which further influences the mechanical properties of the composites.This is reflected in the test results that crystallinity has an approximately linear effect on mode-I interlaminar fracture toughness and transverse flexural modulus.As well as the higher molding temperature can destroy the pre-existent crystals to improve the toughness of the matrix,and the well-defined crystalline structures can be observed when fabricated at higher temperatures and longer periods of holding time.

The Polymeric Heterogemeous Matrix for Carbon and Glass Reinforced Plastic

This article presents the results of deformation-strength properties measurement and microstructural analysis of heterogeneous polymer matrix consisting of thermoset and thermoplastic polymers. Thermosetting material is a diamino-diphenil sulfon-cured epoxy oligomer. Polysulfone was used as thermoplastic material. Two different technological processes were used to obtain heterogeneous polymer matrix: the material was mixed in the block, or layered material was produced in which a layer of thermoplastic material alternated with a layer of epoxy oligomer.

Nanoparticles Transport in Ceramic Matriсes: A Novel Approach for Ceramic Matrix Composites Fabrication

The results of practical implementation of a new method for porous piezoceramics, and ceramic matrix piezocomposites fabrication were presented. The method was based on nanoparticles transport in ceramic matrices using a polymer nanogranules coated or filled with a various chemicals, with successive porous ceramics fabrication processes. Different types of polymer microgranules filled and coated by metal-containing nanoparticles were used for a pilot samples fabrication. Polymer microgranules were examined using transmission and scanning electron microscopy as well as by EXAFS and X-ray emission spectroscopy. Pilot samples of nano- and microporous ceramics and composites were fabricated using different piezoceramics compositions (PZT, lead potassium niobate and lead titanate) as a ceramic matrix bases. Resulting ceramic matrix piezocomposites were composed by super lattices of closed or open pores filled or coated by nanoparticles of metals, oxides, ferromagnetics etc. embedded in piezoceramic matrix. Dielectric and piezoelectric parameters of pilot samples were measured using piezoelectric resonance analysis method. New family of nano- and microporous piezoceramics and ceramic matrix piezocomposites are characterized by a unique spectrum of the electrophysical properties unachievable for standard PZT ceramic compositions and fabrication methods.

Inter laminar shear strength behavior of acid,base and silane treated E-glass fibre epoxy resin composites on drilling process

In this present work siliconized e-glass fibre reinforced epoxy resin composite has been prepared and compared with acid and base treated e-glass fibre epoxy composites to know the significant advantage of silane treatment on fibre. The composites were fabricated by laying 20, 30 and 40vol% of e-glass fibre into epoxy resin matrix. The e-glass fibre woven mat was surface treated by an amine functional coupling agent 3-Aminopropyletrimethoxysilane(APTMS). The fibres were surface treated by aqueous solution method and thermo assisted to create silinol groups. Similarly for acid treatment H_2SO_4 and base treatment Na OH with 1N concentration was used for surface treating the fibres. Effectiveness of silane treatment on glass fibre was compared by inter laminar shear strength test according to ASTM D 2344.Drilling process with varying diameter drill bit and varying cutting speed was applied to check the composites for their delamination resistance while machining. Maximum improvement of 15%, 12.5% and9%(20, 30 and 40 vol %) on ILSS was achieved for siliconized e-glass fibre reinforced epoxy composites.The scanning electron microscopy images revealed that no fibre pull out was present on fractured surfaces of composites which contains siliconized e-glass fibre. Similarly better dimensional accuracy was achieved on drilling process for composites contains siliconized e-glass fibre.

Production and characterisation of new bioresorbable radiopaque Mg–Zn–Y alloy to improve X-ray visibility of polymeric scaffolds

For the medical diagnosis,radiopaque materials(RM)made from high specific gravity elements like Pt,Au,Ta,Iodine,Bromine are either attached or blended or coated on an implant to makes it detectable under X-ray/Fluoroscopy/CT-Scan.RM facilitate the surgeon in an operation theatre to position an implant during the surgery.Mainly,RM are non-degradable,thus in case of biodegradable implants,it may detach from the body and accumulate in vital organ cause serious health issue.Therefore,a new bioresorbable radiopaque material(BRM)was produced by alloying the high specific gravity elements Zn(35%w/w)and Y(4%w/w)with Mg metal.In this alloy,three main phases were identified,alpha Mg,Mg_(7)Zn_(3)and icosahedral quasicrystalline I-phase Mg3Zn6Y,which reinforce the Mg matrix.Hereafter,BRM was powdered to a size of less than 25 microns and blended in different ratios with bioresorbable poly-L-lactic acid(PLLA)for fabricating PLLA/BRM bio-composite.BRM microparticles were uniformly distributed and interfacial bonded with the matrix.The X-ray was passed through bio-composite to captureμCT radiograph for evaluating linear attenuation co-efficient(μ)and optical density(OD).Thermal analysis reveals that BRM particles act as a nucleating site and enhance the crystallinity of the polymeric chain.During the In Vitro accelerated degradation study,the alkaline nature of BRM neutralise the acidity of PLLA and balance the pH of the body fluid to reduce the inflammatory reactions,but this compromises the stability of the polymer as it increases the decomposition rate.

