Natural fibers have the potential to replace glass fibers in fiber-reinforced composite applications. However, the natural fibers’ intrinsic properties cause these issues: 1) the mechanical property variation; 2) moisture uptake by natural fibers and their composites; 3) lack of sound, cost-effective, environmentriendly fiber-matrix compounding processes; 4) incompatibility between natural fibers and polymer matrices; and 5) low heat-resistance of natural fibers and their composites. This dissertation systematically studied the use of kenaf bast fiber bundles, obtained via a mechanical retting method, as a light-weight reinforcement material for fiber-reinforced thermoset polymer composites for automotive applications. Kenaf bast fiber bundle tensile properties were tested, and the effects of locations in the kenaf plant, loading rates, retting methods, and high temperature treatments and their durations on kenaf bast fiber bundle tensile properties were evaluated. A process has been developed for fabricating high fiber loading kenaf bast fiber bundle-reinforced unsaturated polyester composites. The generated composites possessed high elastic moduli and their tensile strengths were close to specification requirements for glass fiber-reinforced sheet molding compounds. Effects of fiber loadings and lengths on resultant composite’s tensile properties were evaluated. Fiber loadings were very important for composite tensile modulus. Both fiber loadings and fiber lengths were important for composite tensile strengths. The distributions of composite tensile, flexural and impact strengths were analyzed. The 2-parameter Weibull model was found to be the most appropriate for describing the composite strength distributions and provided the most conservative design values. Kenaf-reinforced unsaturated polyester composites were also proved to be more cost-effective than glass fiber-reinforced SMCs at high fiber loadings. Kenaf bast fiber bundle-reinforced composite’s water absorption properties were tested. Surface-coating and edge-sealing significantly reduced composite water resistance properties. Encapsulation was a practical method to improve composite water resistance properties. The molding pressure and styrene concentrations on composite and matrix properties were evaluated. Laser and plasma treatment improved fiber-to-matrix adhesion.

There is potential for improving creep properties of stainless steels by reinforcing them with tungsten (W) wires. Past studies have shown that a detrimental factor that impairs the mechanical properties of tungsten wire reinforced superalloy composites is the formation of brittle intermetallic phases due to the interaction between W wire and constituents of the alloy matrices. Formation and growth of the intermetallic phases strongly depends on the matrix chemistry and for the retention of creep strength, matrix compositions that do not form intermetallic phases with tungsten are desirable for fabricating W wire reinforced composites for high temperature applications. This research investigated the formation and growth of reaction phases in W wire reinforced 316L (W/316L) stainless steel and HP alloy steel (W/HP) that were fabricated by casting method. Additionally, the effect of composition on the evolution and kinetics of reaction phases was studied in some W wire reinforced experimental alloys based on Fe-Ni-Cr only (W/Fe-Ni-Cr). The fabricated composites were diffusion annealed in the temperature range 1000-1200°C for 25-500 hours. Microstructure and chemistry of the reaction phases in the as-cast and diffusion annealed composites were studied using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and electron backscattered diffraction techniques. Growth kinetics of the reaction layers and average effective interdiffusion coefficients in the layers were determined for the composites. Results showed that an intermetallic phase isostructural with µ-phase formed in the as-cast W/316L and W/Fe-Ni-Cr composites with 1 and 2 Fe:Ni matrix ratios. In W/HP a phase M12C with crystal structure similar to η-carbide was formed. These phases developed and formed brittle reaction layers around the W wires during diffusion annealing. A parabolic relationship between the µ-phase and η-carbide growth and diffusion annealing time indicated that the growth of reaction layers was diffusion controlled. In the W/Fe-Ni-Cr composites, formation of intermetallic phases did not occur in the matrices with 0.5Fe:Ni ratio, instead some isolated tungsten particles were observed in the matrix adjacent to the wires after diffusion annealing. In W/Fe-Ni-Cr composites with 1 and 2 Fe:Ni matrix ratio, the growth of µ-phase reaction layers during annealing was observed to be dependent on the matrix composition. It was found that with an increase in the Ni content in the matrix, growth of µ-phase reaction layer decreased. The study presented in this thesis gives first-hand information on phase formation and growth kinetics of the reaction layers in W/316L and W/HP composites. It revealed that the interaction of W with 316L and HP alloy matrices leads to formation of cracked intermetallic and carbide reaction layers which are not desirable in the composites designed for high temperature applications. It has also been shown in this study that in W/Fe-Ni-Cr composites, intermetallic phase formation can be suppressed by increasing Ni content in the matrix. In the composite with high Ni contents in the matrix (0.5Fe:Ni ratio) intermetallic phases do not form even after diffusion annealing at 1200°C. This intermetallic free W/Fe-Ni-Cr composite can further be studied for its creep strength.

