Use Of Advanced Composite Materials Research Articles

Battery Housing for Electric Vehicles, a Durability Assessment Review

Recent research emphasizes the growing use of advanced composite materials in modern transportation, highlighting their superior weight-to-strength ratio. These materials are increasingly replacing steel and aluminium in housings to enhance sustainability, improve efficiency, and reduce emissions. Considering these advancements, this article reviews recent studies on composite materials, focusing on fatigue life assessment models. These models, which include performance degradation, progressive damage, and S–N curve models, are essential for ensuring the reliability of composite materials. It is noted that the fatigue damage process in composite materials is complex, as failure can occur in the matrix, reinforcement, or transitions such as interlaminar and intralaminar delamination. Additionally, the article critically examines the integration of artificial intelligence techniques for predicting the fatigue life of composite materials, offering a comprehensive analysis of methods used to indicate the mechanical properties of battery shell composites. Incorporating neural networks into fatigue life analysis significantly enhances prediction reliability. However, the model’s accuracy depends heavily on the comprehensive data it includes, including material properties, loading conditions, and manufacturing processes, which help to reduce variability and ensure the precision of the predictions. This research underscores the importance of continued advancements and their significant scientific contributions to transportation sustainability, especially in the context of emerging artificial intelligence technologies.

Review and Gap Analysis of Heliostat Components & Controls

Abstract This investigation provides a comprehensive literature review pertaining to heliostat components and controls as part of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Heliostat Consortium (Heliocon) program. This work presents a detailed assessment of subcomponents, controls and wireless communications elements that comprise various designs of helisotats within concentrating solar power (CSP) installations. Additionally, this work also provides the results of an industry survey, intended to compliment the literature discussion, to provide a gap analysis of the primary technology and cost areas that need to be addressed to help improved to spur CSP bankability. Although the results of the study determined several key areas for development, three strategic areas identified were: 1. The use of advanced composite materials to replace a need for expensive steel within the structure and mirror substrate, 2. Employment of closed-loop controls for automated calibration, reduction of commissioning time and O&M hours, reduction of drive requirements, as well as overall cost reduction, and 3. The need for more Heliostat-centric codes and standards to facilitate engineering confidence in the development of new features, cost reductions, or other design iterations to be seamlessly introduced without optical performance problems.

Comments on effective use of numerical modelling and extended classical shell buckling theory

This paper argues that in the understandable enthusiasm to use the now readily available high-fidelity numerical software allowing the analysis of the complexities of shell buckling, and especially the notorious case of the axially loaded cylinder, there has been insufficient consideration of classical shell buckling theory and its more recent reduced stiffness extension. If future design is to be able to effectively exploit the potential benefits of the use of advanced composite materials and/or the use of rib reinforcement, it is suggested that these numerically driven research programmes would benefit from more explicit integration within the framework of classically extended buckling theory. This suggestion is reinforced in what follows by highlighting the results from a longstanding research programme in which classically extended buckling theory has been demonstrably enhanced through its integration with reliable numerical experimentation. This enhancement has helped to resolve a number of important issues including: identification of the most critical forms of imperfection affecting the buckling loads; how the most critical knockdown factors are influenced by changes in the shells' geometric and material characteristics and how safe design might be more explicitly related to the prescribed levels of geometric tolerances. Recommendations are made as to how such integrated research programmes could in the future further enhance our ability to design materially efficient shells against buckling.

A Review on Reductions in the Stress-Intensity Factor of Cracked Plates Using Bonded Composite Patches.

In aerospace engineering applications, lightweight material structures are considered to perform difficult service conditions and afford energy efficiency. Therefore, composite materials have gained popularity due to their light weights and high performances in structural design. Mechanical loads and environmental conditions primarily create damage to structural materials, thus numerous studies have considered the repair of the damaged structure. Bonded composite repairs are generally chosen, as they provide enhanced stress-transfer mechanisms and joint efficiencies with the increased use of advanced composite materials in primary and secondary aircraft structural components. Thus, it is essential to have reliable and repeatable bonded repair procedures to restore damaged structural components. However, composite bonded repairs, especially with primary structures, present several scientific challenges in the current existing repair technologies. In this review, a study has been done on the bonded composite repair of damaged structures with the stress-intensity factor (SIF) as the parameter for defining the extent of failure by composite repair and unrepaired material structures. In this work, various types of repair methods and the techniques used by researchers are critically reviewed, and future opportunities are explored. The present study was limited to the composite and aluminium materials that are common in aerospace applications.

