Rule Of Mixtures Research Articles

Adding mechanobiological cell features to finite element analysis of an immediately loaded dental implant.

Finite element analysis (FEA) has been used to analyze the behavior of dental materials, mainly in implantology. However, FEA is a mechanical analysis and few studies have tried to simulate the biological characteristics of the healing process of loaded implants. This study used the rule of mixtures to simulate the biological healing process of immediate implants in an alveolus socket and bone-implant junction interface through FEA. Three-dimensional geometric models of the structures were obtained, and material properties were derived from the literature. The rule of mixtures was used to simulate the healing periods-immediate and early loading, in which the concentration of each cell type, based on in vivo studies, influenced the final elastic moduli. A 100 N occlusal load was simulated in axial and oblique directions. The models were evaluated for maximum and minimum principal strains, and the bone overload was assessed through Frost's mechanostat. There was a higher strain concentration in the healing regions and cortical bone tissue near the cervical portion. The bone overload was higher in the immediate load condition. The method used in this study may help to simulate the biological healing process and could be useful to relate FEA results to clinical practice.

Nonlinear vibration analysis of geometrically imperfect FGM Timoshenko beams with porosity and elastically restrained ends in thermal environments

This paper aims to analyze the combined influences of pore imperfection, initial geometric imperfection, elasticity of tangential constraints of ends, elastic foundations and elevated temperature on the nonlinear vibration of functionally graded material (FGM) beams. The pores are assumed to distribute into FGM according to even and uneven patterns and effective properties of porous FGM are estimated using a modified rule of mixture. Motion equations of geometrically imperfect beams are established within the framework of Timoshenko beam theory incorporating von Kármán nonlinearity and foundation interaction. Analytical solutions are assumed to satisfy simply supported and clamped conditions of beam ends and Galerkin method is applied to derive a nonlinear time ordinary differential equation. The frequencies of nonlinear free vibration are determined employing fourth-order Runge-Kutta numerical integration scheme. Parametric studies are carried out to assess numerous effects on both linear and nonlinear frequencies. The results reveal that frequency nonlinearity is more significant for beams with tangentially restrained ends, especially at elevated temperatures. It is also found that geometric imperfection increases the linear frequency and lowers ratio of nonlinear-to-linear frequencies.

Effect of polymer infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) on microstructure and properties of high volume fraction SiC/Al composites prepared by a novel hybrid additive manufacturing

High-volume-fraction SiC/Al (HVF-SiC/Al) composites have a wide range of applications in aerospace, optics, automotive and electronic packaging. However, because the hardness, brittleness and wear resistance increase with the increase in the volume fraction, it is difficult for traditional methods such as machining, to process HVF-SiC/Al composites to complex components. Therefore, in this paper, a novel method of the hybrid additive manufacturing is proposed to fabricate complex-structures SiC/Al composite parts. The effect of polymer infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) on microstructure and properties of HVF-SiC/Al composites is investigated. The results show that the mechanical properties of the SiC preforms can be effctively enhanced by the PIP process, and this enhancement makes the SiC preforms meet the conditions for subsequent vacuum-pressure infiltration. The mechanical property of HVF-SiC/Al composites show a huge increase when in creasing the volume fraction of SiC. In particular, the flexural strength of HVF-SiC/Al composites increased from 202.28 MPa to 380.87 MPa, and the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) has also been reduced from 11.80 to 6.28 × 10−6/K, when the volume fraction of SiC increases from 42 to 80 vol%. For optimise the PIP process in the future, three theoretical models are used to predict the relationship between the CTE and the volume fraction of SiC. The results show that the experimental data are more consistent with the predicted values based on the Kerner's model, but deviate from the Rule-of-mixture (ROM) and Turner's models. Importantly, the complex-structures SiC/Al composite parts was successfully fabricated by this hybrid additive manufacturing.

A numerical investigation for the development of functionally graded Ti/HA tibial implant for total ankle replacement: Influence of material gradation law and volume fraction index.

