Woven Reinforcement Research Articles

On the Influence of Welding Parameters and Their Interdependence During Robotic Continuous Ultrasonic Welding of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Thermoplastics.

Ultrasonic welding of fibre-reinforced thermoplastics is a joining technology with high potential for short welding times and low energy consumption. While the majority of the current studies on continuous ultrasonic welding have so far focused on woven reinforcements, unidirectional materials are preferred for highly loaded aerospace components due to their better mechanical performance. Therefore, this paper investigates the influence and interdependence of the welding speed, amplitude, and energy director thickness on the weld quality of adherends made of unidirectional composites. The quality of the welded joints is assessed by a single-lap shear strength and fracture surface analysis complemented by the microscopic analysis of cross-sections and comparison to a co-consolidated reference. The results showed that the welding process is highly affected by changing welding speeds for a given amplitude. Furthermore, while lower amplitudes lead to significant scatter in the welding quality, higher amplitudes result in increased heating rates and a fully molten energy director even for high welding speeds. Nevertheless, insufficient consolidation at high welding speeds results in porosity in the weld line. Finally, it was observed that thicker, and therefore more compliant, energy directors lead to more uniform melting of the energy director and less deviation in the weld quality for a wider range of welding speeds.

Numerical Simulation and Preforming Parameters Optimization of Carbon-Kevlar Hybrid Woven Reinforcement Materials Based on Genetic Algorithm

Numerical Simulation and Preforming Parameters Optimization of Carbon-Kevlar Hybrid Woven Reinforcement Materials Based on Genetic Algorithm

Fully woven textile-based closed microfluidic system design

Textile materials are used to produce open microfluidic systems without large-scale microfabrication. Sacrificial monofilament pull-out is one technique for creating closed microfluidic systems. However, removing sacrificial monofilament is manual and does not allow large-scale production. This work combines this technique with the possibilities of the large-scale output offered by weaving technologies to produce a closed microfluidic system with the minimal obstruction of the view. Three patterns (plain, twill, and satin weaves) create support reinforcements to introduce the sacrificial monofilament. They are impregnated in a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix. The design and morphology of the microfluidic channel and the maximum extraction force are studied depending on the woven fabric parameters. All reinforcements designed have been optimized to obtain a microfluidic channel with a diameter of around 500 µm and a length of 200 mm without fluid leakage. In addition, the woven reinforcement acted as a guide for the extraction of the sacrificial monofilament. The distribution of binding points allows the observation range to be modulated. Increasing the number of binding points results in a linear decrease in both visibility and extraction force.

Static and dynamic mechanical characterization and thermal analysis for multi‐ply structure of woven nettle (Girardinia diversifolia) reinforced poly(lactic acid) biocomposites

AbstractPoly(lactic acid) fiberwebs and multi‐ply assemblies of nettle woven reinforcement are used to develop a series of nettle/PLA biocomposites with different reinforcement orientations. The tensile strength, flexural strength, impact strength, and thermal properties of the biocomposites are found to improve by piling nettle fabrics and are also found to depend strongly on the piling architecture and the test direction. It is possible to obtain a biocomposite with higher degrees of isotropy and enhanced mechanical properties by using cross‐ply laminates. The three‐layered woven fabric reinforced PLA biocomposite with a reinforcement orientation 0°/45°/90° shows the best results among all the biocomposites developed in this study. The tensile strength, Young's (tensile) modulus, flexural strength, impact strength, storage modulus, and loss modulus of the biocomposite are found as 55.25 MPa, 6.30 GPa, 85.83 MPa, 63.74 J/m2, 10.08 GPa, and 0.75 GPa, respectively. In this biocomposite, a fair adhesion between matrix and reinforcement is noticed, and this is justified by retardation of crack propagation as well as by substantial energy dissipation. The thermal stability of the biocomposite does not get effected much, but the percent crystallinity increases by 25.84%. The degradation kinetics and the activation energy of the biocomposite are determined through a differential fitting of Arrhenius model. The soil burial test reveals 15.06% of weight loss and 50.56% strength loss for this biocomposite just after 20 days of burial under soil.Highlights Multi‐ply architecture of woven fabric reinforcement in nettle/PLA biocomposites. Nearly isotropic biocomposite through angle‐ply orientation of reinforcement. Biocomposite with remarkable static and dynamic mechanical properties. Augmented kinetic parameters through model fitting of Arrhenius equation. Biocomposite with excellent thermo‐recyclability and biodegradability.

