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.     

Comparative micromechanical analysis of nonelastic behavior of unidirectional plastics with tetragonal and hexagonal structures

A mathematical model for determining the effective elastic properties and describing the processes of inelastic deformation and damage accumulation of unidirectional fiber-reinforced composites with tetragonal and hexagonal structures is developed. A comparative analysis of the effective elastic moduli of glass, boron, organic, and carbon unidirectional plastics shows that, if the fiber volume fraction does not exceed 0.5, the effective elastic properties calculated by the models presented give closely related results. The calculation results for nonlinear fields of deformation and failure are presented and the limiting strength surfaces of fibrous glass plastics with hexagonal and tetragonal structures are obtained for different transverse loading paths. It is found that the structure of a composite affects significantly its strength properties.Submitted to the 11th International Conference on Mechanics of Composite Materials (Riga, June 11–15, 2000).Perm' State Technical University, Perm', Russia. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 36, No. 4, pp. 455–464, July–August, 2000.     

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.     

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.     

Evaluating the effect of whiskerization of the fibers of composites on the fundamental frequency of a laminated cylindrical shell

Conclusion The calculations showed that whiskerization of the reinforcement of the structural material of multilaminate shells makes it possible in some cases to increase the fundamental vibration frequency of the structure up to 15–20%. In combination with the well-known [1] effect of improved strength characteristics for a whiskerized composite in the transverse and shear directions, this finding allows us to conclude that whiskerized structural materials are more efficient than ordinary laminated composites in shell-type load-bearing structures. Here, the greatest benefit can be expected in the case of whiskers which have higher elastic moduli than the main reinforcement. Since considerably higher reinforcement intensities can be achieved in whiskerized laminated composites than in composites with a reinforcement characterized by an arbitrary three-dimensional structure, it can be concluded on the basis of the results obtained here that, at least for shells of moderate thickness (10 < R/h 50), whiskerized composites are the optimum structural material for load-bearing shells.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, No. 6, pp. 1022–1027, November–December, 1987.     

Generalized self-consistent method: Modeling and computation of effective elastic properties of composites with composite or hollow inclusions

A new approach to the generalized self-consistent method [1,2] has been developed for problems of the statistical mechanics of composites with composite or hollow inclusions. The approach can reduce the problem of predicting the effective elastic properties of composites to a simpler averaged problem of a single, composite, or hollow inclusion with inhomogeneous elastic surrounding in a homogeneous effective elastic medium. The problem of predicting the effective elastic properties of composites with unidirectional hollow fibers or hollow spherical inclusions are studied by using the new approach.Submitted to the 10th International Conference on Mechanics of Composite Materials, April 20–23, 1998, Riga, Latvia.Perm' State Technical University, Russia. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 34, No. 2, pp. 173–183, March–April, 1998.     

Thermoelastic expansion of spherical fiber composites

A refined solution is constructed for thermoelastic expansion of spherical fiber composites with a three-dimensional structure on the basis of existing hypotheses about the longitudinal state of fibers in a matrix strengthened with spherical inclusions. Relationships defining the dependence in explicit form of thermoelastic coefficients on structural parameters are obtained in analytical form. Thermal expansion coefficients for composites with cubic symmetry are discussed in detail.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 33, No. 2, pp. 251–257, March–April, 1997.     

Stress-strain state in the matrix of stochastically reinforced composites

Conclusion We proposed a method of studying the concentration of stresses and strains in the matrix of composites with a stochastic structure in a three-dimensional formulation. The method is based on the use of tensor operators assigned at the inclusion-matrix interface and results from the theory of effective moduli of stochastically reinforced composites.Advantages of the proposed approach include its relative simplicity and clarity, as well as the fact that it can be used to analyze the three-dimensional stress and strain concentration in the matrix of composites with components having very different properties. However, for high values of the volume concentration of reinforcement c₁ > 0.6, it is necessary to use the results of exact solutions obtained, for example, within the framework of deterministic models. The correction that is introduced here is connected with the average of the stresses and strains over an inclusion. The character of their distribution over the interface remains the same as before.The numerical results obtained here show the significant effect of the relative dimensions of the inclusions on the effective elastic properties and the stress concentration in the matrix. Comparison of theoretical values of the longitudinal elastic modulus with experimental results can serve as grounds for validating the proposed variant of choosing the tensor L₀ in the determination of the corrected characteristics and stress-strain state of the matrix.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, No. 3, pp. 396–402, May–June, 1989     

