Usage Of Composite Materials Research Articles

Investigation on Mechanical Properties of Agro and Industrial Waste Reinforcement in Aluminium 7075 Composite with Liquid Metal Stir Casting Route

Day-to-day life advanced composite materials usage is increasing continuously and replacing the existing monolithic materials. These composite materials are designed and fabricated for human needs with specific applications and also meet the standard requirements. In present study, the agro and industrial wastes derived ceramic reinforcements based Aluminium metal matrix composites, i.e. AA7075/welding slag and AA7075/Rice husk ash are fabricated through liquid metal stir casting route with varying the reinforcement contents from 2 to 12 (wt.%) in the matrix. Mechanical and microstructural characterization of the AA 7075 metal matrix composite were measured and compared to the base material. The results show an improved mechanical strength and high hardness in composites. Impact energy has also significantly improved at higher concentrations of reinforcement particles. Impact energy of the composites increases to 3 J for 9% and 12%, the maximum tensile strength obtained is 173 MPa for 12% Weld Slag MMC. The highest hardness achieved is 98 BHN for 12% Weld Slag MMC. Furthermore, the microstructural results reflect significant grain refinement with stir casting process with good interface characteristics in the matrix and uniform dispersion of agro reinforcement’s particles.

Market Research and SWOT Analysis for Fibers Composite Materials Usage in the Vehicular Components Supply Chain

ABSTRACT Sustainability has become a global priority in recent years. The performance of companies in the market is directly influenced by their actions and the way they relate to consumers, who are increasingly looking for less environmentally aggressive products. The concept of ESG encompasses this concern with climate and environmental factors, while at the same time looking at the feasibility and operationalization of new practices. This is especially true in manufacturing sectors, such as the automotive sector, which is the subject of this study. Given the scarcity of information on who is involved in the production chain of automotive components and the possibility of production from more sustainable materials (such as the use of natural fibers), this work seeks to elucidate the gaps and opportunities for a new conception of automotive components, specifically in Brazil. Evaluating political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal aspects, and summarizing the data in a SWOT matrix, it identifies that the Brazilian automotive components production chain, despite its low technological level to absorb innovations, has opportunities for gains in technology development, alignment with global sustainable practices, increased competitiveness worldwide, and market positioning.

Improving Thermal and Mechanical Properties of CuـAl Based Alloy Used for High-Temperature Applications (A Review) By IJISRT

Despite the increased usage of composite materials, high-strength aluminum alloys maintain significance in airframe construction. Aluminum's attributes of being lightweight, relatively low-cost, heat- treatable, and capable of withstanding high-stress levels contribute to its continued importance. These properties also reduce manufacturing and maintenance costs compared to other high-performance materials. Recent advancements in aluminum aircraft alloys have enabled them to compete effectively with modern composite materials. This study delves into the latest developments, focusing on improving the mechanical properties of aluminum alloys and utilizing high-performance joining techniques. Cu-Al-based alloys represent a new class of functional materials. Due to their unique thermoelastic martensite structure, their exceptional damping performance has garnered attention in materials science and engineering. However, challenges such as elastic anisotropy and larger grain sizes can lead to brittle fractures, impacting the material's mechanical properties. It is widely acknowledged that achieving a finer grain size is pivotal when creating Copper Aluminum alloys with exceptional mechanical attributes and effective damping characteristics. Smaller grain sizes allow for the combined use of fine grain strengthening and interfacial damping, resulting in alloys demonstrating exceptional overall characteristics. This paper presents several standard approaches for preparing Copper Aluminum alloys, subsequently examining research efforts dedicated to enhancing grain size through alloying and heat treatment. Moreover, nanomaterials are being investigated as potential agents for reinforcing Cu–Al-based alloys, leading to substantial improvements in their mechanical characteristics and damping capacities. The study aims to serve as a valuable reference for future research in developing structure-function integrated materials capable of simultaneously offering high strength and high damping characteristics.

