Increase In Fracture Toughness Research Articles

Effect of nano-reduced graphene oxide (NRGO) on long-term fracture behavior of Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA)

Recent studies have shown that in addition to ambient temperature, time-dependent factors such as temperature cycles and freeze–thaw cycles (FTCs) affect the speed of creation and growth of low-temperature cracks (LTCs) and intermediate-temperature cracks (ITCs) by creating the aging process in the asphalt mixture. Therefore, it is necessary to study the cracking behavior of asphalt mixtures by considering these factors. In the present study, an attempt was made to evaluate the long-term fracture behavior of Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) modified with nano-reduced graphene oxide (NRGO) containing vertical and angular cracks under mode I loading conditions at low and intermediate temperatures using Semi-circular bend (SCB) geometry. In order to simulate long-term performance, two conditions of 3 FTC and aging process (for 6 days) were applied to the mixtures with and without NRGO, and the results were compared with samples subjected to 0 FTC (short-term performance). The results showed that adding 0.3% and 0.6% NRGO to the WMA mixture increased fracture toughness (KIC), fracture energy (GF), and stiffness under mode I at low and intermediate temperatures. At +15 °C and for the geometry containing the vertical crack, the NRGO-modified WMA mixture had better flexibility under 3 FTC than 0 FTC; while, the flexibility of the NRGO-modified WMA mixture decreased under aging process. For geometry containing angular crack, flexibility indices improved for NRGO-containing mixtures under 3 FTC and aging process (at +15 °C temperature). On the other hand, the results showed that the addition of NRGO to the WMA mixture, while increasing the maximum load at the moment of fracture, caused a decrease in the displacement at the fractured moment at low and intermediate temperatures. This result was obtained for the mixtures that were conditioned under aging process. However, the results showed that applying 3 FTCs decreased the maximum load at the moment of fracture and increased the displacement at the fractured moment. Finally, the results showed that the reduction of fracture indices was higher for WMA and NRGO-modified WMA mixtures under 3 FTCs (at temperatures ±15 °C); therefore, applying 3 FTC instead of aging process can be used to evaluate the long-term performance of asphalt mixtures.

Investigation on the effect of interface properties on compressive failure behavior of 3D woven composites through micromechanics-based multiscale damage model

In this paper, the effect of interface properties on the compressive failure behavior of 3D woven composites (3DWC) is investigated by incorporating a micromechanics-based multiscale damage model (MMDM). The correlation between the mesoscopic stress of yarns and microscopic stress of constituents is established by defining a stress amplification factor. With the microscopic stresses, the fiber breakage and matrix failure can be separately evaluated at the microscale, without assuming the yarns as transversely isotropic homogeneous materials. Especially, the interfacial debonding between yarns and matrix is also a dominant damage mode within 3DWC. Given that there is still a lack of studies on the influence of interfacial properties on the compressive failure behavior of 3DWC, it is meaningful to perform numerical parametric studies to reveal how the interface properties contribute to the damage mechanisms of 3DWC under compressions. The predicted results indicate that with the increase of interface strengths and fracture toughness, the compressive resistance of 3DWC can be significantly improved, resulting in higher strength and failure strain. Additionally, the studied 3DWCs with weak, medium and strong interfaces exhibit different damage development processes.

Steady-State Crack Growth in Nanostructured Quasi-Brittle Materials Governed by Second Gradient Elastodynamics

