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Modulus reduction and damage accumulation during fatigue cycling of an injection moulded composite been studied. The material is a long, discontinuous glass fibre reinforced nylon composite having a skin/core structure. A continual decrease in modulus with cycling is observed for composite and single skin layer specimens. During fatigue cycling of composite specimens damage accumulates in both the skin and core layers and both layers contribute to the measured modulus reduction. Damage accumulation in the core, in the form of transverse cracks, is studied in detail. These cracks initiate predominantly at the free edges and grow across the specimen width with cycling. A milling/dye penetrant technique is developed to quantify the cracking and average crack spacings are related to measured modulus reductions at a range of peak stresses. The experimental data is compared with predictions made using a shear-lag model developed for continuous fibre cross-ply laminates relating modulus reduction to average crack spacing. A theoretical model, based on the Cox model, is derived to predict modulus reduction/cycling curves for skin layer specimens. Cracking patterns in the core are predicted using a strain energy release rate approach which is compared with experimental data. Empirical relationships, derived for the modulus reduction of the skin and core layers are combined to predict modulus reduction/cycling curves at a range of specimen widths and stress levels.

The highly competitive nature of the transportation industry has produced significant demand for increased equipment efficiency. This has been manifested in attempts to increase carrying capacity whilst lowering running costs. While these factors remain at the forefront of trailer design, the dependence on steel as the primary material has limited the extent to which these goals are realised. The advantages associated with the use of fibre composite materials in automotive applications have been well documented, demonstrating that the substitution of steel with fibre composite materials greatly increases the scope for tare mass reduction. However, to fully utilise the advantages produced through the use of fibre composites, it is necessary to formulate a design philosophy that incorporates the selection of materials and the definition of acceptable performance of both the material and the trailer. This dissertation addresses this broad subject. Within this greater context, this study addresses the incorporation of fibre composite materials into semi-trailers, with the significant issues being divided into two areas: - The development of a design philosophy, intended specifically to address the application of fibre composites to semi-trailers. - The design, analysis and experimental validation of a new type of fibre composite trailer chassis, utilising the aforementioned design philosophy. This PhD project is a foundational study on the suitability of fibre composite materials in the heavy transportation industry, primarily focusing on a practical assessment of the potential for tare mass reduction. The work presented in this dissertation is seen to provide a basis for fibre composite trailer design, in addition to a foundation upon which further investigation into this field can be made. The major outcomes of this project include, amongst others: - The definition of significant load cases and trailer classifications · The development of a design philosophy suited specifically to FRP semi-trailers - The establishment of selection criteria which identifies appropriate FRP materials for use in this application - The development of a new type of FRP chassis for a flatbed semi-trailer - Validation of the design philosophy through experimental testing - Affirmation of the potential of FRPs in application to flatbed semi-trailers

Carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite materials are in increasingly high demand, particularly in aerospace and automotive industries for reduced fuel consumption. This is due to their superior structural characteristics (both in fatigue and static conditions) and light weight. Anisotropic and heterogeneous features of these materials, however, have posed serious challenges in machining of CFRPs. Hence new machining technologies need to be investigated. Laser is a non-contact (eliminating toolwear) thermal process. Therefore, the thermal properties of the material are of crucial importance. Especially for composite materials which consist of different constituent materials. In CFRPs, carbon fibres are excellent conductors of heat (thermal conductivity of 50 W/(m.K)) while the polymer matrix is poor conductor (thermal conductivity of 0.1-0.3 W/(m.K)). This significant difference that can be similarly traced for other thermal properties such as heat of vaporisation and specific heat capacity are the source of defects in laser cutting of CFRP composites. Major quality challenges in laser cutting of these materials are delamination and matrix recession. Various laser systems and cutting techniques are investigated in this work to minimise these defects. Multiple-pass cutting using a high beam quality continuous wave (CW) mode fibre laser is found to be effective to minimise delamination at low power level and high scanning speeds. Multiple-pass cutting using nanosecond pulsed DPSS Nd:YAG laser is shown to reduce matrix recession. A novel technique using mixing of reactive and inert gases is introduced and demonstrated to minimise the matrix recession. In order to improve the quality and dimensional accuracy of CFRP laser machining, it is important to understand the mechanism of transient thermal behaviour and its effect on material removal. A three-dimensional model to simulate the transient temperature field and subsequent material removal is developed, for the first time, on a heterogeneous fibre-matrix mesh. In addition to the transient temperature field, the model also predicts the dimensions of the matrix recession during the laser machining process.

