• Coupled systems mechanics
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.99-109
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• 2019

This work investigates the accuracy and performance of a $FE^2$ multi-scale implementation used to predict the behavior of composite materials. The equations are formulated assuming the small deformations solid mechanics approach in non-linear material models with hardening plasticity. The uniform strain boundary conditions are applied for the macro-to-micro transitions. A parallel algorithm was implemented in order to solve large engineering problems. The scheme proposed takes advantage of the domain decomposition method at the macro-scale and the coupling between each subdomain with a micro-scale model. The precision of the method is validated with a composite material problem and scalability tests are performed for showing the efficiency.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.371-383
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• 2022

A novel impact localization method is presented based on impact induced elastic waves in sensorized composite structure subjected to temperature fluctuations. In real practices, environmental and operational conditions influence the acquired signals and consequently make the feature (particularly Time of Arrival (TOA)) extraction process, complicated and troublesome. To overcome this complication, a robust TOA estimation method is proposed based on the times in which the absolute amplitude of the signal reaches to a specific amplitude value. The presented method requires prior knowledge about the normalized wave velocity in different directions of propagation. To this aim, a finite element model of the plate was built in ABAQUS/CAE. The impact location is then highlighted by calculating an error value at different points of the structure. The efficiency of the developed impact localization technique is experimentally evaluated by dropping steel balls with different energies on a carbon fiber composite plate with different temperatures. It is demonstrated that the developed technique is able to localize impacts with different energies even in the presence of noise and temperature fluctuations.

• Composite Materials and Engineering
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.167-178
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• 2021

In the present paper, the destructive behavior of distilled water, salty water, sulfuric acid, and heat on glass/vinyl ester composites was investigated by experimental methods. Hetron 922 vinyl ester resin and two types of mat and woven glass fibers as the reinforcements were used to fabricate composite test samples. All samples were immersed in distilled water, salty water, and sulfuric acid with three different concentrations. The tests were performed at 20℃ and 70℃ for the exposure duration of 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks. Bending tests were performed after aging for all composite samples to check the degradation of the bending modulus and strength. The results show that the effect of distilled water, in comparison with salty water, on the degradation of composite samples was significant. On the other hand, almost non-sensitivity of concentrations of salty water on the weight gain of specimens has been observed. In addition, it was also observed that the degradation of samples at 70℃ temperature is much more than that of at 20℃. Also, it was observed that the flexural modulus of virgin specimens exposed to salty water (2% concentration) has been recovered just after two weeks of immersion. Furthermore, in some cases, composite samples under the sulfuric acid solution have lost almost 80% of their mechanical properties.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.70 no.6
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• pp.683-702
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• 2019

The present study aims to analyze the magneto-electro-elastic (MEE) vibration of a functionally graded carbon nanotubes reinforced composites (FG-CNTRC) cylindrical shell. Electro-magnetic loads are applied to the structure and it is located on an elastic foundation which is simulated by visco-Pasternak type. The properties of the nano-composite shell are assumed to be varied by temperature changes. The third-order shear deformation shells theory is used to describe the displacement components and Hamilton's principle is employed to derive the motion differential equations. To obtain the results, Navier's method is used as an analytical solution for simply supported boundary condition and the effect of different parameters such as temperature variations, orientation angle, volume fraction of CNTs, different types of elastic foundation and other prominent parameters on the natural frequencies of the structure are considered and discussed in details. Design more functional structures subjected to multi-physical fields is of applications of this study results.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.19-34
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• 2008

Nowadays developments in the field of laminated composite structures with piezoelectric have attracted significant attention of researchers due to their wide range of applications in engineering such as sensors, actuators, vibration suppression, shape control, noise attenuation and precision positioning. Due to large number of parameters associated with its manufacturing and fabrication, composite structures with piezoelectric display a considerable amount of uncertainty in their material properties. The present work investigates the effect of the uncertainty on the free vibration response of piezoelectric laminated composite plate. The lamina material properties have been modeled as independent random variables for accurate prediction of the system behavior. System equations have been derived using higher order shear deformation theory. A finite element method in conjunction with Monte Carlo simulation is employed to obtain the secondorder statistics of the natural frequencies. Typical results are presented for all edges simply supported piezoelectric laminated composite plates to show the influence of scattering in material properties on the second order statistics of the natural frequencies. The results have been compared with those available in literature.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.64 no.6
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• pp.819-826
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• 2017