Composite materials in ICTS-CEHIPAR

The Center for Hydrodynamic Research of El Pardo (ICTS-CEHIPAR) is a Unique Scientific and Technical Infrastructure (ICTS) part of the Deputy Directorate of Naval Systems (SGSN) of the National Institute of Aerospace Technique “Esteban Terradas” (INTA). A new research line to study the use of advanced composite materials in the naval industry has been recently opened in the Technology and Tests Department of ICTS-CEHIPAR. One of the main goals of this new research line is the monitoring of structural stresses in composite materials by means of fiber optical sensors in structural diffraction Fibers Bragg Gratings (FBGS). ICTS-CEHIPAR is enhancing the constructive procedures for the production of models of ships and naval devices made in composite materials. The implementation of instrumentation techniques for the monitoring of structural stresses in this kind of materials is necessary to detect possible damage due to different causes during the product lifetime. Results of scale model tests will be applied to the full scale ship construction and instrumentation methodologies, increasing ship safety and optimizing maintenance procedures.

Characterization of ‘green’ composite laminates after flexural tests by speckle interferometry

For many years, the use of advanced composite materials in aeronautics, automotive, and sports applications has been well established. The characteristics of composite materials in terms of weight reduction, fatigue, and corrosion resistance make them competitive in many cases with respect to conventional ones (i.e., metal alloys). On the other hand, the fabrication process of the most employed composites reinforced by carbon or glass fibers requires complex steps that are not always environmentally friendly. In fact, such composite materials are not themselves “green.” For these reasons, in the last decades, the use of natural reinforcing fibers has gained increasing attention, allowing the development of new materials sharing the same advantages with conventional composite systems while respecting the environment. Due to their structural complexity, these materials are not always compatible with the use of standard nondestructive evaluation methods, e.g., ultrasounds testing. The effective use of speckle holographic techniques as nondestructive evaluation methods in full field and noncontact modality is proved on “green” composite materials. In particular, electronic speckle pattern interferometry is tested on different kinds of specimens preliminarily subjected to flexural tests. Results show that, in most cases, the damage appears more severe on the back side of specimens, opposite to the loaded one, with the sole exception of basalt laminates.

Design recommendations and comparative study of FRP and steel guyed towers

The aim of this paper is to explore the potential use of advanced composite materials as an alternative material to conventional steel to design and fabricate a lightweight fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) guyed towers. Both theoretical and experimental testing are involved. The paper offers recommendations for the design of composite towers using various non-linear finite element models. It contains a comparative cost analysis between an 81 m composite and a steel guyed tower both designed to resist identical loading conditions. The paper results confirmed that FRP tower creates more economically viable alternatives and sustainable solutions to steel towers in the future.

Retrofitting of RC Beams Using Natural FRP Wrapping (NSFRP)

There is a pressing need to repair or upgrade the building and civil infrastructure in many parts of the world. For instance with the modernization of buildings, it is sometimes desirable to remove supporting walls or individual supports, leading to the need for local strengthening. The strengthening and enhancement of the performance of deficient structural elements or the structure as a whole is referred to as retrofitting. Retrofit aims to strengthen a building to satisfy the requirements of the current codes for seismic design. The building may not be damaged or deteriorated. The various retrofitting techniques include steel plate bonding, polymer injection followed by concrete jacketing, use of advanced composite materials like FRP, Ferro cement etc.

Use of advanced composite materials in strengthening axially loaded reinforced concrete columns

The present study deals with the analysis of experimental results, regarding of load carrying capacity and strains, obtained from tests on reinforced concrete (RC) columns, strengthened with external carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets. The experimental parameters include: number of wrap layers, slenderness of the columns (L/a or L/D) and section geometry (circular or square). A total of 48 specimens were subjected to axial compression. All test specimens were loaded to failure. Compressive stress, both axial and hoop strains have been recorded to evaluate the stress-strain relationship, ultimate stress, stiffness, and ductility. First, the effects of test parameters are analysed and compared. Results clearly demonstrate that composite wrapping can enhance the structural performance of RC columns in terms of both maximum strength and ductility.

