Implementation of active infrared NDT techniques using long square heating pulses

2012

The present work describes the implementation of active IR Thermography techniques for the NDT of thick polymer and glass-fibre reinforced polymer (GRP) composite panels. A low cost Thermal NDT set-up is proposed, comprising a single-detector IR camera with low thermal resolution and low frame rate, and common low-power halogen lamps as external heat source devices. The use of halogen lamps in particular requires several seconds of switch-on time in order to deliver meaningful and effective heat quantities. The influence of such long heat deposition intervals is investigated on the possibility to implement Transient Thermography and Lock-In Thermography techniques. Regarding the Transient T…

Quantitative thermoelastic stress analysis by means of low-cost setups

2020

Abstract A low-cost Thermoelastic Stress Analysis (TSA) experimental setup is proposed which uses an ordinary micro-bolometer and in-house developed signal processing scripts. The setup is evaluated by analysing the thermoelastic signal from a tensile and a SENT specimen made of stainless steel AISI 304L, and the bolometer performances are compared with those of a state of the art photon detector. Signal processing is based on off-line cross-correlation, using a self-reference signal which is retrieved from the acquired thermal data. Procedures are in particular developed to recognise, quantify and correct errors due to spectral leakage and loss of streamed frames. The thermoelastic signal …

Analisi quantitativa dell’effetto termoelastico in materiali compositi cfrp

2008

Water diffusion and swelling stresses in ionizing radiation cured epoxy matrices

2017

Abstract In this work a DGEBF epoxy monomer was cured by electron beam radiation in the presence of an iodonium salt and the obtained system was hydrothermally aged as such and also after a thermal treatment, in order to obtain two systems having different uniformity in the cross-linking degree. On both systems, the transient stress field arising from swelling was measured and monitored by an optical Photoelastic technique and the results were commented with reference to a thermally cured epoxy system containing the same monomer and already discussed in a previous work. Beam samples with identical dimensions, obtained from the irradiated systems, have been aged at 80 °C in water, and charac…

Properties of Epoxy-Pes systems as polymer matrices for carbon fiber composites produced by e-beam curing

2008

Photoelastic stress analysis assisted evaluation of fracture toughness in hydrothermally aged epoxies

2014

The present work has investigated the fracture toughness of a model DGEBA epoxy system subject to Hidro-Thermal aging. A Photoelastic Stress Analysis technique has been implemented, showing the evolution of stresses arising throughout the water uptake process due to the non-uniform swelling of the material. Gravimetric and Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analyses have further complemented the characterization, showing the onset of plasticization effects with aging. The correlation of all previous characterizations has allowed to conclude that an increase of KIC fracture toughness is obtained at the fully saturated condition. In particular Photoelasticity has also revealed the onset of relevant s…

Elaborazione delle immagini con il metodo della trasformata di Fourier: il caso della fotoelasticità.

2007

The carrier fringes method has been proposed in digital photoelasticity in combination with techniques such as Fourier transform and phase shifting method, without considering the influence of the isoclinics on the isochromatic patterns analysis. Unlike other optical methods as moiré and holographic interferometry, in photoelasticity the light intensity emerging from a circular polariscope is related to both the isochromatic retardation and the isoclinic parameter. As it is shown by the theoretical analysis, owing to the misalignment between the principal stresses in the model and in the carrier, the computed retardation is affected by an error which is the same for all photoelastic methods…

Mechanical behavior of a sandwich with corrugated GRP core: numerical modeling and experimental validation

2014

In this work the mechanical behaviour of a core reinforced composite sandwich structure is studied. The sandwich employs a Glass Reinforced Polymer (GRP) orthotropic material for both the two external skins and the inner core web. In particular, the core is designed in order to cooperate with the GRP skins in membrane and flexural properties by means of the addition of a corrugated laminate into the foam core. An analytical model has been developed to replace a unit cell of this structure with an orthotropic equivalent thick plate that reproduces the in plane and out of plane behaviour of the original geometry. Different validation procedures have been implemented to verify the quality of t…

Detection and characterisation of disbonds on Fibre Metal Laminate hybrid composites by flying laser spot thermography

2017

Abstract In this work a novel data collection and processing is proposed for the Infrared Non-Destructive Testing (IR-NDT) of interlaminar disbonds on Fibre Metal Laminate (FML) hybrid composites. The adopted active IR-NDT scheme uses a pointwise laser heat source that is moved along a raster scanning trajectory over the object surface. A Focal Plane Array IR camera is employed to acquire the thermal field generated by the moving heat source. Disbonds defect signatures are then searched by analysing the perturbations of the temperature distribution over a reference area following the heat source. The proposed methodology has been implemented on a GLARE sample, since this class of FMLs has g…

Thermal NDE of thick GRP panels by means of a Pulse Modulated Lock-In Thermography technique

2010

This work describes the development and implementation of an infrared thermal NDE procedure for the evaluation of subsurface defects. The approach is called Pulse-Modulated Lock-In Thermography (PMLT) and is based on the analysis of the frequency response of the measured temperature and comparison with the carrier frequencies launched by the external heat delivering source. The heat deposited on the object is in particular modulated as a train of square waves. This is easily achieved by periodically shuttering the heat source. The temperature is then sampled throughout the deposition of a few square waves. A lock-in algorithm is then implemented able to selectively filter out components at …

Investigation of the crack tip stress field in a stainless steel SENT specimen by means of Thermoelastic Stress Analysis

2019

Abstract In this work a Thermoelastic Stress Analysis (TSA) setup is implemented to investigates the Thermoelastic and Second Harmonic signals on a fatigue loaded Single Edge Notched Tension (SENT) specimen made of stainless steel AISI 304L. Three load ratios are in particular applied, R=-1, 0, 0.1. The thermoelastic signal is used to evaluate the Stress Intensity Factor via two approaches, the Stanley-Chan linear interpolation method and the over-deterministic least-square fitting (LSF) method using the Williams’ series expansion. Regarding least-square fitting, an iterative procedure is proposed to identify the optimal crack tip position in the thermoelastic maps. The SIF and T-Stress are…

The future use of structural composite materials in the automotive industry

2007

The automotive industry's use of structural composite materials began in the 1950s. Since those early days, it has been demonstrated that composites are lightweight, fatigue resistant and easily moulded to shape in other words, a seemingly attractive alternative to metals. However, there has been no widespread switch from metals to composites in the automotive sector. This is because there are a number of technical issues relating to the use of composite materials that still need to be resolved including accurate material characterisation, manufacturing and joining. This paper reports the findings of a recent European initiative that examined the future use of composite materials in the aut…

Three single loops enhance the biomechanical behavior of the transtibial pull-out technique for posterior meniscal root repair

2017

Purpose: To investigate the effect of applying an additional suture to enhance the biomechanical behavior of the suture–meniscus construct used during the transtibial pull- out repair technique. Methods: A total of 20 fresh-frozen porcine tibiae with intact medial menisci were used. In one half of all speci- mens (N = 10), two non-absorbable sutures were passed directly over the meniscal root from the tibia side of the meniscus to the femoral side (2SS). In other ten specimens, three sutures were passed over the meniscal root (3SS). All specimens were subjected to cyclic loading followed by load-to-failure testing. Displacement of the construct was recorded at 100, 500, and 1000 cycles. Fur…

Investigation on the behaviour of fully thermoplastic composite sandwich beams under concentrated loads

2009

The recent development of new low cost manufacturing processes adopting thermoplastic matrices in the production of structural long fibre reinforced laminates is fostering an increasing interest towards this class of materials. The automotive sector in particular is attracted by the high energy absorbing, damage tolerance performances and manufacturing and recycling potentials of structural thermoplastic composites. In this study a number of fully thermoplastic sandwich beams have been manufactured in order to investigate flexural and shear rigidity performances as well as the indentation behavior under static concentrated loads.

