Damage mechanics and energy absorption capabilities of naturalfiber reinforced elastomeric based bio composite for sacrificial structural applications

The present study deals with the experimental, finite element (FE) and analytical assessment of low ballistic impact response of proposedflexible'green' composite make use of naturally available jute and rubber as the constituents of the composite with stacking sequences namely jute/rubber/jute (JRJ), jute/rubber/rubber/jute (JRRJ) and jute/rubber/jute/rubber/jute (JRJRJ). Ballistic impact tests were carried out by firing a conical projectile using a gas gun apparatus at lower range of ballistic impact regime. The ballistic impact response of the proposed flexible composites are assesses based on energy absorption and damage mechanism. Results revealed that inclusion of natural rubber aids in better energy ab-sorption and mitigating the failure of the proposed composite. Among the three different stacking se-quences of flexible composites considered, JRJRJ provides better ballistic performance compared to its counterparts. The damage study reveals that the main mechanism of failure involved in flexible com-posites is matrix tearing as opposed to matrix cracking in stiff composites indicating that the proposedflexible composites are free from catastrophic failure. Results obtained from experimental, FE and analytical approach pertaining to energy absorption and damage mechanism agree well with each other. The proposed flexible composites due to their exhibited energy absorption capabilities and damage mechanism are best suited as claddings for structural application subjected to impact with an aim of protecting the main structural component from being failed catastrophically.     

抗超高速撞击多层结构复合材料研究

本文介绍了抗超高速撞击多层结构复合材料的设计、制备和实验,并对结果进行了讨论,实验证明,以SiC陶瓷基复合材料为防护层、以空心微珠或多孔变密度复合材料为缓冲层、以编织物复合材料为结构层的多层结构复合材料,具有面密度低、抗撞击速度范围宽、抗撞击性能好的特点。     

An investigation on anti-impact and penetration performance of basalt fiber composites with different weave and lay-up modes

The woven basalt fiber composites (WBFC) and the unidirectional [0°/90°/45°/-45°]_s basalt fiber composites (UBFC) were prepared by hot-pressing. Three-point bending test, low velocity impact test, and ballistic test were performed to the prepared composites. After the tests, the specimens were recovered and analyzed for micromorphology. Three-point bending tests show that both the bending strength and stiffness of the WBFC surpass those of the UBFC. Low velocity impact test results show that the low velocity impact resistance to hemispherical impactor of the UBFC is higher than that of the WBFC, but the low velocity impact resistance to sharp impactor of the UBFC is lower than that of the WBFC. For the ballistic test, it can be found that the ballistic property of the UBFC is higher than that of the WBFC. After the tests, microscopic analysis of the specimens was applied, and their failure mechanism was discussed. The main failure modes of the UBFC are delamination and fibers breakage under the above loading conditions while the main failure mode of the WBFC is fibers breakage. Although delamination damage can be found in the WBFC under the above loading conditions, the degree of delamination is far less than that of the UBFC.     

Investigation of the mechanical and ballistic properties of hybrid carbon/ aramid woven laminates

High-performance ballistic fibers, such as aramid fiber and ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), are commonly used in anti-ballistic structures due to their low density, high tensile strength and high specific modulus. However, their low modulus in the thickness direction and insufficient shear strength limits their application in certain ballistic structure. In contrast, carbon fiber reinforced epoxy resin matrix composites (CFRP) have the characteristics of high modulus in the thickness direction and high shear resistance. However, carbon fibers are rarely used and applied for protection purposes. A hybridization with aramid fiber reinforced epoxy resin matrix composites (AFRP) and CFRP has the potential to improve the stiffness and the ballistic property of the typical ballistic fiber composites. The hybrid effects on the flexural property and ballistic performance of the hybrid CFRP/AFRP laminates were investigated. Through conducting mechanical property tests and ballistic tests, two sets of reliable simulation parameters for AFRP and CFRP were established using LS-DYNA software, respectively. The experimental results suggested that by increasing the content of CFRP that the flexural properties of hybrid CFRP/AFRP laminates were enhanced. The ballistic tests’ results and the simulation illustrated that the specific energy absorption by the perforation method of CFRP achieved 77.7% of AFRP. When CFRP was on the striking face, the shear resistance of the laminates and the resistance force to the projectiles was promoted at the initial penetration stage. The proportion of fiber tensile failures in the AFRP layers was also enhanced with the addition of CFRP during the penetration process. These improvements resulted in the ballistic performance of hybrid CFRP/AFRP laminates was better than AFRP when the CFRP content was 20 wt% and 30 wt%.     

