Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2004. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xix, 245 p.; also includes graphics. Includes bibliographical references (p. 233-245).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This study proposes and evaluates a multi-functional carbon fiber reinforced composite with embedded Lithium-ion battery for its structural integrity concept. The comparison of versatile composite structures manufactured conventionally, air-sprayed and electrospun multi walled carbon nano tubes in order to discover a better packaging method for incorporating lithium-ion batteries at its core is determined. In the electrospinning process recognized globally as a flexible and cost-effective method for generating continuous Nano filaments. It was incorporated exactly on the prepreg surface to obtain effective inter-facial bonding and adhesion between the layers. The mechanical and physical properties of carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) with electrospun multi walled carbon nano tubes (CNTs) have evidenced to possess higher mechanical strength incorporated between the layers of the composite prepreg than the traditional CFRP prepreg composite, At the same time the air sprayed CFRP with CNTs offers mechanical strength more than the traditional CFRP prepreg but lesser than the electrospun. This can be a design consideration from the economic feasibility viewpoint. They also contribute to efficient load transfer and structural load bearing implementation without compromising the chemistry of battery. The design validation, manufacture methods, and experimental characterization (mechano-electrical) of Multi-functional energy storage composites (MESCs) are examined. Experimental results on the electrochemical characterization reveal that the MESCs show comparable performance to the standard lithium-ion pouch cells without any external packaging and not under any loading requirements. The mechanical performance of the MESC cells especially electrospun CFRP is evaluated from three-point bending tests with the results demonstrating significant mechanical strength and stiffness compared to traditional pouch cells and conventional, air-sprayed CFRP and at lowered packaging weight and thickness. This mechanical robustness of the MESCs enable them to be manufactured as energy-storage devices for electric vehicles.

<p dir="ltr">Defects in composite manufacturing often lead to compromised structural integrity and reduced performance of the final product. A robust constitutive modeling framework is needed to efficiently and accurately predict the deformation responses of dry fabrics and pre-impregnated fibers, paving the way for defect simulation. This thesis presents a comprehensive study on the development and application of a novel constitutive model of fabric preforms and pre-impregnated fibers during composite manufacturing processes.</p><p dir="ltr">This work proposes an integrated constitutive study for textile fabrics in the aspects of mesoscale tow and macroscale fabric behavior. First, a textile architecture-based discrete modeling approach was developed to predict and visualize fiber tow and fabric deformation. The fabrics consist of interlacing virtual fiber tows which are represented by Timoshenko beams joined by translational and rotational springs and rotary dashpots, which are used to capture the energy dissipation during in-plane shear deformation. Second, an anisotropic hyper-viscoelastic model was developed using the strain energy density function of a homogenized unit cell to predict the fabric deformation as a continuous field. A Maxwell model consisting of one Maxwell element and an additional spring is used to consider the nonequilibrium stresses generated during in-plane shear, transverse shear, and through-thickness compaction deformations. Both approaches were experimentally characterized and applied to a hemisphere draping model in the commercial Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software, Abaqus, to demonstrate the predictive capabilities.</p><p dir="ltr">Then, the robust hyper-viscoelastic model is extended to predict prepreg compaction and bending behavior. In the compaction aspect, a coupling term of energy that captures the effect of squeezing flow and a highly nonlinear transverse compression energy are proposed to predict the compaction response of prepreg with liquid and rubbery resin. The viscoelastic parameters were characterized by a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model for liquid resin and a discrete micromechanics model for rubbery resin. The method was applied to stepwise compaction simulation at different temperatures in Abaqus and compared to experiments for validation. In the bending aspect, the effective shear modulus is expressed as a function of the second-order gradient of deformation. Modeling parameters were characterized by an analytical model that captures the underlying fiber and matrix deformation mechanism. Parametric study was conducted to illustrate the influence of each parameter and the capability to enhance the accuracy of bending prediction.</p>