Stress shielding is one of the major concerns for total ankle replacement implants nowadays, because it is responsible for implant-induced bone resorption. The bone resorption contributes to the aseptic loosening and failure of ankle implants in later stages. To reduce the stress shielding, improvements can be made in the implant material by decreasing the elastic mismatch between the implant and the tibia bone. This study proposes a new functionally graded material (FGM) based tibial implant for minimizing the problem of stress shielding. Three-dimensional finite element (FE) models of the intact tibia and the implanted tibiae were created to study the influence of material gradation law and volume fraction index on stress shielding and implant-bone micromotion. Different implant materials were considered that is, cobalt-chromium, titanium (Ti), and FGM with Ti at the bottom and hydroxyapatite (HA) at the top. The FE models of FGM implants were generated by using different volume fractions and the rule of mixtures. The rule of mixtures was used to calculate the FGM properties based on the local volume fraction. The volume fraction was defined by using exponential, power, and sigmoid laws. For the power and sigmoid law varying volume fraction indices (0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, and 5) were considered. The geometry resembling STAR® ankle system tibial implant was considered for the present study. The results indicate that FGMs lower stress shielding but also marginally increase implant-bone micromotion; however, the values were within the acceptable limit for bone ingrowth. It is observed that the material gradation law and volume fraction index influence the performance of FGM tibial implants. The tibial implant composed of FGM using power law with a volume fraction index of 0.1 was the preferred option because it showed the least stress shielding.

Recent developments in modeling and analysis of rotating functionally graded panels: A review

This article presents a comprehensive review on recent developments in the techniques for modeling and exploration of rotating functionally graded material (FGM) panels carried out between periods 2000 to 2023. Special attention is given on literature pertaining to analysis of rotating FGM panels subjected to thermo-mechanical loading. This study scrutinizes the advancements made in analysis of panels such as beam, plate, shell and blades that includes effects like porosity, thermal stress, and piezo-electric in the mathematical model. The present article also highlights the importance and ease in implementation of rule of mixture for calculation of different temperature dependent material properties used in the analysis of rotating FGM panels. An in-depth review of literature clearly indicates the importance of taking thermal effect in the estimation of elastic properties for accurate analysis of rotating FGM panels. Further, a detailed analysis of temperature profile viz., linear/non-linear, is carried out. Finally, the article concludes with the future areas that need to be explored for the analysis of rotating FGM panels.

Hot deformation behavior analysis of CNT/2009Al composite with bimodal heterostructure via constructing a new processing map

Bimodal heterostructure consisted of reinforcement-rich and reinforcement-free micro-regions could significantly enhance the strength-ductility of metal matrix composites. However, it could also induce difficult controlling of the heterostructure during hot deformation processing. In this work, an innovative coordination coefficient map based on processing map was proposed to qualitatively evaluate the deformation coordination of two micro-regions within bimodal heterostructure CNT/2009Al composite under different hot compression parameters and analyze its influencing factors. The results showed that the deformation coordination of the two micro-regions was influenced by microstructure evolution as well as the stress-strain distribution between the CNT-rich and CNT-free micro-regions. At medium temperature with medium strain rate (400 °C-0.1 s−1) rather than other parameters, the deformation coordination between the CNT-rich and CNT-free micro-regions was well, and the power dissipation distribution within heterostructure conformed to the rule of mixtures. While the additional microstructure evolution at high temperature would lead to the opposite deviation trend of the calculated coordination coefficient. The abnormal grain growth at low strain rate (450 °C-0.001 s−1) and the distortion energy between the different micro-regions interfaces at high strain rate (500 °C-1 s−1) were the reasons for this phenomenon. The establishment of the new coordination coefficient map provided guidance for the analysis of the hot deformation behavior of the bimodal heterostructure CNT/2009Al composite.