Experimental investigation of the recycling of carbon fiber polyetherketoneketone thermoplastic composite

The increasing usage of composite materials due to their lightness and high strength came along with a problem which is the accumulating waste of this material. Recycling is one of the sustainable waste management methods for composites. However, recycling of composite materials is a complicated process due to the complex nature of these materials where reinforcement and matrix are different components with different characteristics. In the evaluation of recycling methods for thermoplastic composites, many factors such as environmental effects and economic efficiency are taken into consideration. In this study, mechanical recycling of carbon fiber polyetherketoneketone (CF/PEKK) thermoplastic composite is carried out to show the feasibility of recycling by comparing the recycled and unprocessed material in terms of mechanical and thermal properties. Waste CF/PEKK materials are shredded and consolidated in a press and samples taken from the final product to carry out mechanical and thermal tests such as tensile, three-point bending test, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Results indicate unprocessed thermoplastic composite shows 61% higher tensile strength and 79% fracture strength where recycled material shows a loss of 33% in flexural modulus.

Effect of lignin acetylation on the mechanical properties of lignin-poly-lactic acid biocomposites for advanced applications

Bioplastics that possess characteristics like durability and low cost are desired for versatile applications in industries such as automotive manufacturing, marine transport manufacturing, aerospace applications, and the building industry. The automotive industry is an example of an industry that is now shifting towards a more focused approach addressing the issue concerning sustainability and the development of sustainable material. To achieve a lightweight and sustainable construction, one of the methods used by the automotive original equipment manufacturers is by substituting conventional fossil-based, non-renewable composites, and metallic materials with a bio-based alternative. One of the drawbacks with biobased polymers can be the poor interfacial adhesion, leading to poor mechanical properties when compares to conventional material. The aim of this research is to investigate if a low-cost by-product could be used as a component in a composite matrix material in the automotive industry to reduce the final weight and increase the non-petrochemical material usage of composite material without compromising the thermal and mechanicals properties demanded. In this research, lignin was chemically altered by esterification the functional groups to increase the compatibility with polylactic acid. The esterification was performed with the use of acetic acid anhydride and pyridine. To evaluate and determine the esterification, Fourier transform Infrared Spectroscopy was used. By blending the modified lignin with polylactic acid the intention was to improve the thermomechanical properties and the interfacial linkage between the components. The effects of lignin acetylation on the tensile properties, impact strength, and thermal stability and moisture repellence behaviour were investigated. According to the experimental results the modification of lignin, increased the impact strength for all the blends containing acetylated lignin compares to pristine lignin. The largest increase observed was for blends containing 20 wt% acetylated lignin and polylactic acid, which resulted in a 74% improvement compared with the blend composed of pristine lignin and polylactic acid. Similarly, the thermal stability was improved significantly with acetylation of the lignin. Moreover, the moisture repellence behaviour was also increased. The reason for the improved properties can be explained by the better interfacial compatibility between lignin and polylactic acid matrix. An increased thermal stability and a moisture repellent behaviour of the blends containing chemically modified lignin could be observed when compared with neat polylactic acid which makes the acetylation treatment of lignin a possible approach for the future of biocomposite production.

Comparative Analysis of Conventional Steel and Composite Drive Shaft

Nowadays, diverse engineering applications have been seeing an abundant usage of composite materials in various technologies. Since the drive shaft is a significant component of an automobile, its weight reduction can be crucial in fuel efficiency and more outstanding performance. The work involves substituting composite drive shafts instead of steel drive shafts. This research paper undertakes the investigation of advanced composite materials such as E-Glass/Epoxy, HM-Carbon/Epoxy, and HS-Carbon/Epoxy to evaluate the feasibility of composite material to fulfill the objective automobile drive shaft by evaluating stresses and deflection under subjected load using FEA software ANSYS for given composite material and compared with steel drive shaft to verify optimum results. The results indicate that the replacement of the steel shaft with HS-Carbon/Epoxy composite will yield weight savings of up to 78.94 %.

Investigating Mechanical and Wear Properties of CaCO3 Filled PP Composite Filament Production for 3D Printer

Recently, the interest in 3D printers, which is one of the polymer-based material production methods, and the amount of production in the sector are increasing day by day. It is clearly seen that 3D printers, which were used as hobby devices in the beginning, have evolved from being hobby devices to industrial production devices. When current studies are examined, it is clearly observed that 3D printers not only uses pure polymers, but also usage of composite materials has begun. In this study, Pure PP and various weight filling ratio CaCO3 filled PP composite flaments were produced. Wear test and three-point bending test specimens were produced with the produced filaments on the 3D printer and tested. When the Mechanical Test results were examined, it was determined that the flexural strength of the composite samples was affected adversely. The wear test results showed that the particle reinforcement reduced the friction coefficient by making a lubricating effect on the surface. The wear volume of the composite samples decreased by approximately 40% compared to pure PP. As a result, it has been seen that it can be produced with composite filament in applications requiring low friction and high wear resistance, where the mechanical strength can be waived to a certain extent. Especially when it is considered that there is a ratio of approximately 1/10 between the prices of matrix and reinforcement materials, composite filament gains more importance in order to reduce the cost of the final product.

