• Composites Research
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.355-360
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• 2023

Epoxy-based carbon fibers reinforced plastic (CFRP) exhibit limitations in their suitability for industrial applications due to high brittleness characteristics. To address this challenge, extensive investigations are underway to enhance their toughness properties. This research focuses on evaluating the toughening mechanisms achieved by Polyamide 6 particles(p-PA6) and Carboxyl-Terminated Butadiene-Acrylonitrile (CTBN) elastomer, with a specific emphasis on utilizing minimal additive quantities. The study explores the impact of varying concentrations of p-PA6 and CTBN additives, namely 0.5, 1, 2.5, and 5 phr, through comprehensive Mode I fracture toughness and tensile strength analyses. The inclusion of p-PA6 demonstrated improvements in toughness when introduced at a relatively low content of 1phr. This improvement manifested as a sustained fracture behavior, contributing to enhanced toughness, while simultaneously maintaining the material's tensile strength. Furthermore, the investigation revealed that the incorporation of p-PA6 affected in particle aggregation, thus influencing the overall toughening mechanism. Incorporation of CTBN, an elastomeric modifier, exhibited a pronounced increase in fracture toughness at higher concentrations of 2.5 phr and beyond. However, this increase in toughness was accompanied by a reduction in tensile strength, resulting in fracture behavior similar to conventional CFRP exhibiting brittleness. The synergy between pPA6, CTBN and CFRP appeared to marginally enhance tensile strength under specific content conditions. As a result of this study, optimized conditions for the application of the p-PA6, CTBN toughening technology have been identified and established.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.63 no.3
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• pp.361-370
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• 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
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.275-281
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• 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.

• Composites Research
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.296-301
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• 2020

Laminated composite materials have excellent in-plane properties, but are vulnerable in thickness directions, making it easy to delamination when bending and torsion loads are applied. Thickness directional reinforcement methods of composite materials that delay delamination include Z-pinning, Stitching, Tufting, etc., and typically Z-pinning and Stitching method are commonly used. The Z-pinning is reinforcement method by inserting metal or carbon pin in the thickness direction of prepreg, and the conventional stitching process is a method of reinforcing the mechanical properties in the thickness direction by intersecting the upper and lower fibers on the preform. In this paper, I-fiber stitching method, which complement and improve weakness of Z-pinning and Stitching method, was proposed, and the static strength of composite single-lap joints using I-fiber stitching process were evaluated. The single-lap joints were fabricated by a co-curing method using an autoclave vacuum bag process. The thickness of the composite adherend was fixed, and 5 types of specimens were manufactured with varying the stitching pattern (5×5, 7×7) and angle (0°, 45°). From the test, the failure load of the specimen reinforced by the I-fiber stitching process was increased by up to 143% compared to that of specimen without reinforcement.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.519-530
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• 1998

In this paper, the basic study on the design of the flexible keel of the energy-storage prosthetic foot was performed in order to Improve the walking performance and Increase the activities of the below knee amputees. Based on the analysis of the anthropometric data and the normal gait on two dimensional sagittal plane available In the literature, we presented a model of the basic structure of the flexible keel of the prosthetic foot. The model of the basic structure was composed of the simple beams, and linear rotational spring and damper. Laminated carbon fiber-reinforced composites were selected as the material of the basic structure model of the flexible keel In order to apply the high strength and light weight materials to the basic structure of the flexible keel of the prosthetic foot. The recoverable strain energy In response to the change of beam shape was calculated bur the finite element analysis and it was suggested that the change of beam shape could be the design variable in flexible keel design. The simulation process was systematically designed by using orthogonal array table in order to design the flexible keel structure which could store the more recoverable strain energy. finite element analysis was carried but according to the design of simulations by using the finite element program ABAQUS and the flexible keel structure of the energy-storage prosthetic foot was obtained from the analysis of variance(ANOVA). The dynamic simulation model of the prosthetic walking using the flexible keel structure was made and the dynamic analysis was carried but during one walk cycle. Based on the above results, an effective design process was presented for the development of the prosthetic fool system.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.277-290
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• 1995