Experimental free vibration and tensile test results of a five-layer sandwich plate by comparing various carbon nanostructure reinforcements with SMA

Considering to need for the sensitive and destructive industries for high stiffness and low weight, an experimental free vibration and tensile test results of a five-layer sandwich plate by comparing various carbon nano structures reinforcements with SMA is discussed. The effect of various reinforcements, including carbon nanostructures (carbon nanotubes (CNT), carbon nanorods (CNRs), Graphene platelets (GPLs)) and nitinol shape memory alloy (SMA) wire on the vibration behavior of a five-layer sandwich plate with a foam core is investigated. The purpose and novelty of this work are to compare the effect of different reinforcements on the vibrations of a five-layer plate so that by using this comparison, one can choose the best reinforcements according to the needs of the desired industry and more suitable economic conditions. Considering a 1 % weight fraction of epoxy resin, GPLs, CNTs, and CNRs increase Young's modulus of face sheets by 30 %, 25 %, and 5.8 %, respectively. In this work, a five-layer sandwich structure model can be suggested, and numerically analyzed. The special advantage novelty of this research compared to previous research is the construction of this five-layer model. This is a simple modeling structure for the construction and preliminary examination of structures with five layers experimentally. Also, the composite structure is made by the vacuum pump method, which does not have the disadvantages of the manual method, and the method is completely optimal. At first, the Young's and shear moduli of unidirectional glass fiber (UGF) are calculated by performing a tensile test. To examine all aspects of the construction of five-layer structures during construction, in this article first, the face sheets are made separately using resin, UGF, and various reinforcements, and then the layers of face sheets and the cores are connected using glue. In the following, the equations of motion for the sandwich plate are derived using refined first-order shear deformation theory (RFSDT) by employing Hamilton's principle. Using the Halpin-Tsai equation and the extended rule of mixture, the mechanical properties of the reinforced composite face sheets are obtained. According to the Brinson model, the constitutive equations of the SMA are presented. The influence of various parameters such as side ratio, thickness ratio, weight fraction of CNRs, CNTs, GPLs and SMA wire, fiber angle, and temperature changes on dimensionless fundamental frequency is also represented. Also, the natural frequency of orthotropic plates by considering reinforcements is higher than that without considering reinforcements. By increasing the aspect ratio (a/h), the dimensionless natural frequency increases, while the natural frequency decreases. For two-layer square angular asymmetric laminated sheets (-θ/θ), the minimum dimensionless natural frequency occurred at the fiber placement angle approximately equal to 26 and 64°. The highest frequency is related to the sandwich plate in that its face sheets have higher strength and stiffness because it is placed further from the middle plane. Also, the highest frequency is related to the sandwich plate, whose face sheets are reinforced with GPLs.

A new higher-order shear deformation theory for flutter instability of a hybrid sandwich panel resting on a viscoelastic foundation

Magnetorheological elastomers (MREs) are smart materials characterized by their ability to adjust mechanical properties through the manipulation of applied magnetic fields, facilitating rapid and reversible tunability. The incorporation of reinforcing fibers introduces distinctive materials termed Magnetorheological Elastomer Composites (MRECs), combining tunability with enhanced rigidity. This study delves into the flutter analysis of a sandwich panel with a mid-layer composed of laminated MRECs and face sheets composed of functionally graded materials (FGMs) featuring porosity. The sandwich panel is situated on a viscoelastic foundation and exposed to a supersonic air current. Employing a higher-order (hyperbolic) shear deformation theory (HSDT), the displacement field of the sandwich plate is estimated. This selection eliminates the requirement for shear correction factors. The mechanical characteristics of the three sheets are determined using the Halpin-Tsai micromechanical method and the rule of mixture. The First-order Piston theory is employed to evaluate the effect of aerodynamic pressure and airflow damping on the sandwich panel. The derivation of the motion equation is achieved through Hamilton's principle. In order to solve the motion equation of the structure, the Finite Element Method (FEM) is utilized. The investigation systematically explores the influence of diverse parameters on the flutter boundary of the sandwich panel.

