Toward high performance renewable agave reinforced biocomposites: Optimization of fiber performance and fiber-matrix adhesion analysis

The increasing sensitivity toward the environmental pollution and the recent laws on the environmental protection, have led to an increasing attention to the so called biocomposites, i.e. to ecofriendly or renewable composite materials, obtained from biopolymers reinforced by natural fibers. Although the contribution of various works reported in literature, focused on biocomposites reinforced by agave fibers, such materials are still exclusively used in the automotive industry for non-structural applications, and the implementation of high performance biocomposites for semi-structural and structural applications, is an expected, but not yet reached objective. Therefore, the present work aims to give a contribution to reach such an objective, by means of a proper selection of the fiber, in terms of variety, age and position, as well as by the implementation of a new ecofriendly fiber extraction method that allows the user to obtain fibers with improved mechanical performance. In more detail, it is shown that the agave marginata, widespread in the Mediterranean area, provides fiber with performance higher than the agave sisalana commonly considered in literature, and its performance can be furtherly improved by proper optimization of the main influence parameters and the extraction process. On the basis of these optimized fibers, as well as of thermoplastic and thermosetting matrixes, particularly suitable for the manufacturing of high performance ecofriendly biocomposites, an accurate theoretical-experimental analysis on the fiber-matrix adhesion has allowed first to confirm the good adhesion of the agave with epoxy and PLA matrixes, as well as to detect the actual influence of the mercerization treatments and the significant effects of the stiffness of the coupled materials on the potential pull-out and/or debonding damage mechanisms

Implementation of eco-sustainable biocomposite materials reinforced by optimized agave fibers

Although several works have recently been published in literature about biocomposites, i.e. about composites with polymeric matrix reinforced by natural fibers, only a few articles have been devoted to the implementation of high performance biocomposites for structural and semi-structural applications. The present study aims to give a contribution by considering biocomposites obtained by using an eco-friendly partially bio-based epoxy (green epoxy) and sisal (agave sisalana fibers) obtained by a proper optimization process. Through a systematic experimental analysis, three different types of biocomposites obtained with a suitable manufacturing process, such as random short fiber biocomposites, random discontinuous fibers biocomposite obtained through the preliminary manufacture of MAT fabrics, and unidirectional long fibers biocomposites obtained through the preliminary manufacture of unidirectional \u201cstitched\u201d fabrics, have been studied

OTTIMIZZAZIONE DI UNA GIUNZIONE INCOLLATA A DOPPIA SOVRAPPOSIZIONE PER SANDWICH IN COMPOSITO

Grazie alle peculiari performances meccaniche, quali soprattutto l\u2019elevata resistenza a flessione unita ad un basso peso specifico, le strutture sandwich in composito sono sempre pi\uf9 frequentemente utilizzate nella moderna progettazione industriale. Nel presente lavoro, considerando un composito sandwich con skins in vetroresina e core in PVC espanso, \ue8 stato eseguito uno studio numerico e sperimentale al fine di individuare la configurazione ottimale di una giunzione incollata a doppia sovrapposizione avente quali aderendi esterni le stesse skins del sandwich e aderendo interno costituito da un inserto in metallo o in composito. In dettaglio, previa preliminare ottimizzazione teorica della geometria della giunzione, eseguita tenendo conto delle propriet\ue0 dell\u2019adesivo e del materiale costituente l\u2019aderendo interno, la configurazione ottimale \ue8 stata individuata attraverso sistematiche prove sperimentali di trazione e flessione al variare dei principali parametri di influenza. Successive analisi numeriche eseguite in ambiente Ansys APDL, hanno evidenziato i particolari meccanismi di danneggiamento interlaminare

STUDIO NUMERICO-SPERIMENTALE DI GIUNZIONI IBRIDE A SEMPLICE SOVRAPPOSIZIONE ALLUMINIO-CFRP

Le giunzioni ibride, ottenute dalla sovrapposizione di una giunzione meccanica e di una incollata, sono sempre pi\uf9 utilizzate in diversi campi della produzione industriale in quanto consentono, se correttamente configurate, di ottenere performance meccaniche superiori a quelle che si possono ottenere con le giunzioni semplici. La corretta configurazione delle giunzioni ibride necessita di opportuni studi teorici, numerici e sperimentali finalizzati ad individuare la combinazione ottimale dei principali parametri di influenza (lunghezza di sovrapposizione, rigidezza degli aderendi, sbilanciamento del giunto, posizione dei bulloni/rivetti, tipo di adesivo, ecc.) e quindi la correlazione tra parametri e prestazioni. Per dare un contributo alla conoscenza del comportamento meccanico delle giunzioni ibride tra aderendi in alluminio e CFRP, nel presente lavoro \ue8 stato condotto uno studio numerico-sperimentale su giunzioni bullonate a semplice sovrapposizione tra una lamina di alluminio AW 6082 T6 e un laminato CFRP a matrice epossidica. Nel lavoro \ue8 esaminato in dettaglio il comportamento del giunto al variare della sequenza di laminazione, delle modalit\ue0 di giunzione, del tempo di polimerizzazione dell\u2019adesivo strutturale e dell\u2019entit\ue0 del precarico applicato al bullone