CONFRONTO TEORICO SPERIMENTALE DEL CAMPO TERMICO IN UNA OPERAZIONE DI SALDATURA DI TESTA

2008

Effetto dell’invecchiamento idrotermico sulle proprietà termiche e meccaniche di resine epossidiche strutturali

2018

Le resine termoindurenti, utilizzate come matrici per materiali compositi rinforzati con fibre di carbonio, sono caratterizzate da un elevato grado di densità di reticolazione che conferisce loro una elevata fragilità e che allo stesso tempo le espone a significativi effetti di invecchiamento idrotermico durante il loro utilizzo [1]. In particolare si assiste alla diminuzione della temperatura di transizione vetrosa, per effetto di fenomeni di plasticizzazione e degradazione, e alla diminuzione di modulo elastico a flessione. Recentemente gli autori hanno proposto un metodo, Photoelastic Stress Analysis (PSA), molto efficace per monitorare le modifiche del materiale, in termini di swelling …

Water diffusion and swelling stresses in highly crosslinked epoxy matrices

2016

Abstract The present work investigates the swelling induced stresses arising in two epoxy systems during water uptake. The analysed systems are two epoxy resin based on DGEBA monomer and DGEBF monomer respectively, both fully cured by DDS amine. The systems achieve different cross-link density degrees, and are characterised by high glass transition temperatures ranging between 200 and 230 °C. Both epoxies have been conditioned in deionized water baths at two different temperatures (50 °C and 80 °C). A desorption process at room temperature in a dry airborne environment was performed after saturation. Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analysis, carried out at the various stages of hydrothermal cond…

ANALISI NUMERICO-SPERIMENTALE DI SANDWICH IN COMPOSITO CON CORE CORRUGATO

2006

Thermo-Mechanical Behaviour of Flax-Fibre Reinforced Epoxy Laminates for Industrial Applications

2015

The present work describes the experimental mechanical characterisation of a natural flax fibre reinforced epoxy polymer composite. A commercial plain woven quasi-unidirectional flax fabric with spun-twisted yarns is employed in particular, as well as unidirectional composite panels manufactured with three techniques: hand-lay-up, vacuum bagging and resin infusion. The stiffness and strength behaviours are investigated under both monotonic and low-cycle fatigue loadings. The analysed material has, in particular, shown a typical bilinear behaviour under pure traction, with a knee yield point occurring at a rather low stress value, after which the material tensile stiffness is significantly r…

Influence of data input in the evaluation of Stress Intensity Factors from Thermoelastic Stress Analysis

2021

Abstract Thermoelastic Stress Analysis (TSA) is applied to evaluate the Stress Intensity Factor (SIF), T-stress and J-Integral in a Single-Edge-Notched-Tension sample undergoing fatigue cycling. The Williams’ series stress formulation and a least-square fitting (LSF) procedure are used to obtain the SIF and the T-stress. The evaluation is carried out with the aim to investigate the influence of the input data in the system of equations solved with the LSF, and in particular: the number of coefficients used in the Williams’ series and the choice and position of the fitted experimental data points. Three algorithms for the determination of the crack tip position are also evaluated: a coarse g…

Thermoelastic Stress Analysis by Means of a Standard Thermocamera and a 2D-Fft Based Lock-In Technique

2007

The thermoelastic effect in a generic orthotropic body under adiabatic and linear elastic stress conditions induces small and reversible temperature changes that can be correlated with the stress field by means of linear relationships. Infrared techniques are mainly used to measure temperature changes on the component surface [1], while adiabatic conditions are generally achieved by applying cyclic loads above a threshold frequency. The resolution resulting from implementing a Thermoelastic Stress Analysis (TSA) technique is a combination of the infrared acquiring system resolution and of the signal post-processing procedure. State of the art infrared detectors have NETD (Noise Equivalent T…

On the correlation of temperature harmonic content with energy dissipation in C45 steel samples under fatigue loading

2022

Fatigue damage onset involves a transformation of mechanical energy. This is in part spent into work of plastic deformation and fracture and in part transformed into heat. Therefore, different thermomechanical heat sources are activated during a fatigue loading cycle, resulting in a temperature modulation that can be characterized by its frequency content. Several studies have monitored the temperature on samples undergoing high-cycle fatigue, measuring specific thermomechanical metrics which could serve as indicators of damage evolution. The present work evaluates the harmonic content of temperature, to investigate its correlation with the material dissipation. The harmonic terms investiga…

Idrothermal ageing of ionizing radiation cured epoxy matrices for carbon fibre composites

2008

Investigations on some analytical stress and strain-based relations of the thermoleastic effect on FRP composite materials.

2005

This work presents a set of experimental results based on the measured thermoelastic signal from GRP composite coupons adopting different lay-ups. A comparison is made with the thermoelastic signal predicted by two different analytical models: one based on the classical law of the thermoelastic effect for orthotropic materials, and the other based on a novel theory accounting for the presence of a resin layer on the external surface of the composite structure. The composite coupons were designed such to determine a significant difference in the predictions made by the two theoretical models. Experimental results have shown a far better match with the predictions based on the novel theory ac…

DELAMINAZIONE INTERLAMINARE DI COMPOSITI CFRP AL VARIARE DELLE CONDIZIONI DI CURA DELLA MATRICE

2012

In questo lavoro si è condotto uno studio sperimentale del comportamento a delaminazione interlaminare in Modo I di laminati compositi unidirezionali in fibra di carbonio e matrice epossidica (CFRP), al variare delle condizioni di cura della matrice. Tutti i sistemi analizzati hanno utilizzato lo stesso tessuto e lo stesso monomero epossidico DGEBA. Variando il processo di cura (cura termica o mediante radiazioni), gli agenti di cura (ammine o anidridi per i sistemi curati termicamente), e l’impiego di additivi tenacizzanti (es. il PES per i sistemi irradiati), è stato possibile controllare e modificare sia il grado di adesione fibra/matrice, che il grado di fragilità della matrice (monitor…

TORSIONAL STRESS CONCENTRATIONS IN SHAFTS: FROM ELECTRICAL ANALOGIES TO NUMERICAL METHODS

2013

This paper presents the historical development of methods used for the study of torsional stresses in shafts. In particular the paper covers both analog methods, in particular those based on electrical analogies proposed since about 1925, and numerical methods, in particular finite difference methods (FDM), finite element methods (FEM) and boundary elements (BEM).

Thermoelastic Stress Analysis of modified Transverse Cut Tensile composite specimens under pure Mode II fatigue delamination

2018

The present work investigates the behaviour of a Transvers Crack Tensile (TCT) specimen undergoing fatigue loading, by means of a Thermoelastic Stress Analysis (TSA) experimental setup. The TCT is a tensile composite specimen where a number of internal layers are cut through the beam width. The presence of such transverse notch favours the formation of interlaminar Mode II delaminations, starting from the notch tips and propagating between the cut and continuous plies. In this work, a modification is adopted to the classic TCT specimen, where insert films, mimicking artificial delaminations, are laid across the notch tips. This is done with the purpose to favour a pure Mode II and a symmetr…

Absorption kinetics and swelling stresses in hydrothermally aged epoxies investigated by photoelastic image analysis

2015

Abstract The present work proposes an experimental optical methodology able to measure the transient swelling stresses induced by the water uptake ageing of polymers. In particular, the work describes the implementation of a Photoelastic technique to quantify internal stresses arising during the hydrothermal ageing of cast epoxy samples. The material investigated is a model DGEBA/DDS epoxy system. Curing and post-curing cycles have been optimised in order to obtain a fully cured, high T g , and completely stress free initial condition. Rectangular beam samples were then left in a hydrothermal bath at 90 °C, and regularly monitored by gravimetric and photoelastic analyses. The quantitative e…

Mechanical Behaviour of a Green Sandwich Made of Flax Reinforced Polymer Facings and Cork Core