Parameter Optimization of a Conveying and Separating Device Based on a Five-Stage Screw and Vibrating Screen for Tiger Nut Harvesters

To tackle problems such as the difficult separation from sand and the high power consumption of tiger nut harvesting in the sandy areas of Xinjiang, a conveying and separating device for tiger nut harvesters was designed. The axial and radial migrations of materials under screw action and the separation process of materials under vibratory action were analyzed dynamically. A simulation analysis was carried out on the conveying and separating process based on EDEM software. The migration trajectories of tiger nuts and sand particles were extracted, the displacement variations of sand particles on the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis were analyzed in the action area of the screen-cleaning spike teeth and the screw action area, respectively, and the conveying and separation law of the tiger nut harvest mixture was clarified. With key parameters such as the screw velocity ratio, amplitude, vibration frequency, and machine operation velocity as test factors, and with the sand removal rate, crushing rate, and power consumption as test evaluation indicators, a four-factor, five-level orthogonal central composite test design was implemented. The test results were analyzed via the regression variance analysis method, and relation models between variable factors and evaluation indicators were constructed. The test results show that under the combined conditions of a screw velocity ratio of 0.88, an amplitude of 4.7 mm, a vibration frequency of 7.5 Hz, and a machine operation velocity of 0.92 km/h, the sand removal rate is 90.40%, the crushing rate is 1.66%, and the power consumption is 2.24 kW in theory. The optimized results were verified by tests. The sand removal rate was 88.92%, the crushing rate was 1.71%, the total power consumption was 2.29 kW, and the errors from the predicted values were 1.6%, 3.0%, and 2.2%, respectively, meeting the requirements for tiger nut harvesting conveyance and separation. This research can provide support for the development of technology and equipment for mechanized harvesting of tiger nuts in the sandy areas of Xinjiang.

Vibration energy harvesting in an FG-CNTRC circular microplate with a surface-bonded piezoelectric layer

Piezoelectric energy harvesting using circular microplate has great potential to power microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). This paper studies vibrational energy harvesting by creating a model of a thin-walled circular microplate with a base layer of functional gradient carbon nanotube reinforced composites (FG-CNTRC) and a piezoelectric surface layer. Using the extended modified couple stress theory and the rule of mixture, the size effect and the effective Young's and shear moduli of the carbon nanotube reinforced composite (CNTRC) plate are established. Then, the governing equations are derived through the Lagrange's equations, and the analytical solutions of the relevant physical quantities are obtained. The specific examples are used to investigate the influence of length scale, carbon nanotube distribution, excitation frequency, and the ratio of the upper and lower plate radii on displacement, voltage, and power.

Effect of interdiffusion layer of functionally graded Al–Cu composites fabricated by spark plasma sintering on mechanical and thermal properties

The effect of the microstructure of multi-layer Al–Cu functionally graded materials (FGMs) fabricated through spark plasma sintering (SPS) on the mechanical and thermal properties was systemically investigated. Uniformly mixed Al–25, 50, 75 Cu (vol%) powder samples were prepared by mechanical ball milling and used for fabricating two types of FGMs: FGM 1 with three layers (Cu/Al–50Cu/Al) and FGM 2 with five layers (Cu/Al–75Cu/Al–50Cu/Al–25Cu/Al). These FGMs were then sintered at 400 °C under a compressive pressure of 250 MPa for 5 min. The microstructures of the sintered FGMs exhibited gradual variations in the Al and Cu contents. An interdiffusion layer composed of Cu9Al4 and CuAl2 at the layer/layer interfaces was observed, the thickness of which was analyzed by energy-dispersive spectroscopy line mapping. The Vickers hardness of FGM 1 and FGM 2 were higher than that calculated by rule of mixture due to the formation of Al–Cu IC such as Cu9Al4 and CuAl2. The drastic enhancement in a Al–75Cu layer was obtained by dominant formation of Cu9Al4. On the other hand, the thermal conductivity of the prepared FGMs was lower than that of Al due to the formation of Al–Cu ICs, enhanced heat dissipation compared with the Al–Cu composite materials. The mechanical and thermal properties of Al–Cu FGMs can be controlled by designing the layer composition or the number of layers.

