Identification of NOL-Ring Composite Materials' Damage Mechanism Based on the STOA-VMD Algorithm

This research utilized the sooty tern optimization algorithm-variational mode decomposition (STOA-VMD) optimization algorithm to extract the acoustic emission (AE) signal associated with damage in fiber-reinforced composite materials. The effectiveness of this optimization algorithm was validated through a tensile experiment on glass fiber/epoxy NOL-ring specimens. To solve the problems of a high degree of aliasing, high randomness, and a poor robustness of AE data of NOL-ring tensile damage, the signal reconstruction method of optimized variational mode decomposition (VMD) was first used to reconstruct the damage signal and the parameters of VMD were optimized by the sooty tern optimization algorithm. The optimal decomposition mode number K and penalty coefficient α were introduced to improve the accuracy of adaptive decomposition. Second, a typical single damage signal feature was selected to construct the damage signal feature sample set and a recognition algorithm was used to extract the feature of the AE signal of the glass fiber/epoxy NOL-ring breaking experiment to evaluate the effectiveness of the damage mechanism recognition. The results showed that the recognition rates of the algorithm in matrix cracking, fiber fracture, and delamination damage were 94.59%, 94.26%, and 96.45%, respectively. The damage process of the NOL-ring was characterized and the findings indicated that it was highly efficient in the feature extraction and recognition of polymer composite damage signals.

Failure Prediction and Surface Characterization of GFRP Laminates: A Study of Stepwise Loading

The present study explores the failure and surface characteristics of Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymers (GFRP). Stepwise loading was applied in this study to understand the multi-static loading effect on the laminates before final failure. The loading was set three times to reach 10 kN with loading-unloading movement before final load until failure. The results showed that the angle of the GFRP UD laminates' position significantly impacts the system's failure. The results were analyzed using theoretical calculation experiment analysis, and then the failure sample was identified using ASTM D3039 standard failure. The laminates with 0° layer on edge ([0/90]_S laminates) underwent preliminary failure before final failure. The mechanism of stepwise loading can be used to detect the effect of preliminary failure on the laminates. The [0/90]_S laminates are subjected to stress concentration on the edge due to fiber alignment and discontinued fibers in the 0-degree direction. This fiber then fails due to debonding between the fiber and the matrix. The laminates' strength showed that [90/0]_S specimens have an average higher strength with 334.45 MPa than the [0/90]_S laminates with 227.8 MPa. For surface roughness, the value of Ra increases more than six times in the 0° direction and three times in the 90° direction. Moreover, shore D hardness showed that the hardness was decreased from 85.6 SD then decreased to 70.4 SD for [0/90]_S and 65.9 SD for [90/0]_S. The matrix debonding, layer delamination and fiber breakage were reported as the failure mode behavior of the laminates.

Experimental Analysis of Matrix Cracking in Glass Fiber Reinforced Composite Off-Axis Plies under Static and Fatigue Loading

The inter-fiber failure of glass fiber-reinforced epoxy specimens with four different fiber angles was analyzed. Flat specimens were subjected to static and fatigue loading considering different load levels and load ratios. Damage investigation in terms of crack density measurement was performed by transmitted white light imaging using a digital camera and LED illumination from the back of the specimen on a servo-hydraulic testing machine. Static and fatigue results were examined with respect to crack initiation and crack growth, considering the special case of bonding yarns parallel to the fiber directions. The bonding yarns act as stress concentrations, influencing the early cracking behavior, and complicate the detectability of cracks growing underneath or next to the bonding yarns. In cyclic loading, the influence of load level, load ratio, mean stress, fiber orientation, and ply thickness was the focus of the experimental campaign. Cyclic cracking behavior in terms of initiation and growth was analyzed based on the applied loading conditions and laminate configurations. It was found that halving the ply thickness nearly doubled the amount of microcracks in case of high loads. For low loads, no such effect was observed up to 5×105 loading cycles. Experimental findings on individual crack growth confirmed that crack interaction started for crack spacings less than four times the ply thickness and that subsequent crack growth shifted into regions of larger local crack spacing.