Quasi‐static and high‐rate in‐plane shear tests on aramid and carbon fiber woven composites featuring a nanoparticle‐enriched high‐density polyethylene matrix

AbstractNanoparticles are known to enable the modification of the properties of the material they are integrated into. In the context of ballistic protection, previous works have demonstrated that graphene and Montmorillonite (MMT) particles included in high‐density polyethylene (HD‐PE) and used as a matrix enable an increase in the ballistic performance, of consolidated woven aramid fabrics. Furthermore, the ballistic performance has been reported to be influenced by the in‐plane shear properties of the impacted materials. In this context, quasi‐static and high‐rate in‐plane shear tests have been conducted on two types of reinforcements, aramid, and carbon woven fabrics, consolidated by a high‐density polyethylene matrix enriched by graphene, MMT and a mix of graphene and MMT nanoparticles. The conducted investigations provide for the first time in the literature the results of high‐rate in‐plane shear tests on aramid woven reinforcement consolidated with nanoparticle‐enriched and not enriched high‐density polyethylene composites. Despite the use of the same reinforcement and enriched matrix material as in previous works of literature, no significant differences in terms of in‐plane shear behavior have been observed for any of the different types of nanoparticles integrated into the matrix. Nevertheless, the obtained results demonstrate a clear strain rate sensitivity of the tested materials.Highlights Aramid and carbon fabrics were consolidated with nanoparticle‐enriched HD‐PE Quasi‐static and high‐rate in‐plane shear tests were conducted No influence of the nanoparticles could be identified A clear strain‐rate sensitivity could be identified for both composites

Delamination Characteristics of Aluminum-Composite Bonds: Impact of Reinforcements and Matrices

Adhesion properties of metal-composite bonds are crucial in defining composite capability with other metallic components, and failures could lead to severe accidents. Hence, the study is aimed at the development and characterization of metal-composite bonds using different rigid adherends and adhesive materials (thermoset and thermoplastics). Among natural fibers, jute was used, while aramid, carbon, and glass woven reinforcements were employed from synthetic fibers. A simultaneous comparison of both thermoset and thermoplastic matrices was done using epoxy, polypropylene (PP), and polyvinyl butadiene (PVB) as adhesive materials. Floating roller delamination characterization proved variation in adhesion qualities governing different failure modes by varying adhesive even in a single rigid adherend. The highest fracture toughness was observed for aluminum-jute bonds made with PP and PVB that was due to toughness of matrix and intralaminar failure. Carbon being brittle in nature showed the most fluctuated performance with a 90% difference between the highest value of carbon-PVB and the lowest value of carbon-epoxy. Thermoplastic matrices owing to plasticity offered overall more fracture toughness than brittle thermoset resin. Furthermore, intralaminar was the dominant failure mechanism in the jute-based bond made with thermoplastic matrix.

Effect of fillers and weave architecture hybridization on the impact performance of 3D woven hybrid green composites