Effective Elastic Properties and Micro-mechanical Damage Evolution of Composite Granular Rocks: Insights from Particulate Discrete Element Modelling

AbstractThe mechanical behavior of composite granular rocks is a multifaceted phenomenon with broad relevance in various geomechanical applications. Traditional homogenization models and continuum mechanics-based numerical methods often fall short of accurately capturing the intricacies of granular materials. Granular materials exhibit heterogeneity and arching mechanisms governing the force networks that ensure system stability. Unlike continuum-based approaches, discrete element methods (DEM) have an advantage in assessing effective material properties by considering material heterogeneity and grain-level physical interactions. This study evaluates effective elastic properties using DEM with flat-joint contact law for composite binary mixtures with a stiff inclusion embedded within a matrix material. We examine variations in the elastic properties across different structural and laminated geometrical distributions of inclusion materials. Our findings closely adhere to the Voigt-Reuss and Hashin–Strikman bounds within their specific conditions, demonstrating the promising application of DEM in the analysis of composite materials. In addition, our research provides an in-depth analysis of the distinctive stress-evolution and damage-evolution characteristics exhibited by various geometrical configurations of inclusions under unconfined compressive loading. These results offer invaluable insights into the mechanical behavior of composite granular rocks and underscore the potential applications of DEM in addressing rock physics modeling problems encountered in petroleum engineering.

Dynamic behaviour of an inclined FG-CNTRC sandwich beam under a moving mass

This paper studies dynamic behavior of an inclined sandwich beam with a homogeneous core and functionally graded carbon nanotube reinforced composite (FG-CNTRC) face sheets under a moving mass. The effective properties of the face sheets are estimated by the extended rule of mixture. Three types of carbon nanotube distribution, namely uniform distribution (UD), functionally graded ( ) and V (FG-V) distributions, are considered. Based on the first-order shear deformation theory, a finite element formulation is formulated by using hierarchical functions to interpolate the displacements and rotation. Using the derived formulation, dynamic response the sandwich beam is computed with the aid of the Newmark method. The obtained result reveals that the inclined angle has a significant influence on the response of the beam, and the dynamic magnification factor decreases for the beam associated with a larger inclined angle. The effects of various parameter, including the nanotube volume fraction, the type of carbon nanotube distribution, the layer thickness ratio and the moving mass velocity on dynamic behavior of the sandwich beam are examined and highlighted.

Inherent resonance of carbon and graphene-based nanocomposite coupled single-span arch beams

In recent decades, there has been a significant rise in the utilization of composite materials for various engineering applications. These advanced materials offer the potential to improve the mechanical properties and vibration characteristics of structural components. This particular study is dedicated to enhancing the vibration performance of coupled curved-curved beams that feature a linear elastic mid-layer, achieved through the incorporation of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene nanoplates (GNPs), and graphene oxide powder (GOPs). The governing equations of the system are solved using the generalized differential quadrature (GDQ) method. While previous research primarily focused on the use of CNTs to enhance the vibration behavior of coupled-curved beams, this study delves into the utilization of multiple nanofillers for this purpose. An essential aspect of modeling composite materials lies in determining their equivalent mechanical properties. This research undertakes a comparison between the rule of mixture (RoM) and Halpin-Tsai methods for calculating these properties, revealing that frequencies derived from the RoM method are higher than those obtained through the Halpin-Tsai approach. Additionally, the study highlights that systems incorporating GNPs demonstrate higher frequencies at lower nanofiller volumes, with CNTs and GOPs following in ranking. However, this hierarchy shifts at higher nanofiller volumes. The arrangement of nanofillers within the system is influenced by its boundary conditions, with the curvature of the bottom beam playing a significant role in affecting vibration behavior. Increasing the radius of the bottom beam (R2) leads to higher system frequencies, which subsequently decrease with higher R2 values.

