Chenxu Wang , Yilong Zhang , Wenyuan Yu , Shun Yang , Cunfu Wang , Shikai Jing
{"title":"Topology optimization of shell–infill structures for maximum stiffness and fundamental frequency","authors":"Chenxu Wang , Yilong Zhang , Wenyuan Yu , Shun Yang , Cunfu Wang , Shikai Jing","doi":"10.1016/j.compstruct.2025.118879","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compstruct.2025.118879","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Shell–infill structures, composed of the high strength shell and porous infill, have been used in lightweight design for enhancing the load-bearing and energy absorption capabilities. In this paper, we propose a shell–infill structure modeling method based on the Gaussian function and conducts multi-objective topology optimization for maximum stiffness and fundamental frequency. After two-step density filtering in the density-based topology optimization, the Gaussian function is introduced to map the intermediate densities to extract the shell. The shell thickness is controlled by the parameters of the Gaussian function and the filter radius, and their relationship is also derived. Pseudo modes are often found in eigenvalue optimization problems using the Solid Isotropic Material with Penalization (SIMP). By integrating the design variable into the penalization, we propose the Solid Isotropic Material with Variable Penalization (SIMVP) that can effectively suppress the pseudo modes. The proposed interpolation function is applied to the material model of the shell–infill structure. Numerical examples in both 2D and 3D are presented to verify the effectiveness of the multi-objective topology optimization method for shell–infill structures. Additionally, the effects of weights in the objective function, filter radius, parameters of the Gaussian function, constraints, and material properties on the optimization results are investigated.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":281,"journal":{"name":"Composite Structures","volume":"356 ","pages":"Article 118879"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143143959","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effect of symmetric interleaved/microarray structure films on flexural properties and fracture toughness of carbon fiber reinforced polymer","authors":"Xueqing Liu, Gongdong Wang, Chengyang Xu, Meng Wang, Lei Bai, Jiayi Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.compstruct.2025.118849","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compstruct.2025.118849","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites have attracted much attention due to their exceptional properties, but research into effective toughening strategies remain limited. In this study, polyethersulfone (PES), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and carbon black (CB) were employed as toughening materials. The effects of varying mixing ratios, symmetric interleaved films, and microstructured films were evaluated using three-point bending, mode I, and mode II interlayer fracture toughness tests. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) provided insights into the toughening mechanisms of PES/CNTs/CB films, particularly in relation to their symmetric interleaved and microarray structures. The results showed that optimizing the CNT-to-CB ratio to 3:2 significantly enhanced the in-plane flexural properties and mode II interlaminar fracture toughness of CFRP. Symmetric interleaved films (SI(34)) increased mode II fracture toughness by 242.51%, while films with a synergistic microarray structure (SI(34)/M) achieved an even greater improvement of 262.79%. Mode I fracture toughness was also notably enhanced. These findings contribute to the advancement of interlayer toughening technology, highlighting its potential applications in aerospace, automotive, and electronics industries.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":281,"journal":{"name":"Composite Structures","volume":"355 ","pages":"Article 118849"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143142994","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Taeyong Park , Yewon Jang , Dohyun Ahn, Yunho Lee, Yunsang Kwak, Jaehwan Kim
{"title":"Wave propagation-based characterization of 3D-printed soft auxetic structures","authors":"Taeyong Park , Yewon Jang , Dohyun Ahn, Yunho Lee, Yunsang Kwak, Jaehwan Kim","doi":"10.1016/j.compstruct.2025.118874","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compstruct.2025.118874","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Recent advances in soft mechanical metamaterials, which exhibit unique dynamic behaviors and anti-fragility, have led to the adoption of soft auxetic structures, one of several types of emerging functional structures, step-by-step into practical applications in the electronics, automotive, construction, and robotics fields. However, predicting the dynamic characteristics of soft auxetic structures remains a challenge, which in turn limits their applications due to a lack of comprehensive understanding of the structures. Here, through wave propagation-based theoretical modeling and experiments, a numerical method was presented to evaluate the dynamic properties of 3D soft auxetic structures composed of a viscoelastic polymer. 