2015

Abstract This work investigates the flexural behavior of a composite sandwich made of flax fibers reinforced skin facings and an agglomerated cork core, to be employed as an eco-friendly solution for the making of structural components of small sailing boats. An experimental mechanical characterization of the strength and stiffness flexural behavior of the proposed sandwich is carried out, providing a comparison of performances from three implemented assembling techniques: hand-lay-up, vacuum bagging and resin infusion. Sandwich beams have been tested under three point bending (TPB) at various span lengths. A procedure is also proposed and implemented to consider the potential influence of …

Toughened epoxy matrices produced by e-beam irradiation

2009

Standard mechanical testing is inadequate for the mechanical characterisation of shape-memory alloys: Source of errors and a new corrective approach

2022

Thanks to its unique behaviour characterised by a superelastic response, Nitinol has now become the material of preference in a number of critical applications, especially in the area of medical implants. However, the reversible phase transformation producing its exceptional comportment is also responsible for a number of phenomena that make its mechanical characterisation particularly complex, by hindering the assumptions at the very basis of common uniaxial tensile testing. This necessarily reduces the level of safety and design optimization of current applications, which rely on incorrect mechanical parameters. In this study, the spurious effects introduced by the unconventional material…

ANALISI DEL COMPORTAMENTO AD INDENTAZIONE IN TRAVI SANDWICH IN COMPOSITO CON ANIMA IN SCHIUMA POLIMERICA

2010

Nel presente lavoro si propone una estensione dei modelli basati sulla teoria delle travi vincolate su una fondazione cedevole di tipo Winkler per lo studio del comportamento ad indentazione di travi sandwich in schiuma polimerica sollecitate da carichi concentrati. L’approccio proposto è in grado di considerare schiume polimeriche aventi comportamento a compressione di tipo non lineare. Sono derivate soluzioni analitiche in forma chiusa della curva di indentazione per anime in schiuma polimerica il cui comportamento a compressione è approssimabile con un andamento bi-lineare. In tal modo è possibile considerare comportamenti di softening o hardening della schiuma nel tratto post-elastico. …

Influence of Nylon 6,6 nanofiber mats on cure behavior and properties of CFR epoxy resin

2014

In this work Nylon 6,6 nanofibrous mats produced by electrospinning were used as interlayers in carbon fiber reinforced laminates. A high crossilinked epoxy resin was chosen as matrix. The effects of polymeric mats on cure behavior, thermal and delamination properties of the composite laminates were investigated.

Thermal NDT of glass reinforced composite panels for naval applications by means of a linear infrared scanner

2009

The work describes the development and application of a low cost Thermal NDT set-up to investigate the influence of delamination defects on thick glass fibre reinforced composite laminates simulating typical hull monolithic GRP panels. Two active thermographic techniques have been implemented in particular: a pulsed thermography and a step heating scheme. A 12 mm thick cross-ply panel has been manufactured and delamination defects simulated in two different ways: by embedding patches of folded Teflon sheets, and by drilling flat bottomed back holes. A number of defects was then positioned at three different depths form the scanned surfaces, measuring ¼, ½ and ¾ of the laminate thickness. A …

The effect of through-thickness compressive stress on mode II interlaminar fracture toughness

2017

Abstract The effect of through-thickness compressive stress on mode II interlaminar fracture toughness is investigated experimentally and replicated numerically. The modified Transverse Crack Tensile specimen recently proposed by the authors is used, together with an experimental device designed to apply a constant transverse compressive stress on the surface of the specimen. Experiments are conducted using IM7/8552 specimens for different compressive stresses, ranging from 0 to 100 MPa, covering all the practical applications commonly encountered in the aeronautical industry (e.g., tightened filled holes or bolted joints). It is shown that mode II interlaminar fracture toughness increases …

The durability of carbon fiber/epoxy composites under hydrothermal ageing

2011

Studies on fibre reinforced composites are now receiving greater attention. Industrial applications have been successful in areas like aerospace, automobile, marine, construction and sporting goods. The first generation of epoxy resins for use in carbon fibre composites are able to achieve optimized high stiffness modules and high heat resistance by a high crosslink density, reached through thermal curing. However, these formulations can be very toxic and brittle with low crack resistance, which was a major disadvantage for structural applications. In the last years the use of ionizing radiation as alternative to thermal curing has been proposed as an environmentally friendly process. Furth…

Biomechanical comparison between the modified rolling-hitch and the modified finger-trap suture techniques

2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to characterize the biomechanical effect of two grasping suture techniques used during ligament reconstruction: the modified rolling-hitch (MRH) and the modified finger-trap (MFT). Methods: Flexor profundus tendons were harvested from fresh pig hind-leg trotters. Each specimen was mounted on an electro-mechanic universal testing machine (Instron 3367). In half of all tendons (15 specimens), the suture was passed around the tendon following the MRH knot (Group 1). In the remaining half of all tendons (15 specimens), the suture was passed over a distance of 30 mm according to the MFT suture technique (Group 2). As per standard intra-operative technique, …

On relation between J-integral and heat energy dissipation at the crack tip in stainless steel specimens

2019

In this paper, an experimental procedure to evaluate the elastic-plastic J-integral at the tip of a fatigue crack is presented. According to this new approach, the elastic component of the J-integral is derived from Thermoelastic Stress Analysis, while the plastic component of the J-integral is derived from the heat energy loss. An analytical link is proposed to apply this new experimental technique. Therefore, the elastic-plastic J-integral range was evaluated starting from infrared temperature maps measured in situ during crack propagation tests of AISI 304L stainless steel specimens. It was found that the range of the infrared thermography-based J-integral correlated well the crack growt…

Interlaminar fracture toughness behavior of electron-beam cured carbon-fiber reinforced epoxy-resin composites

2013

The work describes the preparation and physical-mechanical characterization of unidirectional CFRP panels manufactured by an electron beam curing technique. Delamination fracture toughness in Mode I and II is investigated in order to evaluate the influence of fiber–matrix adhesion strength, matrix toughness and matrix crosslinking density as determined by the radiation curing process. A matrix system comprising a DGEBA epoxy monomer and an initiator of cationic polymerization have been used, with one batch of resin mixed with a PES monomer in order to enhance matrix toughness. Curing was achieved with a pulsed 10 MeV Electron Beam accelerator. Thermally cured composite systems have also bee…

The development of a hybrid technique employing the boundary element method for thermoelastic stress separation

2000

: This paper presents a development of a hybrid technique employing a boundary element method for determining individual stress components in two-dimensional arbitrarily shaped domains from experimental isopachics only. The procedure consists of a numerical solution of two Poisson equations representing equilibrium for two-dimensional plane-stressed solids with zero body forces. An existing technique is employed for smoothing interior thermoelastic data and enhancing boundary information. The algorithm of stress separation has been implemented with the help of commercial codes. The whole procedure has been tested through a complete post-processing example of thermoelastic stress analysis da…

Does the 5-strand-graft have superior biomechanical behaviour than 4-strand-graft during acl reconstruction?