카본판을 접착보강한 강재의 거동분석

구조물에 복합재료를 사용한 보강과 복구에 대한 사용이 증가하고 있는 상황에서 갑작스러운 강도저하로 발생되는 재난을 피하기 위하여 임시 보강하고자 탄소섬유 판을 이용하여 기존금속재와 접합(접착방식)을 통한 강도증진효과를 연구하였다. 특히 실험을 통하여 강-탄소섬유보강재로 이루어진 복합 재 거동을 파악하였으며 여기에 적절한 시험을 위한 새로운 형태의 시험편을 제작하였다. 접합재로 레진을 접착하는 부착 면을 달리하여 거동을 비교하기 위하여 표면처리가 다른 시험편을 각각 고려하여 시험한 결과 강성보강효과는 물론 일체거동의 특성이 잘 나타남을 알 수 있었다. The use of advanced composite materials in strengthening and repair of existing structures is increasing rapidly. This paper describes an effectiveness of a bonding of carbon fiber reinforced sheets to corroded steel members for the repair. Three types of surface treatment, what we call cleaning, of corroded plate are chosen as parameters. They are "without cleaning","removal of painting by brushing" and "complete removal of painting". From the experimental study, the following findings are obtained. 1) When the steel plate is subjected to tensile force, carbon fiber sheets adhered to the painted steel gives a higher strength against peeling compared to that of the plate without painting, 2) The grade of surface treatment, or cleaning of the corroded steel plate affects the strengthening effect.

The Negative Temperature Impact on Hardening of Magnesia Composites

Modern economy has a strong demand for higher speed of construction and lower construction costs both achieved by using new efficient materials. Significant climate influence on the construction technology urges to make extensive investigations on hardening the construction composite (concrete and mortar) mixtures under freezing temperatures at the actual construction site. The article focuses on the use of advanced composite materials using magnesium oxychloride cement and mineral aggregates. The results of literature review on the problem are also presented. We have found that the problem of magnesia composites hardening under freezing temperatures hasn’t been thoroughly investigated. The results of laboratory study of the effect of initial magnesia concretes maturing and mortars under the conditions of freezing temperatures on the hardening process and the final strength of the material are presented. The scientific explanation of the speed of magnesium oxychloride cement strength development in concretes and mortars which have initially undergone the influence of freezing temperatures is given.

Fibre Reinforced Polymer Rebar

The paper is focused on the use of advanced composite materials in the real application areas of buildings exposed to extreme environmental stress. The paper describe properties of composite rebar, especially with regards to long-term resistance to chemical and corrosion attack, minimization of heat transfer or resistance in construction with reduced concrete cover. The paper also presents behavior of composite rebar and concrete samples with composite reinforcement during loading and fire tests.

Analysis and design procedure of hybrid long-span cable-stayed bridge using advanced composite material

An innovative solution is proposed in this paper by introducing a hybrid-type cable stayed bridge as a competent system to safely bridge very long spans. The new system leads into huge reduction in deck weight and its critical stresses in the pylon zones by using hybrid advanced composite deck. It also reduces the stiffness losses of the stay-cables due to the catenary’s action by using carbon fiber reinforced polymer cables. The paper proposes a proper consistent and systematic analysis and design procedure that optimize and precisely simulate the proposed bridge system. It recognizes the changes in structural behavior of the cable-stayed system, accordingly it clearly defines the ultimate and serviceability limit states for such new structural system in consistence with the limit state design philosophy. The design steps of the ADP represent a multi-scale design technique while the analysis steps characterize a multi-scale modeling technique. They represent the material design in the micro/macro-level, and accurate homogenization of the advanced composite components properties and evaluation of the resulting anisotropic characteristics and then, three-dimensionally simulate the hybrid bridge system involving all its nonlinearities. This paper investigates the performance of a new hybrid long-span cable-stayed bridge, which engages the use of advanced composite materials for the deck and the stay-cables, applying the analysis and design procedure. This design is scaled to match the general geometrical shapes, structural and aerodynamic characteristics of three of the world-longest cable-stayed bridges. What’s more, four advanced composite deck section models are proposed in this research. In order to study the performance of the referenced bridges, such as the natural frequencies, the deck top surface maximum vertical displacement, maximum Tsai-Hill failure function and the critical flutter velocity, three sets of parameters are investigated. The parameters include: (i) the micro level parameters-fiber fraction, (ii) the macro level parameters-Laminas Dominant Fiber Alignment and Laminate Thickness and (iii) the structure level parameters- cable radius.