The elastodynamic stress field near a crack tip propagating at a constant speed in isotropic quasi-brittle material was investigated, taking into account the strain gradient and inertia gradient effects. An asymptotic solution for a steady-state Mode-I crack was developed within the simplified strain gradient elasticity by using a representation of the general solution in terms of Lamé potentials in the moving framework. It was shown that the derived solution predicts the nonsingular stress state and smooth opening profile for the growing cracks that can be related to the presence of the fracture process zone in the micro-/nanostructured quasi-brittle materials. Note that similar asymptotic solutions have been derived previously only for Mode-III cracks (under antiplane shear loading). Thus, the aim of this study is to show the possibility of analytical assessments on the elastodynamic crack tip fields for in-plane loading within gradient theories. By using the derived solution, we also performed analysis of the angular distribution of stresses and tractions for the moderate speed of cracks. It was shown that the usage of the maximum principal stress criterion within second gradient elastodynamics allows us to describe a directional stability of Mode-I crack growth and an increase in the dynamic fracture toughness with the crack propagation speed that were observed in the experiments with quasi-brittle materials. Therefore, the possibility of the effective application of regularized solutions of strain gradient elasticity for the refined analysis of dynamic fracture processes in the quasi-brittle materials with phenomenological assessments on the cohesive zone effects is shown.

Short- and medium-range structure synergistically control fracture toughness of densified aluminoborate glasses

Methods to improve the fracture toughness of oxide glasses are needed since low fracture toughness is a major bottleneck for their applications. To overcome this, it is critically important to investigate the effect of both short- and medium-range structural features on fracture toughness. Recent work reported a record-high fracture toughness for a bulk lithium aluminoborate glass subjected to hot compression. Here, we further explore the structural origin of this high fracture toughness by subjecting different alkali aluminoborate glasses to hot compression. Through a combination of x-ray total scattering experiments and atomistic simulations, we find that hot compression causes significant changes to both the short- and medium-range order structure of the glasses, e.g., increased coordination numbers (CNs) of network forming species and decreased average size of ring-type structures. To this end, we reveal positive correlations between the pressure-induced increase in fracture toughness and (i) the increase in average CN of network forming species and (ii) the area of the first sharp diffraction peak in the structure factor. Our study thus improves the understanding of which structural features benefit intrinsic toughening of oxide glasses.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of (Zr,Ti)B2–SiC composites obtained by pressureless sintering of ZrB2–SiC–TiO2 powder mixtures

Multiphase ceramics have been highlighted due to the combination of different properties. This work proposes to obtain the multiphase composite of (Zr,Ti)B2–SiC based on the mixture of ZrB2, SiC, and TiO2 sintered without pressure. The effect of TiO2 addition on solid solution formation with ZrB2, densification, microstructure, and mechanical properties was investigated. For this, 2.0 wt% TiO2 was added to ZrB2–SiC composites with 10–30 vol% SiC and processed by reactive pressureless sintering at 2050 °C with a 2 h holding time. Sinterability, crystalline phases, microstructure, Vickers hardness, and indentation fracture toughness of these composites were analyzed and compared to the non-doped ZrB2–SiC samples. The XRD analysis and EDS elemental map images indicated the incorporation of Ti atoms into the ZrB2 crystalline structure with solid solution generation of (Zr,Ti)B2. The addition of TiO2 resulted in matrix grain size refinement and a predominant intergranular fracture mode. The relative densities were not significantly modified with the TiO2 addition, though a higher weight loss was detected after the sample sintering process. The composites doped with TiO2 showed an increase in fracture toughness but exhibited a slightly lower Vickers hardness compared to composites without TiO2 addition.

Effect of gap and overlap on mode II interlaminar fracture toughness of automated fiber placement prepreg laminates

Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) technology facilitates the manufacturing process of composite structures with complex geometry owing to its high efficiency and accuracy. However, the unavoidable imperfections induced by the automated layup method bring challenges to the stability of the final mechanical properties of composites. The influence of AFP-induced gaps and overlaps on the mode II interlaminar fracture process of oven-cured laminates is experimentally investigated and explicitly revealed. End-Notched Flexure (ENF) tests were performed to measure the interlaminar fracture toughness of unidirectional laminates under three different defect configurations, namely “Gap” “Overlap” and “Gap & Overlap”. A marginal decline (about –1.2% in non-precracked tests, –5.1% in precracked tests) and an obvious increase (about 15.2% in non-precracked tests, 5.2% in precracked tests) in fracture toughness were observed for the “Gap” group and the “Overlap” group, respectively. Fractographic studies which involve the metallographic observation and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) observation revealed that the increases in fracture area and crack length helped improve the fracture toughness of the “Overlap” group. However, the resin-rich area with high porosity induced by gaps was detrimental to the delamination resistance. To capture the interlaminar stress distribution local to imperfections, a three-dimensional numerical model was established. Gap defects facilitate the local delamination process, and the overlap defect postpones the damage onset and the propagation.