3D soft auxetic structures with three different unit cell sizes of re-entrant honeycomb were fabricated using a 3D printer. The theoretical procedure for predicting dynamic behaviors of the auxetic structures was presented and verified via comparison with wave propagation experiments. The frequency-dependent wavenumbers of the auxetic structures were derived by the Newton-Raphson method utilizing the predicted and measured transfer functions. The dynamic modulus and loss factor of the auxetic structures were then determined using the wavenumbers. This numerical approach is expected to provide a broader understanding of soft auxetic structures, which will lead to an expansion of the application fields.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":281,"journal":{"name":"Composite Structures","volume":"356 ","pages":"Article 118874"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143143382","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Resistance to crack propagation of a composite with recycled jute fabric – Polypropylene","authors":"Lamia Benhamadouche , Nafissa Moussaoui , Ahmed Benkhelif , Mohammad Jawaid , Mansour Rokbi , Hocine Osmani , Hassan Fouad , Balbir Singh","doi":"10.1016/j.compstruct.2025.118884","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compstruct.2025.118884","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the mechanical properties of PP/jute fabric laminates in different weave configurations (Satin, Serge 2x2, and Taffetas), focusing on toughness, stress intensity, energy restitution rate, and fracture energies. The results show a narrow toughness range (2.9 to 3.7 MPa.m<sup>1/2</sup>) across configurations. Stress intensity factor peaks at 6 MPa.m<sup>1/2</sup> for three composites, with one (Bio-Com B) reaching 8.5 MPa.m<sup>1/2</sup>. Energy restitution rate increases with crack growth, with Bio-Com B exceeding others at 24 kJ/m<sup>2</sup>. Fracture energy trends are consistent across materials, with weave having a notable influence on properties beyond a specific crack growth value. The study highlights the significant effect of reinforcement architecture on laminate mechanical properties, especially in fracture energy and crack growth resistance. It concludes that recycled jute/PP composites offer promising, sustainable alternatives for furniture and construction due to their superior cracking resistance and environmental benefits.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":281,"journal":{"name":"Composite Structures","volume":"356 ","pages":"Article 118884"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143143383","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xuelin Li , Zhuangzhuang Li , Zhuoyu Guo , Zongtao Guo , Zonglai Mo , Jun Li
{"title":"A novel hybrid star honeycomb with individually adjustable second plateau stresses","authors":"Xuelin Li , Zhuangzhuang Li , Zhuoyu Guo , Zongtao Guo , Zonglai Mo , Jun Li","doi":"10.1016/j.compstruct.2025.118881","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compstruct.2025.118881","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Auxetic honeycombs, especially those with double-plateau stress characteristics, have become a hot research area in energy absorption. Hence, in this study, a novel star double-arrow honeycomb (SDAH) is constructed via a combined design of star honeycomb and double-arrow honeycomb. The mechanical properties of SDAH under quasi-static crushing were analyzed in depth using theoretical derivation and numerical simulation, and corresponding experimental verification studies were conducted. Theoretical, experimental, and numerical results show that SDAH exhibits two-step deformation characteristics with two plateau regions on its stress–strain curve. Based on the collapse mechanism of representative cell elements, a theoretical model to predict the stresses of the two plateaus was established. Subsequently, a systematic parametric study reveals that adjusting the design parameters controlling the double-arrow geometrical configuration can control the second plateau stress of SDAH individually. In addition, the cell wall angle of the star structure mainly affects the deformation mode, dual-plateau characteristics, and Poisson’s ratio of SDAH. Finally, a comparative study with the classical star honeycomb reveals that the SDAH exhibits a higher specific stress level and enhanced energy absorption capacity. The proposed SDAH has the property that the second plateau stress can be adjusted individually, making it a promising future application in the field of smart energy absorption.