Damage Evolution and Fracture Behavior of C/SiC Minicomposites with Different Interphases under Uniaxial Tensile Load

In this paper, the tensile damage and fracture behavior of carbon fiber reinforced silicon carbide (C/SiC) minicomposites with single- and multiple-layer interphases are investigated. The effect of the interphase on the tensile damage and fracture behavior of C/SiC minicomposites is analyzed. The evolution of matrix cracking under the tensile load of the C/SiC minicomposite with a notch is observed using the digital image correlation (DIC) method. The damage evolution process of the C/SiC minicomposite can be divided into four main stages, namely, (1) an elastic response coupled with partial re-opening of thermal microcracking; (2) multiple matrix microcracking perpendicular to the applied loading; (3) crack opening and related fiber/matrix, bundle/matrix, and inter-bundle debonding; and (4) progressive transfer of the load to the fibers and gradual fiber failure until composite failure/fracture. On the fracture surface, a large number of fibers pulling out of the samples with both single-layer and multi-layer interphases can be clearly observed.

Monotonic and Cyclic Loading/Unloading Tensile Behavior of 3D Needle-Punched C/SiC Ceramic-Matrix Composites

In this paper, monotonic and cyclic loading/unloading tensile behavior of four different 3D needle-punched C/SiC composites are investigated. Under tensile loading, multiple micro parameters of tensile tangent modulus, tensile strength, and fracture strain are used to characterize tensile damage and fracture behavior. Under cyclic loading/unloading, multiple damage micro parameters of unloading residual strain, tensile peak strain, hysteresis loops width, hysteresis loops area, unloading and reloading inverse tangent modulus (ITM) are used to describe the tensile damage evolution. After tensile fracture, fracture surfaces were observed under a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Damage of matrix cracking, interface debonding, fibers fracture and pullout in different plies is observed. Relationships between composite tensile mechanical behavior, damage parameters, and micro damage mechanisms are established. When the fiber volume fraction along the loading direction increases, the composite initial tangent modulus, tensile strength and fracture strain increase, and the unloading residual strain, peak strain, hysteresis width and hysteresis area decrease. For Types 1–4 3D needle-punched C/SiC composite, the fiber volume lies in the range of 25.6–32.8%, the composite initial tangent modulus was in the range of 161.4–220.4 GPa, the composite tensile strength was in the range of 64.4–112.3 MPa, and the composite fracture strain was in the range of 0.16–0.25%.

Effect of Stochastic Loading on Tensile Damage and Fracture of Fiber-Reinforced Ceramic-Matrix Composites

In this paper, the effect of stochastic loading on tensile damage and fracture of fiber-reinforced ceramic-matrix composites (CMCs) is investigated. A micromechanical constitutive model is developed considering multiple damage mechanisms under tensile loading. The relationship between stochastic stress, tangent modulus, interface debonding and fiber broken is established. The effects of the fiber volume, interface shear stress, interface debonding energy, saturation matrix crack spacing and fiber strength on tensile stress–strain curve, tangent modulus, interface debonding fraction and fiber broken fraction are analyzed. The experimental tensile damage and fracture of unidirectional and 2D SiC/SiC composites subjected to different stochastic loading stress are predicted. When fiber volume increases, the initial composite strain decreases, the initial tangent modulus increases, the transition stress for interface debonding decreases and the initial fiber broken fraction decreases. When fiber strength increases, the initial composite strain and fiber broken fraction decrease.

Modeling Temperature-Dependent Vibration Damping in C/SiC Fiber-Reinforced Ceramic-Matrix Composites

In this paper, the temperature-dependent vibration damping in C/SiC fiber-reinforced ceramic-matrix composites (CMCs) with different fiber preforms under different vibration frequencies is investigated. A micromechanical temperature-dependent vibration damping model is developed to establish the relationship between composite damping, material properties, internal damage mechanisms, and temperature. The effects of fiber volume, matrix crack spacing, and interface properties on temperature-dependent composite vibration damping of CMCs and interface damage are analyzed. The experimental temperature-dependent composite damping of 2D and 3D C/SiC composites is predicted for different loading frequencies. The damping of the C/SiC composite increases with temperature to the peak value and then decreases with temperature. When the vibration frequency increases from f = 1 to 10 Hz, the peak value of composite damping and corresponding temperature both decrease due to the decrease of interface debonding and slip range, and the damping of 2D C/SiC is much higher than that of 3D C/SiC at temperature range from room temperature to 400 °C. When the fiber volume and interface debonding energy increase, the peak value of composite damping and the corresponding temperature decreases, mainly attributed to the decrease of interface debonding and slip range.