Influence of Si segregates on the structural evolution, mechanical properties, and high-temperature fracture toughness of Cr-Si-B2±z coatings

The impact of Si-segregates and varying deposition conditions on the structural and mechanical properties of sputter deposited, high-temperature oxidation-resistant Cr-Si-B2±z coatings is studied from ambient, to elevated temperatures. Overstoichiometric, AlB2-structured Cr-Si-B2±z thin films with Si-content up to 15 at.% were synthesized on Ti-6Al-4V by magnetron-sputtering using a substrate bias of −120 V. The enhanced surface diffusion promotes mechanically superior, (001)-oriented coatings with hardness of H∼30 GPa up to a Si-content of 3 at.%. Higher Si-concentrations result in significant hardness loss to H∼20 GPa, related to a bias-independent solubility-limit in the CrB2-structure and the formation of mechanically-weak Si grain-boundary segregates. The as-deposited hardness of all Cr-Si-B2±z compositions is maintained after annealing to 800 °C, despite the initiation of material recovery. A B/Cr-ratio-independent oxidation resistance up to 1400 °C is demonstrated, underlining a minimum Si-content of 8 at.% to form a stable SiO2-based scale. In line with the room-temperature hardness, increasing Si-contents are accompanied by decreasing fracture toughness, reducing from KIC∼2.9 (Cr0.28B0.72) to ∼1.7 MPa√m (Cr0.24Si0.10B0.66). High-temperature cantilever bending up to 800 °C revealed a brittle-to-ductile-like transition for Cr0.28B0.72, resulting in an increased fracture toughness of KIC∼3.3 MPa√m. Si-alloyed coatings show decreasing fracture resistance up to 400 °C, whereas beyond, Si-segregates enable high-temperature plasticity and thus a significantly increased damage tolerance.

A Molecular-Scale Understanding of Misorientation Toughening in Corals and Seashells.

Biominerals are organic-mineral composites formed by living organisms. They are the hardest and toughest tissues in those organisms, are often polycrystalline, and their mesostructure (which includes nano- and microscale crystallite size, shape, arrangement, and orientation) can vary dramatically. Marine biominerals may be aragonite, vaterite, or calcite, all calcium carbonate (CaCO3 ) polymorphs, differing in crystal structure. Unexpectedly, diverse CaCO3 biominerals such as coral skeletons and nacre share a similar characteristic: Adjacent crystals are slightly misoriented. This observation is documented quantitatively at the micro- and nanoscales, using polarization-dependent imaging contrast mapping (PIC mapping), and the slight misorientations are consistently between 1° and 40°. Nanoindentation shows that both polycrystalline biominerals and abiotic synthetic spherulites are tougher than single-crystalline geologic aragonite. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of bicrystals at the molecular scale reveal that aragonite, vaterite, and calcite exhibit toughness maxima when the bicrystals are misoriented by 10°, 20°, and 30°, respectively, demonstrating that slight misorientation alone can increase fracture toughness. Slight-misorientation-toughening can be harnessed for synthesis of bioinspired materials that only require one material, are not limited to specific top-down architecture, and are easily achieved by self-assembly of organic molecules (e.g., aspirin, chocolate), polymers, metals, and ceramics well beyond biominerals.

Influence of Strengthening Elements and Heat Treatment on Microstructure and Fracture Toughness of NiAl-Cr(Mo)-Based Eutectic Alloy.

