Separating viscoelasticity and poroelasticity of gels with diferent length and time scales

Viscoelasticity and poroelasticity commonly coexist as time-dependent behaviors in polymer gels.Engineering applications often require knowledge of both behaviors separated;however,few methods exist to decouple viscoelastic and poroelastic properties of gels.We propose a method capable of separating viscoelasticity and poroelasticity of gels in various mechanical tests.The viscoelastic characteristic time and the poroelastic difusivity of a gel define an intrinsic material length scale of the gel.The experimental setup gives a sample length scale,over which the solvent migrates in the gel.By setting the sample length to be much larger or smaller than the material length,the viscoelasticity and poroelasticity of the gel will dominate at diferent time scales in a test.Therefore,the viscoelastic and poroelastic properties of the gel can be probed separately at diferent time scales of the test.We further validate the method by finite-element models and stress-relaxation experiments.     

Separating viscoelasticity and poroelasticity of gels with diferent length and time scales简

Viscoelasticity and poroelasticity commonly coexist as time-dependent behaviors in polymer gels. Engineering applications often require knowledge of both behaviors separated; however, few methods exist to decouple viscoelastic and poroelastic properties of gels. We propose a method capable of separating viscoelasticity and poroelasticity of gels in various mechanical tests. The viscoelastic char- acteristic time and the poroelastic diffusivity of a gel define an intrinsic material length scale of the gel. The experimen- tal setup gives a sample length scale, over which the solvent migrates in the gel. By setting the sample length to be much larger or smaller than the material length, the viscoelasticity and poroelasticity of the gel will dominate at different time scales in a test. Therefore, the viscoelastic and poroelastic properties of the gel can be probed separately at different time scales of the test. We further validate the method by finite-element models and stress-relaxation experiments.     

Sliding mode control of a “Soft” 2-DOF Planar Pneumatic Manipulator

This paper presents a sliding mode controller for a “Soft” 2-DOF Planar Pneumatic Manipulator actuated by pleated pneumatic artificial muscle actuators. Since actuator dynamics is not negligible, an approximate model for pressure dynamics was taken into account, which made it necessary to perform full input-output feedback linearization in order to design a sliding mode controller. The design of the controller is presented in detail, and experimental results obtained by implementing the controller are discussed Published in Prikladnaya Mekhanika, Vol. 44, No. 10, pp. 135–144, October 2008.     

Inhomogeneous deformation of elastomer gels in equilibrium under saturated and unsaturated conditions

A variational method is employed to obtain governing equations and boundary conditions describing finite strain equilibrium configurations of elastomeric gels. Three situations are considered: a liquid saturated gel, an unsaturated gel, and a gel in equilibrium with a vapor of its own liquid. Surface tractions can lead to equilibrium transitions between these cases. The liquid saturated gel is regarded as immersed in a liquid bath. If this bath becomes depleted, then the gel is unsaturated. The degree of unsaturation - a measure of the amount of liquid that would restore a state of saturation - affects the subsequent mechanical behavior. If the unsaturated system is further allowed to condense or evaporate its liquid component at the gel surface, then a new state of equilibrium is achieved. The transition between the unsaturated case and the case of being in equilibrium with the vapor phase corresponds to the chemical potential variable of the gel changing its value from one that is determined by a volume constraint to the value of the chemical potential in the vapor phase. A finite element method is created on the basis of the variational method and demonstrated in the context of eversion, a deformation that imposes very large finite strains. Liquid migration within the gel is not modeled as our focus is on equilibrium states that occur after all such non-equilibrium processes come to rest.     

The chemo-mechanical coupling behavior of hydrogels incorporating entanglements of polymer chains

To describe precisely the chemo-mechanical coupling behavior of hydrogels, a general form of free energy density function is presented by considering chain entanglements and functionality of junctions. We use the chemical potential of the solvent and the deformation gradient of the network as the independent variables of the developed free energy function, and implement this material model in the finite element package, ABAQUS, to analyze several examples of chemo-mechanical equilibrium deformation behaviors of hydrogels. The influence of chain entanglements and junction functionality on the chemo-mechanical behavior of hydrogels is addressed based on our simulation. With the coded subroutine UHYPER, this work may provide a numerical tool to study complex phenomena in hydrogels.     