Expanding and Contracting Coronal Loops as Evidence of Vortex Flows Induced by Solar Eruptions

Eruptive solar flares were predicted to generate large-scale vortex flows at both sides of the erupting magnetic flux rope. This process is analogous to a well-known hydrodynamic process creating vortex rings. The vortices lead to advection of closed coronal loops located at peripheries of the flaring active region. Outward flows are expected in the upper part and returning flows in the lower part of the vortex. Here, we examine two eruptive solar flares, an X1.1-class flare SOL2012-03-05T03:20 and a C3.5-class SOL2013-06-19T07:29. In both flares, we find that the coronal loops observed by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly in its 171\,\AA, 193\,\AA, or 211\,\AA~passbands show coexistence of expanding and contracting motions, in accordance with the model prediction. In the X-class flare, multiple expanding/contracting loops coexist for more than 35 minutes, while in the C-class flare, an expanding loop in 193\,\AA~appears to be close-by and co-temporal with an apparently imploding loop arcade seen in 171\,\AA. Later, the 193\,\AA~loop also switches to contraction. These observations are naturally explained by vortex flows present in a model of eruptive solar flares.Comment: The Astrophysical Journal, accepte

Progettazione efficiente di Biocompositi Rinforzati con fibre di Agave

La crescente sensibilit\ue0 nei riguardi dell'inquinamento ambientale e le nuove disposizioni legislative in materia di protezione dell'ambiente, hanno portato negli ultimi anni ad una crescente attenzione verso i cosiddetti biocompositi, cio\ue8 verso materiali compositi ecocompatibili e/o rinnovabili, ottenuti da biopolimeri rinforzati da fibre naturali come lino, kenaf, agave ecc. Il presente lavoro intende dare un contributo alla comprensione del comportamento meccanico ed alla efficiente progettazione di performanti biocompositi, ottenuti attraverso una oculata scelta di matrici termoindurenti e termoplastiche, rinforzate con fibre di agave. Dopo avere indagato sulle peculiari propriet\ue0 delle fibre di agave, attraverso prove di trazione e prove di pull-out su singola fibra, nonch\ue9 sulle effettive propriet\ue0 delle matrici selezionate, si propongono modelli teorici e di micromeccanica che descrivono correttamente il comportamento meccanico di tali biocompositi. Verifiche sperimentali, eseguite su biocompositi a fibre corte e lunghe hanno consentito di correlare le propriet\ue0 meccaniche ai particolari meccanismi di danneggiamento, confermando la bont\ue0 dei modelli teorici proposti

CFRP STRUCTURAL CAPACITORS: EFFECT OF DAMAGE AND MECHANICAL LOAD ON CAPACITANCE

Aim of this work is to study the effect of mechanical load and damages, on the performance of structural capacitors, made by CFRP composite laminates with a PET dielectric film (treated with sodium hydroxide) inserted at the laminate middle-plane. Such capacitors have been characterized by ILSS and tensile tests and the properties so estimated were compared to those of the simple CFRP. By measuring the capacitance before mechanical loading, under loading and after unloading, it has been observed that, due to the damage of the CFRP layers, proved also by proper fractographic analysis, at high strain level the capacitance decreases although it exhibits a complete recovery after unloading. Successive FEM analysis have been performed on structural capacitors to detect the interlaminar stress field and to implement a suitable criterion that can be used at the design stage to a reliable prediction of the failure load of such multifunctional CFRP composite materials

Measuring Inaccessible Residual Stresses Using Multiple Methods and Superposition

The traditional contour method maps a single component of residual stress by cutting a body carefully in two and measuring the contour of the cut surface. The cut also exposes previously inaccessible regions of the body to residual stress measurement using a variety of other techniques, but the stresses have been changed by the relaxation after cutting. In this paper, it is shown that superposition of stresses measured post-cutting with results from the contour method analysis can determine the original (pre-cut) residual stresses. The general superposition theory using Bueckner’s principle is developed and limitations are discussed. The procedure is experimentally demonstrated by determining the triaxial residual stress state on a cross section plane. The 2024- T351 aluminum alloy test specimen was a disk plastically indented to produce multiaxial residual stresses. After cutting the disk in half, the stresses on the cut surface of one half were determined with X-ray diffraction and with hole drilling on the other half. To determine the original residual stresses, the measured surface stresses were superimposed with the change stress calculated by the contour method. Within uncertainty, the results agreed with neutron diffraction measurements taken on an uncut disk