Due to their potential improvement of high-temperature properties, the refractory metal hafnium (Hf) and the rare earth holmium (Ho) have attracted much attention. In the present research, NiAl-Cr(Mo) eutectic alloys with different Ho and Hf additions were fabricated by conventional smelting method and heat-treated to study the synergetic influence of strengthening elements and heat treatment. The samples were characterized using XRD, SEM, and TEM, and the three-point bending test was performed to obtain fracture toughness. The results demonstrate that Hf addition leads to the formation of Ni2AlHf Heusler phase and that Ho promoted the formation of Ni2Al3Ho phase. The microstructure of the alloy is affected by thermal treatment, with the coarsening of eutectic lamellae after heat treatment. The mechanical properties are improved by Hf and Ho additions, with increased fracture toughness. Overall, this study provides insights into the microstructure and properties of NiAl-Cr(Mo) eutectic alloys and highlights the potential of Hf and Ho addition to improve room-temperature properties. Specifically, the as-cast NiAl-Cr(Mo)-Hf eutectic alloy contains a relatively fine NiAl/Cr(Mo) eutectic lamella but coarse eutectic cell with Ni2AlHf phase embellished along the cell boundary. Minor Ho addition induces the formation of Ni2Al3Ho phase, which leads to the coarsening of the intercellular region but contributes to the refining of eutectic cell. In addition, the synergetic effect of Ho and Hf promotes the precipitation of Ni2Al3Ho and Ni2AlHf phases in the intercellular zone and increases the interface dislocations. Heat treatment benefits the solid solution of Ni2Al3Ho and Ni2AlHf phases, which improves their size and distribution by secondary precipitation. The Ni2AlHf phase in the NiAl-Cr(Mo)-Hf eutectic alloy becomes fine and uniformly distributed, but the NiAl/Cr(Mo) eutectic lamella in the eutectic cell becomes coarse. In comparison, heat treatment mainly optimizes the size and distribution of the Ni2Al3Ho and Ni2AlHf phases in the NiAl-Cr(Mo)-Hf-Ho eutectic alloy. Furthermore, heat treatment helps to eliminate the interface dislocations in the large NiAl precipitates and the NiAl/Cr(Mo) phase interfaces, which also contributes to fracture toughness by decreasing stress concentration. Minor Ho addition decreases the fracture toughness of as-cast NiAl-Cr(Mo)-Hf eutectic alloy from 6.7 to 6.1 MPa·m1/2, which should be ascribed to the coarsened intercellular region including aggregated Ni2Al3Ho and Ni2AlHf phases. However, minor Ho-doped NiAl-Cr(Mo)-Hf eutectic alloy obtained the highest fracture toughness of 8.2 MPa·m1/2 after heat treatment. This improved fracture toughness should be mainly attributed to the refined and well-distributed Ni2Al3Ho and Ni2AlHf phases in the heat-treated NiAl-Cr(Mo)-Hf-Ho eutectic alloy.

Study on fracture performance and failure mechanism of hydraulic basalt fiber asphalt concrete by considering temperature effect

An asphalt concrete anti-seepage core wall may be faced with the risk of cracking due to problems like uneven settlement of the foundation during the service period. Considering that hydraulic asphalt concrete (HAC) has a high asphalt content while basalt fibers have excellent tensile properties and good compatibility with asphalt, adding basalt fibers into HAC may potentially form a useful material for hydraulic engineering. Therefore, it is of great significance to comprehensively examine the fracture properties of this new composite material from both macroscopic and mesoscopic perspectives. To explore the effect of basalt fibers on the fracture performance of HAC, an experimental study was carried out on hydraulic basalt fiber asphalt concrete (HBFAC) under different temperatures by considering 3 fiber lengths and 4 fiber contents. The results showed that, when the temperature remained constant, the fracture load, fracture toughness and fracture energy of HAC all exhibited an upward trend with the increase of fiber content, and reached the maximum values at the fiber content of 4‰. Of different fiber lengths, the maximum fracture load, fracture toughness and fracture energy were observed at the fiber length of 6 mm. With the growth of temperature, the fracture load and fracture toughness exhibited a decreasing trend, while the fracture energy showed an increasing trend. At the same time, the increase in fracture load and fracture toughness due to the fiber reinforcing effect was gradually enlarged, but the increase in fracture energy was gradually reduced. Overall, the optimum fiber length and fiber content were determined to be 6 mm and 4‰, respectively. Subsequently, the fiber properties were further investigated with the discrete element method, and the results of internal mesoscopic mechanical behavior, crack development and particle displacement indicate that basalt fibers play a positive role in dispersing stress and inhibiting crack development so as to improve the toughness and cracking resistance of HAC. Finally, the failure mechanism of HBFAC at different temperatures was revealed from a mesoscopic level. The outcome of this paper provides a theoretical basis for the research and application of basalt fibers in HAC.

