Showing papers on "Ultimate tensile strength published in 2013"

Mechanical property evaluation of sisal–jute–glass fiber reinforced polyester composites

Abstract: The composite materials are replacing the traditional materials, because of its superior properties such as high tensile strength, low thermal expansion, high strength to weight ratio. The developments of new materials are on the anvil and are growing day by day. Natural fiber composites such as sisal and jute polymer composites became more attractive due to their high specific strength, lightweight and biodegradability. Mixing of natural fiber with Glass-Fiber Reinforced Polymers (GFRPs) are finding increased applications. In this study, sisal–jute–glass fiber reinforced polyester composites is developed and their mechanical properties such as tensile strength, flexural strength and impact strength are evaluated. The interfacial properties, internal cracks and internal structure of the fractured surfaces are evaluated by using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The results indicated that the incorporation of sisal–jute fiber with GFRP can improve the properties and used as a alternate material for glass fiber reinforced polymer composites.

Microstructure and tensile properties of selectively laser-melted and of HIPed laser-melted Ti–6Al–4V

Abstract: Ti–6Al–4V samples have been prepared by selective laser melting (SLM) with varied processing conditions. Some of the samples were stress-relieved or hot isostatically pressed (HIPed). The microstructures of all samples were characterised using optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the tensile properties measured before and after HIPing. It was found that the porosity level generally decreased with increase of laser power and laser scanning speed. Horizontally built samples were found to have a higher level of porosity than vertically built samples. The as-fabricated microstructure was dominated by columnar grains and martensites. HIPing closed the majority of the pores and also fully transformed the martensite into α and β phases. The as-fabricated microstructure exhibits very high tensile strengths but poor ductility with elongation generally smaller than 10%. The horizontally built samples show even lower elongation than vertically built samples. HIPing considerably improved ductility but led to a reduction in strength. With HIPing, the SLMed samples were found to show tensile properties comparable with those thermomechanically processed and annealed samples.

The Brazilian Disc Test for Rock Mechanics Applications: Review and New Insights

Abstract: The development of the Brazilian disc test for determining indirect tensile strength and its applications in rock mechanics are reviewed herein. Based on the history of research on the Brazilian test by analytical, experimental, and numerical approaches, three research stages can be identified. Most of the early studies focused on the tensile stress distribution in Brazilian disc specimens, while ignoring the tensile strain distribution. The observation of different crack initiation positions in the Brazilian disc has drawn a lot of research interest from the rock mechanics community. A simple extension strain criterion was put forward by Stacey (Int J Rock Mech Min Sci Geomech Abstr 18(6):469–474, 1981) to account for extension crack initiation and propagation in rocks, although this is not widely used. In the present study, a linear elastic numerical model is constructed to study crack initiation in a 50-mm-diameter Brazilian disc using FLAC3D. The maximum tensile stress and the maximum tensile strain are both found to occur about 5 mm away from the two loading points along the compressed diameter of the disc, instead of at the center of the disc surface. Therefore, the crack initiation point of the Brazilian test for rocks may be located near the loading point when the tensile strain meets the maximum extension strain criterion, but at the surface center when the tensile stress meets the maximum tensile strength criterion.

Fabrication and deformation of three-dimensional hollow ceramic nanostructures

Abstract: Creating lightweight, mechanically robust materials has long been an engineering pursuit. Many siliceous skeleton species— such as diatoms, sea sponges and radiolarians—have remarkably high strengths when compared with man-made materials of the same composition, yet are able to remain lightweight and porous1–7. It has been suggested that these properties arise from the hierarchical arrangement of different structural elements at their relevant length scales8,9. Here, we report the fabrication of hollow ceramic scaffolds that mimic the length scales and hierarchy of biological materials. The constituent solids attain tensile strengths of 1.75 GPa without failure even after multiple deformation cycles, as revealed by in situ nanomechanical experiments and finite-element analysis. We discuss the high strength and lack of failure in terms of stress concentrators at surface imperfections and of local stresses within the microstructural landscape. Our findings suggest that the hierarchical design principles offered by hard biological organisms can be applied to create damage-tolerant lightweight engineering materials.

Poly(lactic acid)/Poly(ethylene glycol) Polymer Nanocomposites: Effects of Graphene Nanoplatelets

Abstract: Graphene nanoplatelets (xGnP) were investigated as a novel nano-reinforcement filler in poly(lactic acid)(PLA)/poly(ethylene glycol)(PEG) blends by the melt blending method. PLA was first plasticized by PEG in order to improve its flexibility and thereby overcome its problem of brittleness. Then, xGnP was incorporated into the PLA/PEG blend. The prepared nanocomposites exhibited a significant improvement in tensile properties at a low xGnP loading. The tensile properties demonstrated the addition of 0.3 wt% of xGnP led to an increase of up to 32.7%, 69.5% and 21.9% in tensile strength, tensile modulus and elongation at break of the nanocomposites respectively, compared to PLA/PEG blend. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns showed the presence of a peak around 26.5○ in PLA/PEG/xGnP nanocomposites which corresponds to the characteristic peak of xGnP. The nanocomposites also shows enhanced thermal stability compared with PLA/PEG blend in thermogravimetry analysis (TGA). The enhancement to some extent of the tensile properties of the PLA/PEG/xGnP nanocomposites can be ascribed to the homogeneous dispersion and orientation of the xGnP nanoplatelets in the polymer matrix and strong interfacial interaction between both components. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image of PLA/PEG/0.3 wt% xGnP displays good uniformity and more homogenous morphology. Good uniformity of composites indicates a good degree of dispersion of the xGnp and therefore results in good tensile and thermal properties.