Relationship Between Matrix Cracking and Delamination in CFRP Cross-Ply Laminates Subjected to Low Velocity Impact

The effect of matrix cracking on the delamination morphology inside carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) laminates during low-velocity impact (LVI) is an open question. In this paper, the relationship between matrix cracking and delamination is studied by using cross-ply laminates. Several methods, including micrograph, C-scan, and visual inspection, were adopted to characterize the damage after LVI experiments. Based on the experimental results, finite element (FE) models were established to analyze the damage mechanisms. The matrix cracking was predicted by the extended finite element method (XFEM) and the Puck criteria, while the delamination was modeled by cohesive elements. It was revealed that the matrix crack in the bottom ply not only promoted the outward propagation of delamination but also contributed to the narrow delamination beneath the impact location. Multiple matrix cracks occurred in the middle ply. The ones close to the plate center initiated the delamination and prevented large-scale delamination beneath the impact location. For the cracks that were far away, no significant effect on delamination was found. In conclusion, the stress redistribution caused by the crack opening determines the delamination.

Stress-Rupture of Fiber-Reinforced Ceramic-Matrix Composites with Stochastic Loading at Intermediate Temperatures. Part I: Theoretical Analysis

Under stress-rupture loading, stochastic loading affects the internal damage evolution and lifetime of fiber-reinforced ceramic-matrix composites (CMCs) at intermediate temperatures. The damage mechanisms of the matrix cracking, fiber/matrix interface debonding and oxidation, and fiber fracture are considered in the analysis of stochastic loading. The strain, fiber/matrix interface debonding and oxidation length, and the broken fibers fraction versus the time curves of SiC/SiC composite under constant and three different stochastic loading conditions are analyzed. The effects of the stochastic loading stress level, stochastic loading time, and time spacing on the damage evolution and lifetime of SiC/SiC composite are discussed. When the stochastic loading stress level increases, the stress-rupture lifetime decreases, and the time for the interface complete debonding and oxidation decreases. When the stochastic loading time and time spacing increase, the stress-rupture lifetime decreases, and the time for the interface complete debonding and oxidation remains the same.

Damage Determination in Ceramic Composites Subject to Tensile Fatigue Using Acoustic Emission

Acoustic emission (AE) has proven to be a very useful technique for determining damage in ceramic matrix composites (CMCs). CMCs rely on various cracking mechanisms which enable non-linear stress–strain behavior with ultimate failure of the composite due to fiber failure. Since these damage mechanisms are all microfracture mechanisms, they emit stress waves ideal for AE monitoring. These are typically plate waves since, for most specimens or applications, one dimension is significantly smaller than the wavelength of the sound waves emitted. By utilizing the information of the sound waveforms captured on multiple channels from individual events, the location and identity of the sources can often be elucidated. The keys to the technique are the use of wide-band frequency sensors, digitization of the waveforms (modal AE), strategic placement of sensors to sort the data and acquire important contents of the waveforms pertinent for identification, and familiarity with the material as to the damage mechanisms occurring at prescribed points of the stress history. The AE information informs the damage progression in a unique way, which adds to the understanding of the process of failure for these composites. The AE methodology was applied to woven SiC fiber-reinforced melt-infiltrated SiC matrix composites tested in fatigue (R = 0.1) at different frequencies. Identification of when and where AE occurred coupled with waveform analysis led to source identification and failure progression. For low frequency fatigue conditions, damage progression leading to failure appeared to be due to fiber failure at or near the peak stress of the stress cycle. For higher frequency fatigue conditions, significantly greater amounts of AE were detected compared to low frequency tests a few hours prior to failure. Damage progression leading to failure included AE detected events which occurred on the unloading part of the fatigue cycle near the valley of the stress cycle. These events were associated with 90 tow longitudinal split and shear cracks presumably due to local compressive stresses associated with mating crack surface interactions during unloading. The local region where these occurred was the eventual failure location and the “valley” events appeared to influence the formation of increased local transverse cracking based on AE.