Effect of silane coupling agent and concentration on fracture toughness and water sorption behaviour of fibre-reinforced dental composites.

This paper presents the effect of silane treatment of S-2 Glass fibres on the fracture toughness and water sorption/solubility behaviour of fibre-reinforced flowable dental composites. The effect of epoxy- and methacrylate-based silane coupling agents (SCAs) on the mechanical strength and hydrolytic properties were investigated. The concentration of the selected SCAs on the mechanical and physical properties were investigated. The influence of molecular structure and concentration in the interfacial adhesion at the fibre-matrix interfaces was also studied. Short S-2 Glass fibres of 250µm in length and 5µm in diameter were etched with acid to remove any impurities and roughen the surface. The acid-etched fibres were silane treated with 3MPS, 3GPS, and 8MOTS at different concentrations by weight (%). The silane-treated fibres were incorporated at 5 % into the dental resin mixture. Untreated fibres were added at 5 % to the dental resin mixture and served as the control group. The physical properties such as water sorption, solubility, and desorption along with mechanical properties such as fracture toughness and total fracture work of the fibre-reinforced dental composites grafted with the above-mentioned SCAs were evaluated. The surface morphology of the fractured surface was studied and analysed. The fracture toughness tests showed that the dental composites grafted with optimum weight per cent (wt. %) concentration of the SCA had a better stress intensity factor (KIC) when compared to the 2.0wt. % and 3.0wt. % concentration. The KIC value of dental composites grafted with untreated surface etched glass fibres was less than the KIC values of dental composites grafted with optimum concentrations of 3MPS, 3GPS, and 8MOTS by 81.6 %, 38.6 %, and 110.5 %, respectively. A similar trend was found while investigating the total work of fracture of the dental composites, between optimum concentration, 2.0wt. % and 3.0wt. % concentration of respective SCA. The increase in silane concentration also led to an increase in the water sorption/solubility characteristics. The absorption of water was most severe in the fibre-reinforced dental composites without silane treatment (32.9µg/mm3). The ANOVA results showed that the fibre-reinforced dental composites grafted with 8MOTS at optimum concentration showed an increase in fracture toughness when compared to optimum concentrations of 3GPS and 3MPS by 51.9 % and 15.9 %, respectively. The enhanced mechanical and physical characteristics are due to the increased adhesion between the fibre and silane achieved from the optimum wt. % concentration of 8MOTS. Similarly, dental composites grafted with 8MOTS at optimum concentration showed a decrease in water sorption characteristics when compared to optimum concentrations of 3GPS and 3MPS by 18.2 % and 0.6 %, respectively. The decreased water sorption characteristics at the optimum concentration of 8MOTS could be due to the reduced availability of reactive hydroxyl groups and the hydrophobic characteristics of 8MOTS. Silane coupling agents (SCAs) are important components of dental composites. The type and concentration of SCA have a significant effect on material properties. The current study focuses on understanding the effects of different SCAs and wt. % concentrations on the interfacial fracture behaviour and the influence of different SCAs on the water sorption and solubility behaviour of S-2 Glass fibre-reinforced flowable dental composites.