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":281,"journal":{"name":"Composite Structures","volume":"356 ","pages":"Article 118881"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143143385","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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 series of metamaterials exhibiting negative thermal expansion inspired by leaflet pattern in compound leaf","authors":"Qiao Zhang, Yuxin Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.compstruct.2025.118883","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compstruct.2025.118883","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The integrity of multifunctional materials will be the focal point and emphasis in material development when facing increasingly complex environments and stricter requirements. The present work initiates an inspired design and conducts a comprehensive analysis of thermo-stretching-dominated metamaterials with negative thermal expansion (NTE) to provide diverse options for multifunctional requirements. Inspired by leaflet patterns in compound leaf, nine NTE metamaterials, including five novel structures, are proposed by varying the number (2, 3, and 4) of struts with high coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) based on the fork-shaped structures. Additionally, novel complete structures and hybrid versions of these metamaterials are proposed to enhance structural stiffness while preserving NTE properties through the construction of stable triangle microstructures. Theoretical analysis is employed to establish analytical models of CTE for these metamaterials, while the stiffness matrix method is used for efficient calculation of their effective stiffness, Poisson’s ratio, and strength, which is validated by numerical simulations. The angle <em>θ</em> emerges as a particularly significant parameter influencing these effective thermoelastic properties. Compared with other metamaterials, the present metamaterials exhibit slightly higher effective stiffness while maintaining NTE concurrently and can also achieve the maximal NTE characteristic. Comparisons between these metamaterials demonstrate their feasibility for multifunctional applications across diverse scenarios according to specific property requirements. The proposal of these novel metamaterials can provide more options to cater to diverse engineering requirements such as aerospace satellite structures, high-precision space telescope mirrors, constructional engineering, etc.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":281,"journal":{"name":"Composite Structures","volume":"356 ","pages":"Article 118883"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143143508","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nerea Hurtado-Alonso , Javier Manso-Morato , Víctor Revilla-Cuesta , Marta Skaf
{"title":"Strength-based RSM optimization of concrete containing coarse recycled concrete aggregate and raw-crushed wind-turbine blade","authors":"Nerea Hurtado-Alonso , Javier Manso-Morato , Víctor Revilla-Cuesta , Marta Skaf","doi":"10.1016/j.compstruct.2025.118895","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compstruct.2025.118895","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA) and Raw-Crushed Wind-Turbine Blade (RCWTB) are waste materials obtained from decommissioned wind turbines after crushing their foundations and blades, respectively. Their use as raw materials in concrete allows their recycling. RCA increases concrete sustainability, while the fibers of Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) in RCWTB (66.8 % wt.) improve its bending performance. Nevertheless, only balanced waste combinations provide an adequate concrete behavior. Following a characterization of concrete in terms of fresh and strength performance, Response Surface Method (RSM) was conducted based on the experimental results to define the optimum waste combinations to reach a concrete strength performance adequate for engineering applications. RSM highlighted the need to limit the RCWTB content to 3 % to reach a compressive strength higher than 45 MPa, while amounts below 3 % and above 7 % would allow obtaining a flexural strength over 5.5 MPa. In both cases, the maximum content of coarse RCA should be 80 %. 70 % coarse RCA and a RCWTB amount between 6 % and 10 % would enable to develop concrete mixes with conventional strengths of 30–40 MPa under compression and 5 MPa under bending. RSM results revealed that RCWTB and their GFRP fibers properly behave in concrete with coarse RCA.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":281,"journal":{"name":"Composite Structures","volume":"356 ","pages":"Article 118895"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143143377","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Impact of material and geometrical parameters on the aeroelastic tailoring of uni-directional composite plate-wings","authors":"Mahshid Sharifi, Angela Vincenti, Jean-Camille Chassaing","doi":"10.1016/j.compstruct.2025.118839","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compstruct.2025.118839","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With the growing popularity of composite materials in aeronautics, the study of the influence of their anisotropic properties has been extended from the classical structural problems to the aeroelastic behaviour of aeronautical structures. This type of studies is referred to as aeroelastic tailoring, which implies the optimisation of the composite structure in order to improve its aeroelastic performance. While there has been some work done in