Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composite Laminates Research Articles

Normalization and Processing of Rotational Eddy Current Scans for Layup Characterization of CFRP Laminates

ABSTRACT The verification of fiber orientation and layup in carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite laminates is essential to guarantee the performance of the material. This work reports the background, methodology, and results of a rotational eddy current testing (ECT) system for determining fiber orientation and ply layup of unidirectional CFRP components. The system presented mechanically rotates a 15 MHz directional transmit-receive ECT probe, which poses several speed and consistency advantages. The paper presents a theoretical discussion of how these scans are produced, a unique preprocessing normalization method, and an optimization process for determining the layup from the captured datasets. Results show a high level of accuracy for identifying the unique directions present in a laminate, and the theory-supported model enables the extraction of layup order information of multilayer parts, even where repeated lamina are present within the laminate.

Damage detection and classification of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composite materials based on acoustic emission and convolutional recurrent neural network

Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite laminates generate acoustic emission signals during the tensile process, which can be used to identify the type of acoustic emission (AE) signal at a given moment and determine the current damage condition. However, due to the large number and complexity of AE signals generated during the tensile process of carbon fiber composite laminates, it is challenging to manually identify and annotate them. To address this issue, we propose a low-complexity classification and detection network model based on the convolutional recurrent neural network (CRNN) architecture. First, we construct a dataset of composite damage signals for a single damage category and use log-mel spectrogram features to train the model for that specific category of damage signals. Then, we utilize the trained model to recognize the AE signals of CFRP composite laminates. The proposed method achieves an accuracy of 99.02% in classifying single damage modes in the test set and effectively distinguishes the types of AE signals generated during the damage process of CFRP composite laminates. Compared with the classic classification model using AE signals, the number of parameters in our proposed low-complexity CRNN model is reduced by 94.42%. It also demonstrates that 19.4% of the AE signals during the damage process are in a superimposed state, indicating the simultaneous occurrence of multiple damage modes in CFRP composite laminates.

Cryogenic damage behavior of carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite laminates via fiber-optic acoustic emission

Cryogenic temperatures cause significant changes in the mechanical response and microscopic failure mechanisms of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites. However, the mechanisms by which cryogenic temperatures affect composites are not yet fully understood due to a lack of adequate in-situ characterization techniques. Herein, the cryogenic damage evolution process of CFRP composites was investigated by constructed fiber-optic acoustic emission (AE) detection system. Tensile damage behavior of woven CFRP composites at 300 K, 153 K and 77 K was evaluated by AE characteristic response and cluster analysis combined with scanning electron microscopy. According to the results, increased damage activity within the composites at cryogenic condition promoted the release of mechanical energy, as well as an increase in the contribution of fiber damage to overall damage, which are the dominant micro-strengthening mechanisms of composite laminates under cryogenic conditions. This study provides a novel explanation for understanding the cryogenic damage behavior of composites.

Damage resistance and damage tolerance of a double-double fiber-reinforced polymer composite laminate to impact

This article analyzes the damage tolerance after impact of an unconventional carbon/epoxy laminate (AS4/8552) of the Double-Double (DD) type tested with different impact energies and compares it to a traditional laminate with equivalent properties. Quadriaxial (QUAD) laminate has stacking sequence [03/90/±45]S and the DD equivalent laminate has stacking sequence [0/-55/0/+55]3T. These materials were subjected to the low velocity impact test (LVI) with three energy levels (30 J, 45 J and 74 J), the uniaxial compression test and the compression after impact (CAI). The objective of this article is to validate whether the proposed DD laminate can be a replacement for the QUAD presented, considering the behavior under impact. In addition to the comparative study, this article also has the objective of evaluating whether it is possible to relate the damage tolerance with the delaminated area, and for this purpose, X-ray computed tomography (CT) was performed, making it possible to measure and locate the damage found in the samples.