Numerical study on the effect of steel fibers on fracture and size effect in concrete beams

The construction sector uses concrete extensively all around the world. Concrete contains a lot of microcracks even before it is loaded. When a tensile force is applied, these microcracks attempt to open up. While designing, the strength of concrete in its tensile zone is ignored. The strength and ductility of the concrete can be improved due to the addition of steel fibers. Steel fibers use a bridge mechanism to restrict the micro-cracks spread. This study uses ABAQUS to numerically analyze the behaviour of the Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete (SFRC) beams. Two grades of concrete are studied, M20 and M60, for varying volumetric percentages of steel fibers. It was observed from the study that the ultimate load increases by around 52% and 41% for M25 and M60 grade concrete, respectively, by adding 1% of steel fiber. Fracture properties such as fracture toughness and fracture energy are calculated. The addition of steel fibers enhanced fracture toughness and energy significantly. Adding 1% fiber increases fracture toughness by around 56% and 34% and fracture energy by around 169% and 136% for M25 and M60 concrete, respectively. The size effect on SFRC beams is studied to determine the size-independent fracture parameters.

The interplay between constituent material and architectural disorder in bioinspired honeycomb structures

The advent of additive manufacturing has enabled the precise manufacturing of lattice materials at different length scales. While honeycombs are usually constructed from a tessellated array of identical unit cells, most structures in nature tend towards stochastic or disordered tessellation. In this work, we explore the effect of disorder properties of honeycombs, in particular, stiffness, strength, fracture toughness, and crack propagation paths using finite element models. The honeycombs are created using Voronoi tessellations with different levels of disorder measured by a regularity parameter δ, where δ=1 corresponds to a regular hexagonal honeycomb and decreasing values of δ correspond to increasing levels of disorder. We consider three constituent materials: very brittle, quasi-brittle, and very ductile (0.0007–0.25 in failure strain). The results show that pseudo-order realizations with 0.5≤δ≤0.8show the best strength-toughness trade-off. With increased plasticity, the improvement in fracture toughness compared to regular honeycombs can be as high as 50% at the expense of a 20% decrease in strength. This increase in fracture toughness is achieved both at crack initiation with crack blunting intrinsically and extrinsically during crack growth by a combination of crack deflection and crack bridging. Also, a single mathematical variable δ usually referred to as a “regularity parameter” to control cell stochasticity cannot account for the variability in tensile strength and fracture toughness parameters for brittle or quasi-brittle constituent materials and significantly more for a ductile constituent material. Thus, a local parameter for disorder is required to explain the large statistical variance seen in the mechanical properties of disordered honeycomb structures across the same irregularity value.

Graphene-bioactive glass composites: Structural, Vickers hardness, and gamma-ray attenuation characteristics

Introduction: Graphene-based materials have gained increasing attention for use in radiation attenuation applications. In this study, pristine graphene nanoplatelet-containing (1, 3, 5, and 10 wt%) borate-based bioactive glass composites were prepared.Methods: Structural properties, Vickers microhardness, and gamma-ray radiation shielding properties of the fabricated composites were examined in detail.Results and Discussion: Results revealed that the inclusion of the graphene in the glass matrix led to a decrease in the bulk density of the glass-based composites from 2.41 to 2.31 g/cm3. Similarly, a decrease in Vickers hardness was obtained as the graphene concentration was increased due to a convoluted effect of the non-uniform distribution of graphene nanoplatelets in the bioactive glass matrix and the higher residual porosity. Vickers hardness of the bare and the 10 wt% graphene-containing bioactive glass discs were measured to be 5.03 ± 0.28 GPa and 1.87 ± 0.56 GPa, respectively. On the other hand, the incorporation of graphene starting from 3 wt% decreased the crack propagation after indentation which may be attributed to an increase in fracture toughness. In the study, fundamental gamma ray absorption properties of graphene-containing bioactive glasses were examined in the 0.015–15 MeV incident photon energy range. For this purpose, the Py-MLBUF code was employed to determine gamma ray absorption parameters. Results showed that linear attenuation coefficients of the glass-based composites decreased due to a decrease in the density of the samples. On the other hand, as graphene was incorporated into the bioactive glass structure, exposure buildup factor and energy absorption buildup factor values increased. The growing graphene ratio in the glass structure contributed negatively to the photon’s tendency to interact with the material.

