Deformation and stress distribution in a layered plastic

The stress distribution over the unidirectionally reinforced layers is investigated in relation to the layer thickness ratio and the direction of loading of a two-way reinforced plastic. An expression is obtained for the modulus of elasticity of the layered plastic in an arbitrary direction relative to the directions of reinforcement. The effect of the geometry of the structure of the layered material on its deformation properties is experimentally illustrated.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 3, pp. 563–570, May–June, 1972.     

Structural characteristics of materials reinforced with high-modulus fibers

Research on the mechanics of boron and carbon-reinforced plastics is briefly reviewed. The design and testing characteristics of these materials associated with the high degree of anisotropy of their elastic properties, as compared with those of glass-reinforced plastics, are discussed. Problems relating to testing at an angle to the direction of the reinforcement, the effect of misorientation and distortion of the fibers, and the consequences of the low shear strength are considered. Experimental confirmation has been obtained by testing unidirectional (1 : 0), orthogonally reinforced (1 : 1 and 2 : 1), and tridirectional (1 : 1 : 1 in the 0°, +60°, and –60° directions) boron and carbon-reinforced plastics.DeceasedInstitute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 4, pp. 676–685, July–August, 1971.     

Analysis of elastomeric composites based on fiber-reinforced systems. 1. Development of design methods for composite materials

A method for calculating the elastic properties of fiber-reinforced composites is discussed. The method is based on the structural macroscopic theory for reinforced media [1, 2], which can be used for analysis of stiff and soft composites. As a measure of the elastic properties of composites, the parameters of macroscopic deformations of the base system of Cartesian coordinates are used, with the axes oriented in a certain direction relative to the general reinforcement and loading field. The corresponding macrostresses in the loaded composites are found by a solution of the microboundary problem for a composite macroelement with sides parallel to reinforcement planes of the system. The microboundary-value problem is multiply connected and is formulated based on the information about the homogeneous field of macroscopic displacements specified by the parameters of macroscopic deformation. The problem is solved using the local system of coordinates whose axes are directed along some of the reinforcement trajectories.State Metallurgical Academy of Ukraine, Dniepropetrovsk, Ukraine. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 34, No. 6, pp. 733–745, November–December, 1998.     

Investigation of internal stresses in glass-reinforced plastics

The strength properties of and internal stresses in epoxy and epoxyphenol resins and GRPs based on them are investigated using an optical method of determining internal stresses. The GRPs had tape and fabric reinforcement. Compared with the internal stresses in unplasticized specimens, the stresses in pure resin films and in GRPs based on plasticized resins are found to be smaller. It is shown that the distribution of internal stresses in GRPs is anisotropic. The highest internal stresses are observed in tape-reinforced GRPs in a direction normal to the fibers. Glass reinforcement in two directions at right angles reduces the internal stresses in GRPs as compared with pure resin films. In both reinforced and unreinforced films, the internal stresses depend on the curing conditions.Mekhanika polimerov, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 82–88, 1965     

Propagation of elastic waves in certain composites

Conclusions 1. Relationships have been obtained for determining nine elastic characteristics of orthotropic composite materials from the properties of the starting components and the assigned reinforcement scheme.2. Formulas are given for calculating the propagation velocity of three types of elastic flat waves for an arbitrary direction in one of the planes of elastic symmetry of a uniform orthotropic material.3. It has been shown that the velocity of the first arrival of a packet of ultrasonic vibrations which is recorded in an experiment is equal to the velocity of motion of the wave front in a limitless medium even for rather thin (5–10 mm) fiberglass-plastic specimens with unidirectional or cross-reinforced schemes.4. The dependences of elastic properties and rates of propagation of elastic vibrations on direction which are calculated theoretically from the properties of the starting components and the reinforcement scheme agree satisfactorily with experimental results.Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 3, pp. 531–536, May–June, 1978.     