Synergistic effect of hybrid Himalayan Nettle/Bauhinia-vahlii fibers on physico-mechanical and sliding wear properties of epoxy composites

The cellulosic bast fibers are recognized as a justifiable and biodegradable substitute for producing moderate strength polymer composite materials because of their characteristics of renewability, eco-friendliness, and higher specific strength. Hence the aim of this research work is to fabricate Himalayan bast fibers (Nettle fiber (NF)/bauhinia vahlii fiber (BF)) based mono/hybrid epoxy composites at varying weight percentage of 2–6 wt% and evaluate the physical (void fraction and water absorption), mechanical (tensile strength, flexural strength, hardness) and sliding wear properties of as-fabricated composites. The 6 wt% NBF reinforced composites exhibited higher mechanical properties as compared to NF and BF composites with tensile strength of 34.04 MPa, flexural strength of 42.45 MPa, and hardness of 37.01 H_v respectively. The influence of various control factors (sliding velocity, NF/BF/NBF contents, normal load and sliding distance) on specific sliding wear rate of composites was evaluated by Taguchi (three factors at three levels) experimental design and the percentage contribution of these selected parameters on sliding wear performance was examined by Analysis of variance (ANOVA). The sliding wear property of as-developed composites was found to be greatly influenced by sliding velocity and the wear resistance was observed to be improved with the NF/BF/NBF contents. The wear mechanism of the as-fabricated composites has been elucidated by scanning electron microscopy analysis. The research outcomes demonstrated that the hybridization of Bauhinia vahlii fiber with Nettle fiber led to improve the mechanical and wear properties of epoxy composites.     

UHMWPE复合材料抗爆实验研究

运用定制的聚偏四氟乙烯(PVDF)压电传感器,直接测量爆炸载荷下UHMWPE层叠无纬布和PU基体的UHMWPE复合材料内部冲击波压力峰值,对其冲击波衰减特性进行了实验研究。实验结果表明:UHMWPE复合材料对爆炸冲击波有很好的衰减作用,含有PU基体的UHMWPE复合材料比UHMWPE层叠无纬布对爆炸冲击波有更好的衰减效果。UHMWPE复合材料具有轻质、吸收冲击波效率高等特性,在爆炸冲击波防护领域有很好的应用前景。     

Force chains based mesoscale simulation on the dynamic response of Al-PTFE granular composites

Force chains based mesoscale simulation is conducted to investigate the response behavior of aluminum-polytetrafluoroethylene (Al-PTFE) granular composites under a low-velocity impact. A two-dimensional model followed the randomly normal distribution of real Al particles size is developed. The dynamic compressive process of Al-PTFE composites with varied Al mass fraction is simulated and validated against the experiments. The results indicate that, force chains behavior governed by the number and the size of agglomerated Al particles, significantly affects the impact response of the material. The failure mode of the material evolves from shear failure of matrix to debonding failure of particles with increasing density. A high crack area of the material is critical mechanism to arouse the initiation re-action. The damage maintained by force chains during large plastic strain builds up more local stresses concentration to enhance a possible reaction performance. In addition, simulation is performed with identical mass fraction but various Al size distribution to explore the effects of size centralization and dispersion on the mechanical properties of materials. It is found that smaller sized Al particle of com-posites are more preferred than its bulky material in ultimate strength. Increasing dispersed degree is facilitated to create stable force chains in samples with comparable particle number. The simulation studies provide further insights into the plastic deformation, failure mechanism, and possible energy release capacity for Al-PTFE composites, which is helpful for further design and application of reactive materials.     