The study was carried out to analyze the fracture behavior and the acoustic emission(AE) characteristics and to find the relationship among tensile strength, fracture toughness and cure pressure in owe process of the carbon fiber reinforced composites of two types, $[0^{\circ}/90^{\circ}]_{2S}$ and $[0^{\circ}\;_2/90^{\circ}\;_2]_S$. AE signals were detected during the curing process, tensile tests and fracture toughness tests by acoustic emission(AE) measurements, respectively. Tensile strengths showed that the less cure pressurizing steps and the side of $[0^{\circ}/90^{\circ}]_{2S}$ specimens had the higher strengths than those of the others. Fracture toughness by the change of test temperature showed nearly same values in the same temperature region, but the higher test temperature had the lower fracture toughness values. In order to examine the relationship between fracture behavior of CFRP in tensile and fracture toughness tests and AE signals, the post processing for AE parameters of AE data and the observations of microscope and SEM have been carried out respectively.

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

• Composites Research
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.303-309
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• 2023

In this paper, a Progressive Damage and Failure Analysis (PDFA) modeling method was developed using ABAQUS/EXPLICIT to predict in-plane damage and delamination for Open-Hole Compression (OHC) testing. The proposed PDFA model was constructed based on Hashin criteria and cohesive behavior. The strength and stiffness of OHC specimens with three types of stacking sequences [(45/-45/0₂)₃]_s , [(45/0/-45/90)₃]_s and [45/-45/0/45/-45/90/(45/-45)₂]_s were compared to comprehensively evaluate the validity of the Finite Element(FE) model of PDFA. The strength and stiffness of the OHC specimens were predicted relatively well, with less than a percentage error 10.0 %. For the numerical simulation case for each layup, the damage initiation/evolution of OHC specimens were evaluated for delamination and tension/compression matrix damage before and after failure.

• Composites Research
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.170-178
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• 2024

This study proposes a hybrid composite where a thin copper film (Cu film) is embedded in carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP), and quantum annealing is applied to derive the combination of Cu film placement that maximizes the through-thickness thermal conductivity. The correlation between each ply of CFRP and the Cu film is analyzed through finite element analysis, and based on the results, a combination optimization problem is formulated. A formalization process is conducted to embed the defined problem into quantum annealing, resulting in the formulation of objective functions and constraints regarding the quantity of Cu films that can be inserted into each ply of CFRP. The formulated equations are programmed using Ocean SDK (Software Development Kit) and Leap to be embedded into D-Wave quantum annealer. Through the quantum annealing process, the optimal arrangement of Cu films that satisfies the maximum through-thickness thermal conductivity is determined. The resulting arrangements exhibit simpler patterns as the quantity of insertable Cu films decreases, while more intricate arrangements are observed as the quantity increases. The optimal combinations generated according to the quantity of Cu film placement illustrate the inherent thermal conductivity pathways in the thickness direction, indicating that the transverse placement freedom of the Cu film can significantly affect the results of through-thickness thermal conductivity.

• Composites Research
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.86-93
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• 2024

The inner foam structure plays an important role in the performance of the carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) rear spoiler used in automobiles. However, there is still a lack of studies for the CFRP-based rear spoiler according to the type of inner foam, especially under the high-speed driving condition. With this motivation, we numerically analyze the performance of the CFRP rear spoiler using various cases of the inner foam under the highspeed driving condition. Here, polymethacrylimide (PMI), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and styrene acrylonitrile (SAN) resins are employed as the inner foams in this work. The performances are evaluated using the deformation aspects and vibration characteristics when the driving condition is a high-speed condition (200 km/h). Furthermore, to specifically verify the importance of the inner foam in the high-speed condition, we additionally investigate the performance of the CFRP rear spoiler without the inner foam structure (i.e., hollow type). As a result, it is confirmed that among the types of inner foams utilized in this work, the PMI and PVC inner foams have the best deformation aspect and vibration characteristic, respectively. Note that the hollow-type inner foam has inferior performances compared to other inner foams invoked in this study. Consequently, through this study, it can be confirmed that the inner foam structure can significantly improve the performance of the CFRP spoiler under high-speed driving condition (200 km/h), and also that the strengths of the CFRP spoiler can manifest differently depending on the types of inner foam core.