Imperfect Interface Research Articles

Effects of physical parameters on shear wave in a porous piezoelectric model with imperfect interface

This study investigates the impact of interfacial imperfection on shear horizontal wave propagation in a microstructural coupled stress half-space beneath a porous piezoelectric layer adjacent to air. The validity of dispersion relations is shown by deriving special cases and comparing them with the classical dispersion relation of Love wave. Furthermore, a comparative analysis has been conducted to analyze the effect of various parameters on the phase velocity of shear wave by considering perfect and imperfect interfaces under electrically open and short conditions. The findings provide a theoretical framework for developing and designing underwater acoustic devices for sensing and nondestructive testing.

Cavity growth – or lack thereof – in imperfectly roll bonded sheet metal

Roll bonding is a well-established solid-state joining method that has also found commercial use. In current industrial practice, a near-perfectly bonded interface is commonly aimed for, achieved by optimizing surface preparation and rolling parameters. On the other hand, an intriguing recent study has shown that roll bonding scrap metal has the potential to provide significant environmental benefits while not jeopardizing performance, despite the resulting imperfect interface with a distribution of cavities. This present work focuses on the mechanical aspects of this observation, aiming to provide a deeper understanding of the influence (or lack thereof) of the cavity content on the mechanical behavior of a roll bonded stainless steel, and a roll bonded mild steel. Imperfectly bonded samples of both steels are studied using mechanical tests and microstructure characterization, which both revealed that the interface cavities exhibit limited growth and no crack nucleation or propagation into the interface. A numerical finite element model of the imperfectly bonded sheet confirmed a tendency for low cavity growth by showing that opening stresses on the interface cavity remain low for various geometries and loading conditions, in line with linear elastic fracture mechanics calculations. Overall, this experimental-numerical study provides insights regarding the unexpected formability (and thus the wide applicability) of imperfectly roll bonded sheets.

On bounds of the effective behavior of particulate composites with imperfect interface

On bounds of the effective behavior of particulate composites with imperfect interface

Nonlocal free vibration of magneto-electro-elastic nanoplates with imperfect contacts

We study the wave propagation phenomenon in magneto-electro-elastic (MEE) nanoplates with extended linear spring-type imperfect contacts in the framework of nonlocal theory. The extended pseudo-Stroh approach, propagator-matrix method, imperfect interface model, and Eringen’s nonlocal theory method are employed to investigate the wave features of the MEE nanoplates. In particular, a BaTiO 3 / CoFe2O 4 / BaTiO3 sandwich plate is considered in a numerical example and the natural frequency and mode shape are computed. Numerical results show that the nonlocal effect and interfacial imperfection could allow the tuning of the dispersion curves and mode shapes for the given layup. In addition, compared with the nonlocal effect, the interfacial imperfections have more pronounced effects on the mode shapes.

Revealing the time-dependent electromechanically coupled performances of viscoelastic MWCNT/polyethylene nanocomposite stress sensors

While highly sensitive elastic strain sensors have been widely investigated, the time-dependent stress sensitivity of viscoelastic MWCNT/polyethylene nanocomposite stress sensors remains to be explored. In this paper, we develop an electromechanically coupled homogenization scheme to reveal the time-dependent stress sensing performances of viscoelastic MWCNT/polyethylene nanocomposite sensors. In the time-dependent context, the complex moduli and electrical conductivity are selected as the dual homogenization parameters. The time-dependent stress sensitivity is illustrated through the viscoelastic imperfect interface connection and stress-induced tunneling distance. The predicted stress sensing capacities of viscoelastic MWCNT/polyethylene nanocomposite stress sensors are shown to be consistent with the experiments under the constant stress loading. It reveals that the stress sensitivity factor increases with the loading time under constant stress. The optimal MWCNT aspect ratio for high sensing capacities exhibits an increasing trend regarding the MWCNT volume fraction. The uncovered sensing characteristics can provide microstructural design guidance in high-performance nanocomposite stress sensors.

