Composite laminates are increasingly being used in more complex structural applications where edges and cut outs are inevitable. These applications include wing skins of military and civil aircraft, further aerospace applications as well as automotive panels and critical structures. Composite components in such applications are highly susceptible to damage. Composites behave in a different manner to conventional metallic materials, which has introduced several design problems not previously encountered. One such problem has been the susceptibility of the material to accidental low energy impacts which frequently leave no visible mark on the impacted surface but considerable internal damage. Investigation of the residual strength and stiffness of composites after edge impact has become important for the design of aerospace components. Previously, the research work involved central impact of composite laminates but in this research we are investigating edge impact behaviour of composite laminates as parts of composite structures are particularly vulnerable to impacts, including near the edge of an inspection port or other aperture. Furthermore, impacts to such areas may lead to more severe damage near the edge of the laminate rather than the surface. Thus the present work extends these investigations to impact on the edge of composite laminates. The thesis includes both experimental investigations and finite element simulations of impact damage on the plane of the laminate near the edge (near-edge), and on the edge (on-edge) of composite laminates. A comparison with centre impact with on and near-edge impact is done to understand the damage on the edges and away from the edges. A new design has been developed and implemented to perform edge impact experiments. The research investigated the effects of various parameters like thickness, absorbed energies, force-time histories and damage behaviour of composite laminate. The damage size and mechanisms have been explored. Impact simulation was carried out using finite element code Abaqus. Explicit solution technique of the code was used to analyse the edge impact phenomenon. Results of the finite element analysis were compared with experiments. The residual strength of the laminates under compressive and tensile loading has been measured. Tensions after impact (TAI) tests were conducted to evaluate the residual load carrying capacity. The effect of edge impact on the low velocity impact response and the residual tensile strength is discussed via the test results. This thesis also includes computed tomography as the main technique for micro level damage characterisation and investigates the study of damage mechanisms of glass/epoxy laminates subjected to edge impact with varying energy levels and thickness. Computed Tomography aims to provide damage behaviour such as internal damage state, delaminations during different types of edge impact.

A Ni/TiC/C metal matrix composite (MMC) has been processed using the laser engineered net shaping (LENS) process from commercially available powders with a Ni-3Ti-20C (atomic %) composition. This processing route produces the in-situ formation of homogeneously distributed eutectic and primary titanium carbide and graphite precipitates throughout the Ni matrix. The composite exhibits promising tribological properties when tested in dry sliding conditions with a low steady state coefficient of friction (CoF) of ~0.1 and lower wear rates in comparison to LENS deposited pure Ni. The as deposited and tribologically worn composite has been characterized using Auger electron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction, high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), dual beam focused ion beam SEM (FIB/SEM) serial sectioning and Vickers micro-hardness testing. The evolution of subsurface stress states and precipitate motion during repeated sliding contact has been investigated using finite element analysis (FEA). The results of FIB/SEM serial sectioning, HRTEM, and Auger electron spectroscopy in conjunction with FEA simulations reveal that the improved tribological behavior is due to the in-situ formation of a low interfacial shear strength amorphous carbon tribofilm that is extruded to the surface via refined Ni grain boundaries.

In this research it was shown that the electroless plated palladium deposited as large number of randomly oriented grains, which were separated by grain boundaries (GB). The nano-scale dimensions of these grain boundaries allowed the diffusion of helium through the palladium membrane. This implied that in a dense palladium membrane, the grain boundary network was so convoluted that helium flux could be neglected. The transmission electron microscope (TEM) images of the palladium at room temperature showed grains of about 50 nm in size and nuclei of about 5 nm in size. The TEM images of a pre-annealed Pd sample at 500ºC in hydrogen atmosphere for 48 hours, showed big grains of 100 to 200 nm in size and most of the grain boundary intersections had dihedral angles very close to 120°. However, the pre-annealed Pd sample at 500ºC in helium atmosphere for 48 hours, showed grains of the size of 70 to 100 nm and many of the grain boundary intersections did not show dihedral angles of 120°. This proved that high temperature annealing not only caused significant grain growth and grain boundary (straightening) migration, but also the grain boundary migration was faster in hydrogen than in helium atmosphere. Also, the hydrogen and helium characterization of the palladium membranes showed that the leak formed faster in hydrogen than in helium. Thus, combining the TEM observations with the membrane characterization results, it is possible to conclude that grain boundary migration is one of the most probable reasons for leak formation in palladium composite membranes. The TEM images of the pre-annealed Pd sample also showed that the grain boundaries can achieve an equilibrium configuration within 48 hours of annealing at 500°C in hydrogen. This research helped in better understanding of the role of grain boundary migration on the leak formation in the composite palladium membranes and this information can be useful for the production of leak resistant stable membranes in the future.

No description available.