Elastic constants of monotropic plastic foams. 1. Deformation parallel to foam rise direction. A mathematical model

A mathematical model of the deformative properties and structure of lightweight, monotropic (or isotropic in the limiting case) plastic foams with a pronounced strut-like structure has been elaborated in the linear theory of deformation. A selection of five independent elastic constants is described. For the integral characterization of the deformative properties of plastic foams as micrononhomogeneous composite materials, the elastic constants are introduced as the effective constants. In order to describe the plastic foam structure, a local model consisting of two parts is proposed, i.e., a model of a continuous medium for the calculation of stresses and a local structure model. Considering deformation parallel to the foam rise direction when the semiaxes hypothesis is assumed, the Young modulus and Poisson's ratio are determined.Institute of Polymer Mechanics. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 33, No. 6, pp. 719–733, November–December, 1997.     

Singular approximation of the method of periodic components in statistical mechanics of composite materials

A quasi-periodic model is developed for random structures of composites, when the locations of inclusions are given in terms of random deviations from nodes of an ideal periodic lattice. Solution of the stochastic boundary problem of the theory of elasticity is examined for a quasi-periodic component by the method of periodic components, which is reduced to determination of the field of deviations from the known solution for a corresponding periodic composite. The solution is presented for the tensor of effective elastic properties of a quasi-periodic composite in singular approximation of the method of periodic components in terms of familiar solutions for tensors of the effective elastic properties of composites with periodic and chaotic structures and the parameters of the quasi-periodic structure: the coefficient of periodicity and the tensor of the anisotropy of inclusion disorder. A numerical calculation is performed for the effective transversally isotropic elastic properties of unidirectional fibrous composites with different degrees of fiber disorder.Perm' State Technical University, Russia. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 33, No. 4, pp. 460–473, July–August, 1997.     

Deformation of elastic polyurethanes with a bimodal cellular structure

This article examines the cellular structure and mechanical properties of elastic foamed polyurethanes with a bimodal cellular structure (BFPUs). It is shown that the sizes of the oval cells (3–12 mm) in the elastic foamed polyurethenes that are studied are a tenth of an order greater than the sizes of the polyhedral cells (0.1–0.6 mm). Conversely, for rigid foamed polyurethanes, the polyhedral cells are more than a tenth of an order larger than the oval cells (microcells). The equations of the compression curve of BFFUs are found, and it is established that the deformation of BFPUs is determined by the deformation function of the cellular structure and the viscoelastic properties of the polymer matrix. The deformation functions of the cellular structure and the relaxation properties of BFPUs are determined. It is shown that choosing BFPUs with a cellular structure improves the comfort properties of the foamed material: the softness coefficient increased by 8–19% in the investigated case, while the support coefficient increased by 15–35%.Paper presented at the IX International Conference on the Mechanics of Composite Materials (Riga, 1995).Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 32, No. 3, pp. 330–339, May–June, 1996.     

Correlation between the Mechanical Properties and the Amount of Desorbed Water for Composites Based on Low-Density Polyethylene and Linen Yarn Production Waste

The effect of the amount of desorbed water on the mechanical properties of composites based on low-density polyethylene and linen yarn production waste (LW) is analyzed by statistical methods. It is shown that the amount of absorbed water decreases during the desorption process at room temperature both for specimens modified and unmodified with diphenylmethane diisocyanate (DIC.) The most sensitive to the action of water is the elastic modulus, which decreases considerably under the effect of water and is fully restored in the desorption process. The tensile strain also increases with the amount of absorbed water. It is found that the elastic modulus of the unmodified composite correlates linearly with the amount of desorbed water. Between the amount of desorbed water and the tensile strain, as well the specific work of deformation, a negative linear correlation is revealed. After water desorption, all strength and deformation characteristics of both the modified and unmodified composites are fully recovered.__________Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 41, No. 4, pp. 515–524, July–August, 2005.     

Internal instability of laminated composites with a metal matrix

Conclusions The constructed characteristic determinant for a three-dimensional nonaxisymmetric problem in the theory of stability of laminated composites with a metal matrix coincides with the characteristic determinant for the axisymmetric problem with the corresponding substitution of the wave parameters. The solution of the characteristic equation for a real material shows that loss of stability according to the different forms and for different values of deformation and the oscillation parameter as a function of the concentration of filler is possible.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, No. 6, pp. 1051–1056, November–December, 1990.     