M.Sc. / In this study, natural and modified clinoptilolite (CLI) reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites possessing improved mechanical and adsorptive properties were prepared through melt-mixing. Determination of morphological, structural and thermal properties was achieved by means of different techniques (FTIR, TGA, DSC, electron microscopy and x-ray spectroscopy). Electron microscopy revealed that increasing filler loading beyond 20% leads to agglomeration of clinoptilolite particles reducing their dispersion within the matrix. Thermal studies showed that the reinforced composites had a lower thermal stability than the neat PP polymer, suggesting that the clinoptilolite interfered with polymer chain arrangement and bonding. It also showed that percentage crystallinity increased with increasing filler loading indicating that the filler particles acted as nucleating agents within the polymeric matrix during composite synthesis. Prior to the ion-exchange studies, water sorption behaviour of fabricated composites was evaluated because ion-exchange/adsorption studies were to be performed in aqueous media. It was therefore observed that the hydrophobic polymer, PP attained the property of water sorption mainly due to the porous structure of the composites created by mixing and extrusion and also by the addition of the hydrophilic filler material.

For the next generation of aircraft, the use of fibre-reinforced polymer composites and the design of

Particle reinforced composites are widely used in tires, heat exchangers, thermal barrier coatings and many other applications, as they have good strength to weight ratio, excellent thermal insulation, ease of manufacturing and flexibility in design. During their service life, these composites are often subjected to harsh environments, which can degrade the thermo-mechanical properties of the constituents in the composites, affecting performance and lifetime of the composites. This study investigates performance of particle reinforced composites subjected to coupled heat conduction and thermo-elastic deformation at the macro and micro levels. A micromechanical model is used to determine the effective thermal and mechanical properties of the homogenized composite by incorporating microscopic characteristics of the composites. The constituent?s thermal conductivities of the composite are assumed to be functions of temperature and the elastic moduli to be functions of temperature and stress fields. The effective properties obtained from the micromechanical model represent average (macroscopic) properties. The effective heat conduction and thermo-elastic responses in the homogenized composites are compared with the responses of the composite with particles randomly distributed in the matrix (heterogeneous materials) which represent microscopic responses. For this purpose, two sets of finite element (FE) models are generated for composites with particle volume contents 12.5, 25, and 50%. The first FE model represents a homogenized composite panel and the effective responses from the micromechanical model are used as input for the material properties. The second FE model mimics composite microstructure with discontinuous particles randomly dispersed in a homogeneous matrix. Parametric studies on effects of conductivity ratio between particle and matrix, degree of nonlinearity, and volume fraction on the temperature distribution and steady state times have been studied. For lower volume fractions the temperature profiles of homogenized and heterogeneous composite models are in good agreement with each other. But for higher volume fractions, the detailed model showed a wavy profile whereas the effective model showed no signs of it. When the nonlinearity in thermal conductivity of the particle and matrix constituents is increased, the steady state time significantly deviates from the ones with constant constituent properties. When the volume fraction of particles in the composite increases, the steady state is reached in less time, since the thermal conductivity of particles are taken larger than that of the matrix. Effects of coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) ratio of particle and matrix, temperature change, and volume fraction on the discontinuity of stress and strain fields at the interphase of matrix and particle have been studied. The stresses developed were more for higher CTE ratios and the magnitude of discontinuity also follows the same trend. As the volume fraction increases, the stresses developed and the magnitude of discontinuity also increase. Finally, sequentially coupled heat conduction and deformation analyses are performed on thermal barrier coating (TBC) systems to demonstrate the applicability of the micromechanical model in predicting overall thermo-elastic responses of the TBC.

Joints represent a design challenge, especially for composite structures. Among the available joining methods, co-curing is an efficient way to integrate parts for some applications. Coates and Armanios have proposed a Single Nested Overlap (SNO) co-cured joint configuration, obtained from a single lap joint through the overlap/interleafing of the adjoining top/bottom adherend plies, respectively. Through a comparative investigation, they have demonstrated joint strength and fatigue life improvements over the single lap joint counterparts for unidirectional and quasi-isotropic adherend lay-ups. This research extends the comparative investigation of Coates and Armanios by focusing upon characterizing and differentiating the damage initiation and progression mechanisms under quasi-static loading. Six specimen configurations are manufactured and tested. It is confirmed that single nested overlap joints show 29.2% and 27.4% average improvement in strength over single lap counterparts for zero-degree unidirectional and quasi-isotropic lay-ups, respectively. Several nondestructive evaluation techniques are used to observe and analyze damage initiation, damage progression and failure modes of the studied specimens and to monitor their mechanical response. Using X-ray Radiography and Optical Microscopy techniques during quasi-static loading, a physical characterization of damage and failure mechanisms is obtained. The acoustic emission data acquired during monotonic loading could reveal the overall picture of AE activities produced by the damage initiation, development and accumulation mechanisms within the specimen via parametric analysis. Further AE analysis by a selected supervised clustering method is carried out and shown successful in differentiating and clustering the AE data. Correlation with physical observations from other techniques suggests that the resulting clusters may be associated to specific damage modes and failure mechanisms.

