• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.133-151
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• 2017

The paper describes the results of an experimental and numerical investigation into the structural and damage response of sandwich composites to low-velocity impact. Sandwich panels consisting of laminated composite skins with three different layups bonded to a PVC foam core were subjected to impact at various energy levels corresponding to barely visible impact damage (BVID) in the impacted skins. Damage assessment analyses were performed on the impacted panels to characterise the extent and the nature of the major failure mechanisms occurring in the skins. The data collected during the experimental analyses were finally used to assess the predictive capabilities of an FE tool recently developed by the authors for detailed simulation of impact damage in composite sandwich panels. Good agreement was observed between experimental results and model predictions in terms of structural response to impact, global extent of damage and typical features of individual damage mechanisms.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.857-873
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• 2014

Structural behaviors of a sustainable hybrid column with the ultra high performance cementitious composites (UHPCC) permanent form under compression and flexure were studied. Critical state and failure stage characters are analyzed for large and small eccentricity cases. A simplified theoretical model is proposed for engineering designs and unified formulas for loading capacity of the hybrid column under compression and flexure loads are derived, including axial force and moment. Non-linear numerical analysis is carried out to verify the theoretical predictions. The theoretical predictions agree well with the numerical results which are verified by the short hybrid column tests recursively. Compared with the traditional reinforced concrete (RC) column, the loading capacity of the sustainable hybrid column is improved significantly due to UHPCC confinements.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.159-172
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• 2019

Strengthening of civil infrastructure with advanced composites have recently become one of the most popular methods. The use of Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) strips plates and fabric for strengthening of reinforced concrete structures has well established design guidelines and standards. Research on the application of FRP composites to steel structures compared to concrete structures is limited, especially for shear strengthening applications. Whereas, there is a need for cost-effective system that could be used to strengthen steel high-way bridge girders to cope with losses due to corrosion in addition to continuous demands for increasing traffic loads. In this study, a parametric finite element study is performed to investigate the effect of applying thick CFRP strips diagonally on webs of plate girders on the shear strength of end-web panels. The study focuses on illustrating the effect of several geometric parameters on nominal shear strength. Hence, a formula is developed to determine the enhancement of shear strength gained upon the application of CFRP strips.

• Composites Research
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.291-296
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• 2015

In this study, structural design and analysis of the automobile bonnet is performed. The flax/vinly ester composite material is applied for structural design. The Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding-Light (VARTML) manufacturing method is adopted for manufacturing the flax fiber composite bonnet. The VARTML is a manufacturing process that the resin is injected into the fly layered-up fibers enclosed by a rigid mold tool under vacuum. A series of flax/vinyl ester composite panels are manufactured, and several kinds of specimens cut out from the panels are tested to obtain mechanical performance data. Based on this, structural design of the automobile bonnet is performed.

• Composites Research
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.46-51
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• 2015

In this study, structural design and analysis of the automobile bonnet is performed. The flax/vinly ester composite material is applied for structural design. The Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding-Light (VARTML) manufacturing method is adopted for manufacturing the flax fiber composite bonnet. The VARTML is a manufacturing process that the resin is injected into the fly layered-up fibers enclosed by a rigid mold tool under vacuum. A series of flax/vinyl ester composite panels are manufactured, and several kinds of specimens cut out from the panels are tested to obtain mechanical performance data. Based on this, structural design of the automobile bonnet is performed.

• Composites Research
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.39-46
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• 2004

In this study, the strength of spatially reinforced composites (SRC) are predicted by using stiffness reduction for each structural element composed of a rod stiffness in each direction and a matrix stiffness proportional to its rod volume fraction. Maximum failure strain criteria is applied to rod failure, and modified Tsai-Wu failure criteria to matrix failure. The material properties composed of the tensile failure strain of a rod, the compressive failure strain of 3D SRC, the tensile and compressive strength of the 3D SRC in the $45^{\cir}$ rotated direction from a rod and the shear strength of the 3D SRC are measured to predict the SRC strength. The strength distributions of the 3D/4D SRC in rod and off-rod direction have the largest and the smallest values, respectively. A variable load step is selected to increase an efficiency of strength distribution calculation. Uniform load step is applied when a load history is needed. The results of compressive strength from analysis and experiment show the 18 % difference though the initial slop is coincident with each other.

