Cutting of aramide fiber-reinforced plastics by Co2 laser

Comparative characteristics of aramide fiber reinforced plastics (AFRP) made by laser cutting or machining are presented. It is found that the strength of the specimens cut out by laser is 4–25% higher, while the moisture absorption is at least 2 times lower as compared to those cut out by machining. The deviation of the cutting edge size for AFRP 2 mm thick does not exceed 0.4 mm. Calculated and experimental data are given. The possibilities and conditions of cutting the AFRP up to 6 mm thick are determined.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 35, No. 3, pp. 375–384, May–June, 1999.     

Bending of prestressed glass-reinforced plastic beams

Initial waviness of the fibers and prestressing are investigated in relation to their effect on flexural stiffness and strength for beams with low shear strength. It is shown that prestressing the reinforcement increases the flexural stiffness but at the same time adds to the shear correction as a result of an increase in the modulus of elasticity E_x in the direction of reinforcement and the insensitivity of the shear modulus G_xz to prestress. It is established that prestressing increases the shear strength and the degree of anisotropy . Materials of two types are investigated: unidirectional (AG-4S) and cloth-reinforced (SKT-11).Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 3, No. 5, pp. 888–893, 1967     

Effect of tensile stresses on the strength of heat-treated glass fibers

Possibilities of controlling the internal stresses developing during production of glass reinforced plastics were investigated. A favorable effect can be obtained by prestressing the glass fiber reinforcement during molding. Prestressing during heat treatment was found to increase the strength of the fibers. The strengthening is due to a reduction in stress concentration around microcracks as a result of forced elastic and plastic deformation.Mekhanika polimerov, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 89–92, 1965     

Deformation and strength properties of carbon-reinforced plastics in compression

The deformation and strength properties of unidirectionally reinforced carbon plastics have been experimentally investigated for uniaxial compression in the longitudinal and transverse directions and at 45° to the direction of reinforcement in both short-time and long-time tests. On the basis of the deformation properties of the components an attempt is made to describe the creep curve of the plastic in all three loading directions. The Mohr theory is used to predict the compressive strengths in the direction of reinforcement and at right angles to the reinforcement.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 1, pp. 29–35, January–February, 1973.     

Effect of structural and processing parameters of the reinforcement on the strength of unidirectional metalfiber composites under different types of loading

Conclusion The above studies show that the strength of unidirectional FCP's in uniaxial and biaxial tension is largely determined by the strength of the bond between the fibers and matrix and the internal geometry of the reinforcement. This dependence is particularly significant when the FCP product is loaded across as well as along the fibers. Impulsive loading as a method of making FCP's makes it possible to broadly vary the strength of the fiber-matrix interfaces. The unidirectional FCP's and tubular products of FCP's obtained by this method have a high strength under different types of loading, and this strength can be predicted by calculation.Presented at the Sixth All-Union Conference on the Mechanics of Polymer and Composite Materials (Riga, November, 1986).Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materiaiov, No. 6, pp. 1033–1038, November–December, 1986.     

Stability loss of reinforced cylindrical shells under isotropic external pressure

Conclusions 1. Upon the loading of a composite shell having a metallic matrix the shear effects are insignificant even in the case of comparatively large volume reinforcement contents and wall thicknesses.2. The principal modulus of a material which determines the stability of a reinforced shell upon isotropic external pressure is the secant modulus in the circumferential direction.3. In the case of complex reinforcement schemes some decrease in the stability of the shell is possible, probably due to an imperfection in reinforcement technology.Institute of Solid State Physics, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Moscow Region. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 1, pp. 90–95, January–February, 1977.     

Three-dimensionally reinforced woven materials

The article presents experimental data on the deformation and strength characteristics of a number of materials reinforced with three-dimensionally woven multilayer glass fabric, which are compared with the corresponding data for traditional glass-reinforced plastics. The accuracy of the formulas proposed [1] is evaluated. The effect of prestressing the warp and weft fibers on the mechanical properties of the material was investigated. The effectiveness of simultaneous prestressing of the warp and weft was evaluated; the magnitude of the optimal force was established.See [1] for report 1.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 3, pp. 471–476, May–June, 1970.     

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.     

Strength of an organic/glass fiber-reinforced textolite in plane stress

Conclusions An analysis of the results of testing hybrid glass organic textolites, containing layers of glass and organic fabric reinforcement in various proportions, along characteristic simple short-time quasi-static loading paths served as a basis for determining a family of strength surfaces for plane stress in the plane of reinforcement. The strength of the five materials investigated is described by a second-order surface equation with allowance for the difference in compressive and tensile strengths. The dependence of the strength surface tensor components entering into the strength equation on the structure parameter representing the relative content of organic and glass fabric in the hybrid textolite is investigated and described. The results obtained can be used in practical calculations for determining the optimum ratio of organic to glass fabric in hybrid material with allowance for the specific requirements to be met by the strength properties of the material when used for structural purposes.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, No. 6, pp. 1021–1026, November–December, 1979.     

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.     

Mechanism of failure of reinforced beams in bending

The mechanism of shear failure is investigated. A theoretical analysis makes it possible to determine the limits of shear failure of reinforced beams in relation to the geometric parameters of the beam, the mechanical properties of the reinforcement and the resin, their volume content, and the loading and support conditions. The results obtained are consistent with the experimental data of [1]. It is shown that in the process of shear failure the axial displacement distribution is modified and that the shear failure mechanism depends on the type of loading and the support conditions.Institute of Hydrodynamics, Siberian Branch, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Novosibirsk. Translated from Mekahnika Polimerov, No. 4, pp. 698–709, July–August, 1973.     

