Microtomographic Analysis of Impact Damage in FRP Composite Laminates: A Comparative Study

With the advancement of testing tools, the ability to characterize mechanical properties of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites under extreme loading scenarios has allowed designers to use these materials in high-level applications more confidently. Conventionally, impact characterization of composite materials is studied via nondestructive techniques such as ultrasonic C-scanning, infrared thermography, X-ray, and acoustography. None of these techniques, however, enable 3D microscale visualization of the damage at different layers of composite laminates. In this paper, a 3D microtomographic technique has been employed to visualize and compare impact damage modes in a set of thermoplastic laminates. The test samples were made of commingled polypropylene (PP) and glass fibers with two different architectures, including the plain woven and unidirectional. Impact testing using a drop-weight tower, followed by postimpact four-point flexural testing and nondestructive tomographic analysis demonstrated a close relationship between the type of fibre architecture and the induced impact damage mechanisms and their extensions

Investigation of a postprocessing method to tailor the mechanical properties of carbon nanotube/polyamide fibers

The incorporation of carbon nanotubes to thermoplastic fibers can potentially improve mechanical, thermal and electrical properties. In this article, a methodology to tailor the mechanical properties of carbon nanotube/nylon fibers is presented. Multiwalled nanotubes (MWNT) were combined to polyamide 12 through melt compounding and twin-screw extrusion. Pellets containing between 0 and 5.0 wt % MWNT were extruded and subsequently melt spun with a capillary rheometer to produce filaments. To further promote the alignment of the polymer chains and MWNTs, postdrawing parameters were systematically investigated: temperature, drawing speed and elongation. The best improvements in terms of elastic modulus and yield strength were measured at 140\ub0C and 500% elongation, whereas drawing speed was shown to have a negligible effect. It was confirmed through electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction that these enhancements were mainly induced by the alignment of the polymer chains along the fibers' axis. Copyright \ua9 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

PREDICTING THERMAL DEFORMATIONS DURING THE ROLL FORMING OF THERMOPLASTIC MATRIX COMPOSITES

Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

A Stochastic XFEM Model to Study Delamination in PPS/Glass UD Composites: Effect of Uncertain Fracture Properties

A nonlinear extended finite element (XFEM) modeling framework under a stochastic cohesive zone is presented for realistic prediction of delamination in polyphenylene sulfide (PPS)/glass composites in mode I of fracture. The cohesive zone model adopts damage evolution of the material based on a bilinear traction-separation law, the critical energy release rate and the J-integral method to formulate the delamination interface under stochastic fracture properties. To demonstrate the application of the approach, numerical predictions are compared to experimental data using Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) tests. In particular, it is shown how the XFEM model can be used to capture test non-repeatability due to uncertain fracture properties, which is often the case during the characterization of composites using standard fracture tests. \ua9 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

PP and PET Nanocomposites Fibers: process, Structure and Some Applications

Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye