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Polymers
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Multi-Scale and Multi-Level Design of Advanced Composites and Structures
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Multi-Scale and Multi-Level Design of Advanced Composites and Structures

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Composites and Nanocomposites".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 June 2023) | Viewed by 4918

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Jiang-Bo Bai

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Guest Editor
Aircraft Airworthiness Engineering Department, School of Transportation Science and Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, China
Interests: structural design and fabrication technology of advanced composites; aerospace foldable/deployable flexible composite structures (large elastic deformation, large shape memory deformation, inflatable deployment, etc.); composite structures for morphing applications; constitutive of braided composites; damage failure behavior of composite structures; 3D and 4D printed composites; multi objective optimization design
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Zhenzhou Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
Interests: optimal designs of composite materials/structures; evolutionary optimisation algorithms; machine learning algorithms; application of artificial intelligence on composite materials/structures
Dr. Qiuhong Lin

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Guest Editor
Beijing Institute of Spacecraft System Engineering, Beijing 100094, China
Interests: flexible deployable structure; spacecraft structure and mechanism design
Dr. Xueqin Li

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Guest Editor
Composite Center, AVIC Manufacturing Technology Institute, Beijing 101300, China
Interests: polymer engineering; thermal processes; thermal analysis; polymer-matrix composites; finite element analysis; spring-back; curing deformation
Dr. Chuyang Luo

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Guest Editor
Center for Civil Aviation Composites, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
Interests: fatigue life evaluation of thermoplastic composites
Dr. Swee Leong Sing

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Guest Editor
Singapore Centre for 3D Printing, School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Interests: additive manufacturing; 3D printing; 3D bioprinting; laser–materials interactions; laser-based advanced manufacturing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Weidong Li

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Guest Editor
Composites Technology Center, AVIC Composite Corporation Ltd., Beijing 101300, China
Interests: polymer matrix composites; polymer engineering; thermal processes
Dr. Hua Deng

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Guest Editor
AVIC Composite Corporation LTD, Beijing 101300, China
Interests: flexible composite structure; high performance RTM composite and resin
Dr. Zeyu Sun

E-Mail
Guest Editor
Shanghai Collaborative Innovation Center for High Performance Fiber Composites, Donghua University, Shanghai, China
Interests: composite; sandwich structure; thin wall structure; overmolding; high performance resin

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fiber-reinforced composites have been widely used in aerospace, automobile, marine and other fields due to their lightweight, excellent mechanical properties and strong designability. With the rapid growth of the demand for composites, the problems of how to further improve the performance and reduce the cost have gradually become prominent, which restricts its further development. The possible solution is combining the multi-scale and multi-level modeling methods with the consideration of material-structure-manufacturing-optimization integration. At the molecular scale of materials, material genetic engineering is a frontier technology rising in the field of materials in recent years. Its basic idea is to integrate high-throughput computing, high-throughput experiments and data technology to accelerate the design and development of new materials. For the composite structures, micro-scale, mesoscale and macro-scale models can be established respectively to design the fiber and matrix components, mesostructure configuration, ply scheme and macro-structure parameters. For the fabrication process, a multi-field coupled curing process model is the key for the determination of the curing temperature, pressure, time and specific mold scheme. Based on the established calculation models, the information of different scales and levels can be transmitted to each other. Combined with advanced optimization algorithms and machine learning methods, the bespoke design of materials or structures can be achieved through the high-throughput calculation for a specific target demand. For composite products, the progressive workflow of material design, ply design, conceptual design, geometric design, engineering design and fabrication process design, as well as the multi-scale synchronous design of structural materials at macro, meso, micro and molecular scales are realizable. Since digital design or digital twin is mainly based on theory or simulation models, it would significantly improve the design efficiency, while maintaining low cost.

The aim of this Special Issue is to highlight the progress on the design of advanced composites and structures in multi-scale and multi-level

Prof. Dr. Jiang-Bo Bai
Dr. Zhenzhou Wang
Dr. Qiuhong Lin
Dr. Xueqin Li
Dr. Chuyang Luo
Dr. Swee Leong Sing
Dr. Weidong Li
Dr. Hua Deng
Dr. Zeyu Sun
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. Polymers 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 2700 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

  • material genetic engineering
  • molecular modeling
  • modeling and characterization analysis of novel materials
  • modeling and characterization analysis of novel structures
  • constitutive model
  • damage failure behavior of composite structures
  • preparation process simulation
  • optimal design