Physical dispersion state and fluorescent property of Eu-complex in the Eu-complex/silicon rubber composites

The fluorescent complex Eu（TTA）2（Phen）（MA） （HTTA=2-Thenoyltrifluoroacetone, Phen=1,10-phenanthroline, MA=Maleic an- hydrider） was synthesized and characterized with elemental analysis, infrared spectrum （IR）, scanning electron microscope （SEM）, X-ray Diffraction（XRD）, differential scanning calorimetry（DSC）, and fluorescent measurement. To explore the effect of different physical dispersion state of Eu-complex on the fluorescent property of the Eu-complex/silicon rubber composites, various quantifies of Eu（TTA）2（phen） （MA） were mixed with silicon rubber （SIR） and peroxide to form uncured composites. These composites were vulcanized to obtain cured Eu-complex/SiR composites at 250 ℃, which was higher than the melting-point of Eu-complex. The SEM, XRD, DSC, and the fluorescent measurement of these composites showed that both the complex molecules dispersed in the silicon rubber during the melting process and the parent Eu-complex particles had positive effects on fluorescent property, whereas the re-crystallized Eu-complex particles and the aggregating complexes formed during the melting-process had negative effects on fluorescent property. For the uncured composites, their fluorescent intensities almost did not change with the increasing amount of Eu-complex. Furthermore, for the composites with small content of Eu-complex, their fluorescent intensities decreased significantly after curing, and this difference in fluorescent intensity became smaller as the content of Eu-complex increases.

Composite Materials Damage Modeling Based on Dielectric Properties

Composite materials, by nature, are universally dielectric. The distribution of the phases, including voids and cracks, has a major influence on the dielectric properties of the composite materials. The dielectric relaxation behavior measured by Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy (BbDS) is often caused by interfacial polarization, which is known as Maxwell-Wagner-Sillars polarization that develops because of the heterogeneity of the composite materials. A prominent mechanism in the low frequency range is driven by charge accumulation at the interphases between different constituent phases. In our previous work, we observed in-situ changes in dielectric behavior during static tensile testing, and also studied the effects of applied mechanical and ambient environments on composite material damage states based on the evaluation of dielectric spectral analysis parameters. In the present work, a two dimensional conformal computational model was developed using a COMSOL™multi-physics module to interpret the effective dielectric behavior of the resulting composite as a function of applied frequency spectra, especially the effects of volume fraction, the distribution of the defects inside of the material volume, and the influence of the permittivity and Ohmic conductivity of the host materials and defects.

Structure and Properties of Natural Rubber/Zinc Disorbate Composite

The natural rubber/zinc disorbate composite was prepared by the in situ formation of zinc disorbate from zinc oxide and sorbic acid in natural rubber. The structure variations of fillers during mixing and vulcanization processes were studied by X-ray diffraction(XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR). The effects of zinc disorbate amount on processing performance and glass transition temperature(Tg) of compounds and the mechanical properties of vulcanizates were also determined. The XRD and FTIR analyses results indicate that the zinc disorbate is formed from the reaction of zinc oxide and sorbic acid during the mixing procedure followed by graft copolymerizing with NR molecules to form composite networks during vulcanization, which is initiated by dicumyl peroxide. Thus the mechanical properties of NR-based composite are increased significantly and Tg shifted towards to higher temperature.

Flexural Stress Homogenization Effects of Interfacial Transition Layers in Modified ZrB2-Al2O3/Epoxy Composites

The effect of interfacial modification on flexural strength of epoxy composites filled with modified ZrB2-Al2O3 composite fillers was investigated in order to explore the stress distribution of modified composites under external load. The mechanical performance of epoxy composites filled with 0 vol%, 1 vol%, 3 vol% and 5 vol% unmodified and modified ZrB2-Al2O3 fillers was characterized by three point bending(TPB) tests. The fracture surfaces of epoxy composites were observed by scanning electronic microscope(SEM). The results showed that the epoxy composite reinforced by 1 vol%modified fillers exhibited the optimal mechanical performance. According to the Von Mises stress contours simulated by finite element models(FEM) and the SEM images, it was shown that the modified ZrB2-Al2O3 multiphase fillers could homogenize the stress in the epoxy composites due to the transition effect resulted from the interfacial modification layers on the surfaces of multiphase fillers. It contributed to the improvement of mechanical performance of epoxy composites further.

Dynamic Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Cross-linked Polystyrene/Glass Fiber Composites

Cross-linked polystyrene/glass fiber composites were fabricated using cross-linked polystyrene （CLPS） as matrix and E-glass fiber as the reinforcement. Surfaces of E-glass fibers were modified by vinyl triethoxysilane （VTES）, vinyl trimethoxysilane （VTMS） and γ-methacryloylpropyl trimethoxysilane （MPS）. The treated glass fibers were analyzed by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FTIR）. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis （DMTA） and thermo-gravimetric analysis （TGA） were employed to investigate the effect of glass fibers surface modification on viscoelastic behavior and thermal properties. The morphology of fracture surfaces of various composites was observed by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The results revealed that these coupling agents were connected to the surfaces of the fibers by chemical bonding. Dynamic mechanical properties as well as thermal stability of the composites were improved considerablely, but to varying degrees depending on the fiber modification. The diversities of improvement of properties were attributed to the different interfacial adhesion between CLPS matrix and the glass fibers.