LeiMot – lightweight engine helps reducing CO2 emissions

Weight reduction remains a primary focus for vehicles to achieve lower CO2 emissions. FEV has collaborated with six other partners on its LeiMot project (“Lightweight Engine”) to demonstrate how much potential internal combustion engines can offer. Major components of a baseline modern Diesel-powered passenger car engine can be made roughly 22 percent lighter thanks to additive manufacturing methods and increased usage of composite materials. At the same time, it was possible to increase the efficiency of engine through optimization of the cooling and oil circuits. Results of this research can be transferred to different engines with fossil, regenerative and renewable fuels as well as to the other powertrain components.

Natural convection cooling of aircraft wingbox structures during turnaround period

Modern commercial aircraft can experience significant solar loading during turnaround when the aircraft is stationary on the tarmac. With the increased usage of composite materials, a change in the aircraft thermal environment results due to the substantial difference in metal and composite thermal properties. In this paper, an experimental study is undertaken to compare the thermal environment established in a CFRP and aluminium wingbox compartment due to solar loading for levels of 81 W/m2, 396 W/m2, 700 W/m2 and two further cases with a constant wing skin temperature of 100 °C. It was found that conduction through the vertical front and rear spars established a complex but stable flow environment comprising of four counter-rotating circulations which interact strongly with the spar walls, a criterion using scale analysis was also established to determine whether the induced flow would persist. Nusselt number measurements were carried out for each circulation and compared to existing correlations from the literature for differentially heated and top wall heated cavities. The measurements provide aircraft thermal designers with representative values for the heat transfer coefficient which can be used in the thermal modeling of aircraft wing structures.

To study and analyze the design of drive shafts for automobiles using composite material through empirical review on literature

An Automobile drive shaft is the important component of a vehicle. The high-quality steel is mainly used as the material for the drive shafts. Still, there are some challenges such as damping, stiffness that limits the usage of high-quality steels for drive shafts manufacturing. To overcome such challenges, the usage of composite materials is now been increased rapidly. The composite material has the potentials to provide the required stiffness and damping. Even the weight to strength ratio is better in composite materials in comparison to steels. The present study is based on extensive literature review to provide insights on composite materials used for drive shaft manufacturing.

Experimental analysis of composite materials leaf spring used in automotive

product modifications or replacement of old products with new and improved material items. Vehicle suspension systems are another area where these developments are carried out on a regular basis. More efforts are being made to improve the user's comfort. Appropriate combination of comfort riding attributes and economics in leaf spring production becomes an evident requirement. Many changes have been made to the suspension system throughout time in order to enhance it. Some of the most recent suspension system innovations include the invention of the parabolic leaf spring and the usage of composite materials for these springs. The implementation of composite materials by replacing steel in conventional leaf springs of a suspension system. Composite material having a lot of good properties like simple fabrication, low weight and low cost to performance .The purpose of this study is to investigate the structural properties of a hybrid leaf spring consisting of 95% Epoxy, 5% carbon, 5% glass fiber, and 5% hybrid carbon-glass fiber composite. The various specimens were produced using the manual layup method, specimen were subjected to tensile, hardness, and fatigue tests, with all data reported and compared. The experimental results showed an increase in Hardness, Tensile, and fatigue life when the reinforcing fibers are applied. The best results of the mechanical test obtained when hybrid reinforcement was applied.

Experimental Study on Strengthening of Concrete Cylinders Using GFRP Sheets with Boron Carbide-Epoxy Composite

Usage of composite materials as a concrete strengthening agent had increased evidently in recent years. One of those materials is the Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) which is used in various fields for strengthening and retrofitting of concrete structures. Various studies have shown that, the wrapping of concrete specimens with Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) resulted in increase in the Compressive Strength as well as the ductility of the concrete members. The main Objective of this project is to enhance the axial compressive strength of concrete block wrapped by Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer sheets tested with various compositions of Boron Carbide (B4C) mixed with epoxy resin to find out the increase in the compressive strength. Cylindrical Concrete specimen of standard size 150mm diameter and 300mm height were casted of M30 Grade Concrete. Totally 6 batches were casted which consists of 18 specimens composing of different compositions of Boron Carbide varying 1.5%, 3.0%, 4.5% and 6.0% of boron carbide (B4C) were added and mixed with epoxy resin. Finally, Glass fibre Reinforced Polymer is wrapped around the Concrete specimen with a single wrap and the results obtained from Compressive strength of the specimens were studied.