The damage and deformation behaviour of particle reinforced aluminum matrix composites can be highly sensitive to local variations in spatial distribution of reinforcement particles, which markedly depend on melt processing and solidification stages during production. The present study is aimed at understanding the mechanisms responsible for clustering of SiC particles in an Al-Si-Mg (A356) alloy composite during solidification process and establishing a model to predict the risk of cluster formation as a function of local solidification rate in a cast component. Special emphasis has been given to spatial characterization methods in terms of their suitability to characterize composite microstructures. Result indicate that methods that present a summary statistics on the global level of heterogeneity have limited application in quantitative analysis of discontinuously reinforced composites since the mechanical response of such materials are highly sensitive to dimensions, locations and spatial connectivities of clusters. The local density statistics, on the other hand, was observed to provide a satisfactory description of the microstructure, in terms of localization and quantification of clusters. A macrotransport - solidification kinetics model has been employed to simulate solidification microstructures for estimation of cluster formation tendency. Results show that the distribution of SiC particles is determined by the scale of secondary dendrite arms (SDAS). In order to attain the lowest amount of particle clustering, the arm spacings should be kept within the limit of 2dSiC &gt / SDAS &gt / dSiC, where dSiC is the average particle diameter.

Particle reinforced composites are widely used in tires, heat exchangers, thermal barrier coatings and many other applications, as they have good strength to weight ratio, excellent thermal insulation, ease of manufacturing and flexibility in design. During their service life, these composites are often subjected to harsh environments, which can degrade the thermo-mechanical properties of the constituents in the composites, affecting performance and lifetime of the composites. This study investigates performance of particle reinforced composites subjected to coupled heat conduction and thermo-elastic deformation at the macro and micro levels. A micromechanical model is used to determine the effective thermal and mechanical properties of the homogenized composite by incorporating microscopic characteristics of the composites. The constituent?s thermal conductivities of the composite are assumed to be functions of temperature and the elastic moduli to be functions of temperature and stress fields. The effective properties obtained from the micromechanical model represent average (macroscopic) properties. The effective heat conduction and thermo-elastic responses in the homogenized composites are compared with the responses of the composite with particles randomly distributed in the matrix (heterogeneous materials) which represent microscopic responses. For this purpose, two sets of finite element (FE) models are generated for composites with particle volume contents 12.5, 25, and 50%. The first FE model represents a homogenized composite panel and the effective responses from the micromechanical model are used as input for the material properties. The second FE model mimics composite microstructure with discontinuous particles randomly dispersed in a homogeneous matrix. Parametric studies on effects of conductivity ratio between particle and matrix, degree of nonlinearity, and volume fraction on the temperature distribution and steady state times have been studied. For lower volume fractions the temperature profiles of homogenized and heterogeneous composite models are in good agreement with each other. But for higher volume fractions, the detailed model showed a wavy profile whereas the effective model showed no signs of it. When the nonlinearity in thermal conductivity of the particle and matrix constituents is increased, the steady state time significantly deviates from the ones with constant constituent properties. When the volume fraction of particles in the composite increases, the steady state is reached in less time, since the thermal conductivity of particles are taken larger than that of the matrix. Effects of coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) ratio of particle and matrix, temperature change, and volume fraction on the discontinuity of stress and strain fields at the interphase of matrix and particle have been studied. The stresses developed were more for higher CTE ratios and the magnitude of discontinuity also follows the same trend. As the volume fraction increases, the stresses developed and the magnitude of discontinuity also increase. Finally, sequentially coupled heat conduction and deformation analyses are performed on thermal barrier coating (TBC) systems to demonstrate the applicability of the micromechanical model in predicting overall thermo-elastic responses of the TBC.