钢丝增强复合条带抗弹性能数值分析

为研究钢丝增强聚合物基复合条带的抗弹性能,基于冲击动力学理论分析其抗弹机理,再借助ANSYS/LS-DYNA软件和LS-PrePost前后处理器模拟有无增强钢丝2种工况下,条带对7.62 mm弹体的冲击响应。分析表明：条带的弹性模量、剪切模量和面密度会影响其能量吸收性能,能量吸收量随三者的增大而增大;由于聚合物基体的正交各向异性,应力云图显示出扁平椭圆状是合理的;在聚合物基复合条带中嵌入增强钢丝对条带整体的抗弹性能有积极的影响,但嵌入过量的钢丝会导致重量和成本的增加,因此需要对合理的钢丝配比率作进一步研究。研究结果可为钢丝增强聚合物基复合条带在野战防护结构中的应用提供参考。     

Polymer composite for antistatic application in aerospace

The phenomenon of static electricity is unpredictable, particularly when an aircraft flying at high altitude that causes the accumulation of static charges beyond a threshold value leading to the failure of its parts and systems including severe explosion and radio communication failure. The accumulation of static charges on aircraft is generated by the virtue of interaction between the outer surface of aircraft and the external environmental attributes encompasses air particles, ice, hail, dust, volcanic ash in addition to its triboelectric charging. In the recent years, advanced polymer-based composites or nanocomposites are preferred structural constituents for aircrafts due to their light weight and comparable mechanical properties, but such composite systems do not render low impedance path for charge flow and are subsequently vulnerable to effect of lightning strike and precipitation static. In this context, it is essential to develop conductive composite systems from non-conductive polymer matrix by nanofiller embodiments. The advent of carbon-based nanocomposite/nanomaterials have adequately addressed such issues related to the nonconductive polymer matrix and further turned into an avant-garde genre of materials. The current review envisioned to illustrate the detailed exploitation of various polymer nanocomposites in addition to especially mentioned epoxy composites based on carbon fillers like carbon black, carbon nanotube (single walled carbon nanotube and multi walled carbon nanotube) and graphene the development of antistatic application in aircraft in addition to the static charge phenomenon and condition for its prevalence in avionic systems.     

基于背衬影响的水下声隐身夹芯复合材料结构设计

在考虑背衬影响的前提下,建立了3种典型水下声隐身夹芯复合材料的结构模型;从水声波动方程出发,推导了3种模型的传递矩阵、声反射系数和吸声系数,并通过试验验证了传递矩阵法的有效性;考虑吸声层厚度、密度、损耗因子、水层厚度等对声隐身性能的影响,应用数值方法对水下夹芯复合材料声隐身结构形式进行了设计,分析了各层材料参数对隐身结构反射系数和吸声系数的影响规律;在吸声层中附加了一层复合材料,有效地抑制了隐身结构的谐振峰,并研究了附加层的匹配位置,使隐身结构在不改变吸声层厚度的情况下获得了更好的声学性能.     

金属泡沫复合材料夹芯结构的压痕响应实验

金属泡沫夹芯结构是近年来新出现的一种明显具有结构和功能一体化特点的新型轻质材料,它在临近空间飞行器、航海及汽车等领域有着广阔的应用前景。以以纤维增强复合材料面板、闭孔泡沫铝芯子为特征的复合材料夹芯结构为研究对象,对其在球形压头作用下的压痕响应、损伤模式、变形机制和失效机理进行理论分析和实验研究。研究发现,泡沫铝复合材料夹芯结构的压痕响应是夹芯结构的各个组成部分的响应、相互作用以及压头属性的综合作用结果。泡沫铝复合材料夹芯结构在球压头作用下的损伤模式为基体开裂、纤维断裂、层间分层、泡沫铝的屈服及剪切断裂五种失效模式。     