Experimental Investigation of Single Lap Joint on Composite Materials

To improve the efficiency and performance can be achieved by decreasing the aircraft weight through considerable usage of composite material in primary aircraft structures. In fuselage construction it consist of various structural members such as skin, stringers, frames, bulkheads etc., all fastened together by rivets and bolts. The failure of riveted joint take place when tearing of the plate, shearing of rivets and plate under the action of over load. This project deals with the tensile strength analysis of riveted lap joints of three different composite materials such as Glass fiber, Basalt fiber and Carbon fiber are reinforced with epoxy resins. By using universal testing machine the tensile strength of the riveted single lap joint of three different composite materials are tested experimentally.

Hygrothermal Ageing Influence on BVI-Damaged Carbon/Epoxy Coupons under Compression Load.

Composite materials usage in several industrial fields is now widespread, and this leads to the necessity of overcoming issues that are still currently open. In the aeronautic industry, this is especially true for Barely Visible Impact Damage (BVID) and humidity uptake issues. BVID is the most insidious kind of impact damage, being rather common and not easily detectable. These, along with the ageing that a composite structure could face during its operative life, could be a cause of fatal failures. In this paper, the influence of water absorption on impacted specimens compressive residual strength was studied. Specimens were impacted using a modified Charpy pendulum. Two different locations were chosen for comparison: Near-Edge (NE) and Central (CI). Accelerated hygrothermal ageing was conducted on impacted and reference nonimpacted coupons, placing them in a water-filled jar at 70 °C. Compressive tests were performed in accordance with the Combined Loading Compression (CLC) test method. A Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) was performed as well. The results showed the influence of hygrothermal ageing, as expected. Nevertheless, the influence of impact location on compressive residual strength is not clearly noticeable in aged specimens, leading to the conclusion that hygrothermal ageing may have a greater effect on composite compressive strength than the analysed BVI damage.

The Influence of Popular Beverages on Mechanical Properties of Composite Resins.

Currently, composite resins are used in many restorative procedures. Previous studies showed that drinking beverages may affect the mechanical properties such as microhardness or flexural strength of dental composite resins. The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of common beverages on the mechanical properties of composite resins. Samples of the materials were prepared according to the ISO 4049:2010 standard and producer’s recommendations. The samples were next conditioned in tested fluids: distilled water, sparkling water, Coca-Cola, Red Bull and orange juice for 7 days. Vickers microhardness and flexural strength testing was performed after 7 days. Performed statistic tests confirmed the significance of microhardness changes of the tested materials in terms of both different conditioning of the samples and different composite materials. The mean flexural strength of composites was highest in distilled water and it was reduced after one week in different beverages. We conclude that all tested beverages influenced on Vickers microhardness of tested composite resins. Flexural strength only in one material was statistically significantly influenced by tested beverages. The results of this study should be taken into consideration by a dentist preparing recommendations for the patients after dental treatment with usage of composite material or after cementing composite based fixed dentures.

An Experimental Validation of Numerical Model for Top-Hat Tubular Structure Subjected to Axial Crush

Vehicle crashworthiness is an important aspect to consider when designing a vehicle to ensure the safety of the occupants. Besides this, vehicles are also designed to reduce weight for better fuel economics. One possible approach to reducing weight without compromising vehicle safety is by looking at new designs and usage of composite materials, along with the usage of computational models to reduce time and cost. Hence, this paper displays the experimental results of a carbon fiber reinforced closed top-hat section subjected to both quasi-static and dynamic crushing loading. The results were used to validate the computational model developed in the study. The specimens were made of carbon composite prepregs MTM-44 sheets stacked at the alternative orientation of ±45° and 0°/90°, where 0° direction coincides with the axis of the member. The samples were prepared by using a mold and carbon prepregs under vacuum bagging followed by curing in an autoclave. Trigger initiation was applied to ensure the specimens demonstrated a stable crushing mode of failure during the test. Experimental investigations were carried out under the ambient conditions with different loading conditions, and different kinetic energy ranges (2, 3 and 6 kJ). Experimental data was used to validate the finite element analysis (FEA). The maximum errors obtained between experimental and FEA for mean load, mean energy absorption, and crushing displacement were 13%, 13% and 7%, respectively. The numerically obtained results were in strong agreement with the experimental data and showed that they were able to predict the failure of the specimens. The work also showed the novelty of using such structures for energy absorption applications.