2019

Purpose. This study aimed to compare the biomechanical proprieties of 4 and 5-strand- grafts. Methods. For the present study, fresh-frozen bovine common digital extensor tendons were used. Tendon grafts were prepared and sized to have a length of almost 27 cm and a cylinder 4 strand diameter of 8 mm. In half of all samples (Group A, n=12,), the graft was formed by 2 bundles duplicated around a metallic rod creating a 4-strand-tendon construct. In the other half of samples (Group B, n= 12,) 5-strand-tendon construct was created duplicating a single tendon around the rod, and tripling the other one. The grafts were preconditioned at 50 N for 10 min, followed by 1,000 cyclic loading between 50…

A Numerical Study on Interlaminar Defects Characterization in Fibre Metal Laminates with Flying Laser Spot Thermography

2018

This work describes a numerical study on non-destructive evaluation of interlayer disbond defects in aerospace grade Fibre Metal Laminate sheets (FMLs). A recently proposed infrared non-destructive testing setup is considered, where a continuous laser is moved over the material surface, while the thermal footprint of the moving heat source is acquired, e.g. by an infrared thermal camera. Interlayer disbonds are then detected by analysing the features of the acquired thermograms. The experimental feasibility of this approach has been recently proved. The present work proposes a numerical simulation of the NDT approach, where the material thermal response is analysed and correlated to defects…

Radiation curing of carbon fibre composites

2014

Epoxy/carbon fibre reinforced composites were produced by means of e-beam irradiation through a pulsed 10 MeV electron beam accelerator. The matrix consisted of a difunctional epoxy monomer (DGEBA) and an initiator of cationic polymerisation, while the reinforcement was a unidirectional high modulus carbon fibre fabric. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis was carried out in order to determine the cross-linking degree. The analysis pointed out a nonuniformity in the cross-linking degree of the e-beam cured panels, with the formation of clusters at low Tg (glass transition temperature) and clusters at high Tg. An out-of-mould post irradiation thermal treatment on e-beam cured samples provides…

Investigation on the influence of the surface resin rich layer on the thermoelastic signal from different composite laminate lay-ups

2006

This work presents a set of experimental results based on the measured thermoelastic signal from GRP composite coupons adopting different lay-ups. A comparison is made with the thermoelastic signal predicted by two different analytical models: one based on the classical law of the thermoelastic effect for orthotropic materials, and the other based on a novel theory accounting for the presence of a resin layer on the external surface of the composite structure. The composite coupons were designed such to determine a significant difference in the predictions made by the two theoretical models. Experimental results have shown a far better match with the predictions based on the novel theory ac…

Radiation Curing of Thermosetting- Thermoplastic Blends as Matrices for Structural Carbon Fibre Composites

2011

Similar biomechanical properties of four tripled tendon graft models for ACL reconstruction

2021

Abstract Purpose The present study tested and compared the biomechanical properties of four different triplicate graft tendon techniques. Methods 32 tripled tendons from the common extensor muscle of bovine fingers were tested on a material testing machine, passing the end loop over a metal rod of a clevis connected to the load cell on the upper side, and fixing the lower end to a clamp. The samples were divided into four groups: (A) tripled with a free end sutured only to one of the two fixed bundles (B) tripled with a free end positioned between the two fixed strands and sutured to both (C) tripled with an S-shape and all the three strands sutured together at the upper and lower extremiti…

Fracture Toughness of Hydrothermally Aged Epoxy Systems with Different Crosslink Density

2015

Abstract The present work investigates the fracture toughness behaviour of Single Edge Notched Bending (SENB) samples of epoxy systems subject to water uptake aging. Two epoxy systems with a significantly different Glass Transition Temperature, T g , are in particular considered: a typical commercial non-aeronautical grade resin matrix for composite applications, reaching a T g of 90 °C, and a DGEBA+DDS epoxy system achieving a T g of 230 °C.The materials have been conditioned by hydrothermal aging in a thermal bath at the temperature of 50 °C. TransmissionPhotoelastic Stress Analysisis carried outon SENB samples during water aging, monitoring the presence and evolution of swelling stresses…

Effect of suturing the femoral portion of a four-strand graft during an ACL reconstruction

2014

Purpose A suture passed along the part of the graft that will be inserted into the femoral tunnel is widely used by surgeons, because it could prevent the graft sliding on the femoral fixation device during pulling from the tibial side. The aim of this study was to evaluate the biomechanical effects of suturing the intratunnel femoral part of the graft during an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Methods Bovine digital extensor tendons and tibias were harvested from 20 fresh-frozen mature bovine knees ranging in age from 18 to 24 months. Quadruple-strand bovine tendons were passed through the tibial tunnel and secured distally with a bioabsorbable interference screw. In one ha…

Lock-In Signal Post-Processing Techniques in Infra-Red Thermography for Materials Structural Evaluation

2013

This paper describes the potential of off-line thermographic signal processing by means of Lock-In Correlation algorithms, in order to implement structural health monitoring and stress analysis techniques. Thermal datasets acquired by infrared thermocameras are locked-in and correlated numerically with opportune reference signals, and amplitude and phase values of various harmonics retrieved by means of a Fast Fourier Transform and time averaging based filtering. This information is then processed for NDT defect probing and for evaluating the Thermoelastic Effect induced temperature changes. Two case studies in particular are discussed, implementing the proposed signal lock-in processing: a…

A review of the general theory of thermoelastic stress analysis

2003

Thermoelastic stress analysis (TSA) is now a well-known experimental technique providing information on the surface stress field in structures. Many studies have assessed the potential of the technique for a number of applications and some useful and detailed reviews of these investigations are available, focusing mainly on the experimental aspects related to the measurement of the thermoelastic signal. In this work, instead, a complete and detailed insight into the origins of the various forms of the equations describing the thermoelastic effect is given with reference to the concepts of the thermodynamic theory of a continuum. A discussion on the theory leading to the thermoelastic effec…

Strain Measurement on Composites: Effects due to Strain Gauge Misalignment

2011

The present work analyses the errors affecting the strains measured by misaligned strain gauges installed on orthotropic-composite laminae. Various analytical relationships are derived showing that, besides the fibre and strain gauge orientations, the misalignment error in unidirectional off-axis orthotropic composite samples depends also on the lamina stiffness properties (E(1), E(2), nu(12), G(12)). If the fibres are aligned with the loading axis, it is found that the higher Poisson's ratio nu(12) is the only elastic property influencing the misalignment error. Experimental results are shown confirming the theoretical predictions.

Indentation of rigidly supported sandwich beams with foam cores exhibiting non-linear compressive behaviour.

2011

A generalized analytical approach to investigate the indentation of sandwich beams under concentrated loads is presented, based on the Winkler foundation theory. A segment-wise model is implemented to the case of fully backed sandwich beams with polymeric foam cores exhibiting generic non-linear compressive behaviours. Closed-form analytical solutions of the indentation curve are obtained for simplified foam compression behaviours: elastic-perfectly-plastic, bilinear and bilinear-perfectly-plastic. Analytical predictions are compared with experimental data from sandwiches employing foam cores with peculiar non-linear behaviours. The proposed models are found to give a better match of the e…

Accelerated ageing due to moisture absorption of thermally cured epoxy resin/polyethersulphone blends. Thermal, mechanical and morphological behaviour

2011

Abstract A model epoxy resin/anhydride system, modified with a polyethersulfone (PES) engineering thermoplastic toughening agent, has been studied under hydrothermal ageing in order to investigate the modification of the thermal, morphological and mechanical behaviour through dynamical mechanical thermal analysis, SEM microscopy and fracture toughness test respectively. Two different concentrations of the toughening agent were used in the blends and two ageing conditions have been considered, consisting of the immersion of the samples in distilled water at constant temperature of 70 °C for 1 week and for 1 month. Dynamical mechanical thermal analysis results on hydrothermally aged materials…

RADIATION CURING OF CARBON FIBRE COMPOSITES

2012

Refitting of an eco-friendly sailing yacht: numerical prediction and experimental validation

2016

A 4.60 m sailing yacht, made with a flax fiber composite and wood, has been refitted with the aim of hull weight reduction and performance improvement during regattas. The first objective was obtained with a lightening of internal hull reinforcements while the second one with a reduction of the maximum beam, in order to minimize the longitudinal moment of inertia. The refitting was first simulated via CAD-FEM interaction to establish the feasibility of the procedure and to verify the structural integrity. The resulting hull was then instrumented with strain gauges and tested under typical rigging and sailing conditions. Results obtained by the numerical modeling and measured from experiment…

Mode I fracture toughness behavior of hydro-thermally aged carbon fibre reinforced DGEBA-HHPA-PES systems

