Microstress fields and the mechanical properties of disordered fiber composites

Conclusion The effective elastic moduli and Poisson's ratios and the mean characteristics of the stress fields in the components of unidirectional fiber composites with a stochastic structure are nearly the same as the corresponding values calculated for a regular model of the composite. Relatively small increase (up to 6%) is seen in the transverse shear moduli with the transition from a regular structure to a stochastic structure. In the latter, there is a substantial increase in the stress concentration factor. Here, the difference between the stochastic structure and the regular structure increases with an increase in fiber stiffness and is particularly great (with a difference of two to three orders of magnitude) in the case of shear loading. The probability of the occurrence of microscopic fracture in the binder of the investigated materials is higher in transverse tension, but the difference from the results obtained for the regular models is more significant in the case of shear loading. Microscopic fracture nuclei will be formed in the matrix of the composite with the stochastic structure at considerably lower macroscopic stresses than are required for the regular structure.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, No. 5, pp. 860–865, September–October, 1990.     

Influence of fiber structure modification on the mechanical properties of flax fiber-epoxy composites

The mechanical characteristics of flax fibers were optimized by using the NaOH treatment process to improve the properties of composite materials. Shrinkage of the fibers during this treatment had a significant effect on the structure and, as a result, on the mechanical properties of the fibers and the composites based on them. Due to the higher mechanical strength and stiffness of flax fibers after NaOH treatment under isometric conditions, the strength and stiffness of composites in general increase. Further, NaOH treatment leads to a rougher surface morphology, as shown, e.g., for jute fibers, compared with the surface of untreated fibers without improved fiber/matrix adhesion.     

The influence of water sorption-desorption cycles on the mechanical properties of composites based on recycled polyolefine and linen yarn production waste

The effect of water on the mechanical properties (tensile modulus, ultimate tensile strength, tensile strain, and specific work at break) of both chemically treated and untreated composites based on a recycled low-density polyethylene and linen yarn production waste is analyzed. It is found that three water sorption-desorption cycles change the tensile properties of both the materials irreversibly. This effect is considered as the result of partial fracture of the fiber-matrix interface. Russian translation published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 43, No. 6, pp. 839–848, November–December, 2007.     

Realization of the mechanical properties of fibers in high-modulus polymer composites

The effect of scatter in the strength and deformation properties of the high-modulus fibers, the degree of twist, and the presence of pores in the polymeric matrix on the degree of realization of the potential possibilities of these fibers in composite materials is briefly considered.All-Union Scientific-Research Institute of Aviation Materials, Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 6, pp. 1123–1125, November–December, 1972.     

Structure and properties of ceramic composites based on ZrO2

Monodisperse fine powders of high purity obtained by sol-gel method are used for production of high technical data ceramics. The fiber reinforcement is used for hardening of composite materials. It was of interest to study production possibility of reinforced composite material based on ZrO₂ obtained by sol-gel method with filler from fibers of partially stabilized zirconia. ZrO₂ powders were obtained by precipitation of its hydrated gel from aqueous zirconium oxychloride solution by ammonium hydroxide followed by thermal treatment. For composite reinforcement ceramic partially stabilized (8 mole Y₂O₃) ZrO₂ fibers 0.16–0.67 mm in length and 5–7 m in diameter were used. Content of the fibers in composite was 20 wt.%. From powders and their mixtures with fibers, the samples were pressed as disks, beams and cylinders, and anneal in air at 1100–1600°C temperature range. The investigation has shown that the fibers of partially stabilized zirconia change the composite structure, increase the content of tetragonal modification that promotes its hardening. Treatment temperature of precursor determines physical chemical properties of compositions with fibers. Their high specific surface and reaction ability provides a workability of forming and sintering processes into strong composite material. The ceramics was increased by 2.5–3 times as strength after fibrous filler introduction into ZrO₂ hydrogel matrix.Presented at the Ninth International Conference on the Mechanics of Composite Materials (Riga, October 1995).Presented at the Ninth International conference on the Mechanics of Composite Materials (Riga, October 1995). Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry of the Academy Sciences of the Belarus. Minsk. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 32, No. 3, pp. 418–427, May–June. 1996.     