The effect of stacking sequence on the properties of hybrid agel/glass fiber reinforced polymer composite laminates

The effect of stacking sequence on the properties of hybrid agel/glass fiber reinforced polymer composite laminates

Correction: Pour et al. Enhancing Flexural Strength of RC Beams with Different Steel–Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite Laminate Configurations: Experimental and Analytical Approach. Infrastructures 2024, 9, 73

In the published publication [...]

Digital Image Correlation and Ultrasonic Lamb Waves for the Detection and Prediction of Crack-Type Damage in Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite Laminates.

The possibility of using the Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique, along with Lamb wave analysis, was investigated in this study for damage detection and characterization of polymer carbon fiber (CFRP) composites with the help of numerical modeling. The finite element model (FEM) of the composite specimen with artificial damage was developed in ANSYS and validated by the results of full-field DIC strain measurements. A quantitative analysis of the damage detection capabilities of DIC structure surface strain measurements in the context of different defect sizes, depths, and orientation angles relative to the loading direction was conducted. For Lamb wave analysis, a 2D spatial-temporal spectrum analysis and FEM using ABAQUS software were conducted to investigate the interaction of Lamb waves with the different defects. It was demonstrated that the FEM updating procedure could be used to characterize damage shape and size from the composite structure surface strain field from DIC. DIC defect detection capabilities for different loadings are demonstrated for the CFRP composite. For the identification of any composite defect, its characterization, and possible further monitoring, a methodology based on initial Lamb wave analysis followed by DIC testing is proposed.

Drop-weight impact and compressive properties of repeatable self-healing carbon fiber reinforced composites

Herein, repeated self-healing of impact damage in carbon fiber reinforced composites is successfully achieved by using hollow glass fibers containing self-healing resin and two types of microcapsules (HGFs-Ms). The HGFs-Ms and microcapsules containing hardener were incorporated to fabricate repeatable self-healing carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite laminates (RSH-CFRPs). Low-velocity drop-weight impact tests and compression tests were performed to investigate the impact resistance, energy absorption, residual compressive strength and repeated self-healing performances of the RSH-CFRPs. The results revealed that the energy absorption capacity of the RSH-CFRPs could be repeatedly recovered and the barely visible impact damage (BVID) zone was almost fully healed after every healing process. Moreover, the RSH-CFRPs successfully minimized the reduction in compressive strength after repeated drop-weight impact tests due to their efficient repeated self-healing ability in impact induced damage.

Mechanical Characterization of Hybrid Steel Wire Mesh/Basalt/Epoxy Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite Laminates

Hybrid composite materials have been widely used to advance the mechanical responses of fiber-reinforced composites by utilizing different types of fibers and fillers in a single polymeric matrix. This study incorporated three types of fibers: basalt woven fiber and steel (AISI304) wire meshes with densities of 100 and 200. These fibers were mixed with epoxy resin to generate plain composite laminates. Three fundamental mechanical tests (tensile, compression, and shear) were conducted according to the corresponding ASTM standards to characterize the steel wire mesh/basalt/epoxy FRP composites used as plain composite laminates. To investigate the flexural behavior of the hybrid laminates, various layer configurations and thickness ratios were examined using a design of experiments (DoE) matrix. Hybrid samples were chosen for flexural testing, and the same procedure was employed to develop a finite element (FE) model. Material properties from the initial mechanical testing procedure were integrated into plain and hybrid composite laminate simulations. The second FE model simulated the behavior of hybrid laminates under flexural loading; this was validated through experimental data. The results underwent statistical analysis, highlighting the optimal configuration of hybrid composite laminates in terms of flexural strength and modulus; we found an increase of up to 25% in comparison with the plain composites. This research provides insights into the potential improvements offered by hybrid composite laminates, generating numerical models for predicting various laminate configurations produced using hybrid steel wire mesh/basalt/epoxy FRP composites.