The use of composite materials with protective coatings in air conditioning units

The article contains an analysis of the use of advanced composite materials in air transport sys- tems and recommendations for the use of these materials in the construction.

Surrogate-assisted optimisation design of composite riser

The risers made out of advanced composite materials would be significantly lighter than their metallic counterparts. In addition, they would also offer better fatigue and corrosion resistance. Their use can lead to increased production capacities, reduced operational costs of existing offshore platforms and the possibility of extraction of oil and gas from greater depths. The use of advanced composite materials also offers the possibility of tailoring composite riser’s design to meet specific load requirements. In the first phase of this research, the optimisation of the parameters of the composite tubing was attempted through a process of parametric analysis, manual inspection and selection. In the current paper, the optimisation of the composite riser for minimum weight is accomplished through implementation of a more rigorous mathematical optimisation technique. A population-based surrogate-assisted evolutionary algorithm is employed to identify the optimum design. The objective is to achieve the design with minimum structural weight while satisfying critical load cases, both local and global. The approach and the results of the design optimisation of the composite riser are presented. The optimal design results are verified using finite element analysis under local and global design requirements and compared with different design methods.

Review of shape-morphing automobile structures: concepts and outlook

The continuous drive for increased fuel efficiency and sustained innovation in the automobile industry requires the adoption of radically new technological advances. Road vehicle aerodynamic design is primarily concerned with reduction in the drag and generation of a downforce. Current trends in both aircraft and wind turbine blade design show significant interest in shape-adaptive (morphing) advanced structural concepts for improved aerodynamic performance or the realization of new functionality. Morphing structures are also of interest because they have the potential to create designs of simple construction and reduced mass. However, there is an inherent contradiction between the need to create compliant structures to keep actuator demands low and the requirement for designing stiff load-carrying structures. This highlights the key design challenge for morphing structures. Ways of addressing these conflicting demands include the use of advanced composite materials which have extremely anisotropic stiffness properties or multistable behaviour. This review provides a perspective on recent developments in research on morphing structures and the potential applications for these emerging technologies in automobile aerodynamic design.

Effect of insulation layer for thermal shock in cryogenic composite laminates

AbstractThe structural weight of a cryogenic propellant tank for reusable launch vehicles (RLVs) can be effectively reduced by the use of advanced composite materials. However, microscopic damage such as transverse matrix cracks (TMC) and delaminations are prone to develop in composites well below the load levels that would result in mechanical failure. This microscopic damage leads to a leakage path for the fuel. The leakage is influenced by many factors including connectivity of the cracks, residual and service‐induced stresses, and composite stacking sequence. This article is concerned with the effect of thermal gradients due to sudden exposure to a cryogenic temperature with and without insulation layer. An investigation of the insulation layer for sudden exposure to cryogenic temperatures is conducted numerically. The exposure of the harsh environment could make the damages such as delaminations, TMC, and leakage path. The defects from manufacturing could be formed, and they are critical parts under sudden exposure to cryogenic temperature. Therefore, the qualitative analysis for insulation technique is needed. The results from this article are very important because the stress levels which cause damages can be predicted and also controlled using the insulating techniques. The insulation skill which can suppress the stress levels is newly introduced in this article for RLV cryogenic fuel tank. Moreover, the effect of lay‐ups is also investigated in this article. The thermal gradient can be controlled by using different lay‐ups. POLYM. COMPOS., 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers

120 mm Prestressed Carbon Fiber/Thermoplastic Overwrapped Gun Tubes

The emphasis on lightweight large caliber weapons systems has placed the focus on the use of advanced composite materials. Using composite materials not only directly removes weight from the gun tube but also, by better balancing the tube, allows the use of smaller drive systems, thus further enhancing the system weight loss. Additionally, the use of high stiffness composites helps with pointing accuracy and to alleviate the dynamic strain phenomenon encountered with high velocity projectiles. Traditionally, there were two issues with composite jackets: the coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch between the steel substrate and the composite jacket causing a gap and the lack of favorable prestress in the jacket. Dealing with these issues greatly complicated the manufacturing process to the point where mass-producing the barrels would have been problematic at best. By using a thermoplastic resin, a cure on the fly process, and winding under tension, the manufacturability of the barrels has been greatly improved, the gap has been eliminated, and a favorable prestress has been achieved. Four 120 mm barrels have been manufactured using this process with IM7 fibers in a PEEK matrix and successfully test fired. The first barrel was not prestressed and was reported on previously. This paper will focus on the other three barrels. The design, manufacturing, and test firing of these barrels will be covered.

Investigation of Mechanical Properties of Unidirectional Fibrous Composite by Micro-Mechanics Model

The use of advanced composite materials reinforced with fibers is expanded in these years. The main reason for the increased use of these materials is their high strength and hardness coefficient, their density and low prices. So, the fiber-reinforced composite materials can be used in the design of structures that require high strength to weight ratio and hardness coefficient. In order to replace these materials and new applications, many research programs to study the mechanical behavior of these materials has shifted. In this paper Finite element model presented in which the fibers and matrix are modeled separately and to show a full description of the properties of the constituent components, the interface between matrix and fiber discontinuity is presented in the model With using modeling and analysis after great determination of mechanical properties of unidirectional fibrous composite single and compared with experimental results, the elastic modulus changes depending on the angle of the fibers is received . The results of this method are compared with available mathematical models.

다양한 센서 신호를 이용한 복합적층판의 고속충격 손상 특성 연구

복합재는 금속보다 높은 비강성과 비강도를 갖는 장점 때문에 군용기와 민항기의 주요 구조물로 사용이 증대되고 있다. 하지만 복합재의 기계적인 특성은 충격에 의해 심각하게 저하된다. 특히, 우박, 고속 택싱에 의한 파편과의 고속 충격은 작은 질량임에도 불구하고 구조물과 서브시스템에 심각한 손상을 줄 수 있다. 그러나 한 가지 센서 또는 기존의 기법을 사용하여 복합재의 손상을 탐지하기는 쉽지 않다. 본 논문에서는 복합적층판의 고속충격에 의한 손상 개시와 전파를 모니터링하기 위해 PVDF 센서와 AE 센서를 사용하였다. 센서 신호를 분석하기 위해 웨이블릿 변환을 사용하였다. 충격에너지가 증가할수록 고주파 신호가 증가하였고 PVDF 센서와 AE 센서 신호에서 유사한 경향을 알 수 있었다. 결과적으로 복합적층판의 고속충격손상을 감지하고 특성화하는 다양한 센싱 기법을 제시하였다. The use of advanced composite materials in main structures of military and civil aircraft has been increased rapidly because of their considerable metals in high specific strength and stiffness. However, the mechanical properties of composite materials may severely degrade in the presence of damage. Especially, the high-velocity impact such as a hailstorm, and a small piece of tire or stone during high taxing, can cause considerable damage to the structures and sub-system in spite of a very small mass. However, it is not easy to detect the damage in composite plates using a single sensor or any conventional methods. In this paper, the PVDF sensors and AE sensors were used for monitoring high-velocity impact damage initiation and propagation in composite laminates. The WT(wavelet transform) is used to decompose the sensor signals. In the PVDF sensor and AE sensor signal analysis, amounts of high-frequency signals are increased when the impact energy is increased. PVDF sensor and AE sensor signal appeared similar results. This study shows how various sensing techniques can be used to characterize high-velocity impact damage of advanced composite laminates.