this field, the related complex non-linear and non-convex optimisation problems render the investigation of the anisotropic domain quite complicated and costly without predefined simplifications. Such limitations can affect the quality of the optimisation results and overlook some favourable properties. This work focuses on the reformulation of the aeroelastic optimisation problem, in order to achieve a faster convergence with more reliable control over the elastic properties of the final structure. For this purpose a two-level multi-scale optimisation method is carried out. First, a parametric formulation is employed for the optimisation of the aeroelastic behaviour based on the polar formalism for the representation of 2D anisotropic elasticity. Next, a second-level study is considered associated to the retrieval of a stacking sequence with identical properties as the optimal parameters issued from the first-level problem.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":281,"journal":{"name":"Composite Structures","volume":"355 ","pages":"Article 118839"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143143000","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Investigation of Variable Taper Angle Design in Highly Tapered Laminates for Delaying Delamination","authors":"Fırat Ergin , Altan Kayran","doi":"10.1016/j.compstruct.2025.118918","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compstruct.2025.118918","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Specific requirements in aircraft components may necessitate the use of high taper angles in the thickness transition region of composite laminates, leading to early delamination initiation at the thin side of the taper region. This study demonstrates that nonlinear taper geometries could significantly delay delamination in highly tapered laminates. A method is proposed to define the taper geometry with a single design parameter, and the effectiveness of the proposed variable taper angle design, a nonlinear taper geometry, on delamination is demonstrated. Delamination analysis is performed utilizing cohesive elements by incorporating the compression-induced shear enhancement effect. Finite element model is validated through a comparison of the numerical results with the experimental results of single-stage ply drop-off specimens. This study revealed that by utilizing the variable taper angle design, the thin section delamination can be delayed by reducing the stress concentrations in the taper region. For tapered laminates with the particular multi-stage ply drop-off configuration investigated, the proposed concept provided a 35% increase for GFRP laminates and an 81% increase for CFRP laminates in the delamination onset load with the proper choice of the taper angle increment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":281,"journal":{"name":"Composite Structures","volume":"357 ","pages":"Article 118918"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143265635","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ahmed D. Almutairi , Yiqing Dai , Maolin Luo , Yu Bai
{"title":"Ductile flexural behavior of composite sandwich structures with brittle fibre polymer facesheets and timber core","authors":"Ahmed D. Almutairi , Yiqing Dai , Maolin Luo , Yu Bai","doi":"10.1016/j.compstruct.2025.118922","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compstruct.2025.118922","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Glass fibre polymer composites under loading usually exhibit a linear stress–strain behavior until a sudden failure without yielding as a pre-failure warning. This study introduced a non-linear elastoplastic adhesive layer in a sandwich beam configuration with glass fibre polymer facesheets and timber cores, where nonlinear and ductile flexural behavior resulted from load-dependent composite action was achieved. Experimental investigation, finite element (FE) modelling and classic beam theory were used to understand the effects of adhesive properties, timber types and span-to-depth ratios on the flexural behavior of such sandwich beams. Comparative analyses were conducted among specimens with elastoplastic acrylic or elastic epoxy adhesives, as well as softwood or hardwood timber cores. It can be found that the acrylic adhesive and softwood cores effectively offered ductility and pre-failure deflection. For the specimens with hardwood cores, the epoxy adhesive provided a composite action and linear load–deflection behavior in most of the loading process; while due to a load-dependent stress–strain behavior under shearing, the acrylic adhesive provided a partial composite action and bilinear load–deflection behavior, showing increased mid-span deflection and ductility. Finite element modelling well described the flexural behaviors of the specimens, including deflection development with loads, bending stiffness and composite action.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":281,"journal":{"name":"Composite Structures","volume":"357 ","pages":"Article 118922"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143182556","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}