Grain size effect on the mechanical properties of nanocrystalline magnesium aluminate spinel

To develop transparent materials with superior mechanical properties, nanocrystalline magnesium aluminate (MgAl2O4) spinel with grain sizes ranging from 3.7 to 80 nm has been synthesized by environmentally controlled pressure assisted sintering. In this study, we investigated the microstructure and grain size dependence of the mechanical properties of nanocrystalline MgAl2O4 by performing transmission electron microscopy, nanoindentation, uniaxial micropillar compression, and micro-cantilever bending. Electron microscopy confirmed that the environmentally controlled pressure assisted sintering technique produces a nearly fully dense grain structure with a porosity of less than 1% in larger grain-sized ceramics and observably pore-free grain structures in the smaller grain-sized ceramics. Mechanical characterization revealed that nanoindentation hardness, compressive fracture strength, and fracture toughness each exhibit distinct grain size dependence. Our experimental results and numerical analyses point to a change in dominant strain accommodating mechanisms from dislocation-based plasticity to shear banding as the grain size is reduced, as previously suggested by the literature. Practical implications of the change in strain accommodation mechanisms manifest as the emergence of indentation size effect, weak grain size dependence of hardness and strength, and a ∼2-fold increase in apparent fracture toughness for the smaller grain-sized ceramics.

Robust Transport: An Artificial Solid Electrolyte Interphase Design for Anode-Free Lithium-Metal Batteries.

One of the most challenging issues in the practical implementation of high-energy-density anode-free lithium-metal batteries (AFLMBs) is the sharp capacity attenuation caused by the mechanical degradation of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). However, developing an artificial SEI to address this issue remains a challenge due to the trade-off between ionic conductivity and mechanical robustness for general ionic conducting films. In this study, a tenacious composite artificial SEI with integrated heterostructure of lithium fluoride (LiF) and lithium phosphorus oxynitride (LiPON) is prepared using a co-sputtering approach to achieve both high ionic conductivity and fracture toughness. The embedded LiF domain has an extremely high Young's modulus and surface energy compared with those of bulk LiPON film, enabling a significant increase in fracture toughness by an order of magnitude. Most importantly, the interface between LiPON and LiF in the integrated structure generates additional fast Li+ -transport pathways, providing the artificial SEI with a conductivity higher than 10-6 Scm-1 . Consequently, the artificial SEI implementation significantly increases the cycling lifetime of the corresponding AFLMBs by >250%. This study highlights the importance of fracture toughness for the structural integrity of batteries and provides suggestions for designing viable SEI materials for high-performance AFLMBs.

Translucent Zirconia- A Step towards Esthetics- A Narrative Review

Zirconia is widely used as a dental biomaterial in recent years. As zirconia undergoes a transformation toughening mechanism dental zirconia shows increased fracture toughness and bend strength. The disadvantage of zirconia was its opaque appearance resulting in compromised esthetics. To overcome the poor translucency and grayish-white appearance a new translucent zirconia is introduced. New translucent zirconia has been developed to match the strength with improved esthetics. This article aims to review the optical and the Magical properties of the newly developed translucent zirconia.

Toughening Ceramics down to Cryogenic Temperatures by Reentrant Strain-Glass Transition.