Enhancing Flexural Strength of RC Beams with Different Steel–Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite Laminate Configurations: Experimental and Analytical Approach

This study intended to measure the efficiency of different strengthening techniques to advance the flexural characteristics of reinforced concrete (RC) beams using glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) laminates, including externally bonded reinforcement (EBR), externally bonded reinforcement on grooves (EBROG), externally bonded reinforcement in grooves (EBRIG), and the near-surface mounted (NSM) system. A new NSM technique was also established using an anchorage rebar. Then, the effect of the NSM method with and without externally strengthening GFRP laminates was studied. Twelve RC beams (150 × 200 × 1500 mm) were manufactured and examined under a bending system. One specimen was designated as the control with no GFRP laminate. To perform the NSM method, both steel and GFRP rebars were used. In the experiments, capability, as well as the deformation and ductileness of specimens, were evaluated, and a comparison was made between the experimental consequences and existing standards. Finally, a new regression was generated to predict the final resistance of RC beams bound with various retrofitting techniques. The findings exhibited that the NSM technique, besides preserving the strengthening materials, could enhance the load-bearing capacity and ductileness of RC beams up to 42.3% more than the EBR, EBROG, and EBRIG performances.

Enhancing the Longitudinal Compressive Strength of Freeform 3D-Printed Continuous Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite Laminate Using Magnetic Compaction Force and Nanofiber Z-Threads.

Low fiber-direction compressive strength is a well-recognized weakness of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites. When a CFRP is produced using 3D printing, the compressive strength is further degraded. To solve this issue, in this paper, a novel magnetic compaction force-assisted additive manufacturing (MCFA-AM) method is used to print CFRP laminates reinforced with carbon nanofiber (CNF) z-threads (i.e., ZT-CFRP). MCFA-AM utilizes a magnetic force to simultaneously levitate, deposit, and compact fast-curing CFRP prepregs in free space and quickly solidifies the CFRP laminate part without any mold nor supporting substrate plate; it effectively reduces the voids. The longitudinal compressive test was performed on five different sample types. ZT-CFRP/MCFA-AM samples were printed under two different magnetic compaction rolling pressures, i.e., 0.5 bar and 0.78 bar. Compared with the longitudinal compressive strength of a typical CFRP manufactured by the traditional out-of-autoclave-vacuum-bag-only (OOA-VBO) molding process at the steady-state pressure of 0.82 bar, the ZT-CFRP/MCFA-AM samples showed either comparable results (by -1.00% difference) or enhanced results (+7.42% improvement) by using 0.5 bar or 0.78 bar magnetic rolling pressures, respectively.

Improving resistance to embedded delaminations by adding CNTs to epoxy in carbon/(epoxy + CNT) composites

Low-velocity impact on fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites may cause subsurface interface delaminations. In the case of such multiple delaminations, neighboring delaminations may grow and coalesce into larger delamination under post-impact loading. The resistance to such growth is substantially influenced by the strength and stiffness of epoxy resins used in FRP composite laminates. Therefore, the current study attempts to determine how adding carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to epoxy might potentially enhance the resistance to such delaminations. A three-dimensional (3D) finite element analysis has been carried out for laminates having single embedded delamination as well as two neighboring embedded delaminations to determine the interlaminar stresses and strain energy release rate using virtual crack closure integral. Results from the current analysis show that while parameters like shape, size, and relative spacing of delamination influence the growth, however in all the cases, adding CNTs to epoxy significantly improves the resistance to the growth of both single and interacting delaminations. The effect is observed to be more pronounced when the delaminations are closely spaced and tend to coalesce into a large delamination.