The present study addresses an optimization strategy for maximizing the structural ductility of Fiber Reinforced Concrete (FRC) with long textile fibers. Due to material brittleness of both concrete and fiber in addition to complex interfacial behavior between above constituents the structural response of FRC is highly nonlinear. Consideration of this material nonlinearity including interface is mandatory to deal with this kind of composite. In the present contribution three kinds of optimization strategies based on a damage formulation are described. The performance of the proposed method is demonstrated by a series of numerical examples; it is verified that the ductility can be substantially improved.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the viability of using high-strength polymers as framework materials for full arch implant-supported fixed prostheses, veneered with full-coverage restorations of different materials. The machinability, mechanical performance, and damping capacity of the polymer-based materials was of interest. METHODS: The two framework polymers – a polyetheretherketone (JUVORA™ Dental Disk, Juvora) (PEEK) and a fiber-reinforced composite (TRINIA™ CAD/CAM Disk, Trinia) (TR) – were characterized with Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Phase 1 consisted of a machinability study involving the merlon fracture test, which tested the milling success of PEEK and TR at 0.1 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.4 mm, and 0.5 mm. 10 four-walled merlons of each thickness and material were milled out of CAD/CAM Disks (n = 100 merlons, n = 400 walls) using a 5-axis milling machine, inLab MC X5 (Dentsply Sirona, Germany). Milling success rate, fracture height, fracture length, fracture position, fracture direction, and chipping factor were assessed. In phase 2, 20 bars of dimensions 3.3 mm x 10 mm x 40 mm were milled from each of the two framework materials, PEEK and TR, and two veneer materials – a composite resin material (Shofu Disk HC, Shofu, Inc., Kyoto, Japan) (COM), and a high-translucency 3 mol% yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal material (Cercon® ht, Dentsply Sirona, Bensheim, Germany) (ZR). Framework and veneer bars were bonded to each other in 4 framework/veneer combinations of 10 bilayers each: PEEK/COM (PCB), PEEK/ZR (PZB), TR/COM (TCB), and TR/ZR (TZB). Bilayer bars were loaded to failure in a 3-point bending test. Failure load, biaxial flexural strength, failure pattern and failure mode were documented. In Phase 3, 10 full arch fixed implant-supported frameworks were designed and fabricated in TR material over an epoxy resin model containing 4 implants in the second premolar and lateral incisor positions. 5 frameworks were veneered by COM in the canine to first molar region, while the other 5 were veneered by ZR. Four loading sites were designated per prosthesis in the occlusal surface of the first molars and the first premolars. Prostheses were loaded at the four occlusal sites in 5 cycles of loading and unloading. The damping capacity of the prostheses was calculated based on energy absorbed during loading and unloading. Displacement and permanent deformation values of the prosthesis structures were obtained from the load-displacement data. Prostheses were loaded to failure at the same sites, and failure load and failure mode were observed. RESULTS: The minimum machined thickness of PEEK and TR was 0.5 mm. There was no significant difference between milling success of PEEK and TR, but cumulative success rate was slightly superior in PEEK. PEEK exhibited a ductile response to machining damage, while TR showed a more brittle response. Chipping factor of PEEK was higher than TR eightfold, meaning TR showed an improved marginal integrity at 0.5 mm. Both materials showed concerning signs of machining damage with the milling parameters and tools used in this study. Bilayer bars with a TR framework withstood significantly higher loads at failure compared to bilayers with a PEEK framework. Bilayer bars with a ZR veneer withstood significantly higher loads at failure compared to bilayers with a COM veneer. The biaxial flexural strength of the four framework/veneer combinations could not be compared due to the occurrence of delamination in 3 of the 4 groups. The PZB group was the only group with fracture of both the veneer and framework without any delamination and exhibited a mean biaxial flexural strength of 46.15 ± 5.76 MPa. None of the bilayer bars with a TR framework exhibited framework fracture. In delaminated specimens, bilayer bars with a TR framework exhibited mixed adhesive-cohesive failure on both layers, while bilayer bars with a PEEK framework exhibited purely adhesive failure on the PEEK-cement interface. Full arch implant prostheses with a TR framework demonstrated elastic hysteresis in continuous cycles of cyclic loading, which is evidence of viscoelastic damping. Significantly higher energy absorption was observed in prostheses veneered with COM compared to ZR. Energy absorption decreased with increasing cycles of loading-unloading. Significantly higher maximum displacement was observed in prostheses veneered with COM compared to ZR, and in cantilever support compared to bounded support. Maximum displacement was inversely related to the thickness of the veneer and framework materials. Permanent deformation of the prosthesis was negligible after 10 cycles. The failure pattern of all prostheses presented as fracture in the veneer only and partial delamination of the veneer with mixed adhesive-cohesive failure mode. The mean failure load at ZR-veneered bounded sites was significantly higher than that of COM-veneered bounded sites. The mean failure load at bounded loading sites was significantly higher than that of cantilever loading sites. ZR-veneered prostheses demonstrated failure load values above 1000 N at all sites. CONCLUSION: The merlon fracture test is well-complemented by several quantitative and qualitative measures to assess the machinability of materials. Optimized tools and parameters for milling PEEK and TR should be investigated. Full arch implant prostheses with TR framework and ZR veneer are a viable option for fixed implant rehabilitation demonstrating damping capacity, adequate failure load values, and easy repairability.