2012

In this work the Mode I fracture toughness behavior of unidirectional CFRP laminates is investigated by means of Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) tests. The composite samples were manufactured by thermal curing after impregnation of a Carbon fabric with a DGEBA epoxy and anhydride HHPA curing agent. One resin batch was also mixed with a PES thermoplastic monomer to enhance the matrix toughness. Two lots of samples, toughened and un-toughened, were then left to soak in hot water to achieve various degrees of aging. The influence of matrix toughening and hydrothermal aging on the delamination behavior of the composite have then been assessed and correlated with characterization data from Dynamic …

Properties-morpholohy-processing relationships in the e-beam curing of epoxy resin-thermoplastic blends for advanced composite matrices

2007

A Quantitative Analysis of the Thermoelastic Effect in CFRP Composite Materials

2010

In this study the thermoelastic signal from carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) laminates is investigated. A comparison between the theoretical and experimental values of the thermoelastic signal is reported, with the theoretical predictions obtained from two different quantitative models. These models are based on the classic thermoelastic effect law extended to the case of orthotropic materials (by using the mesomechanical or bulk approach), and the modified law assuming that the surface resin-rich layer behaves as a strain witness of the laminate. It is found that the theoretical predictions of the two models can be strongly and differently influenced by the intrinsic orthotropy of ca…

Review of photoelastic image analysis applied to structural birefringent materials: glass and polymers

2015

Photoelasticity is particularly suitable for the analysis of the stress state in structural materials that are transparent and birefringent. Some techniques of digital photoelasticity (phase shifting and RGB) are applied to the analysis of stress field in two classes of structural materials. The first one consists of tempered glasses, such as those used in the automotive and architectural fields. The second one consists of thermoset polymers, typically used as matrices in fiber reinforced plastic structural composites. The birefringence of such resins is, in particular, exploited to investigate the development of swelling stresses and changes in fracture toughness as induced by water uptake…

Thermal and mechanical properties of polymer matrices for carbon fibre composites produced by radiation curing of Epoxy-Pes blends

2008

Effects of Nylon 6,6 Nanofibrous Mats on Thermal Properties and Delamination Behavior of High Performance CFRP Laminates

2014

none 8 no Nylon 6,6 electrospun nanofibrous membranes interleaved in Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) laminates have been proposed as a means to provide a higher threshold value to delamination on structural sites where composites are more prone to develop such failure. A model, highly crosslinked thus inherently brittle, epoxy matrix was selected for its high Young’s modulus and glass transition temperature exceeding 250 °C. The influence of the Nylon 6,6 nanofibres on the curing behaviour of the matrix and on the thermal and dynamic mechanical properties of the cured resin was investigated. These properties were related to the features of the epoxy resin and of the resin impregnated…

STUDIO NUMERICO E SPERIMENTALE SU GIUNZIONI DI ELEMENTI IN POLIETILENE SALDATI DI TESTA ED ELETTROFUSI

2008

A Quantitative Analysis of the Thermoelastic Effect in CFRP Composite Materials

2010

:  In this study the thermoelastic signal from carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) laminates is investigated. A comparison between the theoretical and experimental values of the thermoelastic signal is reported, with the theoretical predictions obtained from two different quantitative models. These models are based on the classic thermoelastic effect law extended to the case of orthotropic materials (by using the mesomechanical or bulk approach), and the modified law assuming that the surface resin-rich layer behaves as a strain witness of the laminate. It is found that the theoretical predictions of the two models can be strongly and differently influenced by the intrinsic orthotropy of…

Topological optimization of a structural naval component manufactured in FDM

2019

In this paper, a topological optimization procedure has been applied on a real component of the deck of a sailing multi-hull in order to find the internal shape that best save the material used in the manufacturing process without a relevant loss of structural rigidity. The multi-hull boat is a 16 feet length catamaran equipped with an asymmetric foil on both centerboards and with a symmetric foil on both rudders. The task of the analyzed object is to act as a cylindrical support for the screw that drives the rotation of the centerboard. The process adopted to manufacture this object is the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technique, because of its high versatility and its relative low-cost …

An investigation of the influence of the macroscopic heterogeneity on the thermoelstic response of fibre reinforced plastics

2005

In this work the influence of the inherent heterogeneity in fibre reinforced plastic composites on the qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the thermoelastic signal is discussed. The role of two different levels of heterogeneity is identified, distinguishing between a micro-geometric scale characterized by the presence of different constituent materials, and a macro-geometric scale characterized by a non-uniform distribution of these constituents. Attention has been focused on the macro-scale level, presenting results of experiments performed on glass fibre - polyester resin samples, intended to highlight the influence on the thermoelastic signal of the fabric texture pattern and the …

Infrared thermography-based evaluation of the elastic-plastic J-integral to correlate fatigue crack growth data of a stainless steel

2019

Abstract The elastic-plastic J-integral is adopted to correlate fatigue crack growth data of ductile metals. An analytical link is known to exist between the J-integral and the strain energy density averaged in a control volume embracing the crack tip. On the other hand, the strain energy fluctuation is the source of temperature variations close to a fatigue crack tip of a metal material; hence the possibility to measure the J-integral from infrared thermographic scanning at the crack tip is envisaged and it is the focus of this paper. It is proposed that the elastic component of the J-integral is derived from a thermoelastic stress analysis, while the plastic component of the J-integral is…

Evaluation of crack-closure by second harmonic thermoelastic stress analysis

2022

The work illustrates a new experimental approach to evaluate crack-closure in samples undergoing Fatigue Crack-Growing. Crack-closure leaves a peculiar signature on both amplitude and phase of the harmonic of the temperature signal at twice the loading frequency (Second Harmonic), due to the periodic nature of the internal elastic compression stresses. Thermoelastic Stress Analysis (TSA) is successfully applied to reveal such signatures on Single-Edge-Notched steel samples. A methodology is also proposed to evaluate the Crack-Opening-Load from temperature data. The work finally explores the influence of crack-closure on crack-tip identification and on the evaluation of the Stress Intensity …

MODELLI ANALITICI DELLA LEGGE DELL’EFFETTO TERMOELASTICO IN LAMINATI COMPOSITI

2007

Mechanical properties of basalt fiber reinforced composites manufactured with different vacuum assisted impregnation techniques

2016

Abstract This work describes an experimental mechanical characterisation campaign on composites made out of a quasi-unidirectional basalt fabric. In order to evaluate the ability of commercial basalt fabrics and their composites to meet the potentials of basalt fibers, the work has used raw materials from commercial catalogs with no further modification. Two common manufacturing techniques for medium performance composites have been adopted: vacuum assisted resin infusion, and hand-impregnated vacuum bagging. Two panels, one for each technique, have been fabricated, able to provide a sufficient number of samples for a comprehensive stiffness and strength characterization through Tensile, Fl…

ANALISI DELLO STATO TENSIONALE IN RESINE EPOSSIDICHE SOTTOPOSTE AD INVECCHIAMENTO IDROTERMICO MEDIANTE TECNICA FOTOELASTICA

2014

In questo lavoro si è analizzato lo stato tensionale che nasce in sistemi epossidici DGEBA quando sono sottoposti ad invecchiamento idro-termico, tramite la tecnica fotoelastica a trasmissione, basata sul metodo a variazione di fase di Compensazione di Tardy. I provini, monitorati ad intervalli di tempo regolari durante i processi di assorbimento e desorbimento di acqua, sono stati osservati al polariscopio circolare. La tecnica ha permesso di analizzare, sia qualitativamente, sia quantitativamente, lo stato tensionale indotto dal non uniforme “swelling” durante l’intero processo di invecchiamento. Inoltre, lo studio ha analizzato anche provini criccati di tipo Single Edge Notched Bending; …

Hydrothermal ageing of radiation cured epoxy resin-polyether sulfone blends as matrices for structural composites