Development of cost effective personnel armour through structural hybridization

The objective of the present study is to develop cost effective thermoplastic hybrid laminate using Dyneema® HB50 and Tensylon®HSBD 30A through structural hybridization method. Laminates having 20 mm thickness were fabricated and subjected to 7.62 × 39 mm mild steel core projectile with an impact velocity of 730 ± 10 ms⁻¹. Parameters such as energy absorption, back face deformation and rate of back face deformation were measured as a function of hybridization ratio. It was observed that hybrid laminate with 50:50 ratio (w/w) of Tensylon® and Dyneema® with Tensylon® as front face showed 200% more energy absorption when compared to 100% Tensylon® laminate and showed equal energy absorption as that of expensive 100% Dyneema® laminate. Moreover, hybrid laminate with TD50:50 ratio showed 40% lower in terms of final back face deformation than Dyneema® laminate. Rate of back face deformation was also found to be slow for hybrid laminate as compared to Dyneema® laminate. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed that, Tensylon® laminate has got higher stiffness and lower damping factor than Dyneema® and hybrid laminates. The interface between Tensylon® and Dyneema® layers was found to be separating during the penetration process due to the poor interfacial bonding. Failure behaviour of laminates for different hybridization ratios were studied by sectioning the impacted laminates. It was observed that, the Tensylon® laminate has undergone shear cutting of fibers as major failure mode whereas the hybrid laminate showed shear cutting followed by tensile stretching, fiber pull out and delamination. These inputs are highly useful for body armour applications to design cost effective armour with enhanced performance.     

Mechanical behavior and failure mechanism of polyurea nanocomposites under quasi-static and dynamic compressive loading

Polyurea is an elastomeric material that can be applied to enhance the protection ability of structures under blast and impact loading.In order to study the compressive mechanical properties of SiC/polyurea nanocomposites under quasi-static and dynamic loading,a universal testing machine and split Hop-kinson pressure bar(SHPB)apparatus were used respectively.The stress-strain curves were obtained on polyurea and its composites at strain rates of 0.001-8000 s-1.The results of the experiment suggested that increase in the strain rates led to the rise of the flow stress,compressive strength,strain rate sensitivity and strain energy.This indicates that all of the presented materials were dependent on strain rate.Moreover,these mechanical characters were enhanced by incorporating a small amount of SiC into polyurea matrix.The relation between yield stress and strain rates were established using the power law functions.Finally,in order to investigate the fracture surfaces and inside information of failed specimens,scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and micro X-ray computed tomography(micro-CT)were used respectively.Multiple voids,crazes,micro-cracks and cracking were observed in fracture surfaces.On the other hand,the cracking propagation was found in the micro-CT slice images.It is essential to understand the deformation and failure mechanisms in all the polyurea materials.     

应用锤击法的大型复合材料桁架结构段自由振动分析

复合材料桁架结构以其轻质和优异的力学性能应用于大型航天航空飞行器结构,其承载能力和振动特性是决定其应用效果的关键因素。本文考察了大型碳纤维/环氧复合材料方形截面桁架结构段的自由振动特性。采用锤击法实验测试得到了复合材料桁架结构段自由振动的模态和频率,并与有限元数值模拟结果进行对比分析,论证了锤击法测试振动特性在复合材料桁架结构上应用的可行性和准确性。     

弯矩作用下热塑性复合材料悬臂梁弹塑性分析

基于Timoshenko梁理论和Tsai-Hill屈服准则,建立了自由端弯曲载荷作用下悬臂梁弹塑性问题分析的数学模型,并得到了梁应力和位移的精确解.通过与相关文献和有限元计算结果进行对比,验证了该方法的正确性,并在此基础上,进一步分析了纤维方向角、弯矩、跨高比以及纤维体积分数对梁弹塑性应力和位移的影响规律.相关成果可为...     

Effects of jute fibre content on the mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties of the composites in structural applications

Due to notable characteristics, sustainability concept and environmental issues, hybridisation natural with synthetic fibres to fabricate composites have been rapidly gaining market share in different applications (structural, military, aerospace and automotive vehicles). Compression, tension and fatigue tests of various stacking sequences of plain jute/carbon reinforced (PVB) polyvinyl butyral by hot hydraulic press technique were experimentally conducted. Six types of fabricated composites with various constituents (jute, carbon and their hybrids) were fabricated and tested. Notably, fatigue lifetime of hybrids increases with increasing the carbon content relative to the jute fibre content. On the other hand, Jute composites possess high strain compared to pure carbon composite, which gives an overall improvement in mechanical behaviours. Interestingly, H1 hybrid with Carbon/Jute/Carbon sequences offers similar fatigue stiffness behaviour of H3 hybrid with Carbon/Jute/Carbon/Jute sequences when subjected to cyclic loading. Carbon composite (C) exhibited the highest fatigue resistance, whiles jute composite (J) possessed the highest strain and semi brittle trends in both mechanical and fatigue performance. Results concluded that plain jute fibres could partially replace high-cost synthetic carbon fibres to produce more eco-friendly hybrids to be utilised in different composites industries.     