Effect of interlaminar stiffness and strength of fiber-reinforced materials in plane stress

The distortion of the strains associated with a difference in the influence coefficients of the reinforcing layers is considered. The effect of the compliance of the intermediate resin layers on the average stiffness of composites is estimated. An attempt is made to explain in these terms the experimentally established deformation characteristics of three-dimensionally reinforced materials [12, 13] and laminated plastics loaded at an angle to the direction of reinforcement [11].Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 5, pp. 876–883, September–October, 1970.     

Numerical characteristics of the degree of anisotropy of the mechanical properties of materials

Conclusions 1. A unique procedure for determination of the numerical characteristics of the degree of anisotropy of the strength and deformation properties of materials is proposed.2. The concepts of the deformability surface and the anisotropy surface of the deformability permit representing graphically the deformation properties of materials.3. The system of integral characteristics of the mechanical properties of materials opens up new possibilities in connection with the analysis and optimization of different reinforcement schemes.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 4, pp. 601–609, July–August, 1978.     

Creep and long-time strength of unidirectional reinforced plastics in compression

An attempt is made to predict the creep and long-time strength of unidirectional reinforced plastics in compression in the direction of the reinforcement from the properties of the components. The reinforcement is assumed to be elastic, while the resin is described by a Boltzmann-Volterraintegral equation with fractional-exponential Rabotnov kernel. Experimentally obtained creep and long-time strength curves are presented for unidirectional reinforced plastics.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 5, pp. 830–835, September–October, 1970.     

Dependence of elastic and strength characteristics of high-modulus composites on schemes of reinforcement

The elastic and strength characteristics of high-modulus composites with 12 different reinforcement schemes have been studied thoroughly. The effect of reinforcement schemes on change in elastic and strength characteristics of composites has been evaluated. A calculation of the elastic characteristics of high-modulus composites has been performed from the properties of the reinforcement and binder, and a comparison of the results with experimental data is given. Diagrams of deformation upon extension of the composites studied are given.All-Union Scientific-Research Institute of Aviation Materials, Moscow. Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 6, pp. 1019–1027, November–December, 1974.     

Creep stability of anisotropic shallow spherical shells with account for transverse shear strains

The deformation properties of glass-reinforced plastics are approximated by the relations for a homogeneous anisotropic material, only the shear creep strains being taken into account, since the normal forces, coinciding with the direction of the reinforcement, produce much less creep. Deflections commensurable with the thickness of the shell are considered (geometric nonlinearity), but the strain components are assumed small. The nonlinear relations obtained for this problem have been solved (for a particular case) on a computer. At loads less than the long-time critical value the growth of deflections in time is damped; at large loads the rate of growth of deflections increases.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 2, No. 6, pp. 875–885, 1966     

Deformation of reinforced-plastic beams with allowance for the time factor

A method is proposed for calculating statically determinate beams made of reinforced plastics with allowance for the reinforcement ratio, the rheological properties of the resin and the reinforcement, the effect of shears, the type of reinforcement distribution, and the time factor. In constructing the corresponding laws of deformation it is assumed that both components obey the "standard solid" law.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 100–107, 1966     

Strength of orthogonally reinforced plastics in uniaxial tension

Failure conditions are proposed for an orthogonally reinforced plastic in uniaxial tension at an arbitrary angle to the directions of reinforcement. The failure conditions are formulated for the case when the strength of the bond between the resin and the reinforcement is greater than the strength of the resin. The strength of the resin, which is in a volume state of stress, is determined by an energy criterion.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 4, pp. 629–633, July–August, 1973.     

Effect of the sign of the shear stresses on the shear strength of reinforced plastics

The effect of the sign of the shear stresses on the shear strength has been investigated for a glass-reinforced plastic of the SVAM type with various ratios of the longitudinal and transverse reinforcement in shear in the plane of reinforcement in axes turned through 45° relative to the direction of reinforcement. More than 80 tubularspecimens were tested. The shear strengths T ₄₅ ⁺ and T ₄₅ ^– corresponding to shear stresses of different signs can be found from uniaxial tests in tension and compression in the direction of the reinforcement.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 2, pp. 262–268, March–April, 1971.     

