On the use of edge cracked short bend beam specimen for PMMA fracture toughness testing under mixed-mode I/II

In this paper an inclined edge cracked short beam specimen subjected to symmetric three-point bend loading was designed and examined for conducting mixed-mode I/II fracture toughness experiments. The aspect ratio (i.e. length to width ratio) and the loading span distance are considered much lower than the other conventional cracked bend beam samples. Crack tip parameters such as stress intensity factors and T-stress were computed numerically for this specimen by several finite element analyses and it was demonstrated that the specimen is able to produce full combinations of mode I and II including pure mode II. The practical capability of the short bend beam specimen was studied experimentally by conducting a set of mixed-mode fracture tests on PolymethylMethacrylate (PMMA) as a well-known model brittle material. The critical stress intensity factors, the direction of fracture kinking and the path of fracture trajectory were investigated both experimentally and theoretically using two stress and strain-based fracture criteria. The fracture toughness of tested PMMA was decreased by moving towards mode II case due to the effect of T-stress on the fracture mechanism of the short bend beam specimen.     

强激光加载铝材料动态损伤特性及其微介观结构观测

在神光-Ⅱ装置上利用强激光加载铝材料进行高应变率（高于106 s-1）层裂实验,研究不同初始温度下高纯铝材料的动态损伤特性。采用任意反射面速度干涉仪测量样品自由面速度剖面,由自由面速度剖面计算纯铝样品层裂强度与屈服应力。结果表明:随着温度升高,材料层裂强度减小,屈服应力增大。对激光加载前后样品进行金相分析,观察不同初始温度下纯铝材料的微介观结构变化及其损伤特性。结果表明：随着温度升高,样品晶粒尺度缓慢增大,但在873 K（近熔点）时晶粒尺度急剧增加;层裂面附近小孔洞数目较多,孔洞尺寸也较大,而远离层裂面处,孔洞数目相对较少,且尺寸也较小;材料的断裂方式随温度升高由沿晶断裂为主逐渐变为穿晶断裂为主。     

Development of boundary element method to dynamic problems for porous media

Biot's consolidation theory is extended to a general class of viscoelastic bodies defined by Riemann-Stieltjes integral convolutions. From a new reciprocity theorem, proved for the governing equations including the inertia terms, the basic integral representations of the displacement fields and pore pressure are obtained. It is shown that, in the absence of internal inputs, a formulation of the dynamic problem in terms of the boundary unknown fields only is possible.     

LiV2O4: electronic,magnetic structure and heavy-fermion behaviour from first principles

First principles studies based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations within the generalized gradient approximations (GGA) and GGA + U approach using the full-potential, augmented plane wave + local orbitals (APW + lo) method, as implemented in the WIEN2k code, have been used to investigate the structural, electronic and magnetic properties of spinel-structure LiV₂O₄, in particular regarding the heavy fermion (HF) behaviour. The calculations were performed for ferromagnetic, anti-ferromagnetic, and ferrimagnetic configurations using two kinds of magnetic structures (tetragonal and rhombohedral). The GGA results showed that the Fermi energy lies in the V 3d (t_2g) bands with 1.5 electrons per V atom occupying this band, and the V 3d bands are separated by a ～1.9 eV energy gap from the O 2p bands and further split into t_2g and e_g bands with a ～1.0 eV energy gap, which are in good agreement with the photoelectron spectra. The GGA + U method indicates that the ground state of LiV₂O₄ is the tetragonal anti-ferromagnetic configuration with metallic character, and ferromagnetic order character at slightly higher energy, which is consistent with experimental result. The geometric frustration and hybridization between 3d (V) and 2p (O) could induce spin fluctuation and help to explain the instability of specific heat, susceptibility and HF behaviour.     

Effect of sizing agent on interfacial properties of aramid knitted structural composites

Tensile tests have been carried out on aramid knitted fabrics/epoxy resin composites in which the aramid knitted fabrics are treated with different sizing agents. Two kinds of surface treatment are performed; one uses an epoxy sizing agent and the other uses a polyethylene sizing agent. Tensile modulus and strength of epoxy-sized composites are higher than those of polyethylene-sized composites. The fracture process is different between epoxy- and polyethylene-sized materials. This difference in fracture process is caused by the different interphase made from either epoxy or polyethylene sizing treatments, resulting in the different tensile performance. Moreover, the tensile properties of the wale specimen are more affected than those of the course specimen by the interphase.     

Melt Behaviour of Poly(p-xylylene) (PPX) Coated Gel-spun UHMW-PE Fibers As Revealed by Temperature Modulated DSC

The method of temperature modulated DSC has been applied to obtain additional information about the effect of constraints on the melting behaviour of gel-spun ultra high molecular mass polyethylene (UHMW-PE) fibers coated with a high temperature stable poly(p-xylylene) (PPX) polymer. The underlying signal, corresponding to the normal DSC signal, reveals two endothermic peaks for the coated PE fibers. A shift in the underlying and magnitude signal from 142 to 145°C at 0.1 K min^–1 , a relative small magnitude signal, together with a vanishing step-like change in the phase signal with increasing PPX coating layer thickness characterize the constraints in terms of a hindrance of the melting of the unconstrained orthorhombic crystal fraction. The time constant of the melting process can be estimated as larger than the reciprocal angular frequency 1/ω=5 s of the modulation. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

磁场对含稀土铝锂合金断裂特征的影响

以含铈铝锂合金为研究对象，研究了磁场对含稀土铝锂合金时效过程的影响，从断裂特征及微观组织两方面分析了磁场作用规律。实验结果表明：未加磁场时，合金的断裂特征以理断裂为主；扁平晶粒厚度不匀，在磁场作用下，此合金的断裂特征与微观组织发生明显改观，随磁感应强度增强，合金主断裂面上准解理断裂特征减弱，同时二次裂纹增多，分层比较升高；扁平晶粒厚度变薄，尺寸趋于均匀。用少体物理理论，探讨了磁场对含稀土合金原子扩散过程的影响，为进一步研究稀土元素在磁场中的行为及其局域效应提供了一定的实验依据。     

Development of an automated in situ fracture stage for a ToF‐SIMS system

The design philosophy and implementation of an ultra high vacuum (UHV), PC controlled, automated in situ fracture stage for a surface analysis system is described. ToF‐SIMS spectra are shown to illustrate the improvement in spectral quality obtained from micro‐compact tension (CT) tests of polymer matrix fracture surfaces produced using the fracture stage in UHV compared to those obtained from a sample tested at air. This system is flexible in that by changing the capacity of the load cell it is possible to reduce or increase maximum loads as the specimen type and material demands. The stage has been designed with instrumental flexibility in mind, utilising commercial SEM‐stub type sample mounts, and can thus be used for AES/SAM and XPS investigations, as well as ToF‐SIMS analysis, in the authors' laboratory. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.