2010

Abstract The hydrothermal ageing of epoxy–thermoplastic blends, used as matrices for carbon fibre composites, cured by electron beam, has been studied. Two different thermoplastic percentages have been adopted. A suitable choice of both curing process and formulation parameters allows to carry out irradiation at mild temperature with several advantages, coming from a “non thermal” process, for both the final properties of the materials and the environment. Nevertheless the occurring of vitrification phenomena needs the use of a short thermal treatment after irradiation on the already solid materials, in order to complete the cure reactions. Radiation cured epoxy based matrices have been sub…

The Role of Patient-Specific Morphological Features of the Left Atrial Appendage on the Thromboembolic Risk Under Atrial Fibrillation

2022

BackgroundA large majority of thrombi causing ischemic complications under atrial fibrillation (AF) originate in the left atrial appendage (LAA), an anatomical structure departing from the left atrium, characterized by a large morphological variability between individuals. This work analyses the hemodynamics simulated for different patient-specific models of LAA by means of computational fluid–structure interaction studies, modeling the effect of the changes in contractility and shape resulting from AF.MethodsThree operating conditions were analyzed: sinus rhythm, acute atrial fibrillation, and chronic atrial fibrillation. These were simulated on four patient-specific LAA morphologies, each…

Water diffusion and swelling stresses in ionizing radiation cured epoxies as matrices for carbon fiber composites

2017

Cross-linking polymerization initiated by high energy radiation is a very attractive technique for the production of high performance composite materials. This method in fact offers many advantages compared to conventional thermal curing processes, due to the possibility to operate at mild temperature and in short time, limiting both energy and time consuming [1-2]. High performance composite materials mainly consist of epoxy resins as matrix and carbon fibers as reinforce, due to their excellent properties in terms of thermal and mechanical resistance. An important requirement of such systems for structural applications is their ability to maintain the properties within a fixed range durin…

A comparative evaluation of crashworthy sandwich structures

2007

This paper describes an experimental evaluation of the energy absorption properties of a series of novel designs for cost-effective crashworthy composite sandwich structures. All the designs are based on the concept of the "tied-core" sandwich, i.e. the use of additional core reinforcements that act to tie the opposing facings of a sandwich together, thus preventing catastrophic failure under edgewise loading. The design, manufacture and crush testing of hollow rectangular tubes fabricated from six different tied-core concepts is described. Factors that are shown to promote high energy absorption include large, continuous areas of contact between the facings and the ties, non-thin sandwich …

A comparative evaluation of crashworthy composite sandwich structures

2007

Abstract This paper describes an experimental evaluation of the energy absorption properties of a series of novel designs for cost-effective crashworthy composite sandwich structures. All the designs are based on the concept of the “tied-core” sandwich, i.e. the use of additional core reinforcements that act to tie the opposing facings of a sandwich together, thus preventing catastrophic failure under edgewise loading. The design, manufacture and crush testing of hollow rectangular tubes fabricated from six different tied-core concepts is described. Factors that are shown to promote high energy absorption include large, continuous areas of contact between the facings and the ties, non-thin …

Implementation of a fast and low cost IR-NDT technique by means of a Square Pulse modulated Lock-In Thermography

2012

This work describes the development of an IR-NDT procedure based on a lock-in signal treatment in the frequency domain to obtain phase-contrast defect signatures. Heat stimulation is obtained by periodically shattering a common low-power halogen lamp. The delivered heat is then modulated as a train of square waves with multi-frequency harmonic content. The proposed lock-in algorithm is able to selectively retrieve phase and amplitude information at various frequencies of the acquired temperature, acting also as a narrow band filter to improve defect-signature to noise ratio. The procedure is implemented and evaluated by means of low cost IR equipment to investigate artificially defected thi…

Limitation of carrier fringe methods in digital photoelasticity

2007

The carrier fringes method has been proposed in digital photoelasticity in combination with techniques such as Fourier transform and phase shifting method, without considering the influence of the isoclinics on the isochromatic patterns analysis. Unlike other optical methods as moire and holographic interferometry, in photoelasticity the light intensity emerging from a circular polariscope is related to both the isochromatic retardation and the isoclinic parameter. As it is shown by the theoretical analysis, owing to the misalignment between the principal stresses in the model and in the carrier, the computed retardation is affected by an error which is the same for all photoelastic methods…

Thermoelastic stress analysis by means of an infrared scanner and a two-dimensional fast Fourier transform-based lock-in technique

2008

An infrared thermographic experimental set-up has been proposed and evaluated towards the capability to measure thermoelastic-effect-induced temperature changes. A standard infrared thermocamera with a nominal noise-equivalent temperature difference (NETD) resolution of 0.12 K has been employed to measure the temperature from unidirectional glass-reinforced plastic tensile coupons under cyclic sinusoidal loads. The raster scanning mode of the camera single detector produces a time delay in acquiring the signal from two succeeding pixels on the same row, and from consecutive scanned rows. By exploiting the acquired dwell times, it was possible to produce a periodic pattern on the thermal ma…

Determination of Torsional Stresses in Shafts: From Physical Analogies to Mathematical Models

2015

This paper presents the historical development of methods used for the study of torsional stresses in shafts. In particular, the paper covers both analog methods, especially those based on electrical analogies proposed circa 1925, and numerical methods, especially finite difference methods (FDM), finite element methods (FEM) and boundary element methods (BEM).

Flying laser spot thermography for the inspection of aerospace grade Fibre Metal Laminates

2017

This work analyses a Non Destructive Testing approach for the detection of interlayer disbonds in aerospace grade Fibre Metal Laminates (FMLs). The NDT setup consists of a continuous laser, focused and moved over the material surface, while an IR thermal camera acquires its thermal footprint. A numerical model of the NDT setup is presented, where the material thermal response is analysed to evaluate the features of the defects signatures. In particular, the response from various types of FMLs is evaluated.

Fracture toughness of synthesised high-performance epoxies subject to accelerated water aging

2018

Abstract The effects of water uptake on the fracture toughness of epoxy systems with high glass-transition temperatures (Tg above 170 °C) are investigated. Aging conditioning has been conducted in hot water, followed by a desorption conditioning in a room temperature dry-airborne. Water aging determines plasticisation effects and crosslink-density modifications, revealed by reductions of the Tg. It is less known how such modifications influence the material fracture toughness. In this study, Single Edge Notched Bending samples have been tested according to standards, to evaluate the KIC fracture toughness at different stages of water absorption-desorption. The characterisation has been supp…

Strain Measurement on Composites: Effects due to Strain Gauge Misalignment

2008

:  The present work analyses the errors affecting the strains measured by misaligned strain gauges installed on orthotropic-composite laminae. Various analytical relationships are derived showing that, besides the fibre and strain gauge orientations, the misalignment error in unidirectional off-axis orthotropic composite samples depends also on the lamina stiffness properties (E1, E2, ν12, G12). If the fibres are aligned with the loading axis, it is found that the higher Poisson's ratio ν12 is the only elastic property influencing the misalignment error. Experimental results are shown confirming the theoretical predictions.