Porosity estimation of a micro-cracked adhesive interface by μCT scanning: comparison between experimentally measured effective stiffnesses and those predicted by an imperfect interface model

The presence of defects in adhesive materials influences the mechanical behaviour of bonded composite structures. Indeed, the initial defects in the adhesive joint damage the mechanical properties of the interface and reduce the mechanical strength of the structure.An in-depth study of the influence of initial porosity in the bonded joints on the mechanical properties of the rigid adhesive material has been experimentally measured. Different joint geometries are investigated by varying the thickness and the bonding area. A modified Arcan device is used to load the bonds in tension (initiation in Mode I). An imperfect interface model capable of considering the presence of initial diffuse cracks according to the Kachanov-Sevostianov material definition is then used to predict the mechanical properties of these adhesive joints. In this model, the presence of defects in the adhesive layer is described by an initial damage parameter: the porosity rate. Prior to testing, the porosity rates of the bonded joints are measured using μCT scans. Finally, the mechanical properties obtained experimentally are compared with those predicted by the imperfect interface model.

Influence of the Schottky Junction on the Propagation Characteristics of Shear Horizontal Waves in a Piezoelectric Semiconductor Semi-Infinite Medium

In this paper, a theoretical model of the propagation of a shear horizontal wave in a piezoelectric semiconductor semi-infinite medium is established using the optimized spectral method. First, the basic equations of the piezoelectric semiconductor semi-infinite medium are derived with the consideration of biased electric fields. Then, considering the propagation of a shear horizontal wave in the piezoelectric semiconductor semi-infinite medium, two equivalent mathematical models are established. In the first mathematical model, the Schottky junction is theoretically treated as an electrically imperfect interface, and an interface characteristic length is utilized to describe the interface effect of the Schottky junction. To legitimately confirm the interface characteristic length, a second mathematical model is established, in which the Schottky junction is theoretically treated as an electrical gradient layer. Finally, the dispersion and attenuation curves of shear horizontal waves are numerically calculated using these two mathematical models to discuss the influence of the Schottky junction on the dispersion and attenuation characteristics of shear horizontal waves. Utilizing the equivalence of these two mathematical models and the above numerical results, the numerical value of the interface characteristic length is reliably legitimately confirmed; this value is independent of the thickness of the upper metal layer, the doping concentration of the lower n-type piezoelectric semiconductor substrate, and biasing electric fields. Only the biasing electric field parallel to the Schottky junction can provide an evident influence on the attenuation characteristics of shear horizontal waves and enhance the interface effect of the Schottky junction. Since the second mathematical model is also a validation of our previous mathematical model established through the state transfer equation method, some numerical results calculated using these two mathematical models are compared with those obtained using the previous method to verify the correctness and superiority of the research work presented in this paper. Since these two mathematical models can better calculate the dispersion and attenuation curves of high-frequency waves in micro- and nano-scale piezoelectric semiconductor materials, the establishment of mathematical models and the revelation of physical mechanisms are fundamental to the analysis and optimization of micro-scale resonators, energy harvesters, and amplifications.

A size-dependent imperfect interface model for adhesively bonded joints considering strain gradient elasticity

As the size of a layered assembly is reduced, the adhesive layer thickness correspondingly decreases from macro to micro scale. The influence of micro-scale adhesive layers becomes more pronounced, significantly changing the overall performance of the composite structure. This work proposes an original imperfect interface model simulating the behavior of a thin strain gradient elastic adhesive, embedded between two strain gradient elastic bodies, through the asymptotic methods. The intermediate layer is assumed to be mechanically compliant. The contact laws, expressed in terms of the jumps and means values of the displacements, normal derivatives of the displacements, stresses, and double-stresses, represent a formal generalization of the soft elastic interface conditions. Two simple benchmark equilibrium problems (a three-layer composite micro-bar subjected to an axial load and a torsional moment) are developed to analytically/numerically assess the asymptotic model. Size effects and non-local phenomena, due to high strain concentrations at the edges, are highlighted. The example proves the efficiency of the proposed approach in designing micro-scale layered devices.