Influence of B4C on the tribological and mechanical properties of Al 7075–B4C composites

Abstract: In the present investigation, the influence of B 4 C on the mechanical and Tribological behavior of Al 7075 composites is identified. Al 7075 particle reinforced composites were produced through casting, K 2 TiF 6 added as the flux, to overcome the wetting problem between B 4 C and liquid aluminium metal. The aluminium B 4 C composites thus produced were subsequently subjected to T6 heat treatment. The samples of Al 7075 composites were tested for hardness, tensile, compression, flexural strengths and wear behavior. The test results showed increasing hardness of composites compared with the base alloy because of the presence of the increased ceramic phase. The wear resistance of the composites increased with increasing content of B 4 C particles, and the wear rate was significantly less for the composite material compared to the matrix alloy. A mechanically mixed layer containing oxygen and iron was observed on the surface, and this acted as an effective insulation layer preventing metal to metal contact. The coefficient of friction decreased with increased B 4 C content and reached its minimum at 10 vol% B 4 C.

Effect of jute fibre loading on tensile and dynamic mechanical properties of oil palm epoxy composites

Abstract: Hybrid composites prepared by hand lay-up technique by reinforcing jute and oil palm fibres with epoxy matrix. The tensile properties of hybrid composites were found to increase substantially with increasing jute fibres loading as compared to oil palm–epoxy composite. The nature of fibre/matrix interface was examined through scanning electron microscopy of tensile fracture samples. Addition of jute fibres to oil palm composite increases the storage modulus while damping factor shifts towards higher temperature region. Cole–Cole analysis was made to understand the phase behaviour of the composite samples. The hybrid composite with oil palm:jute (1:4) showed maximum damping behaviour and highest tensile properties. The overall use of hybrid system was found to be effective in increasing tensile and dynamic mechanical properties of the oil palm–epoxy composite probably due to the enhanced fibre/matrix interface bonding. The potential applications of the oil palm based hybrid composites in automobiles and building industry are going to increase in near future.

Tuning electronic structures via epitaxial strain in Sr2IrO4 thin films

Abstract: We have synthesized epitaxial Sr2IrO4 thin-films on various substrates and studied their electronic structures as a function of lattice-strains. Under tensile (compressive) strains, increased (decreased) Ir-O-Ir bond-angles are expected to result in increased (decreased) electronic bandwidths. However, we have observed that the two optical absorption peaks near 0.5 eV and 1.0 eV are shifted to higher (lower) energies under tensile (compressive) strains, indicating that the electronic-correlation energy is also affected by in-plane lattice-strains. The effective tuning of electronic structures under lattice-modification provides an important insight into the physics driven by the coexisting strong spin-orbit coupling and electronic correlation.

Recycled Concrete Aggregates: A Review

Abstract: This paper discusses the properties of RCA, the effects of RCA use on concrete material properties, and the large scale impact of RCA on structural members. The review study yielded the following findings in regards to concrete material properties: (1) replacing NA in concrete with RCA decreases the compressive strength, but yields comparable splitting tensile strength; (2) the modulus of rupture for RCA concrete was slightly less than that of conventional concrete, likely due to the weakened the interfacial transition zone from residual mortar; and (3) the modulus of elasticity is also lower than expected, caused by the more ductile aggregate. As far as the structural performance is concerned, beams with RCA did experience greater midspan deflections under a service load and smaller cracking moments. However, structural beams did not seem to be as affected by RCA content as materials tests. Most of all, the ultimate moment was moderately affected by RCA content. All in all, it is confirmed that the use of RCA is likely a viable option for structural use.

The effect of fiber morphology on the tensile strength of natural fibers

Abstract: In the present work the morphology of natural fibers was correlated with their mechanical properties via image analysis. Jute, sisal, curaua, coir and piassava fibers were tested under direct tension in a universal testing machine and the cross-sectional areas of the fibers were calculated using images obtained in a scanning electron microscopy. For the jute fiber the tests were performed for several gage lengths in order to investigate its influence on the tensile strength and to compute the machine compliance. For sisal, jute and curaua fibers the amount of fiber-cells, the size of the cell walls and the real area of the fibers were measured and their correlation with the tensile strength addressed. The curaua fiber presented the highest mechanical performance with tensile strength and Young’s modulus of 543 MPa and 63.7 GPa, respectively. Weibull statistical analysis was used to quantify the variability of fiber strength. The sisal fibers presented the highest Weibull modulus (3.70), whereas the curaua presented the lowest one (m = 2.2), which means that the sisal had the lowest variability and curaua the highest.

