Use of a Simple Non-Destructive Technique for Evaluation of the Elastic and Vibration Properties of Fiber-Reinforced and 3D Fiber-Metal Laminate Composites

Davide Cicco,Farid Taheri

doi:10.3390/fib6010014

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to assess the accuracy and reliability of a simple non-destructive sonic technique for evaluating the effective elastic and vibration properties (damping coefficient) of various isotropic and orthotropic materials—in particular, of a recently developed class of 3D fiber-metal laminates (FML). Aluminum, E-glass/epoxy composite, 3D-FML, and glass-reinforced aluminum FML (GLARE) materials were considered. It is exhibited that the 3D-FML offers the greatest damping characteristics in comparison to all the considered materials. Moreover, the sonic technique, facilitated through the use of a GrindoSonic equipment, proves to produce accurate and reliable results with minimal effort. Finite element analysis is also employed to further establish the accuracy of the properties evaluated by the experimental data. The utility of the established homogenized experimental properties within the finite element framework is also discussed.

Highlights

Fiber reinforced composite materials, are commended for their remarkable specific strength and stiffness and non-corrosive nature
104629 [28], the GrindoSonic sometimes produces inaccurate values, especially in cases where: (i) excessive noise is generated by the user while imparting the excitation impulse to the specimen; and (ii) if the specimen is excited by tapping it at an incorrect location, which may cause the excitation of higher vibration modes of the specimen
It should be noted that the GrindoSonic could not detect the fundamental frequency of glass-reinforced aluminum FML (GLARE) specimens, but rather revealed an average frequency of 1675 Hz

Summary

Introduction

Fiber reinforced composite materials (i.e., axial particulates embedded in fitting matrices), are commended for their remarkable specific strength and stiffness and non-corrosive nature. They are widely used in a variety of applications in construction [1], aerospace [2], automotive [3], sporting and consumer goods [4], and in medical and dental applications, with either net [5] or long [6]. Tu et al [12] developed a finite element formulation for a nine-node rectangular element accounting for the rotary inertia effects and the parabolic variation of the through-thickness shear They conducted various parametric studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method in predicting the vibration response of composite and sandwich plates.

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Results

Conclusion