Analysis on lubrication contact characteristics of imperfect transversely isotropic coating

Lubricated contact characteristics of transversely isotropic coating considering imperfect interface is of great importance in engineering to provide guidance on tribological design and optimization of tribo-pairs. The current investigation reports an elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) contact model for transversely isotropic coating of imperfect interface. The interface is described by dislocation-like condition, i.e., displacement across it is transmitted discontinuously and such discontinuity is controlled by an imperfect index changing from 0 to 1. Based on this interfacial condition, frequency response functions (FRFs) of elastic field of imperfect transversely isotropic coating were derived, which was further used to establish the EHL contact model combined with the lubrication theory. The proposed model can be reduced to the one without coating, whose calculation results are consistent with those from literatures, providing a good verification. Finally, effects of imperfect index of interfacial displacement, coating thickness on film thickness, surface pressure, stress for transversely isotropic coating were investigated using the proposed model.

Mechanical Analysis of Functionally Graded Multilayered Two-Dimensional Decagonal Piezoelectric Quasicrystal Laminates with Imperfect Interfaces

Quasicrystals have a wide range of applications due to their unique multi-field coupling effects and distinctive physical and mechanical characteristics. In this paper, the static and dynamic problems of imperfectly bonded, multilayered, functionally graded, two-dimensional decagonal piezoelectric quasicrystal laminates under mixed boundary conditions are investigated. The state equations in a concise and compact matrix form can be expressed by using differential quadrature regional discrete point expansions in any layer of the laminate. This allows for the representation of displacement, stress, electric potential, and electric displacement components. Then, different imperfect interface conditions are introduced to characterize specific structural and electric contact properties at the bounding interfaces, which are further converted to the interface propagator matrix. Numerical examples are carried out to investigate the impact of varying interface compliances, load types, and functional gradient factors on the static bending and vibration phenomena of QC laminates. These results can be used as references to validate existing or future numerical work on QC laminates and could further guide the design of related QC laminate structures.

High‐Performance UV Photodetector via Energy Band Engineering and LSPR‐Enhanced Pyro‐Phototronic Effect in Au Decorated 2D‐PbI2/1D‐ZnO Heterojunction

AbstractUltraviolet (UV) photodetectors have attracted extensive attention in various applications, including aerospace, optical communication, and fire warning. However, the intrinsic coupling of high responsivity and fast response as well as imperfect interface transmission impede the further improvement of UV photodetector. Here, a high‐performance Au‐decorated PbI2/ZnO pn junction UV photodetector with a one‐dimensional (1D) and two‐dimensional (2D) interspersed structure is presented. The pyro‐phototronic effect and energy band engineering effect from the localized pn junction generated by the layered p‐type PbI2 nanosheets along the c‐axis of ZnO are coupled to modulate the separation and transport of photogenerated carriers. Furthermore, the localized surface plasmon resonance of Au nanoparticles produces transient thermal power to raise temperature fast to enhance pyroelectric current. The self‐powered Au@PbI2/ZnO photodetector displays a high responsivity of 0.21 A W−1, excellent detectivity of 7.9 × 1012 Jones, and fast response/recovery time of 25/31 ms, under the illumination of 325 nm light with the power density of 0.08 µW cm−2. This work offers an effective strategy for designing high‐performance next‐generation optoelectronic devices.

General imperfect interface model for spherical–circular inclusion composites

General imperfect interface model for spherical–circular inclusion composites

Analytical solution of multilayered structures with Green’s function

It is well known that for solving the problem of thin multilayered structures in complex working conditions, the calculation accuracy and efficiency of the finite element method are significantly inferior to those of the analytical solution. However, the prediction of road life requires precise and detailed mechanical performance analysis. To satisfy this requirement, this study first utilized the three-dimensional Green’s function adapted to transversely isotropic multilayered structures with arbitrary thicknesses based on the mirroring image principle. Then, the analytical solution of multilayered pavements subjected to multiple loadings without complex integral or inverse transformations was derived. Furthermore, an equivalent sliding interface model was proposed to simulate the imperfect interface or thin interlayer of multilayered pavements. Numerical examples verified the suitability and accuracy of the analytical solution thorough the comparison with the other theory and experimental results. Moreover, the key factors affecting the performance of pavements, such as the anisotropy and thickness of each layer, loading direction, and pavement friction coefficient, were investigated to provide reliable numerical and theoretical bases for the optimal design of pavement structures.