Ceramics, often exhibiting important functional properties like piezoelectricity, superconductivity, and magnetism, are usually mechanically brittle at room temperature and even more brittle at low temperature due to their ionic or covalent bonding nature. The brittleness in their working temperature range (mostly from room down to cryogenic temperatures) has been a limiting factor for the usefulness of these ceramics. In this Letter, we report a surprising "low-temperature toughening" phenomenon in a La-doped CaTiO_{3} perovskite ceramic, where a 2.5× increase of fracture toughness K_{IC} from 1.9 to 4.8 MPa m^{1/2} occurs when cooling from above room temperature (323K) down to a cryogenic temperature of 123K, the lowest temperature our experiment can reach. In situ microscopic observations in combination with macroscopic characterizations show that this desired but counterintuitive phenomenon stems from a reentrant strain-glass transition, during which nanosized orthorhombic ferroelastic domains gradually emerge from the existing tetragonal ferroelastic matrix. The temperature stability of this unique microstructure and its stress-induced transition into the macroscopic orthorhombic phase provide a low-temperature toughening mechanism over a wide temperature range and explain the observed phenomenon. Our finding may open a way to design tough ceramics with a wide temperature range and shed light on the nature of reentrant transitions in other ferroic systems.

Effect of using available GGBFS, silica fume, quartz powder and steel fibres on the fracture behavior of sustainable reactive powder concrete

Reactive Powder Concrete (RPC) is a relatively new composite concrete material type. The development of RPC aims to achieve a microstructural improvement primarily through incorporating fine aggregates rather than coarse aggregates, more tightly packed particles, increased toughness, and supplementary cementing materials. Although the RPC has excellent engineering properties, its brittleness is the main drawback that can be mitigated by adding steel fibres. This research aims to assess the efficiency of fibrous RPC made from silica fume (SF), ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS), and quartz powder (QZ). In this context, twelve mixtures comprising a combination of GGBFS (75, 85 and 100%), SF (0, 15 and 30%), QZ (20 and 30%) and steel fibres (1 and 2% by volume) were prepared and examined. The experimental program includes flow test, compressive strength, and fracture toughness test under various modes. Many cracked disc-shaped RPC specimens were subjected to pure (I and III) and mixed (I/III) modes to evaluate the fracture toughness. Besides, the microstructure properties were analyzed using X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscope images. The Findings unveiled that increasing QZ from 20 to 30% resulted in a marginal improvement in fracture toughness under all three loading modes. The addition of 15% and 30% SF to the RPC specimen with 1% fibre resulted in a 5.65% and 7.91% increase in fracture toughness under mode I, respectively; the addition of 2% fibre resulted in a 4.51% and 7.75% increment, compared to thereference specimen. The improved mixed mode fracture toughness ranged from 1.09 to 6.88% for a 20° loading angle and 1.35 to 4.33% for a 50° loading angle. Furthermore, increased fracture toughness was measured between 0.71 and 6.63% under pure mode III. It is worth highlighting that the contribution of fibre is remarkable in increasing the fracture toughness than the SF and QZ. Besides, the mode III fracture is more critical and recorded fewer values than the mode I and mixed mode.

Study on Mechanical Improvement of CL‐20 Energetic Co‐Crystals Based PBX by Surface Modification

AbstractLow melting point compound MTNP was usually adopt to form co‐crystal explosive with CL‐20 to reduce sensitivity, and the co‐crystal may have the potential of green engineering application. Improving mechanical properties of co‐crystals explosive is one of the effective ways to broaden its practical application. In this work, CL‐20/MTNP energetic co‐crystal was selected to be coated by polydopamine (PDA) and neutral bonding agent (NBA), with enhanced mechanical properties and developed interfacial strength between crystal and binder. The TG‐DSC curve showed that thermal decomposition of co‐crystal explosives divided into two steps, and the melting point delayed to 210 °C compared with that of MTNP. After surface modification, the storage modulus of PBX was increased by more than 20 % at the temperature range of (25–120) °C, and creep strain was also effectively reduced. The Brazilian and compressive strength of PDA coating samples increased by 69.89 % and 210.53 % respectively, as well as improved elongation, leading to increased fracture toughness. Here, the highlighted modification on the surface of CL‐20/MTNP co‐crystal can be used as a reference insight to improve the mechanical properties of new explosives.