Elastic medium and torsional spring effects on the nonlocal dynamic of functionally graded porous nanotubes

In this study, Eringen’s nonlocal elasticity theory that applies the small size effects in functionally graded porous nanotubes embedded in an elastic matrix is discussed. The material properties of functionally graded porous nanotubes are taken into account to vary over the radius direction with a rule of mixture. The free torsional vibration relation according to nonlocal elasticity theory, via Hamilton’s principle, is obtained and an eigenvalue solution is constructed for the free torsional vibration response of the presented work. The presented analytical model is validated by comparing the calculated mathematical results for homogeneous nanotubes with rigid and non-rigid boundary conditions. Special attention is given to deformable boundary conditions, porosity coefficient, material grading coefficient and also to the influence of elastic medium on the free torsional vibration frequencies. In this paper, it has been proven that the influence of length, elastic medium, elastic torsional spring rigidities, material grading and porosity coefficients on the vary in the torsional vibration frequency of the functionally graded nanotube is not small.

Characterizing the shear response of polymer-grafted nanoparticles.

Grafting polymer chains to the surface of nanoparticles overcomes the challenge of nanoparticle dispersion within nanocomposites and establishes high-volume fractions that are found to enable enhanced material mechanical properties. This study utilizes coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to quantify how the shear modulus of polymer-grafted nanoparticle (PGN) systems in their glassy state depends on parameters such as strain rate, nanoparticle size, grafting density, and chain length. The results are interpreted through further analysis of the dynamics of chain conformations and volume fraction arguments. The volume fraction of nanoparticles is found to be the most influential variable in deciding the shear modulus of PGN systems. A simple rule of mixture is utilized to express the monotonic dependence of shear modulus on the volume fraction of nanoparticles. Due to the reinforcing effect of nanoparticles, shortening the grafted chains results in a higher shear modulus in PGNs, which is not seen in linear systems. These results offer timely insight into calibrating molecular design parameters for achieving the desired mechanical properties in PGNs.

Analyzing the Tensile Strength of Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Epoxy Composites Using LabVIEW Virtual Instrument

Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composites are widely used materials in the aircraft industry, automotive sector, marine applications, civil engineering, and daily consumer goods, due to their superior mechanical properties at a relatively low density compared to metallic materials. The studied composites are composed of an epoxy resin matrix in which three layers of carbon fiber fabric are embedded, oriented at 0 and 90 degrees. Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composites were manufactured using the Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding technique. The tensile failure mechanism in carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composites is an extremely complex phenomenon influenced by numerous factors. This study aims to evaluate the mechanical behavior of carbon fiber-reinforced composites through tensile testing and to compare experimentally obtained results with those calculated using the mixture rule. Additionally, the behavior of the materials under tensile stress was analyzed using the digital image correlation method. Estimating mechanical properties based on the mixture rule is a common practice in the design phase of polymer composites. This study s novelty and originality lie in its anticipation of the tensile strength and modulus of elasticity of the studied composites. This anticipation was achieved using a virtual instrument developed in the LabVIEW graphical programming environment. The experimentally obtained results for the tensile characteristics of the studied materials are suitable for this type of composite. These results were compared with estimates derived from the mixture rule, and the absolute error was determined.