AbstractThe eco‐friendly characteristics of green composites not only make them economically and technically viable but also contribute to the reduction of pollution. Green composites are developed by combining degradable fibers (primarily cellulosic materials) with natural resins. A disadvantage of green composites is their lower mechanical strength. To address this issue, 3D woven reinforcement along with fillers can be used to enhance the mechanical properties of green composites. In the current study, three different types of novel 3D woven hybrid structures, that is, hybrid through the thickness (HB‐1 (TT), novel woven layer‐to‐layer structure (HB‐2 (LL)), and layer‐to‐layer structure with double warp yarn (HB‐3 (LL)) were developed. Composites were fabricated using the compression molding technique. Three different concentrations (2%, 5%, and 8%) of nano clay (nanoparticles) were used as fillers and mixed in the green epoxy resin. Pendulum (Charpy) and drop weight impact tests of the composites were performed. The results showed that by the addition of nano particles the impact properties were increased. Nanoparticles showed a significant effect on impact strength. Charpy impact test results showed that the HB‐3 (LL) composite sample with 8% nanofillers showed the highest impact performance, while the HB‐1 (TT) composite sample with 8% nanofillers showed the highest impact performance during the drop weight impact test. By comparing the impact strength of the present work with that of similar research previously published, it is evident that our study achieved a remarkable improvement of 19.17%. This increase is due to the novel structures and nano fillers in the composite.Highlights Eco‐friendly green composites: economically feasible, minimizes pollution. Adding 3D woven structures to green composites improves their mechanical properties. Composite materials with nano clay fillers have increased impact resistance. The highest impact performance is shown by HB‐3 (LL) composites with 8% nanofillers.

Investigation of Metal Wire Mesh as Support Material for Dieless Forming of Woven Reinforcement Textiles

Within the rapidly growing market for fiber-reinforced plastics (FRPs), conventional production processes involving molds are not cost-efficient for prototype and small series production. Therefore, new flexible forming techniques are increasingly being researched, many of which have been inspired by incremental sheet metal forming (ISF). Due to the different deformation mechanisms of woven reinforcement fibers and metal sheets, ISF is not directly applicable to FRP. Instead, shear and bending of the fibers need to be realized. Therefore, a new dieless forming process for the production of FRP supported by metal wire mesh as an auxiliary material is proposed. Two standard tools, such as hemispherical punches, are used to locally bend a reversible layup of metal wire mesh and woven reinforcement fiber fabric enclosed in a vacuum bag. Therefore, the mesh aids in introducing shear into the material due to its ability to transmit compressive in-plane forces, and it ensures that the otherwise flexible fabric maintains the intended deformation until the part is cured or solidified. Basic experiments are conducted using thermoset prepreg, woven commingled yarn fabric, and thermoplastic organo sheets, proving the feasibility of the approach.

ANALISIS PERBANDINGAN ALTERNATIF PERKUATAN STABILITAS LERENG PADA REST AREA JALAN TOL SEMARANG – SOLO (Studi Kasus Rest Area Km. 456)

Soil/slope stabilization is a method used to increase the bearing capacity of a soil layer by giving special treatment to the soil layer. This study aims to determine the criteria for selecting the type of reinforcement, the advantages and disadvantages of geotextile woven reinforcement, gabions and geoframes, as well as to determine the priority order of slope reinforcement based on existing criteria in the construction work of the Semarang - Solo km toll road rest area. 456. The data in the study were obtained through a questionnaire with the respondents of this study consisting of 10 people who came from the job owner, job executor and work supervisory consultant. To choose slope stability reinforcement there are 5 criteria, namely cost, implementation time, labor, availability of materials and functions. The type of reinforcement used there are 3 alternatives including woven geotextiles, gabions and geoframes. Data analysis using AHP (Analitycal Hierarchy Process) method, data processing using Expert Choice software. The results of this study indicate that the woven geotextile reinforcement function criteria are superior with a weight of 0.375. Then from the criteria for the implementation of superior woven geotextile reinforcement with a weight of 0.587. Woven geotextiles are also superior in terms of labor and material availability with weights of 0.510 and 0.586, respectively. Meanwhile, in the criteria of superior gabion reinforcement function with a weight of 0.456. Woven geotextile reinforcement is the first priority based on the above criteria with a weight of 0.41,the priority of selecting the second reinforcement using gabions with a weight of 0.341 and strengthening using a geoframe is on the third priority with a weight of 0.248. While the realization in the field the use of woven geotextiles and geoframes is the most widely used compared to using gabions.

