Structural and Characterization of Composite Materials

A special issue of Crystals (ISSN 2073-4352). This special issue belongs to the section "Hybrid and Composite Crystalline Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 July 2025 | Viewed by 1947

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Faculty of Marine Engineering, Gdynia Maritime University, 81-225 Gdynia, Poland
Interests: acoustic emission; GFRP; composites; Polymers; mechanical tests

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Guest Editor
Silesian University of Technology, Department of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Konarskiego 18A, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
Interests: multilayered composite; delamination; numerical reaserach; impact; FEM

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Materials Engineering and Physics, Institute of Materials Engineering, Tadeusz Kosciuszko Cracow University of Technology, al. Jana Pawła II 37, 31-864 Cracow, Poland
Interests: multilayered composite; delamination; numerical reaserach; impact; FEM

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The development of composite materials and related design and manufacturing technologies is one of the most crucial achievements in the history of materials. Composites are multifunctional materials that offer an extensive range of applications, with unprecedented mechanical and physical properties that can be adapted to the requirements of a specific application. Many composite materials are also highly resistant to wear, corrosion and high temperatures. These unique features provide mechanical engineers with design capabilities that are not possible with conventional materials. Composite technology also enables the utilization of an entire class of solid materials, such as ceramics, in applications for which monolithic versions are not suitable; this is due to the large dispersion of strength and their poor resistance to mechanical and thermal shocks. The manufacturing processes for composite materials are well suited to producing large, complex structures; this enables parts to be consolidated, and thus reduces production costs. Composites are materials that are now widely employed not only in the aerospace industry, but also in a large and growing number of commercial mechanical engineering applications. These include the following: internal combustion engines; machine elements; thermal management and electronic packaging; dimensionally stable components; automotive, railway and aircraft structures and mechanical components such as brakes, drive shafts, flywheels, tanks and pressure vessels; equipment for the process industry requiring resistance to high-temperature corrosion, oxidation and wear; sports and recreational equipment; marine structures; ships and boats. The possibility of modifying these materials and their extensive applicative potential allow scientists around the world to develop novel structures and thus obtain completely new physical and strength-related properties.

This Special Issue of the journal Crystals, entitled “Structural and Characterization of Composite Materials”, focuses on the structural properties and characterization of composite materials. The matters discussed in this Special Issue will focus on novel materials and their physical and strength-related parameters. As Guest Editor, I invite you to submit contributions to this Special Issue. Contributions that present interdisciplinary approaches to the preparation of novel forms of composites and the exploration of their properties are encouraged.

Dr. Katarzyna Panasiuk
Dr. Sebastian Sławski
Dr. Karolina Ewelina Mazur
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • properties of composite materials
  • manufacturing considerations
  • reinforcements
  • matrix materials
  • polymer matrix composites
  • mechanical and physical properties of composites
  • polymer matrix composite applications
  • metal matrix composite applications
  • carbon matrix composite applications
  • ceramic matrix composite applications

