{"title":"Exceptional strength-toughness-hardness integrated B4C ceramics with synergistic reinforcement of nano-BN and in-situ ceramic phases","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.compositesb.2024.111921","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compositesb.2024.111921","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Boron carbide (B<sub>4</sub>C) ceramics with enhanced mechanical properties were fabricated by incorporating nano boron nitride (nano-BN), obtained through high-energy ball milling (HEBM) using ZrO<sub>2</sub> balls as the medium, and utilizing the spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique. During the densification process of B<sub>4</sub>C/nano-BN composite powders, an <em>in-situ</em> reaction between the B<sub>4</sub>C matrix and ZrO<sub>2</sub> resulted in the formation of ZrB<sub>2</sub> ceramic phases at 1200–1300 °C. Additionally, the rapid sintering densification temperature of composites is reduced to 1500–1700 °C, approximately 80 °C lower than that required for pure B<sub>4</sub>C ceramics. Notably, while maintaining a high relative density (99.5 %), the Vickers hardness, flexural strength, and fracture toughness of B<sub>4</sub>C ceramics reinforced with synergistic effects of nano-BN and ZrB<sub>2</sub> fabricated at 1750 °C are significantly improved to reach values of 36.8 ± 0.15 GPa, 701 ± 12 MPa, and 5.01 ± 0.13 MPa m<sup>1/2</sup> respectively; representing an increase of 3.5 GPa (10.5 %), 225 MPa (47.3 %), and 1.72 MPa m<sup>1/2</sup> (52.3 %) compared to pure B<sub>4</sub>C ceramics alone. The multiple reinforcement mechanisms including pinning effects provided by nano-BN and <em>in-situ</em> formed ZrB<sub>2</sub> ceramic phases, B<sub>4</sub>C/ZrB<sub>2</sub> grain boundary pressure and intracrystalline pressure within B<sub>4</sub>C, interlayer dislocations of nano-BN and turbulent layer of B<sub>4</sub>C/BN boundaries contribute to energy dissipation during fracture processes, such as crack deflection, bridging, propagation hindrance and branching effect; ultimately resulting in exceptional strength-toughness-hardness integrated B<sub>4</sub>C-based ceramics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10660,"journal":{"name":"Composites Part B: Engineering","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":12.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142530813","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Natural loofah sponge inspired 3D printed bionic scaffolds promote personalized bone defect regeneration","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.compositesb.2024.111920","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compositesb.2024.111920","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Critical-sized bone defects pose serious health concerns for patients. Clinically, the use of functionalized bone implants has emerged as an effective solution. However, the rapid advancement in drug and biomaterials has led to an increasing design cost, triggering discussions in the field about how to efficiently create customized functional bone implants. Inspired by the unique structure of natural loofah sponges that effectively deliver nutrients to seeds, we designed a functionalized bone implant emulating this structure. Drug-release gradients were achieved through the application of different concentrations of hydrogels within the composite scaffold. This approach allowed active substances to be released outwardly during the early stage of bone repair, sustaining a local drug micro-environment within the implant scaffold that promotes angiogenesis and osteogenic differentiation in damaged areas. In vivo experiments showed that our loofah sponge bionic scaffold outperformed traditional hydroxyapatite scaffolds by promoting both bone and vascular regeneration. We expect the design of loofah sponge bionic scaffold could potentially deliver an effective strategy in the development of functionalized bone implants.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10660,"journal":{"name":"Composites Part B: Engineering","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":12.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142561465","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Optimisation of a composite pressure vessel dome using non-geodesic tow paths and automated fibre placement manufacturing","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.compositesb.2024.111906","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compositesb.2024.111906","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Filament winding lacks the flexibility to produce composite pressure vessels with highly optimised thickness and fibre angles. Automated fibre placement can overcome this limitation using its selective material placement capability. In this work, two dome thickness optimisation strategies are introduced and evaluated for mass reduction and manufacturability. Additionally, fifteen non-geodesic fibre paths were examined using finite element analysis (FEA). The combined thickness and fibre angle optimised domes averaged a 48.94 % improvement in structural efficiency from the baseline. A demonstrator was manufactured, and thickness and fibre angle were measured with average differences of 3.45 % and 1.86 % from the simulations. Finally, hydrostatic pressure testing was performed to validate the FEA.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10660,"journal":{"name":"Composites Part B: Engineering","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":12.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142530809","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The behaviour of micro-injection moulding inserts produced with material jetting technology","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.compositesb.2024.111913","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compositesb.2024.111913","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The increasing interest in additive manufacturing and advancements in precision and production quality have sparked attention to its use in industrial prototyping. High-performance polymer resins enhance flexibility in mass production processes like micro-injection moulding. This flexibility allows for reconfigurable moulds using resin inserts, enabling the transition of devices, such as microfluidics, from labs to large-scale production. Despite progress, limitations exist in additive manufacturing, including the minimum size of microstructures and the brittle behaviour of resin inserts during moulding cycles, impacting overall production capacity. This study focuses on using a micro-injection moulding machine to reproduce PMMA thin plates with single straight microchannels (250 μm) and with different side wall angles (0°, 15°, and 30°), investigating the best compromise between capability and insert resistance to moulding cycles. A careful study of the dynamics leading to the insert failure and the resin limits was carried out. The results showed that it is possible to produce about 15 micro-structured thin plates with good accuracy using a resin insert realised with Material Jetting technology.