Mechanical, thermo-mechanical and biodegradation behaviour of surface-silanized nettle fabric-reinforced poly(lactic acid) composites

This article focuses on silanisation of reinforcement surfaces to improvise reinforcement-matrix interfaces for developing nettle/PLA biocomposites with enhanced mechanical, thermo-mechanical, and biodegradation properties. Two different silane coupling agents, namely Tri-ethoxy silyl propyl methacrylate (TES-PM) and Amino propyl tri-ethoxy silane (APTES) are taken at different levels of concentration and grafted on the surface of cellulosic nettle reinforcement. The degree of silanisation is measured as an evidence of successful coupling reaction determining the morphological, structural, chemical and mechanical characteristics of the nettle woven reinforcement. It is shown that the interfacial strength of the biocomposite depends on the functional moiety and the level of concentration of the silane coupling agents. It is demonstrated that an appropriate silane coupling agent with an optimal level of concentration brings forth substantial improvement in the static mechanical (tensile, flexural and impact), dynamic mechanical (storage & loss moduli and damping factor) and biodegradation properties of nettle/PLA biocomposite without significant change in the thermal properties.

Investigation on bio-sourced textile reinforcement for composite material based on sisal Moroccan yarns

The main objective of this paper aims at investigating the potential use of sisal yarn into composite material despite the inherent variability of properties of natural resources. A multi-scale approach of the behavior of sisal fiber woven reinforcements is conducted to understand and evaluate the different properties of woven reinforcements. At the yarn scale, a piezo-resistive sensor yarn was developed to assess deformations and stress concentrations in-situ in order to understand the material behavior during the weaving of woven reinforcements fibrous for bio-sourced composite materials. At the fabric scale, 2D woven reinforcements are developed based on a conventional weaving process. The production and characterization of composite sheets based on 2D woven reinforcements show the potential of sisal fiber woven reinforcements compared to natural fiber woven reinforcements from literature.

Experimental study on the morphology of three dimensional multilayered interlaced basalt woven reinforcements for composites

This study explores and discusses the morphology and microstructure of three-dimensional (3D) multilayered interlaced woven reinforcements for composites. Moreover, this study aims to analyze the differences in the internal geometry of woven reinforcements with different frequency and distribution of connecting points in multilayered woven reinforcement made from basalt fibers. X-ray microcomputed tomography images and the NIS-elements software were used to analyze the microstructure of five different fabrics with connecting points ranging from 1 cm × 1 cm to 5 cm × 5 cm. In the conclusion, the three basic objectives of the study are evaluated: (1) the difference between the upper and lower fabrics in a two-layer reinforcement with difference in the distribution and frequency of connecting points in the fabric area, (2) the shifting of horizontal and vertical fabric layers and mean skewness of contour functions of all tested reinforcements, (3) the thickness, packing density, and volumetric porosity of reinforcements to predict composite behavior during composite preparation.

Potential applications of basalt fibre composites in thermal shielding

This present study demonstrates the applicability of basalt fibre-reinforced polymer (BFRP) composite materials in thermal shielding. Basalt fibres are produced from natural, sustainable sources and obtain comparable mechanical performance to commercial glass fibres. In addition to their mechanical strength, BFRPs have excellent chemical and heat resistance. Basalt fibres tend to have a higher thermal stability than their competitor glass fibres. The heat resistance of basalt fibres derives from the volcanic origin of the raw material basalt gabbro. These favourable features make BFRP composites an attractive group of materials for application in several industries. To test the fire resistance of the materials, we produced mono and hybrid composite plates from different types of basalt reinforcement structures (milled fibres, chopped fibres and woven fabric) and epoxy resin. Surface treatment with silane coupling agents significantly improved the mechanical and thermomechanical properties of BFRPs by up to 70%. Three-point bending tests were performed to determine the flexural properties of the composite specimens, and their fire behaviour was evaluated with a horizontal burning test, and a novel jet fire test assisted with infrared thermal imaging. Higher fibre content in hybrid laminates decreased the linear burning rate by 8%, and the maximum surface temperature was approximately 80 °C lower after jet fire impingement compared to woven reinforcement structure.