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 3453 KiB  
Article
Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Coating Based on Waterborne Silicone-Modified Polyurethane Dispersion and Silica Nanoparticles
by Haidong Liu, Hengsen Xiong, Yongming Chang, Jianhui Xu, Chuanlai Xu and Yaolu Liu
Polymers 2023, 15(1), 22; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15010022 - 21 Dec 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3885
Abstract
In this work, eco-friendly superhydrophobic coatings were prepared by dispersing hydrophobic silica nanoparticles and a waterborne silicone-modified polyurethane dispersion into an ethanol solution, which was free of fluorine and volatile toxic solvents. The effects of the silica content on the hydrophobicity and scratch [...] Read more.
In this work, eco-friendly superhydrophobic coatings were prepared by dispersing hydrophobic silica nanoparticles and a waterborne silicone-modified polyurethane dispersion into an ethanol solution, which was free of fluorine and volatile toxic solvents. The effects of the silica content on the hydrophobicity and scratch resistance of the hydrophobic surfaces were investigated by WCA measurements and a sandpaper abrasion test, respectively. The experimental results indicated that when the silica content exceeded 30% by mass, the silica/silicone-modified polyurethane coatings had superhydrophobicity. Meanwhile, the superhydrophobic coatings with a silica content of 30% by mass simultaneously had the optimal mechanical stability. We studied the morphology and roughness of the hydrophobic surfaces with different silica content and attempted to briefly explain the influence mechanism of silica content. Furthermore, anti-icing and oil–water separation experiments were carried out on the superhydrophobic coatings, which exhibited good anti-icing performance and high separation efficiency. The eco-friendly superhydrophobic coating is expected to be applied in the fields of oil–water separation, anti-icing, and self-cleaning, etc. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multi-Scale and Multi-Level Design of Advanced Composites and Structures)
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14 pages, 10115 KiB  
Article
The Injected Foaming Study of Polypropylene/Multiwall Carbon Nanotube Composite with In Situ Fibrillation Reinforcement
by Gang Li, Yanpei Fei, Tairong Kuang, Tong Liu, Mingqiang Zhong, Yanbiao Li, Jing Jiang, Lih-Sheng Turng and Feng Chen
Polymers 2022, 14(24), 5411; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14245411 - 10 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1638
Abstract
This paper explored the injection foaming process of in situ fibrillation reinforced polypropylene composites. Using polypropylene (PP) as the continuous phase, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) as the dispersed phase, multi–wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as the conductive filler, and PP grafted with maleic anhydride (PP–g–MA) as [...] Read more.
This paper explored the injection foaming process of in situ fibrillation reinforced polypropylene composites. Using polypropylene (PP) as the continuous phase, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) as the dispersed phase, multi–wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as the conductive filler, and PP grafted with maleic anhydride (PP–g–MA) as the compatibilizer, a MWCNTs/PP–g–MA masterbatch was prepared by using a solution blending method. Then, a lightweight, conductive PP/PTFE/MWCNTs composite foam was prepared by means of extruder granulation and supercritical nitrogen (ScN2) injection foaming. The composite foams were studied in terms of rheology, morphological, foaming behavior and mechanical properties. The results proved that the in situ fibrillation of PTFE can have a remarkable effect on melt strength and viscoelasticity, thus improving the foaming performance; we found that PP/3% PTFE showed excellent performance. Meanwhile, the addition of MWCNTs endows the material with conductive properties, and the conductivity reached was 2.73 × 10−5 S/m with the addition of 0.2 wt% MWCNTs. This study’s findings are expected to be applied in the lightweight, antistatic and high–performance automotive industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multi-Scale and Multi-Level Design of Advanced Composites and Structures)
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18 pages, 8327 KiB  
Article
Parametric Study on Low-Velocity Impact (LVI) Damage and Compression after Impact (CAI) Strength of Composite Laminates
by Shuangxi Guo, Xueqin Li, Tianwei Liu, Guangyu Bu and Jiangbo Bai
Polymers 2022, 14(23), 5200; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14235200 - 29 Nov 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2391
Abstract
A full-scale model for predicting low-velocity impact (LVI) damage and compression after impact (CAI) strength was established based on a subroutine of the material constitutive relationship and the cohesive elements. The dynamic responses of the laminate under impact load and damage propagation under [...] Read more.
A full-scale model for predicting low-velocity impact (LVI) damage and compression after impact (CAI) strength was established based on a subroutine of the material constitutive relationship and the cohesive elements. The dynamic responses of the laminate under impact load and damage propagation under a compressive load were presented. The influences of impact energy and ply thickness on the impact damage and the CAI strength were predicted. The predicted results were compared with the experimental ones. It is shown that the predicted value of the CAI strength is in good agreement with the experimental result. As the impact energy reaches a certain value, the CAI strength no longer decreases with the increase in the impact energy. Decreasing the ply thickness can effectively improve the damage resistance and CAI strength. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multi-Scale and Multi-Level Design of Advanced Composites and Structures)
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14 pages, 2994 KiB  
Article
Experimental and Numerical Investigation on Fatigue Properties of Carbon Fiber Cross-Ply Laminates in Hygrothermal Environments
by Mingrui Xu, Benyin Zeng, Ziqian An, Xin Xiong and Xiaoquan Cheng