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10660,"journal":{"name":"Composites Part B: Engineering","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":12.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142530812","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Pull-off Behavior of Stitched Composite T-Joints","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.compositesb.2024.111911","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compositesb.2024.111911","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>T-joints are key structural elements that connect opposing surfaces, thereby providing the load path between flat or curved panels (i.e., upper and lower wing skins) and transverse components (i.e., stiffeners). Due to the low interlaminar strength of polymer matrix composites and their geometrical discontinuities, these joints are vulnerable to pull-off loads. To address these issues, through-thickness reinforcements can be employed to enhance the interlaminar capability of these type of joints. In this study, T-joints were manufactured using through-thickness stitching in dry carbon preforms and cured using the vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) process. Stitched and unstitched T-joints were tested under pull-off loading conditions, and surface strain fields were obtained using a 3D digital image correlation system. The ultimate load, displacement, and absorbed energy of the stitched T-joints were greater than their unstitched counterparts by approximately 16 %, 34 %, and 58 %, respectively. Failure mechanisms were identified by examining fracture surfaces using optical microscopy. Results demonstrate that through-thickness stitching significantly improves the damage tolerance of T-joints, which highlights the effectiveness of stitching to enhance the structural integrity of large aerospace components.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10660,"journal":{"name":"Composites Part B: Engineering","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":12.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142552754","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A novel model for predicting deformation of thermoplastic composites during heat-pressing process","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.compositesb.2024.111912","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compositesb.2024.111912","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Carbon fiber/polyetheretherketone (CF/PEEK) thermoplastic composites are widely used in the aerospace industry due to their excellent mechanical properties and high-temperature resistance. However, the research on heat-pressing deformation and residual stress during high-temperature and high-pressure heat-pressing processes in CF/PEEK was relatively deficient. In this paper, a framework coupled with crystallization kinetics, micromechanics and thermodynamics was developed to predict the heat-pressing deformations of CF/PEEK and it was conducted by UMAT, DISP and UEXPAN subroutines. Moreover, the predictive model was verified by experiments effectively. Finally, we compared the difference in residual stress distributions between symmetric and asymmetric lay-ups and found that the melting temperature, thickness, angle and sequence of layers have a significant impact on the heat-pressing deformation. This work provided an effective tool for predicting heat-pressing deformations, which is great of significance in the manufacturing and application of CF/PEEK.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10660,"journal":{"name":"Composites Part B: Engineering","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":12.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142530810","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Fibre waviness reduction in thermoplastic pultrusion by using DREF yarns","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.compositesb.2024.111908","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compositesb.2024.111908","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Non-reactive thermoplastic pultrusion impregnation issues are mitigated by using hybrid input materials. Co-wound (CW) and commingled yarns are an assembly of continuous polymer and reinforcement fibres. Continuous thermoplastic fibres have shown to induce waviness in the reinforcement fibres during pultrusion due to their shrinkage at high temperature. DREF yarns are composed of a core of continuous reinforcement fibres onto which discontinuous polymer fibres are applied using the friction spinning process. This study, based on the application of 3 N and 0 N tension on CW and DREF yarns, aimed to highlight the contribution of discontinuous polymer fibres on reducing reinforcement waviness in pultruded rods. CW yarns’ reaction to heating showed continuous polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibres shrinkage resulting in wavy glass fibres (GF). Conversely, the GF in DREF yarns remained straight. Pultrusion experiments with yarn tension of 3 N were done to alleviate the GF waviness. However, the porosity was rather high at 4.2 % for CW rods and 2.3 % for DREF rods. Pultrusion experiments without tension showed lower porosity of level of 2.9 % for CW yarns and as low as 1.1 % for DREF yarns. However, CT-scan image indicated GF waviness in CW rods. GF in DREF rods remained straight. The in-plane shear strength reached 119 MPa. Thermoplastic pultrusion using DREF yarns resulted in composites without reinforcement fibre waviness, lower porosity level and superior shear strength.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10660,"journal":{"name":"Composites Part B: Engineering","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":12.