The effects of thermocycling procedure and material shade on the mechanical properties and wear resistance of resin-based dental restorative materials are investigated. The modulus of elasticity, hardness, plasticity index and wear resistance are determined for the conventional composite, the nanohybrid composite and the nanofilled dental composites. Disc-shape samples are prepared from each material to investigate the effects of thermocycling procedure on the mechanical properties and wear resistance of different types of dental restorative materials. In this respect, a group of samples is thermocycled and the other group is stored in ambient conditions. Then nano-indentation and nano-scratch tests are performed on the samples to measure their mechanical properties and wear resistance. Results show that the A1E shade of the dental nanocomposite possesses higher modulus of elasticity and hardness values compared to the two other shades. According to the experimental results, the mean values for the modulus of elasticity and hardness of the A1E shade of the nanocomposite are 13.71 GPa and 1.08 GPa, respectively. The modulus of elasticity and hardness of the conventional dental composite increase around 30 percent in the oral environment due to the moisture and temperature changes. The wear resistance of the dental composites is also significantly affected by moisture and temperature changes in the oral conditions. It is observed that thermocycling has no significant effect on the hardness, plasticity index and wear resistance of the nanohybrid composite and the nanocomposite dental materials.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.727-736
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• 2017

The application of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) in steel structures primarily includes two categories, i.e., the bond-critical application and the contact-critical application. Debonding failure and buckling failure are the main failure modes for these two applications. Conventional electrometric techniques may not provide precise results because of the limitations associated with single-point contact measurements. A nondestructive full-field measurement technique is a valuable alternative to conventional methods. In this study, the digital image correlation (DIC) technique was adopted to investigate the bond behavior and buckling behavior of CFRP-steel composite members. The CFRP-to-steel bonded joint and the CFRP-strengthened square hollow section (SHS) steel column were tested to verify the suitability of the DIC technique. The stereo-DIC technique was utilized to measure continuous deformation. The bond-slip relationship of the CFRP-to-steel interface was derived using the DIC data. Additionally, a multi-camera DIC system consisting of four stereo-DIC subsystems was proposed and applied to the compressive test of CFRP-strengthened SHS steel column. The precise buckling location and CFRP delamination of the CFRP-strengthened SHS steel column were identified. The experimental results confirm that the stereo-DIC technique can provide effective measurements for investigating the behaviors of CFRP-steel composite members.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.60 no.6
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• pp.1063-1077
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• 2016

Components manufactured from composite materials are frequently subjected to superimposed mechanical and thermal loadings during their operating service. Both types of loadings may cause fracture and failure of composite structures. When composite cross-ply laminates of type [$0_m/90_n]_s$ are subjected to uni-axial tensile loading, different types of damage are set-up and developed such as matrix cracking: transverse and longitudinal cracks, delamination between disoriented layers and broken fibers. The development of these modes of damage can be detrimental for the stiffness of the laminates. From the experimental point of view, transverse cracking is known as the first mode of damage. In this regard, the objective of the present paper is to investigate the effect of transverse cracking in cross-ply laminate under thermo-mechanical degradation. A Finite Element (FE) simulation of damage evolution in composite crossply laminates of type [$0_m/90_n]_s$ subjected to uni-axial tensile loading is carried out. The effect of transverse cracking on the cross-ply laminate strength under thermo-mechanical degradation is investigated numerically. The results obtained by prediction of the numerical model developed in this investigation demonstrate the influence of the transverse cracking on the bearing capacity and resistance to damage as well as its effects on the variation of the mechanical properties such as Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio and coefficient of thermal expansion. The results obtained are in good agreement with those predicted by the Shear-lag analytical model as well as with the obtained experimental results available in the literature.

• Journal of the Optical Society of Korea
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.389-395
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• 2016

A Carbon Fiber Composite (CFC) framework was designed for a small lightweight space camera. According to the distribution characteristics of each optical element in the optical system, CFC (M40J) was chosen to accomplish the design of the framework. TC4 embedded parts were used to solve the low accuracy of the CFC framework interface problem. An integrated optimization method and the optimization strategy which combined a genetic global optimization algorithm with a downhill simplex local optimization algorithm were adopted to optimize the structure parameters of the framework. After optimization, the total weight of the CFC framework and the TC4 embedded parts is 15.6 kg, accounting for only 18.4% that of the camera. The first order frequency of the camera reaches 104.8 Hz. Finally, a mechanical environment test was performed, and the result demonstrates that the first order frequency of the camera is 102 Hz, which is consistent with the simulation result. It further verifies the rationality and correctness of the optimization result. The integrated optimization method mentioned in this paper can be applied to the structure design of other space cameras, which can greatly improve the structure design efficiency.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.41-55
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• 2013

Fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) materials are increasingly being used for strengthening and repair of steel structures. An issue that concerns engineers in steel members which are retrofitted with FRP is stress experienced due to temperature changes. The changing temperature affects the interface bond between the FRP and Steel. This research focused on the effects of cyclical thermal loadings on the interface properties of FRP bounded to steel members. Over fifty tests were conducted to investigate the thermal effects on bonding between FRP and steel, which were cycled from temperature of $-11^{\circ}C$ ($12^{\circ}F$) to $60^{\circ}C$ ($140^{\circ}F$) for 21-36 days. This investigation consisted of two test protocols, 1) the tensile test of epoxy resin, tack coat, FRP and FRP-steel plate, 2) tensile test of each FRP compound and FRP with steel after going through thermal cyclic loading. This investigation reveals an extensive reduction in the composite's strength.