Processing,structure, and mechanical properties of alumina-nanofilled polystyrene composites

Binary composites composed of polystyrene (PS) and a synthetic boehmite alumina were produced by using the water-mediated melt compounding (WMC) and direct melt compounding (DMC) techniques. The alumina particles were dispersed in water at ambient temperature. The aqueous alumina suspension was injected into molten PS in a twin-screw extruder to prepare reinforced polymer composites. The dispersion of the alumina was studied by transmission and scanning electron microcopy techniques (TEM and SEM, respectively). The mechanical and thermomechanical properties of the composites were determined by employing a dynamic-mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and short-time creep and uniaxial static tensile tests. It was found that the direct melt compounding of the alumina with PS resulted in microcomposites, whereas the water-mediated melt compounding technique gave rise to nanocomposites. The incorporation of alumina into the PS nanocomposites increased their stiffness, tensile strength, and creep resistance. However, the elongation of the PS nanocomposites at break was smaller than that of the PS microcomposites.     

The effect of carbon fibers and carbon nanotubes on the mechanical properties of polyimide composites

In this experimental work, the influence of carbon fibers (CFs) added to polyimide (PI) composite plastics was investigated. Also, the effect of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the fiber-matrix interface was studied. The results obtained show that the mechanical properties of CF/CNT/PI nanocomposites are superior to those of CF/PI composites.     

Antifriction and mechanical properties of polymer compositions based on silicone adhesives

A comparative investigation has been made of the antifriction and mechanical properties of polymer compositions based on K-400 silicone adhesive and fillers in the form of finely dispersed powdered polymers (tetrafluoroethylene, Kapron, polyethylene), graphite, sawdust, B-83 babbitt, and a lubricant^–US-2 grease. The antifriction properties of these materials are not inferior to those of some common nonferrous metals (B-83 babbitt, TsAM9-1.5 zinc alloy, OTsS5-5-5 bronze). The rational range of application of the compositions investigated is indicated.Rostov-on-Don Institute of Railroad Transport Engineers. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 5, pp. 937–940, September–October, 1969.     

Identification of mechanical properties of arteries with certification of global optimality

In this study, we consider identification of parameters in a non-linear continuum-mechanical model of arteries by fitting the models response to clinical data. The fitting of the model is formulated as a constrained non-linear, non-convex least-squares minimization problem. The model parameters are directly related to the underlying physiology of arteries, and correctly identified they can be of great clinical value. The non-convexity of the minimization problem implies that incorrect parameter values, corresponding to local minima or stationary points may be found, however. Therefore, we investigate the feasibility of using a branch-and-bound algorithm to identify the parameters to global optimality. The algorithm is tested on three clinical data sets, in each case using four increasingly larger regions around a candidate global solution in the parameter space. In all cases, the candidate global solution is found already in the initialization phase when solving the original non-convex minimization problem from multiple starting points, and the remaining time is spent on increasing the lower bound on the optimal value. Although the branch-and-bound algorithm is parallelized, the overall procedure is in general very time-consuming.

     

Materials design of elastic properties of multiphase polycrystalline composites using model functions

For a chosen combination of materials for a multiphase polycrystalline composite, a crystallite orientation distribution function for each phase is formulated as a superposition of analytic central model von Mises-Fisher functions. The chosen central model functions allow the analytic integration of orientation averages of arbitrarily anisotropic fourth-order tensors. Based on this result, the first-order bounds of Voigt and Reuss and the geometric average of the stiffness can be expressed explicitly in closed forms for arbitrarily anisotropic polycrystalline materials and number of phases depending on the volume fractions and the influence of the crystallographic texture of each constituent. These expressions can then be used for the materials design aiming the determination of volume fractions and orientation distribution of selected materials for prescribed effective properties. (© 2015 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)