Influence of Homo- and Hetero-Junctions on the Propagation Characteristics of Radially Propagated Cylindrical Surface Acoustic Waves in a Piezoelectric Semiconductor Semi-Infinite Medium

This paper theoretically investigates the influence of homo- and hetero-junctions on the propagation characteristics of radially propagated cylindrical surface acoustic waves in a piezoelectric semiconductor semi-infinite medium. First, the basic equations of the piezoelectric semiconductor semi-infinite medium are mathematically derived. Then, based on these basic equations and the transfer matrix method, two equivalent mathematical models are established concerning the propagation of radially propagated cylindrical surface acoustic waves in this piezoelectric semiconductor semi-infinite medium. Based on the surface and interface effect theory, the homo- or hetero-junction is theoretically treated as a two-dimensional electrically imperfect interface in the first mathematical model. To legitimately confirm the interface characteristic lengths that appear in the electrically imperfect interface conditions, the homo- or hetero-junction is equivalently treated as a functional gradient thin layer in the second mathematical model. Finally, based on these two mathematical models, the dispersion and attenuation curves of radially propagated cylindrical surface acoustic waves are numerically calculated to discuss the influence of the homo- and hetero-junctions on the dispersion and attenuation characteristics of radially propagated cylindrical surface acoustic waves. The interface characteristic lengths are legitimately confirmed through the comparison of dispersion and attenuation curves calculated using the two equivalent mathematical models. As piezoelectric semiconductor energy harvesters usually work under elastic deformation, the establishment of mathematical models and the revelation of physical mechanisms are both fundamental to the analysis and optimization of micro-scale surface acoustic wave resonators, energy harvesters, and acoustic wave amplification based on the propagation of surface acoustic waves.

AI-based denoising of head impact kinematics measurements with convolutional neural network for traumatic brain injury prediction.

Wearable devices are developed to measure head impact kinematics but are intrinsically noisy because of the imperfect interface with human bodies. This study aimed to improve the head impact kinematics measurements obtained from instrumented mouthguards using deep learning to enhance traumatic brain injury (TBI) risk monitoring. We developed one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1D-CNN) models to denoise mouthguard kinematics measurements for tri-axial linear acceleration and tri-axial angular velocity from 163 laboratory dummy head impacts. The performance of the denoising models was evaluated on three levels: kinematics, brain injury criteria, and tissue-level strain and strain rate. Additionally, we performed a blind test on an on-field dataset of 118 college football impacts and a test on 413 post-mortem human subject (PMHS) impacts. On the dummy head impacts, the denoised kinematics showed better correlation with reference kinematics, with relative reductions of 36% for pointwise root mean squared error and 56% for peak absolute error. Absolute errors in six brain injury criteria were reduced by a mean of 82%. For maximum principal strain and maximum principal strain rate, the mean error reduction was 35% and 69%, respectively. On the PMHS impacts, similar denoising effects were observed and the peak kinematics after denoising were more accurate (relative error reduction for 10% noisiest impacts was 75.6%). The 1D-CNN denoising models effectively reduced errors in mouthguard-derived kinematics measurements on dummy and PMHS impacts. This study provides a novel approach for denoising head kinematics measurements in dummy and PMHS impacts, which can be further validated on more real-human kinematics data before real-world applications.

An investigation of torsional surface wave in a piezoelectric fiber-reinforced composite layer imperfectly bonded to a functionally graded half-space

This article presents a comprehensive study of torsional surface wave propagation in a piezoelectric fiber-reinforced composite (PFRC) layer bonded to functionally graded (FG) half-space considering electrically short and open boundary conditions. The Strength of Materials (SM) and Rule of Mixtures (ROM) approaches have been adopted to determine the effective properties of the PFRC. The non-ideal mechanical and electrical interfacial boundary has been considered for the problem which appears in various realistic scenarios. For the torsional surface wave propagation through PFRC bonded to FG half-space, the dispersion equation has been derived analytically using Whittaker function. The obtained results are validated and matched with existing results by considering special cases. The variation of phase velocity due to the influence of fiber volume fraction, interfacial imperfection parameters and functionally grading parameters have been analyzed and illustrated by means of graphs. Furthermore, the distribution of the field variables, stress and electric displacements across the composite are presented through surface plots. The model holds potential applications in designing and manufacturing transducers, actuators and sensors. The use of PFRC can be found in a wide range of cutting-edge technology, including vibration-canceling gadgets, energy harvesters, and pressure sensors.