Composite materials are widely used in various sectors such as aerospace, automotive and wind energy. Global increase of demand, particularly for fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) composites, unavoidably lead to high volumes of manufacturing and end of life waste. Currently, the most common disposal route for composite waste is through landfill. However, current and impending legislations such as Directive on Landfill of Waste (1999/31/EC) and End of Life Vehicle (ELV) Directive (2000/53/EC), have limited the amount of composite waste permitted for landfilling. In addition, production of virgin composite materials requires higher energy input in comparison to other counterpart materials such as steel and aluminium. This calls for an urgent need for composite waste to be recycled and reused in close loop and cross sector applications. The composite materials have a heterogeneous nature. Thermoset matrixes, which are used in most high grade applications, have three dimensional cross-linked structures which make melting and remoulding impossible. Such complex nature requires appropriate composite recycling technologies, a number of which are currently under research and development. At this early stage it is important to select and develop sustainable solutions in terms of economic performance and reduced environmental impact. Unfortunately at present, there is limited high integrity environmental related data in literature to help assess the life cycle benefits of composite recycling. This information is vital in exploring environmental credentials of composite recycling processes, and to ensure resource efficient use of manufacturing and end of life composite waste. The work reported in this PhD thesis deals with the investigation of energy demand of composite recycling processes. Composite waste and demand in the UK market was captured through Sankey diagrams. The diagrams, combined with environmental footprints of virgin material and recycling processes, were used to identify resource benefits of composite recycling initiatives. Furthermore, environmental data for mechanical recycling of glass fibre composites was derived through new and novel bottom up process science inspired mathematical energy modelling approaches. It was found that the process specific energy demand is dependent on the processing rate. The effects of key process variables in mechanical recycling on process energy demand and recyclate quality were also investigated. This study highlights the importance of selecting the right conditions for running recycling processes and generating recyclate with a high market value. Potential of new recycling techniques, namely high voltage fragmentation, was also assessed. Performance of the method, which was originally developed for fracturing rocks, was compared to the mature mechanical recycling process. The final part of this study used a life cycle assessment method to evaluate end of life options for an automotive composite product with the highlights on positive environmental impacts of recycling scenarios. Collectively, the findings from this study have brought together considerations on environmental and maturity status of composite recycling processes, into a comprehensive and updated analysis. The vision is that the knowledge integration between environmental and performance aspects will promote the concept of sustainable use of composite materials and a circular economy. The new datasets developed will enable end of life options for composite waste to be evaluated in life cycle assessment. In the absence of such information, the life cycle impact of composite material use in products cannot be fully or correctly evaluated.

Fiber/matrix interface cracking plays an important role in determining the final failureof unidirectional (UD) composites. When subjected to longitudinally tensile loading,fiber/matrix interface debonds originate from fiber breaks or initial defects propagatealong loading direction. Depending on the quality of fiber/matrix interface, debondscould keep growing longitudinally which leads to the degradation of compositestiffness or kink out of interface and connect with neighboring debonds or fiberbreaks that forms a so called critical fracture plane which leads to the final failure ofUD composite. For UD composite subjected to transversely tensile loading, theinitiation, growth and coalesce of arc-shape fiber/matrix interface debonds result inthe formation of macro-size transverse cracks, the propagation and multiplication ofthese transverse cracks, although would not directly lead to the final failure ofcomposite, could cause significant stiffness degradation of composite structures.In the presence thesis, the growth of a fiber/matrix interface debond of a UDcomposite with hexagonal fiber packing under longitudinal and transverse tensileloading was investigated numerically, with the special focus on the influence ofneighboring fibers. In the current study, energy release rate (ERR) is considered as thedriving force for the debond growth and was calculated based on J Integral andVirtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT) using finite element software ANSSY.Papers A – C in the present thesis deal with the influence of neighboring fibers on theERR of a debond emanating from a fiber break under longitudinal loading condition.In longitudinal loading case, debond growth is mode II dominated. In paper A, anaxisymmetric model consisting 5 concentric cylinders that represent broken fiber withdebond, surrounding matrix, neighboring fibers, surrounding matrix and effectivecomposite was generated. It’s found that there are two stages of debond growth, thefirst stage is when debond length is short, the ERR decreases with increasing debondlength, and the presence of neighboring fibers significantly increase the ERR ofdebond. For relatively long debond, the debond growth is steady when ERR is almostconstant regardless of debond length. In steady state of debond growth, the presenceof neighboring fibers have little effect on the ERR. In papers B and C, a 3-D modelwas generated with broken fiber and its 6 nearest fibers in a hexagonal packed UDcomposite were modelled explicitly, surrounded by the homogenized composite. Based on the obtained results, it’s shown that ERR is varying along debond front, andhas its maximum at the circumferential location where the distance between two fibercenter is the smallest. This indicates that the debond front is not a circle. For steadystate debond, the presence of neighboring fibers have little effect on averaged ERR(averages of ERR along debond front). For short debond, the presences ofneighboring fibers increases the averaged ERR, and that increase is more significantwhen inter-fiber distance is the smallest. Paper D investigates the growth of afiber/matrix debond along fiber circumference under transverse loading. It’s foundthat debond growth in this case is mixed-mode, and both mode I and mode II ERRcomponents increase with increasing debond angle and then decreases. Debondgrowth is mode I dominated for small debond angle and then switch to mode IIdominated. The presence of neighboring fibers have an enhancement effect on debondgrowth up to certain small debond angle and then changes to a protective effect. InPaper E, the interaction between two arc-size debond under transverse loading isinvestigated. It’s found that when two debonds are close to each other, the interactionbetween two debond becomes much stronger, and that interaction leads to the increaseof ERR of each debond significantly, which facilitates further growth for bothdebond.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 262-288). Also available in electronic version.