A comparative study on the low velocity impact behavior of UD, woven, and hybrid UD/woven FRP composite laminates

This study is aimed at comparing the response and damage of unidirectional (UD), woven fabric (WF) and hybrid UD/WF fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) laminates subjected to low velocity impact. The unidirectional tape and/or woven fabric (plain weave) carbon/epoxy prepregs are laminated and hot-pressed to produce UD, WF and sandwich-like hybrid UD/WF specimens. Impact responses of specimens are determined through low velocity impact (LVI) tests with impact energies of 10 J, 17 J and 25 J. After the LVI tests, the damage of specimens is characterized and analyzed using a combination of visual inspection, ultrasonic phased-array inspection, micro-computed tomography (CT) inspection, cross-sectional microscopic observation, and thermal de-ply test. Also, the LVI damage mechanisms of the three types of specimens are quantitatively compared by using the inter fiber crack volume ratio, total delamination area and fiber fracture length. It is concluded that the fiber architecture plays an important role in determining low velocity impact behavior of composite laminates. Especially, for the sandwich-like hybrid UD/WF laminates whose surface is a WF layer and the core is a UD layer, the WF layer on the surface plays an important role in reducing matrix cracking, delamination and fiber fracture, thus improving its LVI resistance.

Fatigue damage mechanisms and evolution of residual tensile strength in CFRP Composites: Stacking sequence effect

This study explores the effect of fiber orientation on the fatigue resistance of carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite laminates. First, fatigue damage mechanisms of composite laminates with different stacking sequences at various stress levels are analyzed by utilizing digital image correlation (DIC) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques. The findings highlight that the fiber orientation of the laminate has a significant effect on the fatigue life of the specimens. Prior to final fatigue failure, laminates with 0° fiber orientation experience only a 30 % reduction, while laminates with ± 45° fiber orientation show up to 93 % stiffness reduction. The fracture modes of laminates with a 0° fiber orientation vary depending on stress levels. Microscopic observations confirm that in the case of laminates with ± 45° fiber orientations under compressive loading, fiber flexion, and delamination are the predominant failure mechanisms. Further, the post-fatigue tensile tests reveal that the residual tensile strength of the laminates with ± 45° fiber orientations increases by 6.3 % after 15 % of the total cycles (7.2 × 104) at a 30 % stress level. The contribution of this study provides vital insights into the structural design of laminates and offers a pathway for improving their fatigue performance.

Study of the dynamic response and damage evolution of carbon fiber/ultra-thin stainless-steel strip fiber metal laminates under low-velocity impact

Two configurations of carbon fiber/ultra-thin stainless-steel strip fiber metal laminates (CUSFML) with differing metal volume contents (35.3% and 18.2%) and carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite laminates were selected for tests. The impact response and the effect of metal volume content on the impact resistance of CUSFML were assessed via experiment and FEM. Inducing damage by drop-weight test within the impact energy range of 18.60–46.23 J, two types of CUSFML and CFRP composite laminates were compared. In particular, the bearing capacity, impact deflection, failure modes, and energy dissipation were considered. The impact modeling using the VUMAT subroutine refines the relationship between energy-dissipating mechanism and damage evolution. The results indicate that CUSFML are characterized by higher impact resistance than CFRP composite laminates under low-velocity impact. The effect of metal volume content on the impact resistance increases gradually with impact energy increasing. Under 46.23 J impact, the CUSFML with higher metal volume content exhibits more concentrated damaged area with severe penetration failure, which is more dominated by metal failure features with a higher proportion of plastic energy dissipation. For CUSFML with lower metal volume content, extensive delamination and damage expansion occurs under the dominance of fiber damage behaviors.

Hybrid effects and failure mechanisms of carbon/Kevlar fiber composite laminates under the bending-after-impact loading

The hybrid fiber design concept is widely used in the aerospace industry to improve the mechanical properties (stiffness, strength, elongation, energy absorption ability) of composite laminates. In the present work, an experimental method was employed to investigate the hybrid effects on the failure mechanism of carbon-Kevlar hybrid fiber-reinforced polymer (HFRP) composite laminates under bending-after-impact (BAI) loading conditions. Carbon/Kevlar FRP specimens with five different hybrid ratios and three different stacking sequences were designed and fabricated by the compression molding method. A series of three-point bending (3 PB) tests and BAI tests were conducted to characterize the degradation of the residual flexural properties of the laminates under low-energy impacts. Among the laminates designed with different hybrid ratios, the [K3C3] structure combined the advantages of the high strength of carbon fibers and the high toughness of Kevlar fibers; thus, it exhibited excellent residual bending properties. Among the laminates designed with different stacking sequences, the outermost Kevlar fiber layer in the [KCC]S structure effectively protected the inner carbon fiber layers on the compressed and stretched sides; thus, it yielded excellent residual flexural properties.