Characterization and modeling of air muscles

Two flexible pneumatic actuators, McKibben and straight fiber, were analyzed. The muscles were modeled by finite element method. The numerical models take into account the non-linearity of the expanding rubber inner tube, and of the mechanism for transferring load to the braided cords surrounding the tube. Because of its own fabrication, McKibben muscle model may capture the initial backslash between rubber tube and cords.Despite of the McKibben specimen, a straight fiber muscle prototype was fabricated on purpose in the laboratory. In order to validate the numerical models, numerous experimental tests were carried out. The numerical results showed a good agreement with the data measured experimentally in terms of muscle pull force and of its deformed shape. Finally, the models of two muscles similar in terms of input energy allow their performances to be compared.     

Poroelastic toughening in polymer gels: A theoretical and numerical study

We explore the Mode I fracture toughness of a polymer gel containing a semi-infinite, growing crack. First, an expression is derived for the energy release rate within the linearized, small-strain setting. This expression reveals a crack tip velocity-independent toughening that stems from the poroelastic nature of polymer gels. Then, we establish a poroelastic cohesive zone model that allows us to describe the micromechanics of fracture in gels by identifying the role of solvent pressure in promoting poroelastic toughening. We evaluate the enhancement in the effective fracture toughness through asymptotic analysis. We confirm our theoretical findings by means of numerical simulations concerning the case of a steadily propagating crack. In broad terms, our results explain the role of poroelasticity and of the processes occurring in the fracturing region in promoting toughening of polymer gels.     

海水环境中环氧值对环氧树脂涂层摩擦学性能的影响研究

环氧树脂是一类具有优异的粘接、耐腐蚀和电气绝缘等性能的高强度热固性高分子材料,在黏结剂、防腐涂料和复合材料方面展现出广阔的应用前景,其摩擦学行为与环氧值密切相关.本研究中采用线棒涂布器在铸铁表面分别制备了3种具有不同环氧值的环氧树脂涂层.借助傅里叶红外光谱仪(FT-IR)、X射线光电子能谱仪(XPS)、扫描电镜(SEM)、纳米压痕仪、热重/差热综合热分析仪(TG/DTA)、UMT-3摩擦磨损试验机和表面轮廓仪研究了涂层的结构、硬度、耐热性及摩擦学性能.研究结果表明:涂层在干燥条件和海水环境中的摩擦系数和磨损率均随环氧值的增大而升高;海水环境中涂层的摩擦系数和磨损率均较干燥条件下低.涂层的磨损机理在干燥条件下包括了疲劳磨损、黏着磨损和磨粒磨损,而在海水中仅为疲劳磨损.本研究成果为高性能防腐耐磨涂层的设计与应用提供理论指导.     

Rheological behaviour of a commercial TGDDM-DDS based epoxy matrix during the isothermal cure

The change of the viscosity profile during the isothermal cure of a commercially available epoxy system commonly used as a matrix for high performance composites, TGDDM-DDS from CIBA, has been obtained by means of both a constant shear rate viscometer and a dynamic one. The range of temperature investigated varied from 120 up to 180°C. The increase of the molecular weight during the cure reaction is reflected on a macroscopic level in a progressive linear increase of the logarithm of the shear viscosity up to a critical point, near gelation, where an upturn is observed. The values of the time and viscosity at the critical point have been used to normalize the experimental data in a single generalized curve of the cure-viscosity profile. The William, Landel and Ferry equation has been found to adequately describe the temperature dependence of the viscosity for systems in the range of temperatures where the cure reaction did not occur. The apparent activation energy of the cure reaction, 19.7 Kcal/mole, obtained from the critical times, is consistent with calorimetric determinations.     