聚碳硅烷／二乙烯基苯快速升温裂解制备Cf/SiC复合材料

以聚碳硅烷(PCS)/二乙烯基苯(DVB)为先驱体,采用快速升温裂解制备了3D-B Cf/SiC复合材料.结果证明:裂解升温速率的提高可以大大缩短制备周期,同时可以提高材料密度和形成较好的界面结合,从而提高材料的力学性能.制备得到的Cf/SiC材料室温弯曲强度达到556.7MPa.     

An efficient SPH methodology for modelling mechanical characteristics of particulate composites

Particulate composites are one of the widely used materials in producing numerous state-of-the-art components in biomedical, automobile, aerospace including defence technology. Variety of modelling techniques have been adopted in the past to model mechanical behaviour of particulate composites. Due to their favourable properties, particle-based methods provide a convenient platform to model failure or fracture of these composites. Smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) is one of such methods which demonstrate excellent potential for modelling failure or fracture of particulate composites in a Lagrangian setting. One of the major challenges in using SPH method for modelling composite materials depends on accurate and efficient way to treat interface and boundary conditions. In this paper, a master-slave method based multi-freedom constraints is proposed to impose essential boundary conditions and interfacial displacement constraints in modelling mechanical behaviour of composite materials using SPH method. The proposed methodology enforces the above constraints more accurately and requires only smaller condition number for system stiffness matrix than the procedures based on typical penalty function approach. A minimum cut-off value-based error criteria is employed to improve the compu-tational efficiency of the proposed methodology. In addition, the proposed method is further enhanced by adopting a modified numerical interpolation scheme along the boundary to increase the accuracy and computational efficiency. The numerical examples demonstrate that the proposed master-slave approach yields better accuracy in enforcing displacement constraints and requires approximately the same computational time as that of penalty method.     

基于响应面法的复合材料层合板平面应力强度可靠性分析

针对处于平面应力状态下的复合材料层合板，考虑其材料参数、强度参数、几何尺寸以及承受载荷等随机因素，用分支限界法识别结构系统的各重要失效序列，应用响应面法对某具体层合板的各失效事件进行计算，进而计算出整个系统的失效概率，并且利用MATLAB程序以及ANSYS中的APDL语言编写了JC法计算程序。计算结果表明，一般情况下层合板首先出现基体损伤失效，然后才会出现纤维断裂失效。这一结果与一些文献中的试验结果相一致，表明这种概率分析方法可以应用于实际复合材料层合板结构的可靠性分析。     

Experimental and numerical study of the blast wave decrease using sandwich panel by granular materials core

Among the intrinsic properties of some materials, e.g., foams, porous materials, and granular materials, are their ability to mitigate shock waves. This paper investigated shock wave mitigation by a sandwich panel with a granular core. Numerical simulations and experimental tests were performed using Autodyn hydro-code software and a shock tube, respectively. The smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method was used to model granular materials. Sawdust and pumice, whose properties were determined by several compression tests, were used as granular materials in the sandwich panel core. These granular materials possess many mechanisms, including compacting (e.g., sawdust) and crushing (e.g., pumice) that mitigate shock/blast wave. The results indicated the ineffectiveness of using a core with low thickness, yet it was demonstrated to be effective with high thickness. Low-thickness pumice yielded better results for wave mitigation. The use of these materials with a core with appropriate core reduces up to 88% of the shock wave. The results of the experiments and numerical simulations were compared, suggesting a good agreement between the two. This indicates the accuracy of simulation and the ability of the SPH method to modeling granular material under shock loading. The effects of grain size and the coefficient of friction between grains have also been investigated using simulation, implying that increasing the grain size and coefficient of friction between grains both reduce overpressure.