The Transverse Crack Tension test revisited

2016

Several problems arise when measuring the mode II interlaminar fracture toughness using a Transverse Crack Tension specimen; in particular, the fracture toughness depends on the geometry of the specimen and cannot be considered a material parameter. A preliminary experimental campaign was conducted on TCTs of different sizes but no fracture toughness was measured because the TCTs failed in an unacceptable way, invalidating the tests. A comprehensive numerical and experimental investigation is conducted to identify the main causes of this behaviour and a modification of the geometry of the specimen is proposed. It is believed that the obtained results represent a significant contribution in …

Thermoelastic signal processing using an FFT lock-in based algorithm on extended sampled data

2009

A fast infrared scanner is used to acquire the thermoelastic effect induced temperature changes along a line on the surface of cyclically loaded tensile samples. The raster scanning movement of the single detector allows the sampling of temperature versus time. This data are then post-processed by means of a lock-in algorithm coupled with 1D and 2D FFT analyses in order to filter out the thermoelastic signal from the noisy measured signal. A data extension algorithm is proposed which uses the information from different acquired frames to extend the data sampling window. The whole signal processing setup is evaluated on experimental data with successful results, proposing a potential tool fo…

Toughened matrices for advanced carbon fibre composites obtained through e-beam curing of two different epoxy-thermoplastic blends

2007

Ionizing radiation curing of epoxy based blends in order to produce high performance composites

2006

Rilevamento del segnale termoelastico a campo intero mediante analisi lock-in in modalità off-line

2014

Il presente lavoro propone una procedura di post-processamento del segnale termografico misurato su provini sollecitati in modo ciclico al fine di ricavare il segnale termoelastico. Dopo aver descritto la Correlazione Lock-In, usata tradizionalmente dai sistemi commerciali per ricavare il segnale termoelastico, il lavoro mostra come tale procedura sia numericamente equivalente alla determinazione delle armoniche della Trasformata di Fourier Discreta (TFD) del segnale campionato. Viene quindi proposta ed implementata una procedura di filtraggio del segnale termoelastico basata sulla applicazione diretta della TFD, che ha il vantaggio di poter in alcune circostanze fare a meno di un segnale d…

Experimental determination of mode I fracture parameters in orthotropic materials by means of Digital Image Correlation

2020

Abstract The mode I fracture parameters for an orthotropic body are directly calculated from full-field deformation measurements provided by Digital Image Correlation (DIC). Three complementary and direct approaches are evaluated and compared: (i) the determination of the Stress Intensity Factor (SIF) by fitting the displacement field using the analytical expression proposed by Lekhnitskii; (ii) the determination of the J-Integral by using the Energy Domain Integral (EDI) formulation on the raw DIC data; and (iii) the calculation of the J-Integral using the EDI approach on the displacement data fitted using Lekhnitskii’s formulation. A comparative experimental study is performed by testing …

Investigation on the indentation behavior of sandwich beams using crushable and hyperelastic foam cores

2010

In this work the indentation behaviour of sandwich beams is studied adopting the classical approach representing the core material as a Winkler-type foundation. It is shown how most of the proposed theories can be derived from a general fourth order linear differential equation expressing the equilibrium of the indented beam skin. Different assumptions on the supporting boundary constraints and materials constitutive behaviour, lead to simplifications of the general equation and to the prediction of different indentation features. An extension of the Segment-Wise approach recently proposed in the literature is in particular presented with potential to better simulate foam cores with markedl…

Effect of hydrothermal ageing on the thermal and delamination fracture behaviour of CFRP composites

2014

Abstract This work investigates the hydrothermal ageing behaviour of a carbon fibre reinforced laminate and its epoxy matrix in bulk conditions. A model DGEBA epoxy is employed, and water uptake and dynamic mechanical thermal (DMTA) analyses have been performed on both the composites and bulk resin. Fracture toughness of the bulk resin has been measured, evidencing a substantially unmodified critical stress intensity factor KIC, although the evidence of plasticisation effects given by DMTA. Interlaminar Mode I fracture toughness of the composite showed a variable trend towards slight decreases or slight increases, according to the prevailing toughening or embrittling mechanisms activated by…

On the history of torsional stress concentrations in shafts: From electrical analogies to numerical methods

2014

This article proposes a retrospective on experimental and numerical methods developed throughout the past century to solve the torsion problem in shafts, with particular emphasis on the determination of shear stress concentration factors in discontinuities of typical use in shaft design. This article, in particular, presents the theory and related solutions distinguishing between two classes of geometries: shafts with constant cross section and axisymmetric shafts with variable diameter. Emphasis is given to approaches based on physical analog methods and, in particular, those based on electrical analogies proposed since about 1925. Experimental methods based on structural physical models …

Evaluation of interlaminar delaminations in titanium-graphite fibre metal laminates by infrared NDT techniques

2018

Abstract Fibre Metal Laminates (FMLs) describe a number of aerospace-grade layered structural materials where thin metal alloy foils are interleaved with Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) plies. Such material hybridisation at the layer meso-scale poses a challenge for non-destructive testing (NDT). On the other hand, the need for NDT inspection of FMLs arises due to the potential development of interlayers disbonds, both during fabrication or in-service. This work describes the successful implementation of two Infrared-NDT approaches to evaluate a defected FML panel made of Titanium/Graphite (Ti-Gr). One technique is based on the modulation of the deployed heat from a low-cost halogen lamp, to…

IMPLEMENTAZIONE DI TECNICHE DI TERMOGRAFIA ATTIVA IRNDT SU COMPOSITI GRP MEDIANTE LA DEPOSIZIONE DI IMPULSI TERMICI DI LUNGA DURATA

2011

Nel presente lavoro viene analizzata l’implementazione di tecniche attive di termografia ad infrarossi per analisi NDT su pannelli in composito. In particolare si propone l’uso di lampade alogene come sorgente di calore esterna, le quali richiedono tempi di accensione dell’ordine di diversi secondi al fine di depositare efficaci quantità di calore. Si discutono quindi le problematiche connesse all’implementazione di tecniche di Transient Thermography e di Lock-In Thermography in presenza di tempi lunghi di deposizione di calore. Viene implementata una tecnica di modulazione della deposizione di calore mediante treni di onde quadre di lunga durata (PMLT - Pulse Modulated Lock-In Thermography…

Evaluation of Vertical Fatigue Cracks by Means of Flying Laser Thermography

2019

The present paper proposes a new procedure to analyze the temperature field distribution during Flying Laser Spot and Laser Line Thermographic scanning (FLST, FLLT) of metallic components, in order to detect vertical surface cracks. The methodology exploits the changes in the temperature field produced by a vertical crack, acting as a barrier towards heat diffusion, when the laser approaches the defect. A number of small regions of interests (ROIs) is placed nearby and around the laser source. The average temperature from each ROI is then monitored during the laser scanning. Vertical cracks can be detected by analyzing and comparing the temperature fluctuations from each ROI when the laser …

A methodology for the rapid characterization of Mode II delamination fatigue threshold in FRP composites

2019

Abstract A new methodology to measure the Mode II interlaminar fracture in fatigue for FRP composites is developed. The proposed methodology uses a Modified Transvers Crack Tensile (MTCT) specimen and is able to characterize the near threshold behavior in a robust, easier and significantly faster way than standard procedures. Analytical formulae, able to link the crack growth rate to the load or strain amplitudes, were found and verified, and their importance was explained, in particular, for what concerns the characterisation of the near threshold behavior. Experiments were performed both in load and strain control, while the delamination growth was monitored using different techniques inc…

Determination of the flexural properties of sandwich beams with multi-cellular reinforced cores

2004

Investigation of the Thermomechanical Response of Cyclically Loaded NiTi Alloys by Means of Temperature Frequency Domain Analyses

2021

Nickel–Titanium (NiTi) shape memory alloys subjected to cyclic loading exhibit reversible temperature changes whose modulation is correlated with the applied load. This reveals the presence of reversible thermomechanical heat sources activated by the applied stresses. One such source is the elastocaloric effect, accounting for the latent heat of Austenite–Martensite phase transformation. It is, however, observed that when the amplitude of cyclic loads is not sufficient to activate or further propagate this phase transformation, the material still exhibits a strong cyclic temperature modulation. The present work investigates the thermomechanical behaviour of NiTi under such low-amplitude cyc…

Thermoelastic stress analysis of a 2D stress field using a single detector infrared scanner and lock-in filtering