玻纤/环氧复合材料杆体力学性能的试验研究

通过进行玻璃纤维/环氧树脂复合材料正交试验, 获得了玻璃纤维/环氧树脂复合材料锚杆的最佳配比. 研究了固化时间与杆体承载能力的关系, 杆体直径对承载能力的影响.     

环氧树脂在干摩擦过程中的表面化学效应研究

研究了环氧树脂在干摩擦下载荷为49 N和98 N时的摩擦磨损性能及其表面化学效应,利用扫描电子显微镜、X射线光电子能谱仪和傅立叶变换红外光谱仪对环氧树脂磨损表面的形貌和官能团进行观察与分析.结果表明:在载荷49 N下环氧树脂表现出良好的耐磨性能;在载荷98 N下,环氧树脂表面磨损较严重且呈脆性剥落;环氧树脂在干摩擦过程中发生的表面化学效应主要是其分子链的断裂和氧化降解,其磨损形式主要为疲劳磨损.     

SiC/环氧树脂复合材料冲蚀磨损性能的研究

采用环氧树脂为粘接剂制备了SiC/环氧树脂复合材料,在自制的射流式冲蚀磨损试验机上研究了SiC/环氧树脂的冲蚀磨损性能.结果表明:大尺寸SiC颗粒制备的复合材料较小尺寸SiC颗粒制备的复合材料具有更好的冲蚀磨损性能,且大尺寸SiC颗粒复合材料的冲蚀磨损性能优于Q235钢,而小尺寸SiC颗粒复合材料则低于Q235钢.随着冲蚀角度的变化,其平行材料表面的切削分量和垂直材料表面的冲击分量将会发生变化,低角度冲蚀磨损机理以显微切削和碾压造成环氧树脂及SiC颗粒的层片状脱落为主转变为高角度冲蚀磨损以SiC颗粒碎裂造成环氧树脂疲劳脱落为主.     

Treadmill walking of the pneumatic biped Lucy: Walking at different speeds and step-lengths

Actuators with adaptable compliance are gaining interest in the field of legged robotics due to their capability to store motion energy and to exploit the natural dynamics of the system to reduce energy consumption while walking and running. To perform research on compliant actuators we have built the planar biped Lucy. The robot has six actuated joints, the ankle, knee and hip of both legs with each joint powered by two pleated pneumatic artificial muscles in an antagonistic setup. This makes it possible to control both the torque and the stiffness of the joint. Such compliant actuators are used in passive walkers to overcome friction when walking over level ground and to improve stability. Typically, this kind of robots is only designed to walk with a constant walking speed and step-length, determined by the mechanical design of the mechanism and the properties of the ground. In this paper, we show that by an appropriate control, the robot Lucy is able to walk at different speeds and step-lengths and that adding and releasing weights does not affect the stability of the robot. To perform these experiments, an automated treadmill was built Published in Prikladnaya Mekhanika, Vol. 44, No. 7, pp. 134–142, July 2008.     

Stress relaxation and creep of polymer gels in solvent under uniaxial and biaxial deformations

Stress relaxation and creep of polymer gels in solvent under various deformation modes such as uniaxial, strip-biaxial, and equibiaxial were theoretically investigated. The magnitudes of relaxed stress and the creep at equilibrium under each deformation mode were derived by a thermodynamic consideration of gel system. Combining a constitutive equation of gel with the equation of motion of polymer network, the stress and strain under each deformation mode have been formulated. The theory proposed here was applied to the rectangular gels under various deformations to calculate the stress relaxation and creep behavior of polymer networks in solvent. Two methods different in treatment of swelling under the constant strain or stress were employed for the calculation: one is based on the assumption that the swelling proceeds isotropically, and the other considers the anisotropic swelling process. The results obtained by the two methods mainly differ in the diffusion mode determining the swelling behavior. The possibility of undershoot of relative strain in load-free direction in the creep is also expected.     