Level set method is a boundary tracking method that uses an implicit function to define the boundary location. By using the implicit function to define the structural boundary the level set method can be used for topology optimisation. The level set method has previously been used to solve a range of structural optimisation problems. The aim of this thesis is to extend the application of the level set method to additional applications of structural optimisation. A robust method of 3D level set topology optimisation is developed and tested. The use of a hole insertion method was found to be advantageous, but not vital, for 3D level set topology optimisation. The level set method is used to optimise the internal structure of a proximal femur. Similarities between the optimal structure and real internal trabecular bone architecture suggest that the internal bone structure may be mechanically optimal. Stress constrained level set topology optimisation is performed in 2D. Stress shape sensitivities are derived and interpolated to obtain smooth boundary sensitivity, resulting in feasible stress constrained solution in numerical examples. A new generic objective hole insertion method is used to reduce dependence on the initial solution. A level set method for optimising the design of fibre angles in composite structures is also introduced. Fibre paths are implicitly defined using the level set function. Sensitivity analysis is used to update the level set function values and optimise the fibre path. The method implicitly ensures continuous fibre paths in the optimum solution, that could be manufactured using advanced fibre placement.

The increased demand in stringent requirements on engineered surfaces in the aerospace and manufacturing industries drove the need for developing advanced surface engineering techniques such as chemical etching, plasma etching, corona discharge and laser surface texturing in order to alter material surface physical and chemical properties. Among these techniques, laser surface texturing has been identified as one of the most efficient and effective surface treatment/ texturing techniques which utilizes laser ablation to meet the demand of practical engineering requirements. This thesis details three practical engineering challenges in the field of paint adhesion, dust adhesion and tribology performance of SPF sheet forming dies in which case the problems and motivation for development came from projects by industrial partner collaborations with BAe Systems, Rolls-Royce and Dyson Ltd. The proposed solutions to these challenges are formulated around laser surface texturing techniques using excimer and femtosecond lasers on three engineering materials which are CFRP, ABS polymer and HR4 nickel alloy. As ablation is the main mechanism used in laser surface texturing techniques in achieving surface property changes, the understanding of laser beam interaction with materials is crucial. The fundamental understanding of laser beam interaction with different materials has been researched since the use of lasers in practical engineering applications by which laser material interaction parameters such as ablation threshold, incubation coefficient and optical penetration depth are of primary interest in addition to the ablation rate. Currently the published literatures are either material specific or laser specific with minimal or zero comparison between different types of lasers and materials as such which limits the understanding of laser beam interaction with materials. In addition, laser beam interaction with polymers has always been done using ultraviolet wavelength lasers. In this thesis, the interaction between two types of lasers and three types of materials which includes metals and polymers are presented through comparison and discussion between different interactions. It has been discovered that the ablation threshold value is lower for ABSinteraction with excimer laser as compared to the interaction with femtosecond laser due to the difference in the ablation mechanism. The optical penetration depth value is higher for ABS interaction with the excimer laser as compared to the interaction with the femtosecond laser due to differences in the photon energy of the laser beam of different wavelength. Two ablation rate curves were identified on ABS interaction with infrared wavelength femtosecond laser beams which has not been reported before. Chemical composition of the laser treated layer changes through chain scission process, creating free radical carbons that reacted with oxygen, nitrogen and water vapour in air creating oxygen and nitrogen rich functional groups which increased with increasing laser fluence and number of pulses. Laser ablation is known for its capability of altering surface morphology and surface chemistry of materials through excitation of electrons causing bond scission or melt where materials are vaporised, ejected or undergo chemical compositional changes. In the case of polymers, addition of oxygen and nitrogen rich functional groups are identified whereas in the case of metals, changes in crystallographic, orientation and oxidation states are identified. Such changes are deemed ideal for applications such as adhesion where it is mainly used for bonding and joining of similar or dissimilar materials. In this research, excimer laser surface treatment showed improvement in CFRP paint adhesion where a better adhesion is achieved than sand-papered surfaces. Paint adhesion of CFRP surfaces is affected by surface contaminants, surface chemical composition and surface roughness where the degree of inuence is in the respective order. In addition, excimer and femtosecond laser surface treated ABS also improved dust adhesion. The main factors that affect the ABS surface dust adhesion performance are surface roughness and surface chemical composition. The increase in surface roughness increases the surface area available for dust to adhere to. In addition, it also increases the drag coefficient of the air flow results in a higher removal force exerted by the air flow onto the dust particles through changes in the localised aerodynamic flow. The increase in polar functional groups increases the adhesion of the dust particles onto the surface due to an induced dipole moment by the charged dust particles. Laser micro-dimpled surfaces have been reported to be effective in reducing friction coefficient and wear rate of surfaces under oil lubricated conformal contact conditions where the dimples act as reservoirs to store lubricant and wear particles. But such surfaces have not been extensively researched under non-conformal contact conditions for different lubricated environments. In addition, there are contradictory results found between published literatures which observe under similar wear environments and conditions but with different dimple geometry. Hence a detailed investigation on dimpled surfaces under non-conformal contact conditions is being carried out. Laser surface texturing of 100 μm size dimples shows a reduction in nickel alloy wear rate under dry and oil lubricated environments. A higher dimple area ratio reduces the wear rate under dry condition with abrasive wear as the main wear mechanism. Under oil lubricated environments, the friction coefficient is dependent on the surface contact pressure, sliding speed and the viscosity of the lubricant and the wear rate is dependent on the film thickness which correlates to the friction coefficient. The wear rate of a dimpled surface is dependent on three factors which are the dimple diameter to contact area diameter ratio, depth of the dimple produced and the density of the dimples. Positive results are obtained in all three engineering applications indicating the feasibility of laser surface texturing techniques in providing suitable material surface properties for these applications.