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

8 pages, 1311 KiB  
Article
High-Temperature SHS Heat Insulators Based on Pre-Activated Mineral Raw Materials
by Bakhtiyar Sadykov, Ainur Khairullina, Aida Artykbayeva, Alua Maten, Anar Zhapekova, Timur Osserov and Ayagoz Bakkara
Crystals 2024, 14(10), 904; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst14100904 - 18 Oct 2024
Viewed by 442
Abstract
In this paper, the results of the technological combustion of SHS heat insulators based on mineral origins are presented. It is shown that after mechanochemical treatment of minerals—diatomite—the kinetic characteristics of the combustion process change, providing targeted formation of the phase composition, structure, [...] Read more.
In this paper, the results of the technological combustion of SHS heat insulators based on mineral origins are presented. It is shown that after mechanochemical treatment of minerals—diatomite—the kinetic characteristics of the combustion process change, providing targeted formation of the phase composition, structure, and properties of the SHS composite. A positive effect of using various modifiers during the MCT of diatomite—the activation of the combustion process—was established. The selection of modifiers provides an increase in the strength of the synthesized SHS composites as a result of the formation of aluminate compounds in the synthesis products, and a decrease in thermal conductivity to 0.157 W/m*K due to the formation of the ultraporous structure of the samples. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Structural and Characterization of Composite Materials)
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15 pages, 10697 KiB  
Article
A Feature of the Horizontal Directional Solidification (HDS) Method Affects the Microstructure of Al2O3/YAG Eutectic Ceramics
by Juraj Kajan, Grigori Damazyan, Vira Tinkova, Anna Prnová, Monika Michálková, Peter Švančárek, Tomáš Gregor, Alena Akusevich, Branislav Hruška and Dušan Galusek
Crystals 2024, 14(10), 858; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst14100858 - 29 Sep 2024
Viewed by 694
Abstract
The solidification processes of two compositions, hypereutectic (21.0 mol% Y2O3–79.0 mol% Al2O3) and eutectic (18.5 mol% Y2O3–81.5 mol% Al2O3), were used via the horizontal directional solidification (HDS) [...] Read more.
The solidification processes of two compositions, hypereutectic (21.0 mol% Y2O3–79.0 mol% Al2O3) and eutectic (18.5 mol% Y2O3–81.5 mol% Al2O3), were used via the horizontal directional solidification (HDS) method to produce two ingots with dimensions of 317 × 220 × 35 mm and 210 × 180 × 35 mm, respectively. The first ingot was heterogeneous and characterized by a two-layer structure with an expressed horizontal boundary, which is parallel to the solidification direction (an experimental fact observed for the first time), separating eutectic-type ceramics in the upper layer from the lower one containing the YAG dendrites. Considering the heat transfer feature characteristic of the HDS method and its action during the solidification of materials scattering thermal radiation, an explanation of the occurrence of such structure has been proposed. On this basis, the solidification parameters of the second ingot, providing its homogeneous structure, were selected. Characterization of the crystallographic texture and microstructure of both ingots revealed the advantage of the second solidification processing conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Structural and Characterization of Composite Materials)
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17 pages, 7553 KiB  
Article
Microwave-Assisted Fabrication and Characterization of Carbon Fiber-Sodium Bismuth Titanate Composites
by Fareeha Azam, Muhammad Asif Rafiq, Furqan Ahmed, Adnan Moqbool, Osama Fayyaz, Zerfishan Imran, Muhammad Salman Habib and Rana Abdul Shakoor
Crystals 2024, 14(9), 798; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst14090798 - 10 Sep 2024
Viewed by 572
Abstract
Lead-based piezoelectric materials cause many environmental problems, regardless of their exceptional performance. To overcome this issue, a lead-free piezoelectric composite material was developed by incorporating different percentages of carbon fiber (CF) into the ceramic matrix of Bismuth Sodium Titanate (BNT) by employing the [...] Read more.
Lead-based piezoelectric materials cause many environmental problems, regardless of their exceptional performance. To overcome this issue, a lead-free piezoelectric composite material was developed by incorporating different percentages of carbon fiber (CF) into the ceramic matrix of Bismuth Sodium Titanate (BNT) by employing the microwave sintering technique. The aim of this study was also to evaluate the impact of microwave sintering on the microstructure and the electrical behavior of the carbon-fiber-reinforced Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 composite (BNT-CF). A uniform distribution of the CF and increased densification of the BNT-CF was achieved, leading to improved piezoelectric properties. X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed the formation of a phase-pure crystalline perovskite structure consisting of CF and BNT. A Field Emission Scanning electron microscope (FESEM) revealed that utilizing microwave sintering at lower temperatures and shorter dwell times results in a superior densification of the BNT-CF. Raman Spectroscopy confirmed the perovskite structure of the BNT-CF and the presence of a Morphotropic Phase Boundary (MPB). An analysis of nanohardness indicated that the hardness of the BNT-CF increases with the increasing amount of CF. It is also revealed that the electrical conductivity of the BNT-CF at a low frequency is significantly influenced by the amount of CF and the temperature. Moreover, an increase in the carbon fiber concentration resulted in a decrease in dielectric properties. Finally, a lead-free piezoelectric BNT-CF showing dense and uniform microstructure was developed by the microwave sintering process. The promising properties of the BNT-CF make it attractive for many industrial applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Structural and Characterization of Composite Materials)
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