• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
• /
• v.21 no.4
• /
• pp.425-433
• /
• 2001

A correlation between fatigue damage and acousto-ultrasonic (AU) parameters has been obtained from signals acquired during fatigue loading of the single-lap joints of a carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) laminates and A16061 plate. The correlation showed an analogy to those representing the stiffness reduction $(E/E_0)$ of polymer matrix composites by the accumulation of fatigue damage. This has been attributed to the transmission characteristics of acoustic wave energy through bonded joints with delamination-type defects and their influence on the change of spectral content of AU signals. Another correlation between fatigue cycles and the spectral magnitude of acoustic emission (AE) signals has also been found during the final stage of fatigue loading. Both AU and AE can be applied almost in real-time to monitor the evolution of damage during fatigue loading.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.63 no.3
• /
• pp.361-370
• /
• 2017

Through the use of finite element analysis and acoustic emission techniques we have evaluated the interfacial failure of a carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) repair patch on a notched aluminum substrate. The repair of cracks is a very common and widely used practice in the aeronautics field to extend the life of cracked sheet metal panels. The process consists of adhesively bonding a patch that encompasses the notched site to provide additional strength, thereby increasing life and avoiding costly replacements. The mechanical strength of the bonded joint relies mainly on the bonding of the adhesive to the plate and patch stiffness. Stress concentrations at crack tips promote disbonding of the composite patch from the substrate, consequently reducing the bonded area, which makes this a critical aspect of repair effectiveness. In this paper we examine patch disbonding by calculating the influence of notch tip stress on disbond area and verify computational results with acoustic emission (AE) measurements obtained from specimens subjected to uniaxial tension. The FE results showed that disbonding first occurs between the patch and the substrate close to free edge of the patch followed by failure around the tip of the notch, both highest stress regions. Experimental results revealed that cement adhesion at the aluminum interface was the limiting factor in patch performance. The patch did not appear to strengthen the aluminum substrate when measured by stress-strain due to early stage disbonding. Analysis of the AE signals provided insight to the disbond locations and progression at the metal-adhesive interface. Crack growth from the notch in the aluminum was not observed until the stress reached a critical level, an instant before final fracture, which was unaffected by the patch due to early stage disbonding. The FE model was further utilized to study the effects of patch fiber orientation and increased adhesive strength. The model revealed that the effectiveness of patch repairs is strongly dependent upon the combined interactions of adhesive bond strength and fiber orientation.

• Composites Research
• /
• v.33 no.5
• /
• pp.275-281
• /
• 2020

The mechanical property related to lap shear strength of the joint structure between carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite and metal (Ni-Cr Alloy) under varying environmental conditions (temperature and humidity) was studied in order to apply to the aircraft fan blade. Room temperature dry (RTD), elevated temperature wet (ETW), and cold temperature dry (CTD) environmental conditions were chosen for investigation based on the flight conditions of aircraft. Lap shear strength tests were conducted according to ASTM Standard D3528 to evaluate the shear strength. The microstructure characteristic of failure zone was analyzed by SEM images to check the adhesive shear strength with the three environmental conditions. In comparison with shear strength for the RTD condition, the shear strength in the ETW condition was reduced by 72.8% while those for the CTD condition increased by 56.5%. The moisture absorption and high temperature in ETW condition strongly had an affect on mechanical property of adhesive, while cold temperature could enhance the adhesive shear strength due to the higher brittleness.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
• /
• v.33 no.2
• /
• pp.95-101
• /
• 2020

The wind turbine blades should be designed to possess a high stiffness and should be fabricated with a light and high strength material because they serve under extreme combination of lift and drag forces, converting kinetic energy of wind into shaft work. The goal of this study is to understand the basic knowledge required to curtail the process time consumed during the construction of small wind turbine blades using carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) prepeg composites. The configuration of turbine rotor was determined using the QBlade freeware program. The fluid dynamics module simulated the loads exerted by the wind of a specific speed, and the stress analysis module predicted the distributions of equivalent von Mises stress for representing the blade structures. It was suggested to modify the shape of test specimen from ASTM D638 to decrease the variance in measured tensile strengths. Then, a series of experiments were performed to confirm that the bladder compression molded CFRP prepreg can provide sufficient strength to small wind turbine blades and decrease the cure time simultaneously.