The "cut strand effect" in glass-reinforced plastics

Experimental values of the mechanical properties of glass-reinforced plastics obtained using flat and tubular test pieces are compared. Reliable values in directions other than that of the principal reinforcement can be obtained with flat test pieces of sufficient width.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 328–335, 1968     

Region of linearity of the deformation properties of contact-molded glass-reinforced plastic

A study was made of the creep and recovery of contact-molded glass-reinforced plastic in different directions in the plane of the sheet in uniaxial tension. On the basis of experimental data, the region of linearity of the deformation properties of the material under investigation was established. The influence functions in the relations of the theory of viscoelasticity were taken in the form proposed by Bronskii. The dependence of the parameters which determine these functions on direction was investigated. It is shown that, in practice, this dependence is inherent in only one of the parameters, and a relationship which is in satisfactory agreement with the experimental results is proposed to describe it.Moscow Institute of Chemical Machine Building. Scientific-Research Institute for Mechanics, M. V. Lomonosov State University, Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 3, pp. 404–410, May–June, 1970.     

Analysis of elastomeric composites based on fiber-reinforced systems. 2. Unidirectional composites

The elastic properties of unidirectionally reinforced composite materials under large deformations are studied. The applied model for deformation of materials is based on the structural macroscopic theory of stiff and soft composites, including micro- and macromechanical levels of analysis of composite media. The properties of unidirectional elastomeric composites are studied in tension and shear in the plane of reinforcement. The microscopic fields in the structural components of composites having poorly compressible and compressible matrices are also analyzed. Changes in the parameters of macroscopic deformation of the composites are examined as functions of the loading parameters and initial conditions of the structure. The evolution of the structural changes in deformed composite materials is described.State Metallurgical Academy of Ukraine, Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 35, No. 1, pp. 29–50, January–February, 1999.     

Structural theory of the tensile and compressive strengths of reinforced plastics

The strength conditions of unidirectionally and orthogonally reinforced plastics subjected to uniaxial tension and compression in the direction of, and at an angle to, the reinforcement are developed, with consideration given to possible failure of the fibers, binder, or the bond between the fibers and binder. Proposed strength conditions take into account the structure of the material, the properties of its components, and stress concentration.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 6, pp. 988–995, November–December, 1975.     

Tensile strength of unidirectionally reinforced plates stretched at an angle to the direction of reinforcement

Conditions for the fracture of a unidirectionally reinforced plate under uniaxial tension at an arbitrary angle to the direction of reinforcement are proposed. The fracture conditions are applicable to the case where the adhesion strength between the bond and reinforcement is greater than the strength of the polymer bond. The strength of the polymer bond in the volume stressed state is determined by an energy criterion.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 482–486 May–June, 1973.     

Methods of taking into account the nonlinearity of the deformation properties of the material in calculating thick-walled composite rings

The results of an investigation of the deformation properties of unidirectional composites are presented, and engineering models which take into account the effect of the nonlinearity of the properties in the radial direction on the state of stress of rings under pressure are proposed. The relations obtained are checked theoretically — by means of a refined calculation based on the nonlinear theory of elasticity — and experimentally — by loading rings with internal and external pressure by means of rubber cuffs in specially designed apparatus.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 1, pp. 73–84, January–February, 1976.     

Modern trends in the development of fibrous composites

The two main trends in the development of high-modulus composites are considered. Improved methods of calculation sensitive to the effects associated with the weak shear and transverse characteristics are reviewed. It is shown that the disadvantages of composites with a traditional arrangement of the reinforcement can be overcome. The properties of boron- and carbon-reinforced plastics with a traditional reinforcement structure are described and compared with those of three-dimensionally structured materials with two- or three-strand reinforcing. Whiskerized fiber reinforcement is also considered. A program of further research on high-modulus composites is outlined.Presented at the 2nd All-Union Conference on Polymer Mechanics, Riga, November 10–12, 1971.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 3, pp. 541–552, May–June, 1972.