Analysing the effect of mechanical properties of various proportions of filler material on jute fibre/epoxy reinforced composites

In the earlier stage of 1500 BC’S composites were invented. The initial stage of composites was created with the help of mixing the mud and straw for construction purpose, in order to build strong and durable component in the view, to ensure the longer life on the products. After some years, the usage of composite materials is become more, depends on different applications such as appliances, construction, electrical distribution, energy and marine usages and so on. Since the past few decades’ natural fibres plays a vital role in structural applications such as ease of fabrication, low cost, high durability, and for low thermal properties. In the present experimental investigation work, jute fiber has been chosen as the reinforcement agent along with the epoxy matrix material. With help of the hand layup technique the composites have been fabricated along with the standard ratio of (3% & 6%) calcium carbonate as the filler material. The fabricated jute fiber reinforced epoxy matrix (standard ratio of calcium carbonate filler) laminate were cut as per the ASTM standards to do the tests like tensile, flexural & impact, in order to completely analyse the physical strengths of the laminate, and the same data’s were compared with filler materials and without filler material. At last the fractured surfaces were thoroughly investigated with help of scanning electron microscope to understand the morphological behaviour of the fabricated composite.

Mechanical Characterization Of Mmt Nano Clay/Epoxy/ Basalt Fiber Composites

The importance of composite fibers have been rapidly increasing since the inception of its discovery, in almost every engineering field. They possess beneficial properties such as low weight, high strength, highly resistive towards corrosion which makes them unique. The objective of present study is to fabricate composite using epoxy as polymer and basalt fiber as reinforcement and to investigate the influence of dispersing MMT Nano clay (Montmorillonite Nano-clay) in polymer. Conventional hand lay-up technique was used for the fabrication of composite laminate. The bi-directional basalt fiber was used as reinforcement and epoxy was taken as matrix material. Mechanical Characterization of MMT Nano clay/epoxy/basalt fiber composites was carried out for tests such as tensile, flexural and impact test, the results showed that the laminate had comprehensible properties, concluding usage of composite material is more beneficial and cost effective than conventional materials in many ways.

An investigation on dynamic mechanical properties of hybrid composite materials

In recent times, usage of Composite materials is one of the methods to achieve cost effectiveness of a product. In the current research it is intended to characterize a composite material for the usage in bumper reinforcement – automotive application. Materials chosen for the investigation are a natural fiber (JUTE), synthetic fiber (E - GLASS) and resin (EPOXY). Composites are casted by conventional hand lay-up technique cured at room temperature. Further tailored to required dimensions and finally tested for dynamic mechanical properties such as natural frequency by Fast Fourier Transform analyzer (FFT). It can be concluded that, as the percentage of jute increases and E-glass decreases for lower percentage of Epoxy the stiffness of composite decreases resulting in increased vibration levels. The tests are repeated for different composition of resin which also shows similar trend and change in the value of natural frequencies.

Finite element modeling using carbon epoxy plates for propeller blades applications

Abstract Over past few decades, tremendous innovations have occurred in the aerospace/marine industry because of environmental regulations, rising fuel costs, increase in airline traffic etc. These reasons lead to more usage of composite materials in the primary structural components. These materials are known for their high strength and stiffness to weight ratio and hence used in structural applications where there are stringent weight requirements as in aerospace and marine applications. Because of recent advancements in manufacturing techniques, there is increase in trend of using composite materials in many complex aerospace and marine structures. Since design and analysis of these structures becomes extremely difficult, Finite Element method is used extensively in most of the applications to reduce time and effort. Marine propellers are generally doubly curved and tapered with solid cross sections due to acoustic requirements and hence modelling of these kind of propeller blades becomes extremely difficult in Finite Element Method. In this paper, different FE modelling strategies for a complex shaped 3D composite structure is discussed and marine propeller blade is analysed and compared with metal blade.