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Towards Toughened Composites: Present and Future Challenge

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Advanced Composites".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2022) | Viewed by 5009

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Structural Integrity & Composites, Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Delft University of Technology, 2629 HS Delft, The Netherlands
Interests: damage assessment of composites; fracture mechanics; impact; modelling & experiment; 3D composites; nondestructive evaluation; structural health monitoring

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Guest Editor
Structural Integrity & Composites, Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Delft University of Technology, 2629 HS Delft, The Netherlands
Interests: adhesion & adhesives; mechanics of composites; damage mechanics; experiment & modelling; non-destructive testing
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Composite materials are characterized by high specific mechanical properties, especially in-plane properties, while their out-of-plane properties have been always a major challenge that limits utilizing the full potential that such material systems can offer. Several design parameters should be addressed in order to enable the spread of the technology even further into industrial applications in areas such as automotive, aerospace, marine transportation, and renewable energy structures. One of the key properties, required in the aforementioned applications, is the toughness of composites materials.

Thus, the aim of the proposed Special Issue is to shed more light on the different but essential toughening mechanisms and techniques of composites. This can be achieved via various approaches including but not limited to: matrix toughening, introduction of nanoparticles or nanotubes, use of thermoplastic veils, and all possible ways of 3D reinforcement such as stitching, tufting, z-pinning, and 3D weaving. The experimental and computational characterization of such relevant toughening mechanisms and their associated failure modes; the proposal of new cost-effective, reliable manufacturing techniques; and non-destructive evaluation of the damage are all key subjects that this Special Issue aims to cover.

Dr. Milad Saeedifar
Dr. Mohamed Nasr Saleh
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • novel techniques for improving the out-of-plane/toughness of composite materials
  • 3D reinforced composites: weaving, stitching, tufting, z-pinning, extra
  • thermoplastic veils, electrospun nanofibers, & hybrid composites
  • numerical and computational modeling
  • non-destructive evaluation and damage assessment of toughened composites
  • intelligent/Smart methods for monitoring the manufacturing quality of preforms/in textile industry (Industry 4.0)
  • 3D auxetic structure composites
  • nano-reinforced materials (particles, CNTs, extra)
  • additive manufacturing of composite materials

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 1773 KiB  
Article
The Thickness Effect of PSF Nanofibrous Mat on Fracture Toughness of Carbon/Epoxy Laminates
by Hamed Saghafi, Ali Nikbakht, Reza Mohammadi and Dimitrios Zarouchas
Materials 2021, 14(13), 3469; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14133469 - 22 Jun 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1706
Abstract
The geometrical features of nanofibers, such as nanomat thickness and the diameter of nanofibers, have a significant influence on the toughening behavior of composite laminates. In this study, carbon/epoxy laminates were interleaved with polysulfone (PSF) nanofibrous mats and the effect of the PSF [...] Read more.
The geometrical features of nanofibers, such as nanomat thickness and the diameter of nanofibers, have a significant influence on the toughening behavior of composite laminates. In this study, carbon/epoxy laminates were interleaved with polysulfone (PSF) nanofibrous mats and the effect of the PSF nanomat thickness on the fracture toughness was considered for the first time. For this goal, the nanofibers were first produced by the electrospinning method. Then, double cantilever beam (DCB) specimens were manufactured, and mode-I fracture tests were conducted. The results showed that enhancing the mat thickness could increase the fracture toughness considerably (to about 87% with the maximum thickness). The toughening mechanism was also considered by presenting a schematic picture. Micrographs were taken using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Towards Toughened Composites: Present and Future Challenge)
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21 pages, 9020 KiB  
Article
Mixed-Mode Interlaminar Fracture Toughness of Glass and Carbon Fibre Powder Epoxy Composites—For Design of Wind and Tidal Turbine Blades
by Christophe Floreani, Colin Robert, Parvez Alam, Peter Davies and Conchúr M. Ó Brádaigh
Materials 2021, 14(9), 2103; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14092103 - 21 Apr 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2677
Abstract
Powder epoxy composites have several advantages for the processing of large composite structures, including low exotherm, viscosity and material cost, as well as the ability to carry out separate melting and curing operations. This work studies the mode I and mixed-mode toughness, as [...] Read more.
Powder epoxy composites have several advantages for the processing of large composite structures, including low exotherm, viscosity and material cost, as well as the ability to carry out separate melting and curing operations. This work studies the mode I and mixed-mode toughness, as well as the in-plane mechanical properties of unidirectional stitched glass and carbon fibre reinforced powder epoxy composites. The interlaminar fracture toughness is studied in pure mode I by performing Double Cantilever Beam tests and at 25% mode II, 50% mode II and 75% mode II by performing Mixed Mode Bending testing according to the ASTM D5528-13 test standard. The tensile and compressive properties are comparable to that of standard epoxy composites but both the mode I and mixed-mode toughness are shown to be significantly higher than that of other epoxy composites, even when comparing to toughened epoxies. The mixed-mode critical strain energy release rate as a function of the delamination mode ratio is also provided. This paper highlights the potential for powder epoxy composites in the manufacturing of structures where there is a risk of delamination. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Towards Toughened Composites: Present and Future Challenge)
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