Fatigue Damage and Lifetime of SiC/SiC Ceramic-Matrix Composite under Cyclic Loading at Elevated Temperatures

In this paper, the fatigue damage and lifetime of 2D SiC/SiC ceramic-matrix composites (CMCs) under cyclic fatigue loading at 750, 1000, 1100, 1200 and 1300 °C in air and in steam atmosphere have been investigated. The damage evolution versus applied cycles of 2D SiC/SiC composites were analyzed using fatigue hysteresis dissipated energy, fatigue hysteresis modulus, fatigue peak strain and interface shear stress. The presence of steam accelerated the damage development inside of SiC/SiC composites, which increased the increasing rate of the fatigue hysteresis dissipated energy and the fatigue peak strain, and the decreasing rate of the fatigue hysteresis modulus and the interface shear stress. The fatigue life stress-cycle (S-N) curves and fatigue limit stresses of 2D SiC/SiC composites at different temperatures in air and in steam condition have been predicted. The fatigue limit stresses approach 67%, 28%, 39% 17% and 28% tensile strength at 750, 1000, 1100, 1200 and 1300 °C in air, and 49%, 10%, 9% and 19% tensile strength at 750, 1000, 1200 and 1300 °C in steam conditions, respectively.

Modelling of stiffness degradation due to cracking in laminates subjected to multi-axial loading

The paper presents an analytical approach to predicting the effect of intra- and interlaminar cracking on residual stiffness properties of the laminate, which can be used in the post-initial failure analysis, taking full account of damage mode interaction. The approach is based on a two-dimensional shear lag stress analysis and the equivalent constraint model of the laminate with multiple damaged plies. The application of the approach to predicting degraded stiffness properties of multidirectional laminates under multi-axial loading is demonstrated on cross-ply glass/epoxy and carbon/epoxy laminates with transverse and longitudinal matrix cracks and crack-induced transverse and longitudinal delaminations. This article is part of the themed issue 'Multiscale modelling of the structural integrity of composite materials'.

Modeling Cyclic Fatigue Hysteresis Loops of 2D Woven Ceramic Matrix Composites at Elevated Temperatures in Steam

In this paper, the cyclic fatigue hysteresis loops of 2D woven SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) at elevated temperatures in steam have been investigated. The interface slip between fibers and the matrix existing in matrix cracking modes 3 and 5, in which matrix cracking and interface debonding occurred in longitudinal yarns, is considered as the major reason for hysteresis loops of 2D woven CMCs. The hysteresis loops of 2D SiC/SiC composites corresponding to different peak stresses, test conditions, and loading frequencies have been predicted using the present analysis. The damage parameter, i.e., the proportion of matrix cracking mode 3 in the entire matrix cracking modes of the composite, and the hysteresis dissipated energy increase with increasing fatigue peak stress. With increasing cycle number, the interface shear stress in the longitudinal yarns decreases, leading to transition of interface slip types of matrix cracking modes 3 and 5.

Comparison of Cyclic Hysteresis Behavior between Cross-Ply C/SiC and SiC/SiC Ceramic-Matrix Composites

In this paper, the comparison of cyclic hysteresis behavior between cross-ply C/SiC and SiC/SiC ceramic-matrix composites (CMCs) has been investigated. The interface slip between fibers and the matrix existed in the matrix cracking mode 3 and mode 5, in which matrix cracking and interface debonding occurred in the 0° plies are considered as the major reason for hysteresis loops of cross-ply CMCs. The hysteresis loops of cross-ply C/SiC and SiC/SiC composites corresponding to different peak stresses have been predicted using present analysis. The damage parameter, i.e., the proportion of matrix cracking mode 3 in the entire matrix cracking modes of the composite, and the hysteresis dissipated energy increase with increasing peak stress. The damage parameter and hysteresis dissipated energy of C/SiC composite under low peak stress are higher than that of SiC/SiC composite; However, at high peak stress, the damage extent inside of cross-ply SiC/SiC composite is higher than that of C/SiC composite as more transverse cracks and matrix cracks connect together.