• Composites Research
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.45-49
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• 2019

Fiber reinforced composites fabricated by the resin film infusion (RFI) process, which is one of the outof-autoclave process, have the advantage of significantly reducing the processing cost in large structures while having excellent mechanical properties and uniform impregnation of the resin. In this study, we applied RFI carbon fiber composites to unmanned aerial vehicle structures to improve structural safety and achieve weight reduction. The tensile test results showed that the strength was 46% higher than that of generic T300 grade plain weave carbon fiber composites. As a result of the layup design and finite element analysis of the composite wing structure using the above material properties, the wing tip deflection is decreased by 31%, the structural safety factor is increased by 28% and the weight of the entire structure can be reduced by more than 10% compared to the reference model using glass fiber composite material.

• Composites Research
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.392-397
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• 2018

In this study, the development purpose is to replace steel Tie Rod of commercial vehicle to the carbon composite by a braiding process. CFRP tie rod was designed to meet the performance requirements of existing products by designing the cross section of the core for braiding weaving and the structural design of the joint between the core and the carbon fiber. The specimens were fabricated by braiding method and applied to structural analysis through test evaluation. The manufacturing process proceeded from braiding to infusion through post-curing process. The test evaluation of the final product was satisfactorily carried out by sequentially performing tensile test, torsion test, compression test and fatigue test. In addition, the weight of CFRP tie rod could be reduced by about 37% compared to existing products.

• Advances in materials Research
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.221-231
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• 2012

In this study, the physical and mechanical properties of bamboo fiber reinforced epoxy composites were studied. Composites were fabricated using short bamboo fiber at four different fiber loading (0 wt%, 15 wt%, 30 wt% and 45 wt%). It has been observed that few properties increases significantly with respect to fiber loading, however properties like void fraction increases from 1.71% to 5.69% with the increase in fiber loading. Hence, in order to reduce the void fraction, improve hardness and other mechanical properties silicon carbide (SiC) filler is added in bamboo fiber reinforced epoxy composites at four different weight percentages (0 wt%, 5 wt%, 10 wt% and 15 wt%) by keeping fiber loading constant (45 wt%). The significant improvement of hardness (from 46 to 57 Hv) at 15 wt%SiC, tensile strength (from 10.48 to 13.44 MPa) at 10 wt% SiC, flexural strength (from 19.93 to 29.53 MPa) at 5 wt%SiC and reduction of void fraction (from 5.69 to 3.91%) at 5 wt%SiC is observed. The results of this study indicate that using particulate filled bamboo fiber reinforced epoxy composites could successfully develop a composite material in terms of high strength and rigidity for light weight applications compared to conventional bamboo composites. Finally, SEM studies were carried out to evaluate fibre/matrix interactions.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.19.1-19.1
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• 2011

Effects of particle size, crystal structures and multilayer structures of $ATiO_3$, $ATa_2O_6$, $ANb_2O_6$, $AWO_4$, and $AMoO_4$ (A=Ni, Mg, Zn, Co) ceramic fillers on the dielectric properties of polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) polymer matrices were investigated at microwave frequencies. The microwave dielectric properties of $ATiO_3$ (ilmenite), $ATa_2O_6$ (tri-rutile), $ANb_2O_6$ (columbite), AWO4 (wolframite), and AMoO4 (wolframite) ceramics were largely dependent on the structural characteristics of oxygen octahedra. The dielectric constant (K) of the composites was increased with the ceramic content. However, the dielectric loss (tan ${\delta}$) of the composites was affected by the type of ceramics and the crystallinity of polymers. For the composites with same amount of ceramics, the K was decreased and the tan ${\delta}$ was increased with the particle size of ceramics. Also, the dielectric properties of the composites were dependent on the multilayer structures with different arrangements. Several theoretical models have been employed to predict the effective dielectric properties of the composites. The frequency dependence of dielectric properties and the temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (TCF) of the composites were also discussed.