Integrated composite electrothermal de-icing system based on ultra-thin flexible heating film

Icing is a serious threat to the flight safety of aircraft. Lightweight and efficient electrothermal de-icing systems for carbon fiber reinforced polymer components are expected to contribute to the lightweighting and electrification of aircraft. This study presents the development and test of a novel, integrated, multifunctional composite electrothermal ice protection system. The system achieves this by incorporating a carbon-based ultra-thin flexible heating film into a carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composite laminate. T700 and M40 carbon fiber prepregs were used. The system composition and configuration were designed based on the anisotropic mechanical and thermal properties of the carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composite. The effects of ply stacking sequence, presence of insulation layer, ply angle, heating area, and prepreg type on thermal response and de-icing performance were investigated. Thermal response experiments were carried out in both room temperature and low temperature environments. A one-dimensional thermal response analysis model was developed for a representative heating structure. Comparative de-icing experiments were conducted on different samples in a low-temperature test chamber. A numerical model, based on the modified enthalpy-porosity method, was developed to simulate the de-icing process, and showed good agreement with the experimental results. Experiments and numerical calculations show that the arrangement of the heater close to the deicing surface improves the performance of the electrothermal deicing system while maintaining the overall mechanical properties of the multi-layer structure. While the insulation layer helps marginally with heat loss during de-icing, it significantly increases the system’s thermal inertia, which delays the de-icing’s start. It is recommended to minimize or eliminate insulation layer thickness. Rapid de-icing effects, combined with energy conservation, can be achieved through a short-term, high-power heating strategy.

Analysis of unidirectional polyethylene-glass fiber-reinforced phenolic polymer composite laminate

Analysis of unidirectional polyethylene-glass fiber-reinforced phenolic polymer composite laminate

Polysulfone nanofiber-modified composite laminates: Investigation of mode-I fatigue behavior and damage mechanisms

In this study, the fatigue properties of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite laminates were investigated, specifically focusing on the incorporation of 100-µm polysulfone (PSU) nanofibers as an interleaving material. The PSU nanofibers were produced using the electrospinning technique. Both quasi-static and fatigue tests were conducted on both the reference specimens and the modified specimens to evaluate their mode-I performance. The results revealed an 85% increase in fracture toughness (GIC) under quasi-static testing. The fatigue plots revealed a noteworthy reduction in the fatigue crack growth rate (da/dN) for the modified specimens due to new toughening mechanisms. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) demonstrated that, the PSU nanofiber became melted and distributed in the interface, leading to phase separation and a sea-island structure. The presence of PSU microspheres caused crack deflection during delamination, which resulted in increased fracture and fatigue resistance.

Experimental study of the interfacial micromechanics of multifunctional unidirectional carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite laminates with copper mesh

The mechanical properties of a unidirectional carbon-fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminate with Cu mesh layers were investigated for use in aerospace applications as a multifunctional structural and electromagnetic interference shielding component. Nanoindentation was used to study the fiber/PEEK and Cu/PEEK interfaces. A data analysis methodology is presented to assess the interfacial strength from plots of hardness and modulus versus distance from fiber/Cu edge. The results indicated that annealing resulted in enhanced adhesion at the fiber/PEEK interface. Additionally, indents near the Cu/PEEK interface indicated poor interfacial adhesion. Bulk mechanical testing was performed to determine the effect of adding Cu mesh layers on the mechanical properties of the laminate. Additional Cu mesh layers decreased the tension, shear, and bending strength/modulus, while the open hole compression strength increased. This indicates that the Cu/PEEK interfaces weaken the laminate and lower the tension, shear, and bending strength by delamination.