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142530807","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"One-dimensional N-layer thermal modelling for effective machine learning training data generation for nondestructive testing of composite parts with infrared thermography","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.compositesb.2024.111902","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compositesb.2024.111902","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The analytical solution of the one-dimensional N-layer thermal model (NLM) was successfully employed to generate training data for a machine learning (ML) based procedure for the nondestructive inspection of carbon fiber reinforced composite parts with infrared thermography (IRT). The main objective was to identify a reliable correlation between the experimental data of a pulsed IRT experiment and the NLM prediction, thereby enabling the use of simulated data for ML training. This paper focuses on the initial stages of this process, in more detail on the analytical modelling and experimental data preprocessing, such as normalization, correction of experimental shortcomings and feature selection for machine learning. For pulse phase thermography (PPT) simulated and experimentally derived phase data was compared directly in the frequency domain. Therefore, the features for training and validation of ML were defined from those phase spectra in frequency domain. The suitability of these features for automated and reliable defect depth and/or defect material detection was investigated in both simulated and measured IRT test data. As a basis for feature selection, we used referenced and normalized phase-frequency curves as a function of defect depth. A correlation was identified between the results of the experimental and the simulated feature sets, both qualitatively and quantitatively. To demonstrate the practical applicability of this method, two different, generic ML techniques, multilayer perceptron and random forest regression, were tested as examples. The investigation was performed on plates made of multidirectional carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) with artificial defects made from three different materials.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10660,"journal":{"name":"Composites Part B: Engineering","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":12.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142552753","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The effect of particle toughening layers on the material processibility and forming characteristics of carbon fibre/epoxy prepregs","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.compositesb.2024.111907","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compositesb.2024.111907","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Introducing toughening materials between laminas is a common approach to enhance the interlaminar toughness of composite materials, thereby improving the crack resistance and damage tolerance. Various physical formats of toughening materials, including particles, veils, and mats, have been introduced. However, the incorporation of solid and separately phased tougheners alters not only the mechanical characteristics of prepregs but also their processability during layup and forming. This alteration can lead to unpredictable forming behaviour and the generation of defects during manufacturing, which has not been extensively investigated.</div><div>In this work, the effect of interleaving tougheners on the forming and consolidation characteristics of carbon/epoxy prepregs was investigated by measuring the interply friction and bulk factor of prepreg stacks incorporating polyamide particle tougheners of various sizes and shapes at the ply interfaces. Additionally, the feasibility of single diaphragm forming without heating by utilising the low friction characteristic of the particle-coated prepreg surface was explored.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10660,"journal":{"name":"Composites Part B: Engineering","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":12.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142530808","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Plasma-assisted particle deposition manufacturing: Multi-functional integrated superhigh temperature thermal protection coating on niobium alloy","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.compositesb.2024.111905","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compositesb.2024.111905","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Multi-functional integrated thermal protection coating is a promising approach for the high-temperature protection of niobium alloy while facing multiple extremely harsh environments, while hard to avoid the complex/multi-step preparation process. Particularly, a simultaneous demonstration of multi-functional features is still challenging. Herein, a novel HfC-HfO<sub>2</sub>-MoSi<sub>2</sub>-Yb<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> multi-functional layer has been fabricated on the NbSi<sub>2</sub> layer surface via plasma-assisted particle deposition manufacturing, endowing the modified silicide-based multilayer composite coating with multiple thermal protective characteristics. The composite coating shows excellent hot corrosion resistance with a corrosion gain of 3.56 mg cm<sup>−2</sup> after 200 h, the intact coating structure after three thermal cycles of fast rise and fall from 25 °C–1800 °C, and a high thermal emissivity of above 0.9, as well as the good high-temperature oxidation resistance and ablation resistance demonstrated in our previous study. The superior multiple thermal protective characteristics are attributed to the synergistic effects of multi-functional particles. HfC particle provides the anti-ablation skeleton, MoSi<sub>2</sub> particle provides more SiO<sub>2</sub> glass phase and seals defects, Yb<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> particle acts as the stabilizer of glass network, and matching vibration absorption of multiphase/multi-chemical bonds endow the high emissivity of coating. Our work paves the new way and provides an inexpensive and environmentally friendly approach for the development of a new class of multi-functional integrated thermal protection materials.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10660,"journal":{"name":"Composites Part B: Engineering","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":12.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142530859","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}