The application of steel joists to floor construction can be traced back more than 100 years to the use of a sheet steel joist in the State of New York Bank Building in 1855. Since that time various forms of joists have been developed and exploited. As a result, two general types of joists are now on the market: a) Solid web joists; b) Open web, or truss type, steel joists. In order to determine the strength, stiffness, and behavior of these structural sections under load, representative open web steel joists have been tested at the University of Miami, School of Nursing Building (building about to be demolished). Using two hydraulic jacks to apply the load at eight different locations along the strip, the assessment of the ultimate structural performance of the floor system to positive moments in correspondence of selected strips was possible. After analyzing the data collected from the sensors through the data acquisition system, it was concluded that the results obtained from the Finite Element model were consistent compared to the results obtained from the experimental approach, helping to understand better the behavior of this structural system. A recommendation for further study is enclosed.

Sandwich composites with polymer foam core are currently used in load-bearing components in buildings and naval structures due to their high strength to weight and stiffness to weight ratios, excellent thermal insulation, and ease of manufacturing. During their service time, sandwich composites are exposed to various external mechanical and hygro-thermal stimuli. It is known that the constituent properties of the sandwich composites are greatly influenced by the temperature and moisture fields. For example extreme temperature changes and humid environmental conditions can significantly degrade the stiffness and strength of the polymer foam core. This study analyzes the effect of moisture diffusion on the deformation of viscoelastic sandwich composites, which are composed of orthotropic fiber-reinforced laminated skins and viscoelastic polymeric foam core. It is assumed that the elastic and time-dependent (transient) moduli at any particular location in the foam core depend on the moisture concentration at that location. Sequentially coupled analyses of moisture diffusion and deformation are performed to predict overall performance of the studied viscoelastic sandwich systems. A time and moisture dependent constitutive model is used for the polymer foam core. A time-integration algorithm is developed to link this constitutive model to finite element (FE) analyses framework. The overall time-dependent responses of the sandwich composites subject to moisture diffusion are analyzed using 2D plane strain and 3D continuum elements. A 23% increase in the transverse deformation of the viscoelastic sandwich beam is observed due to the moisture degradation. Experimental data and analytical models available in the literature are used to verify the results obtained from the FE code. Parametric studies on the effects of different diffusivity ratios of skin and core materials on stress, strain and displacement fields have been analyzed. At the initial times the effect of moisture on the field variables is found to be most pronounced in the case with the highest diffusivity ratio. Contributions of moisture dependent elastic and the time-dependent moduli to the overall stress, strain and displacement field have been studied. The structural analysis of the sandwich composite under combined moisture diffusion and mechanical loading for two kinds of problems using FE method is performed to complete the study.

This study analyzes the thermo-mechanical response of a composite cylinder made up of two layers of linear isotropic viscoelastic materials that belong to the class of non-Thermorheologically Simple Material. The effect of time-varying temperature field due to unsteady heat conduction phenomenon is analyzed on the short term and long term material response in terms of stress, strain and displacement fields. The material properties of the two layers of the composite cylinder at any given location and time are assumed to depend on the temperature at that location at that given instant of time. Sequentially coupled analyses of heat conduction and deformation of viscoelastic composite cylinder is carried out to obtain the overall response. The stress and strain field developed in the composite cylinder is evaluated as the discontinuity in hoop stress and radial strain at the interface of the two layers caused due to mismatch in material properties may lead to delamination if it exceeds critical value. Analytical solution for the stress, strain and displacement fields of the viscoelastic composite cylinder is developed from the corresponding solution of linear elasticity problem by using the Correspondence Principle. The analytical solution for determining the temperature dependent stress, strain and displacement fields is further developed by incorporating the temperature dependence on the material properties and modeling the material as non-TSM. To analyze more complex geometry with general loading and boundary conditions, Finite Element(FE) analysis of the composite cylinder is performed and the results of analytical and FE method are found to be in good agreement. Parametric studies are carried out to understand the effect of change in material parameters namely the Prony coefficients in the transient creep compliance, characteristic of creep time in transient creep compliance and the instantaneous elastic compliance, on the overall response of the composite cylinder. The effect of different temperature dependent functions of the material properties, namely linear temperature variation and quadratic polynomial variation on the overall material response is also analyzed. It is observed that the effect of change in elastic properties significantly increases the jump in hoop stress and radial strain. It is also observed that when the materials are highly dependent on temperature the jump in radial strain and hoop stress increases significantly. The radial displacement also increases by a significant amount in both the cases.