Mechanical properties of graphene nanoplatelet/epoxy composites

Abstract: Because of their high-specific stiffness, carbon-filled epoxy composites can be used in structural components in fixed-wing aircraft. Graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) are short stacks of individual layers of graphite that are a newly developed, lower cost material that often increases the composite tensile modulus. In this work, researchers fabricated neat epoxy (EPON 862 with Curing Agent W) and 1–6 wt % GNP in epoxy composites. The cure cycle used for this aerospace epoxy resin was 2 h at 121°C followed by 2 h at 177°C. These materials were tested for tensile properties using typical macroscopic measurements. Nanoindentation was also used to determine modulus and creep compliance. These macroscopic results showed that the tensile modulus increased from 2.72 GPa for the neat epoxy to 3.36 GPa for 6 wt % (3.7 vol %) GNP in epoxy composite. The modulus results from nanoindentation followed this same trend. For loadings from 10 to 45 mN, the creep compliance for the neat epoxy and GNP/epoxy composites was similar. The GNP aspect ratio in the composite samples was confirmed to be similar to that of the as-received material by using the percolation threshold measured from electrical resistivity measurements. Using this GNP aspect ratio, the two-dimensional randomly oriented filler Halpin–Tsai model adjusted for platelet filler shape predicts the tensile modulus well for the GNP/epoxy composites. Per the authors' knowledge, mechanical properties and modeling for this GNP/epoxy system have never been reported in the open literature. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013

Tensile and thermomechanical properties of short carbon fiber reinforced polyamide 6 composites

Abstract: In this study, carbon fiber (CF) reinforced polyamide 6 (PA6) composites were prepared by using melt mixing method. Effects of fiber length and content, on the mechanical, thermal and morphological properties of CF reinforced PA6 composites were investigated. Fiber length distributions of composites were also determined by using an image analyzing program. It was seen that the maximum number of fibers were observed in the range of 0–50 μm. Mechanical test results showed that, increasing CF content increased the tensile strength, modulus and hardness values but decreased strain at break values of composites. DSC results showed that Tg and Tm values of composites were not changed significantly with increasing CF content and length. However, heat of fusion and the relative degree of crystallinity values of composites decreased with ascending CF content. DMA results revealed that storage modulus and loss modulus values of composites increased with increasing CF content.

A comparison of the tensile, fatigue, and fracture behavior of Ti–6Al–4V and 15-5 PH stainless steel parts made by selective laser melting

Abstract: In this work, Ti–6Al–4V and 15-5 PH steel samples were fabricated using selective laser melting (SLM) and their tensile, fatigue, and fracture properties were analyzed and compared. The tensile properties were compared with respect to the build orientation. The horizontally built samples showed relatively better tensile properties as compared with the vertically built samples. Fatigue performance was studied for the vertical build orientation and compared with standard wrought material data. The tensile and fatigue performance of SLM-built materials were comparable to their respective standard wrought materials. Fractography was carried out for all tensile and fatigue-tested samples. The fatigue fracture behavior of Ti–6Al–4V was different from 15-5 PH steel. For Ti–6Al–4V, the fatigue crack initiation occurred deep in the subsurface whereas for PH steel the fatigue crack was initiated from the surface.

Effects of processing on microstructure and mechanical properties of a titanium alloy (Ti–6Al–4V) fabricated using electron beam melting (EBM), Part 2: Energy input, orientation, and location

Abstract: Selective electron beam melting (EBM) is a layer-by-layer additive manufacturing technique that shows great promise for fabrication of medical devices and aerospace components. Before its potential can be fully realized, however, a comprehensive understanding of processing-microstructure-properties relationships is necessary. Titanium alloy (Ti–6Al–4V) parts were built in a newly developed, unique geometry to allow accurate investigation of the following intra-build processing parameters: energy input, orientation, and location. Microstructure evaluation (qualitative prior-β grain size, quantitative α lath thickness), tensile testing, and Vickers microhardness were performed for each specimen. For a wide range of energy input (speed factor 30–40), small differences in mechanical properties (2% change in ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and 3% change in yield strength (YS)) were measured. Vertically built parts were found to have no difference in UTS or YS compared to horizontally built parts, but the percent elongation at break (% EL) was 30% lower. The difference in % EL was attributed to a different orientation of the tensile axis for horizontal and vertical parts compared to the elongated prior-β grain and microstructural texture direction in EBM Ti–6Al–4V. Orientation within the x – y plane as well as location were found to have less than 3% effect on mechanical properties, and it is possible a second order effect of thermal mass contributed to these results.