High-strength Fiber-reinforced Polymer Research Articles

Mechanical behavior and fracture toughness characterization of high strength fiber reinforced polymer textile composites

The mechanical and fracture behavior of polymer composites are the subject of great interest from many years and still interesting among the researchers. Composites are extremely used for their superior mechanical, thermal and fracture toughness properties in various sectors such as automobile, aerospace and defense applications. In this article, unidirectional and woven high strength glass, carbon and Kevlar fiber reinforced polymer textile composites are taken into consideration for the comprehensive review of mechanical behavior and fracture toughness characterization. Current review work began with the introduction to polymer textile composites with its manufacturing stages, processing techniques and factors affecting the performance under mechanical loading. The mechanical behavior of high strength fiber reinforced polymer (HSFRP) textile composites was discussed in tension, compression, flexural, low velocity and high velocity impact loading with the recent numerical and experimental characterization studies. Textile geometrical modeling and CAE tools are also described for numerical characterization. Under the influence of mechanical loading on composites, failure occurs actually due to the crack initiation and propagation, so it is also required to characterize. Significant elements of fracture mechanics are well described for the better understanding of fracture toughness characterization. Mode-I, Mode-II, Mode-III interlaminar and Mode-I intralaminar fracture toughness characterization are widely explained by considering the effect of filler content, fiber orientation and fiber volume fraction. Fracture toughness characterization techniques and research summery are uniquely presented by considering various factors under one umbrella for better understanding of fracture behavior. Statistical Weibull distribution is also presented for the failure prediction of composites.

High strain rate characterization of shear thickening fluids using Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar technique

Shear thickening fluids (STFs) are a special class of field responsive fluids which exhibit change of phase from liquid to solid when subjected to imposed shear. This remarkable characteristic of STFs has led to their application in soft body armor technologies, leading the development of concept of Liquid Body Armors (LBAs). LBAs extensively rely upon the symbiotic relationship between STF and high strength FRP (Fiber Reinforced Polymer) composites comprising of high tenacity fibers such as Kevlar, UHMWPE (Ultra High Molecular Weight Poly Ethylene) etc. Although in the past, STFs have been widely characterized by rheometers at low strain rates (≤103 s−1), but in actual practical scenarios, body armours encounter much higher strain rates (of the order of 105–107 s−1) under a ballistic impact. The main objective of this study is to capture the dynamics of STFs at such high strain rates by employing Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) technique. The STF sample was synthesized by dispersing 67.5wt.% of 100nm silica powder in Poly Propylene Glycol (PPG) and ethanol, using ultrasonic homogenization method. The mechanical response of STF was studied at high strain rates in terms of the stress-strain behavior and variation of the impact toughness with the loading rate of the fluid specimen. It was observed that the impact toughness of STF increased progressively with the specimen loading rate. The peak stress and peak strain rate attained in the SHPB tests were 147MPa and 22,100 s−1, respectively. The characteristic transition time of STF was found to be in the range of 13–25 µs.

Seismic Retrofitting of Rectangular Bridge Columns with Composite Straps

Behavior of typical rectangular bridge columns with substandard design details for seismic forces was investigated. The poor performance of this type of column attested to the need for effective and economical seismic upgrading techniques. A method utilizing fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites to retrofit existing bridge columns is investigated in this paper. High-strength FRP straps are wrapped around the column in the potential plastic hinge region to increase confinement and to improve the behavior under seismic forces. Five rectangular columns with different reinforcement details were constructed and tested under reversed cyclic loading. Two columns were not retrofitted and were used as control specimens so that their hysteresis response could be compared with those for retrofitted columns. The results of this study indicated that significant improvement in ductility and energy absorption capacity can be achieved as a result of this retrofitting technique.