Polymers 2022, 14(9), 1857; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14091857 - 30 Apr 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2193
Abstract
The fatigue properties of composite materials are degraded seriously in hygrothermal environments, so taking into account their influence is very important when evaluating the fatigue life of composite structures. Tensile fatigue experiments of carbon fiber reinforced resin composite cross-ply laminates were conducted in [...] Read more.
The fatigue properties of composite materials are degraded seriously in hygrothermal environments, so taking into account their influence is very important when evaluating the fatigue life of composite structures. Tensile fatigue experiments of carbon fiber reinforced resin composite cross-ply laminates were conducted in room temperature/dry (RTD), cool temperature/dry (CTD) and elevated temperature/wet (ETW) conditions. The S-N curves and fatigue failure modes of the cross-ply laminates were obtained in three conditions. On this basis, a finite element model was established to discuss the influence of temperature and moisture content on the fatigue properties, as well as a method for determining environmental factors of fatigue life of cross-ply laminates was established. The results show that the saturation moisture absorption and temperature have a significant influence on the tensile fatigue properties of cross-ply laminates. The high-cycle fatigue property is weakened significantly by the saturation moisture absorption and high temperature, but the low-cycle fatigue properties were strengthened in cool temperature conditions. The delamination failure mode in ETW is the most severe, presenting with an obvious necking phenomenon. The influence of temperature has a greater effect than that of moisture content, but moisture absorption would play its affect obviously when temperature exceeds 40 °C. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multi-Scale and Multi-Level Design of Advanced Composites and Structures)
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9 pages, 2985 KiB  
Article
Improving Electromagnetic Interference Shielding While Retaining Mechanical Properties of Carbon Fiber-Based Composites by Introducing Carbon Nanofiber Sheet into Laminate Structure
by Yingjian Ma, Yangpeng Zhuang, Chunwei Li, Xing Shen and Liying Zhang
Polymers 2022, 14(9), 1658; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14091658 - 20 Apr 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2080
Abstract
The demands for carbon fiber reinforced composites (CFRCs) are growing in the aviation industry for fuel consumption savings, despite the increasing risk of electromagnetic interference (EMI). In this work, polyacrylonitrile (PAN) sheets were prepared by electrospinning. Carbon nanofiber (CNF) sheets were obtained by [...] Read more.
The demands for carbon fiber reinforced composites (CFRCs) are growing in the aviation industry for fuel consumption savings, despite the increasing risk of electromagnetic interference (EMI). In this work, polyacrylonitrile (PAN) sheets were prepared by electrospinning. Carbon nanofiber (CNF) sheets were obtained by the carbonization of PAN sheets. The laminate structures of the CF reinforced bismaleimide (BMI)-based composites were specially designed by introducing two thin CNF sheets in the upper and bottom plies, according to EMI shielding theory. The results showed that the introduction of CNF sheets led to a substantial increase in the EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) by 35.0% compared with CFRCs free of CNF sheets. The dominant EMI shielding mechanism was reflection. Noticeably, the introduction of CNF sheets did not impact the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of CFRCs, indicating that the strategy provided in this work was feasible for fabricating CFRCs with a high EMI shielding performance without sacrificing their mechanical properties. Therefore, the satisfactory EMI shielding and ILSS properties, coupled with a high service temperature, made BMI-based composites a promising candidate in some specific fields, such as high-speed aircrafts and missiles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multi-Scale and Multi-Level Design of Advanced Composites and Structures)
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19 pages, 5430 KiB  
Article
Configuration Design and Dynamic Characteristics Analysis of Spacecraft Membrane Sunshield
by Tao Peng, Qiuhong Lin, Bingyan Li, Shuwu Dai, Ani Luo, Qiang Cong and Rongqiang Liu
Polymers 2022, 14(3), 609; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14030609 - 4 Feb 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1708
Abstract
To meet the needs of large space telescopes, such as light weight, high folding ratio, and low manufacturing cost, a flexible deployable regular hexagonal membrane sunshield is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the dynamic equation of the membrane plane is established by the [...] Read more.
To meet the needs of large space telescopes, such as light weight, high folding ratio, and low manufacturing cost, a flexible deployable regular hexagonal membrane sunshield is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the dynamic equation of the membrane plane is established by the micro-element method. Then, the response surface method is used to obtain the mathematical model of the fundamental frequency of the membrane sunshield. The factors influencing this model, such as the corner pulling force, the effective circle radius, and the edge arch height, are analyzed. By combining the formula of the fundamental frequency of the membrane sunshield and the effective area ratio of the sunshield, the multi-objective optimization function of the fundamental frequency of the membrane sunshield is obtained. A scaled-down experimental prototype of the membrane sunshield is built, and the modal test is performed on the thin membrane plane with a circular fixed boundary in the middle. Comparing the experimental results with the finite element simulation results, the mode shape and the fundamental frequency are highly consistent. This proves that the model can be used to solve the fundamental frequency of the membrane sunshield under the same boundary. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multi-Scale and Multi-Level Design of Advanced Composites and Structures)
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