• Composites Research
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.40-45
• /
• 2008

Rubber hose assembly for automotive hydraulic brake during operation is subject to combined stresses of cyclic pressure, cyclic bending and torsion as well as thermal load. The rubber hose is composed of ethylene-propylene diene monomer(EPDM) rubber layers reinforced by polyvinyl acetate(PVA) braided fabrics. A durability tester with loading rigs for inducing the above cyclic stresses was used to investigate failure mechanisms in the rubber hose assembly. Failure examination was performed at every 100 thousands cycles of bending and torsion. Hose samples were sectioned with a diamond-wheel cutter and then polished. The polished surface was observed by optical microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Some interfacial delamination with a length of about 1mm along the interface between EPDM rubber and PVA fabrics was shown at the test cycles of 400,000. The delamination induced some cracking into the outer rubber skin layer to leading the final rupture of the hose.

• Composites Research
• /
• v.34 no.5
• /
• pp.317-322
• /
• 2021

When a complex load such as torsion, low-speed impact, or fatigue load is applied, the properties in the thickness direction are weakened through microcracks inside the material due to the nature of the laminated composite material, and delamination occurs. To prevent the interlaminar delamination, various three-dimensional reinforcement methods such as Z-pinning and stitching, and structural health monitoring techniques that detect the microcrack of structures in real time have been continuously studied. In this paper, the single-lap joints with I-fiber stitching process were manufactured by a co-curing method and their strengths and failure detection capability were evaluated. AE and electric resistance method were used for detection of crack and failure signal and electric circuit for signal analysis was manufactured, and failure signal was analyzed during the tensile test of a single-lap joint. From the experiment, the strength of the single lap joint reinforced by I-fiber stitching process was improved by about 44.6% compared to the co-cured single lap joint without reinforcement. In addition, as the single-lap joint reinforced by I-fiber stitching process can detect failure in both the electrical resistance method and the AE method, it has been proven to be an effective structure for failure monitoring as well as strength improvement.