The use of carbon fibre-reinforced plastic technology is steadily gaining traction in the modern automotive industry as a lightweight alternative to conventional materials. The versatile chemical resistance of polyamide resins combined with the high strength properties of carbon fibre filler content aims to meet this growing need in the industry. By employing a number of accelerated and amplified ageing techniques, this work hopes to assess the resilience of carbon fibre-reinforced polyamide composites in a variety of foreseeable chemical, temperature, moisture, and stress environments. The resins included in this characterization study include polyamide-6 (PA6) and polyamide-6,6 (PA6/6). The carbon fibre-reinforced composite specimens are subject to long term immersion in commercial automotive fluids at room and elevated temperatures. Results show that the mechanical properties of both polyamide resins are sensitive to windshield washer fluid exposure, regardless of temperature. The significant drop in glass transition temperature and greater elongation at break confirmed a plasticization effect. The Young’s modulus and tensile strength experienced a loss of approximately 40% at saturation. Elevated temperatures resulted in increased fluid sorption rates of antifreeze and E-20 gasoline into the PA6 composite specimens. Likewise, a corresponding drop in PA6 composite mechanical properties was noted for the antifreeze and E-20 gasoline at elevated temperatures. The mechanical properties of the PA6/6 composite were largely retained in all tested automotive fluids, except windshield washer fluid, at elevated temperatures. The effect of absorbed fluid on mechanical properties tended to increase with higher fibre loadings for the PA6/6 composite and lower fibre loadings for the PA6 composite. Finally, a single parameter acoustic emission testing technique was employed to assess internal damage of stressed PA6 composite specimens exposed to different temperature and humidity levels. However, there was no discernible correlation between environmental stress conditions and internal damage for short term exposure times. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc) / The use of carbon fibre-reinforced plastic technology is steadily gaining traction in the modern automotive industry as a lightweight alternative to conventional materials. The versatile chemical resistance of polyamide resins combined with the high strength properties of carbon fibre filler content aims to meet this growing need in the industry. By employing a number of accelerated and amplified ageing techniques, this work assessed the resilience of carbon fibre-reinforced polyamide composites in a variety of foreseeable chemical, temperature, moisture, and stress environments. The composite only showed significant sensitivity to windshield wiper fluid in the tests.

This thesis documents the findings of a three year experimental investigation into the impact damage resistance and damage tolerance of composite honeycomb sandwich panels. The primary area of work focuses on the performance of sandwich panels under quasi-static and low-velocity impact loading with hemispherical and flat-ended indenters. The damage resistance is characterised in terms of damage mechanisms and energy absorption. The effects of varying the skin and core materials, skin thickness, core density, panel boundary conditions and indenter shape on the transverse strength and energy absorption of a sandwich panel have been examined. Damage mechanisms are found to include delamination of the impacted skin, core crushing, limited skin-core de bonding and top skin fibre fracture at high loads. In terms of panel construction the skin thickness is found to dominate the panel strength and energy absorption with core density having a lesser influence. Of the external factors considered the indenter noseshape has the largest effect on both failure load and associated damage area. An overview of existing analytical prediction methods is also included and the most significant theories applied and compared with the experimental results from this study. The secondary area of work expands the understanding obtained from the damage resistance study and assesses the ability of a sandwich panel to withstand in-plane compressive loading after sustaining low-velocity impact damage. The importance of the core material is investigated by comparing the compression-after-impact strength of both monolithic carbon-fibre laminates and sandwich panels with either an aluminium or nomex honeycomb core. The in-plane compressive strength of an 8 ply skinned honeycomb sandwich panel is found to be double that of a 16 ply monolithic laminate, with the type of honeycomb also influencing the compressive failure mechanisms and residual compressive strength. It is concluded that under in-plane loading the stabilising effect of the core opposes the de-stabilising effect of any impact damage.

This project was sponsored by two companies interested in promoting the use of pultruded glass fibre/polyester composites in the construction of freight containers. Thus, the research was to understand and quantify the damage mechanisms caused by low velocity impact on the composite system and to produce a finite element impact model to further the understanding of these events.