Rational structures for spherofibrous composites. 2. 4Dm models

A method of calculating elastic moduli from component properties is proposed for a 4D composite. It is established that when subject to shear, composites with such a structure cannot be described by Hooke's law for anisotropic bodies. It has been found that 4D₀ and 0m composites with a fixed bulk content of components possess nearly equivalent normal-elasticity indicators. The latter makes it possible to use these less expensive materials.See [1] for report 1.A. A. Blagonravov Machine Science Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 33, No. 3, pp. 370–376, May–June, 1997.     

Determination of rational structure for spherofibrous plastics

A complete set of elastic constants for various structures of triorthogonally reinforced plastics with a matrix dispersely reinforced by spherical particles has been determined on the basis of the proposed algorithm. Approximate equations are obtained for determination of all integral parameters from data on the components and structure geometry. It is established that for the reinforcement schemes investigated, the shear moduli of the composites have the lowest possible values and are calculated with a higher accuracy than the other elastic constants.A. A. Blagonravov Institute of Machine Science, Russian Academy of Sciences. Moscow, Russian. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 33, No. 2, pp. 155–160, March–April, 1997.     

Modeling process operations in the forming of parts made of flat metal-polymer composites

The forming of complex three-dimensional parts (tubular structures, sections, shells) from flat sheets of metal-polymer composites is examined. Results are reported from a series of experimental studies of the strain and strength characteristics of these composites, and features of the fabrication of shells of single and double curvature are analyzed. One method of solving the problem of bending shells of complex shape with large displacements (deflections) beyond the elastic limit of the material is proposed and substantiated empirically.Paper to be presented at the IX International Conference on the Mechanics of Composite Materials (Riga, October, 1995).Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 31, No. 3, pp. 417–427, May–June, 1995.     

New mathematical model for nonuniform deformation of composites

A new mathematical model is suggested for nonuniform deformation of composite materials valid for arbitrary external load gradients. As a basis stochastic equations are suggested for the statics of an elastic microinhomogeneous two-component material with volumetric forces differing from zero. Expressions are obtained for all coefficients in terms of elastic constants of the components and geometric parameters of the structure.Presented at the Ninth International Conference on the Mechanics of Composite Materials (Riga, October, 1995).Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 31, No. 3, pp. 310–318, May–June, 1995.     

A generalized self-consistent method for composites with random elastic properties of inclusions

The generalized self-consistent method is extended to the problems of statistical mechanics of composites with random elastic properties of inclusions. This approach makes it possible to reduce the problem of predicting the effective elastic properties of composites with random structures to a sequence of simpler homogenized boundary-value problems for solitary inclusions with inhomogeneous elastic transition layers in a homogeneous effective elastic medium and with the corresponding boundary conditions. The elastic properties of a solitary inclusion for the gth homogenized problem are found from the solutions of the gth and (g+1)th homogenized problems. The elastic properties and sizes of the transition layers account for the random distribution, random sizes, and random elastic properties of inclusions in the composite. A test problem of predicting the effective elastic properties of a transversely isotropic layer composite with random elastic properties of some layers is solved by using the method proposed. The solution obtained coincides with the known exact solution [1].Perm State Technical University, Perm, Russia. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 35, No. 6, pp. 785–796, November–December, 1999.     

Theory of fiber-matrix delamination in sphero-fibrous plastics

A method for calculating the deformed state and the effective characteristics of sphero-fibrous composites with a three-dimensional structure and local delaminations at the fiber-matrix interface is proposed. It is assumed that the interfacial cracks take place along the whole length of fibers within the representative volume. The effect of the interface crack dimension on the variations in shear moduli of the 3Dm composite is investigated in detail. It is shown that small cracks have practically no influence on the integral characteristics of the composites.Blagonravov Machine Building Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 33, No. 5, pp. 644–650, September–October, 1997.     

Electromechanical properties of continuous fibre-reinforced piezoelectric composites

The objective of this paper is to present analytical expressions of the basic effective constants (for transducer applications) of fibrous piezoelectric composites with a periodic structure. These expressions were obtained on the basis of the asymptotic averaging method, following the same procedure used in [1] for the purely elastic case. The averaged electromechanical properties for these piezocomposites can be calculated from the above formulas. The results obtained from the theoretical predictions with the use of homogenization method show good agreement with the existing experimental results.Published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 33, No. 5, pp. 670–680, September–October, 1997.