Impact of auxeticity on mechanical properties of3Dwoven auxetic reinforced thermoplastic composites

Abstract3D woven composites are currently used in high‐tech applications due to their better mechanical properties than 2D laminated composites. To further enhance the mechanical performance of 3D woven composites, auxetic structures can be used as reinforcement. The auxetic structures showed better mechanical properties due to bidimensional energy dissipation capability. Orthogonal 3D woven structures showed inherent auxetic nature, however, the use of brittle thermoset resins in composites fully limits their auxeticity. To overcome this issue, three types of 3D woven auxetic structures (warp, weft, and bidirectional interlocks) were developed and used as reinforcement with thermoplastic resins (PC and PVB). Auxeticity of woven reinforcement, and tensile, flexural (3‐point), and short beam shear (SBS) tests of composites were conducted. Auxeticity results revealed that the warp interlock structure showed the highest auxeticity, while the bidirectional interlock structure exhibited the least auxeticity due to the high number of intersections and crimp %. Furthermore, warp interlock composite structure showed 47%, 49.5%, and 37% higher tensile, flexural, and shear strength values, respectively than bidirectional interlock structure in warp direction with PC resin. The overall results showed that auxetic reinforcement improved the mechanical performance of 3D woven composites.

Frictional and Cohesion Behavior of Natural Tows in Order to Assess the Tow Sliding during Composite Forming

The tow sliding defect cause of the apparition of gaps in the reinforcement during woven reinforcement preforming is due to tows failing to accommodate the shape and sliding instead of holding together. The main reason for the defect formation can be attributed to increased pressure or tensions in some tows. Several parameters such as the reinforcement material, weave and tows orientation can significantly impact the sliding of tows and the apparition of the defect. In order to assess the tow sliding, it is important to understand the frictional behavior of the tows as units and the effect of the cohesion of the reinforcement as a whole. In this study, the frictional behavior of the tows was compared to their sliding behavior inside the reinforcement as whole in different conditions using two different methods.

A Comparative Study to Evaluate the Essential Work of Fracture to Measure the Fracture Toughness of Quasi-Brittle Material.

In the present work, three different woven composite laminates were fabricated using the hand lay-up method. The woven reinforcement fibres were carbon fibres (CFRP), glass fibres (GFRP-W) and (GFRP-R) in combination with epoxy resin. Then, the central notch specimen tensile test (CNT) was used to measure the fracture toughness and the corresponding surface release energy (). Then, the data were compared with the essential work of fracture (we) values based on the stored energy of the body to obtain a new standard fracture toughness test for composite laminates using relatively simple techniques. In addition to an extended finite element model, XFEM was implemented over a central notch specimen geometry to obtain a satisfactory validation of the essential work of fracture concepts. Therefore, the average values of () were measured with CNT specimens 25.15 kJ/m2, 32.5 kJ/m2 and 20.22 kJ/m2 for CFRP, GFRP-W and GFRP-R, respectively. The data are very close as the percentage error for the surface release energy measured by the two methods was 0.83, 4.6 and 5.16 for carbon, glass and random fibre composite laminates, respectively. The data for the fracture toughness of XFEM are also very close. The percentage error is 4.6, 5.25 and 2.95 for carbon, glass and random fibre composite laminates, respectively. Therefore, the fundamental work of the fracture concept is highly recommended as a fracture toughness test for composite laminates or quasi-brittle Material.

An efficient hyper-elastic model for the preforming simulation of Carbon-Kevlar hybrid woven reinforcement

An efficient hyper-elastic model that can reflect the primary mechanical behaviors of Carbon-Kevlar hybrid woven reinforcement was developed and implemented with VUMAT constitutive code for preforming simulation. The model parameters were accurately determined through the uniaxial and bias-extension tests. To calibrate the simulation code, preforming experiments of hybrid woven reinforcement over the hemisphere mold and tetrahedron mold were respectively conducted to validate the proposed hyper-elastic model. The comparison between the simulations and experiments shows that the model can not only accurately capture shear angle distribution and geometry shape after deformation, but also accurately predict the force–displacement curve and potential fiber tensile failure during the preforming process. This result indicates that the proposed model can be used to predict the preforming behavior of Carbon-Kevlar hybrid woven reinforcement, and simulate its manufacturing process of complicated geometry.