Dynamic Responses of a Shallow Lined Tunnel with Imperfect Interface Under Transient P Wave

Shallow-buried cavities and underground structures are inevitably subjected to transient perturbation from earthquakes or engineering activities during their life circle, leading to the occurrence of dynamic failure. The investigation presented by this paper concentrates on the dynamic responses triggered by an aperiodic transient [Formula: see text] wave around a circular lined tunnel with an imperfect interface in a half-space and the spring model is employed to describe the interface between rock mass and liner. Resorting to the wave function expansion scheme, the large arc assumption, the Graf’s addition theorem and the numerical inversion algorithm of Laplace transformation, the dynamic responses around a circular shallow lined tunnel with an imperfect interface are evaluated theoretically. The good agreement of time–history curves and contour snapshots for stress between the theoretical solutions and the numerical counterparts validates the analytical scheme. The effect of disturbance direction, embedment depth, thickness of liner and interface coefficients on the dynamic responses around the shallow-buried lined tunnel is analyzed. The results indicate that the positions of peak hoop dynamic stress concentration factor (DSCF) are approximately perpendicular to the perturbation direction. The DSCF distributions converge to be stable when the ratio of embedment depth to excavation radius exceeds 10.0. The thickness of the liner mainly affects the dynamic responses around the interface. Increase of elastic coefficient induces a decreasing DSCF in rock mass and an increasing counterpart in the liner. The results may provide the theoretical basis for the transient responses and aseismic design of underground tunnels.

Natural frequency analysis of sandwich plate with auxetic honeycomb core and CNTRC face sheets using analytical approach and artificial neural network

In this paper, an analytical investigation is presented on the natural frequency analysis of sandwich plate resting on Winkler-Pasternak type elastic foundations in thermal environment. The sandwich plate consists of an auxetic honeycomb core with negative Poisson's ratio, which is assumed to perfectly bond to two carbon nanotube reinforced composite (CNTRC) face sheets to ignore potential interface effects or imperfections in bonding. The material properties of CNTRC are assumed to be temperature dependent. The volume fraction of carbon nanotube (CNT) varies through the thickness dimension according to linear functions with five different distribution patterns of CNT including UD, FG-O, FG-V, FG-Λ and FG-X. The governing equations of motion are derived based on the Reddy's first order shear deformation plate theory and Hamilton's principle, and the expression of the natural frequency is performed via Galerkin method. Artificial neural network (ANN) model is established to accurately predict the natural frequency of the sandwich plate on the basis of 1450 data points collected from analytical results. The effects of various material and geometrical parameters on the natural frequency of the sandwich plate are investigated in details.

Upscaling of a diffusion problem with flux jump in high contrast composites

We study a diffusion problem in a periodic fibered composite consisting of two materials with highly contrasting diffusion coefficients. An important feature of our problem is the existence of an imperfect interface between the two phases of the composite medium, characterized by the continuity of the solution and the presence of a jump flux. By applying suitable homogenization techniques, we get the limit problems corresponding to two different choices for the flux jump.

Love wave on a flexoelectric piezoelectric-viscoelastic stratified structure with dielectrically conducting imperfect interface.

The present work investigates the propagation of Love wave in a flexoelectric piezoelectric-viscoelastic stratum imperfectly bonded to a piezoelectric-viscoelastic substrate. To study the impact of imperfect interfaces, the non-traditional boundary conditions for two different types of imperfect interfaces have been taken into account. The frequency relation has been obtained in complex form employing a suitable variable separable technique. The dispersion and damping equations of Love wave have been analytically determined in the closed form by separating the real and imaginary part of the frequency relation for two distinct interfaces, i.e., mechanically compliant and dielectrically weakly/highly conducting interfaces in both electrically open and electrically short cases. Numerical calculations are carried out to reveal the impact of the width of stratum, imperfectness parameter, flexoelectric parameters, and flexoelectric loss moduli on the phase velocity and attenuation coefficient of Love wave and are also depicted through graphs for both the interfaces. For validation purposes, the expressions derived as a result of the present study are matched with the standard Love wave equation.