Fracture testing of a self-healing polymer composite

Inspired by biological systems in which damage triggers an autonomic healing response, a polymer composite material that can heal itself when cracked has been developed. In this paper we summarize the self-healing concept for polymeric composite materials and we investigate fracture mechanics issues consequential to the development and optimization of this new class of material. The self-healing material under investigation is an epoxy matrix composite, which incorporates a microencapsulated healing agent that is released upon crack intrusion. Polymerization of the healing agent is triggered by contact with an embedded catalyst. The effects of size and concentration of the catalyst and microcapsules on fracture toughness and healing efficiency are investigated. In all cases, the addition of microcapsules significantly toughens the neat epoxy. Once healed, the self-healing polymer exhibits the ability to recover as much as 90 percent of its virgin fracture toughness.     

纳米ZnO／环氧树脂复合材料的力学性能和摩擦学性能

在超声波作用下，利用偶联剂将ZnO纳米微粒同环氧树脂进行复合，制备了纳米ZnO／环氧树脂复合材料，用M-2000型摩擦磨损试验机评价了复合材料在干摩擦条件下同不锈钢对摩时的摩擦学性能，测定了复合材料的力学性能，并用正电子湮没寿命技术(PALT)分析了试样的微观结构．结果表明：纳米ZnO／环氧树脂复合材料的耐磨性优于环氧树脂；当纳米ZnO的质量分数为10％时，复合材料的磨损率最小，仅为环氧树脂的15％，且摩擦系数也有所降低；摩擦后复合材料试样的自由体积孔穴尺寸有所增大，而且随着ZnO含量的增加，自由体积孔穴尺寸呈增大趋势．     

炭纤维增强环氧树脂复合材料/N80钢摩擦学性能研究

利用MG-200型摩擦磨损试验机研究了炭纤维增强环氧树脂复合材料/N80钢的摩擦学性能,考察了介质温度对摩擦学性能的影响;用扫描电子显微镜分析了磨损表面形貌.结果表明:在干摩擦条件下,炭纤维增强环氧树脂复合材料与N80钢对摩时的摩擦系数较低,炭纤维增强环氧树脂复合材料的磨损主要表现为树脂基体脱落碳化和炭纤维的折断剥落,偶件钢环则呈现明显的磨粒磨损特征;在油井产出液润滑下炭纤维增强环氧树脂复合材料的磨损率较低,摩擦系数和磨损率随着润滑介质温度的升高而增大,偶件钢环则呈现明显的磨粒磨损和腐蚀磨损特征.     

惯性元件环氧树脂浇注工艺的探讨

导航产品中许多关键、重要的电器元件必须采用环氧树进行灌封，并要求满足规定的电性性参参数，在高低温反复冲击实验中不开裂。为了提高产品的质量，作针对惯性能元件的结构特点和技术要求，研究了环氧树脂、固化剂、增韧剂、填料的选择对其灌封胶性能的影响，及浇注工艺中存在的应注意的问题。     

多壁碳纳米管/环氧树脂纳米复合材料的摩擦磨损性能研究

采用浇铸法,利用超声分散制备了多壁碳纳米管(MWNTs)/环氧树脂(EP)纳米复合材料,研究了MWNTs的添加量及分散程度对复合材料表面形貌和摩擦磨损性能的影响,并探讨了影响MWNTs/EP复合材料摩擦磨损性能的因素.结果表明:随着MWNTs加入量的提高(1%～4%),复合材料的摩擦系数和磨损率均呈现降低趋势,摩擦系数由0.60降到0.22,磨损率由1.11×10-4mg/(N·m)降为2.22×10-5mg/(N·m);在MWNTs添加量(1%)相同的情况下,MWNTs分散程度高的复合材料的摩擦性能更好.纯环氧树脂与45#钢对摩时发生粘着磨损和疲劳剥落,而由于MWNTs的增强和自润滑作用,MWNTs/EP复合材料的粘着磨损和疲劳剥落显著减轻.