Optimal winding of filament-wound reinforced plastic shells designed to resist buckling under external pressure or axial compression

The optimal method of winding the reinforcement of thin cylindrical shells subjected to external pressure or axial loading is investigated. Various types of winding — normal, simple oblique, crossed, and isotropic — are considered. An approximate formula is obtained for the critical external pressure. This formula is used to analyze the possibility of raising the critical load by adopting oblique winding. In the case of axial compression different buckling modes are examined and the optimal winding determined.Central Scientific-Research Institute of Machine Building, Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 4, No. 5, pp. 864–875, September–October, 1968.     

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.     

Theory of thermostructural stresses in reinforced plastics

A method is proposed for determining the mean values of the initial thermostructural stresses in reinforcement and matrix resulting from the uniform cooling of a two-component unloaded elastic body from the natural state (resin hardening temeprature) to the working temperature (external loading).V. A. Steklov Mathematical Institute, Sverdlovsk Branch, Academy of Sciences of the USSR. S. M. Kirov Ural Polytechnic Institute, Sverdlovsk. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 4, No. 5, pp. 822–828, September–October, 1968.     

Experimental evaluation of the strength anisotropy of a unidirectionally reinforced organic fiber-reinforced plastic

Conclusions The strength of a unidirectional organic fiber-reinforced plastic has been experimentally determined in various special cases of plane stress. An analysis of the data obtained shows that it is possible to describe the strength of the material in plane stress by means of a second-order surface equation containing linear and quadratic terms. The dependence of the strength in tension and compression on the angle between the directions of loading and reinforcement has been predicted and experimentally confirmed using the values found for the components of the strength surface tensors. The results of the study can be used to estimate the strength of multilayer organic fiber-reinforced plastics in cases where a unidirectionally reinforced layer can be taken as the basic structural element of the material.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, No. 5, pp. 799–803, September–October, 1979.     

Application of the finite-element method to improve the quasi-exact reinforcement theory of fibrous polymeric composites

In the paper, the WL quasi-exact reinforcement theory of fibrous polymeric composites is improved. An optimum compatibility condition related to the transverse shear problem for a unit cell, which brings solutions closest to reality, is derived. This condition is formulated in the form of a linear combination of maximum radial and circumferential displacements. Optimum coefficients of this combination are determined by comparing analytical and numerical solutions for a test specimen in the form of a rectangular thin plate, which is in a plane strain state and is subject to selected loading schemes. The analytic solutions are obtained for a homogenized material by using the WL reinforcement theory. The numerical solutions are found for an actual heterogeneous composite material by using the finite-element method, and they verify the WL reinforcement theory, in particular, the admissibility of Hills assumption. An analysis performed for two composite materials shows that the improved WL reinforcement theory gives adequate displacement fields.Russian translation published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 41, No. 1, pp. 79–92, January–Febrauary, 2005.     

Effect of the geometry of the structure on the strength distribution of multilaminate tridirectional reinforced plastics

Conclusion The proposed analytical method makes it possible to predict the strength distribution of an LRP of the type [0/±]_s from its structure (the geometry of the packet, the number of layers, and the strength properties of the layers) in a plane stress state. Allowance is made for the random character of the strength properties of the layers, which makes it possible to evaluate the reliability of the LRP for both determinate and random loading. A criterion was formulated for the optimum design of the structure of an LRP with respect to ensuring maximum reliability for specific loading conditions. We also evaluated the effect of the parameters of the structure and the characteristics of the plane stress state on reliability. According to the results of a numerical analysis performed with the above-developed structural model of the failure of an LRP — with allowance for the random character of the strength properties of the layers — the imbalance of the laminated packet which occurs during failure can be ignored. The method used to predict the strength distribution of the LRP, involving determination of the strength distribution law of an RSE and subsequent examination of the loading of parallel-connected RSEs, is promising for other reinforcement schemes as well.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, No. 5, pp. 805–812, September–October, 1988.     

Limiting stresses in spatially reinforced composites with components-having different structural geometries nd elastic properties

A model which is proposed for calculating structural stresses in spatially reinforced composites and an invariant-polynomial criterion for evaluating their limiting values are used to predict the effect of the elastic and strength properties of the components and their relative content on the limiting stress-strain state of composites of different structures. Emphasis is given to tri-orthogonal and 4D cubic structures, in addition to structures with hexagonal and angle-ply fiber reinforcement schemes in the plane and perpendicular to it. The types of composite loading typical of standard tests are examined in separate numerical experiments for shear, tension, compression, and their proportional combination. A computational variant of a criterional estimate of the limiting stresses is substantiated for an anisotropic composite of variable strength. The limiting-stress surface is obtained along with contour maps showing stress isolines as a function of the properties of the components and the geometry of the structure. The maps are suitable for practical use. The cases of maximum resistance to shear, tension, compression, and combination loading of 3D and 4D composites are compared to the analogous cases for two-dimensional structures.Presented at the Ninth International Conference on the Mechanics of Composite Materials (Riga, October, 1995).Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, No. 5, pp. 616–639, September–October, 1995.     

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.     

Stress state of thermosensitive thick cylinders made of anisotropic composites

The class of problems on the axially symmetric stress state of thick cylinders made of anisotropic materials is considered. The problems are solved numerically. The temperature and mechanical fields in the composite cylinders are investigated taking into account the temperature dependence of the matrix and reinforcement characteristics, as well as the variability of density and angle of reinforcement across the thickness.Institute of Mechanics, Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences, Kiev, Ukraine. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 35, No. 3, pp. 367–374, May–June, 1999.