Impact Performance of Three-dimensional Woven Composites with Novel Binding Yarn Patterns

ABSTRACT This research offered an experimental examination of the effect of binder yarns, and 3D woven patterns on impact (Charpy and drop weight impact), and compression after impact (CAI) performance of seven (07) different kinds of 3D woven jute/green epoxy composites. Along with four (04) typical classifications of 3D woven reinforcements i.e., OLL, OTT, ALL, ATT, and three (03) novel (hybrid) 3D reinforcements i.e., H1 (OTT and ATT interlocking pattern), H2 (OTT and ALL interlocking pattern), H3 (OLL warp and weft interlocks “bidirectional”) were also developed on dobby weaving machine. OTT composite displayed the highest amount of impact strength during Charpy impact in both in-plane directions i.e., warp and weft in comparison with others due to the existence of the truly vertical binder yarns which is comparable with H1. While ALL sample exhibited the highest value of maximum load, work done, and energy absorbed during the 3 J and 6 J drop weight impact energies which is nearest comparable with hybrid 3 (H3) composite. H3 composite sample revealed the highest value of compression after impact (CAI) stress and modulus in both energy levels due to the presence of both warp and weft binder yarns in a single 3D structure.

Fitness analysis of experimental results and finite element simulation results about bullet velocity based on ABAQUS simulation for impact of three dimensional woven reinforced composite

Four layers of glass fiber filaments with the fineness of 2400 tex were used as warp yarns, five layers of glass filaments with the fineness of 600 tex were used as weft yarns 110 tex and aramid fibers were used as Z yarns to process a three-dimensional woven reinforcement. Then, 307-3 unsaturated polyester resin was used as the matrix, and the three-dimensional woven reinforced composite was prepared by the VARTM method (resin transfer molding method). The bullet impact composite was modeled by ABAQUS (Finite element software). The starting conditions of the bullet incidence and the actual conditions were set consistently to analyze the change of the remaining velocity and acceleration of the bullet and the worth energy loss after the bullet impact. The results showed that the theoretical and experimental values of bullet incidence velocity and residual bullet velocity were linearly related. When the impact velocity of bullet incidence was higher, the slope of the straight line of the initial phase of bullet velocity decrease was larger, and the peak of the absolute value of acceleration after bullet impact was larger. The calculated value of energy loss after bullet impact simulation is basically consistent with the experimental value, This also fully proved that the bullet impact composite material model established was correct and effective.

Optimization of the Young's modulus of woven composite material made by Raphia vinifiera fiber/epoxy

This work focuses on the optimal design of the woven fabrics made from Raphia vinifiera, fiber, and their contribution as reinforcing element in the epoxy matrix. The work is done alternately experimentally and theoretically. The woven made of canvas, twill and satin armor are characterized in traction according to the ISO13934-1 standard [1]. A predictive mathematical model of Young's modulus of the woven with the greatest rigidity is established. The woven reinforcement composite made is characterized in traction and bending according to EN ISO 527-5 [2] and NF EN ISO 14125 [3] standards. In order to determine the reinforcement rate which gives the highest young modulus of the material, the gradient method was applied on some prediction equations of Young's modulus of composite material. Then find the prediction equation that best corresponds to the composite made. The results showed that mathematical modeling works corroborates with experimental works. On the woven fabrics the canvas armor has the highest Young's modulus in the warp and weft direction (2.429, 21.164 GPa). Followed by twill (2315, 18 741 GPa) and satin (2184, 18.54 GPa). On the composite, the reinforcement rate from which the material is optimized is 50%. The composite young's moduli in the warp and weft direction resulting from the tensile and bending tests of the composite are respectively (3.644, 7.31 GPa) and (1.802, 4.52). In a nutshell, this work presents the theoretical and experimental aspect of the best material which can be obtained with R. vinifiera fiber with respect to its Young modulus.