Microstructure, thermal/mechanical properties and corrosion behaviors of ternary and quaternary equimolar rare-earth monosilicates

The properties of rare-earth (RE) monosilicates can be regulated by solid solution engineering based on the mixture rule. The combination and number of RE principals are critical factors for better performances. In the present study, four single-phase equimolar multicomponent RE-monosilicate solid solutions including (Dy1/3Er1/3Yb1/3)2SiO5, (Ho1/3Er1/3Yb1/3)2SiO5, (Y1/4Er1/4Tm1/4Lu1/4)2SiO5 and (Dy1/4Er1/4Tm1/4Yb1/4)2SiO5 were synthesized by solid-state reaction and hot-pressing method. The microstructures, thermal and mechanical properties, and corrosion resistance to high-temperature water vapor were systematically investigated. Compared to the single-principal and ternary RE-monosilicates, the quaternary RE-monosilicates exhibited lower thermal conductivity of 1.32 Wm−1K−1 at 400 °C, matched thermal expansion coefficients (3.3 × 10−6/oC ∼ 5.8 × 10−6/oC from 200 °C to 1000 °C) with SiC, and much lower weight loss during water vapor corrosion. The results indicate that the increase of the RE element number can promote the grain growth, lower the thermal conductivity and thermal expansion coefficient, and enhance corrosion resistance.

Experimental and numerical investigation on the elastic properties of luffa–cenosphere‐reinforced epoxy hybrid composite

AbstractEstimating the elastic characteristics of natural fiber‐reinforced polymer composites such as luffa fiber reinforced with epoxy is challenging. The structure of luffa cylindrica is complex, like a three‐dimensional natural fibrous mat, netting‐like structure. The multiscale modeling of such structures is the challenge to be addressed. The prime objective of this work is to determine the specific elastic properties of luffa–cenosphere‐reinforced epoxy (LCE) composite, considering the effect of filler volume fractions. Furthermore, multiscale modeling techniques, such as representative volume elements (RVEs) of finite element techniques with chopped, unidirectional, plain, and twill weaving fiber arrangements, were employed. The longitudinal modulus, transverse modulus, shear modulus, and Poisson's ratio were predicted through these modeling approaches. However, experimental and analytical methodologies, including the rule of mixture and Halpin–Tsai, were considered to validate the finite element analysis results. The elastic characteristics of LCE composite were therefore shown to be enhanced by increasing filler volume fraction. However, the cenosphere's 20% volume fraction has the highest elastic properties as determined by analytical, experimental, and computational models. Analytical and finite element simulation results were compared with the experimental results, and based on the findings, the most suitable (unidirectional, chopped, plain, and twill weaving) RVE was identified for finite element modeling of LCE composite for the evaluation of elastic properties. Results from practical approaches and the RVE twill weaving model showed good agreement, with less than 1% error, compared to the other analytical and finite element methods.Highlights NFCs are gaining ground in polymer composites. Overcoming challenges in modeling of luffa fiber inside epoxy matrix. The study uses multiscale modeling with diverse fiber arrangements. Experimental and analytical methods used to confirm FEA results. Increased cenosphere volume fraction boosts LCE composite properties.

Buckling and post-buckling of anisogrid lattice-core sandwich plates with nanocomposite skins

This research offers an in-depth examination of the buckling and post-buckling responses observed in sandwich plates distinguished by the presence of an anisogrid lattice core and face layers composed of functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composites (FG-CNTRC). To model this structure, a global continuous model for the lattice core is employed, while the displacement field is approximated using the First-Order Shear Deformation Theory (FSDT). Geometrically nonlinear strain relations based on the von-Kármán assumptions are incorporated to accurately capture the structural response. The homogenization of the FG-CNTRC skins is achieved through the modified rule of mixture, enabling estimations of effective material properties. To separate pre-buckling and post-buckling phases, we implement the adjacent-equilibrium criterion. Solving the linear (pertaining to buckling) and nonlinear (related to post-buckling) equations is based on the Generalized Differential Quadrature (GDQ) technique alongside an iterative method grounded in the displacement control strategy. Our analysis explores the influence of core and skin characteristics on the stability of these sandwich plates. By examining critical buckling thresholds, post-buckling equilibrium paths, and the underlying mechanisms driving these responses, we contribute insights into the structural stability and performance of such composite structures. This study not only enhances our understanding of buckling behavior in anisogrid lattice core sandwich plates but also holds promise for diverse engineering applications where structural stability is paramount.