2009

A low resolution, low cost, fast infrared scanner is used to acquire the temperature change along a line on the surface of cyclically loaded samples. The temperature signal is sampled versus time by exploiting the raster scanning movement of the thermocamera single detector. The temperature data is then post-processed by a Fast Fourier Transform based lock- in algorithm implemented in MATLAB ® , in order to filter out the thermoelastic effect induced temperature change. A procedure is also implemented in order to extend the data sampling time by opportunely synchronising successively grabbed data frames. The effectiveness of such synchronisation procedure is first demonstrated by performing…

Flying Laser Spot Thermography technique for the NDE of Fibre Metal Laminates disbonds

2017

Abstract The present work investigates the features of an active Infrared-NDT Thermography technique derived from a Flying Laser Spot set-up for the analysis of interlaminar disbonds in layered structures in general and Fibre Metal Laminates in particular. The presented technique uses a laser-spot heat source, which moves at a constant speed, raster scanning the object surface. Interlaminar defects parallel to the surfaces act as barriers towards through-the-thickness heat diffusion. This produces some modifications over the surface thermal field which are well identified in the Standard Deviation calculated over a Reference Area following the heat source. The mechanisms leading to such def…

Radiation processing: a versatile methodology to tune the structure of polymeric materials

2013

Infrared Thermography assisted evaluation of static and fatigue Mode II fracture toughness in FRP composites

2019

Abstract The work proposes the combined use of a Modified Transverse Crack Tension (MTCT) test coupon and Infrared Thermography, to evaluate the static and fatigue behaviour of Fibre Reinforced Polymer composites under Mode II delamination. Artificial delaminations starters are added to the TCT coupon, whose effects on the Strain Energy Release Rate are discussed. Infrared Thermography and Thermoelastic Stress Analysis are implemented to investigate stresses and delaminations growths on two FRP materials: a pre-preg IM7/8552 carbon fibre-epoxy and a glass-fibre reinforced epoxy laminates. The thermographic, thermoelastic and second harmonic signals have been obtained and used to monitor the…

IMPLEMENTAZIONE DI TECNICHE NDT DI TERMOGRAFIA AD INFRAROSSI SU PANNELLI IN COMPOSITO GRP PER APPLICAZIONI NAUTICHE

2010

Il presente lavoro descrive l’implementazione di due tecniche di termografia attiva ad infrarossi per il controllo non distruttivo (IRNDT) di delaminazioni sub-superficiali su pannelli in composito (GRP) di grosso spessore, tipicamente impiegati per uso navale. Si è in particolare fatto uso di attrezzature a basso costo consistenti in comuni lampade alogene a bassa potenza come sorgenti di calore esterne, ed una termocamera ad infrarossi a singolo sensore a bassa risoluzione termica e basso frame rate. Le due tecniche implementate sono la Pulsed Thermography (PT) ed una nuova variante di Lock-In Thermography denominata Pulse-Modulated Lock-In Thermography (PMLT), basata sull’analisi in freq…

Lignocellulosic fillers and graphene nanoplatelets as hybrid reinforcement for polylactic acid: Effect on mechanical properties and degradability

2020

Abstract This work investigates the effect of adding relatively low amounts of graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) to a biocomposite based on polylactic acid (PLA) and a lignocellulosic filler achieved by grinding Posidonia Oceanica leaves (Posidonia flour, PF). The ternary composites were prepared by melt extrusion and characterized from a morphological and mechanical point of view. Furthermore, hydrolytic degradation tests were performed under acidic, neutral and alkaline environment up to 900 h. Density measurements enabled to assess the degree of intraphase, i.e. the capability of polymer macromolecules to enter the voids of PF and a modified Halpin-Tsai model was presented and used to fit exp…

MATERIALI COMPOSITI: EFFETTO DEL DISALLINEAMENTO DELL’ESTENSIMETRO SULLA MISURA DELLA DEFORMAZIONE

2007

A numerical and experimental study through laser thermography for defect detection on metal additive manufactured parts

2017

Additive manufacturing has been recently employed in industrial sectors with the fundamental requirement for zero defect parts. Technological developments in additive manufacturing notwithstanding, there continues to be a scarcity of non-destructive inspection techniques to be exploited during the manufacturing process itself, thus limiting industrial advancements and extensive applications. Therefore, being able to integrate the defect inspection phase within the additive manufacturing process would open the way to enabling corrective actions on the component in itinere, that is, before reaching the final product. For this reason, new methods of in-process monitoring are gaining more and m…

Defect detection in additively manufactured titanium prosthesis by flying laser scanning thermography

2018

Abstract Metal additive manufacturing is nowadays a well-established technology for cutting edge applications in the automotive, aerospace, defense and medical sectors. Since additive metal deposition is basically a welding method, which creates parts by successively adding layers of material, there is a chance for defects like pores, cracks, inclusions and lack of fusion to develop. As a matter of fact, interlayer and intralayer defects are often observed in additive manufactured components. However, if one considers the typical end applications along with the high costs involved in metal additive manufactured components, a “zero defect” target is close to mandatory for this technology. Pl…

Fault Tolerance

2007

PROPERTIES OF IONIZING RADIATION CURED POLYMER MATRICES FOR CARBON FIBER COMPOSITES AFTER AGEING DUE TO MOISTURE ABSORPTION AND THERMAL TREATMENT

2008

TENACITÀ ALLA FRATTURA INTERLAMINARE DI COMPOSITI CFRP SOTTOPOSTI A PROCESSI DI INVECCHIAMENTO IDROTERMICO

2011

In questo lavoro si è condotto uno studio degli effetti dell’invecchiamento idrotermico sulla tenacità alla frattura interlaminare in Modo I di laminati in composito CFRP con lay-up unidirezionale. I pannelli realizzati impiegano una resina epossidica DGEBA. Provini DCB sono stati ricavati in accordo con la norma ASTM D5528. Prove dinamico meccaniche DMTA sono state condotte per analizzare l’influenza dell’invecchiamento sulla temperatura di transizione vetrosa, e quindi sul grado di fragilità della matrice. Il lavoro descrive il set-up sperimentale per la determinazione delle Curve R, evidenziando l’influenza della morfologia del tessuto in carbonio. I valori di GIC di innesco e di propaga…

Thermoelastic effect based stress analysis applications to fibre reinforced plastic Composites

2006

Epoxy resin-thermoplastic blends cured by ionising radiation. Structure/properties relationships

2009

Radiation curing of an epoxy resin based blend is carried out in order to produce polymer matrices for high-performance composites. A suitable choice of both curing process and formulation parameters allows to irradiate at about 60°C. Moreover hydrothermal ageing is performed on cured materials and their properties have been evaluated

Using FEM simulation to predict structural performances of a sailing dinghy

2017

The use of finite element method (FEM) tools is proposed to investigate the structural response of an eco-sustainable sailing yacht to different loading conditions, typical of those acting during regattas. The boat is, in particular, a 4.60 m dinghy with the hull and the deck made of an hybrid flax–cork sandwich and internal reinforcements made of marine plywood. A preliminary activity has consisted in the refitting of an existing model in order to reduce the hull weight and to improve performances during manoeuvrings. These tasks have been interactively simulated in the virtual environment of the boat CAD model, where longitudinal and transversal reinforcements were enlightened and the m…

Epoxy resin-thermoplastic blends as polymer matrices for carbon fiber composites

2009

Hydrothermal aging of carbon reinforced epoxy laminates with nanofibrous mats as toughening interlayers

2016

Electrospun mats have been applied as toughening interlayers in high performance carbon fiber epoxy composites. While the toughening mechanism exerted by the mat at the interface is the subject of several recent studies, no investigations are reported on the aging behaviour of laminates comprising these nanostructured elements. This work investigates the influence of the combined effect of water and temperature (90 °C) on laminates with Nylon 6,6 electrospun membranes placed either at the middle plane only or at each interlayer. The water-uptake behaviour is modelled by a two-stage diffusion model and compared with the behaviour of the neat resin and of the laminate without mats. Interestin…