Search results for "Mechanics of Materials"
showing 10 items of 2598 documents
Photo-re-stabilisation of recycled post-consumer films from greenhouses
2004
The photo-oxidation behaviour of recycled post-consumer films from greenhouses has been studied in order to evaluate the environmental resistance of these secondary materials and the effect of some stabilising agents. The presence of the UV absorber slows down the weathering of the post-consumer materials. After about 1000 h of accelerated weathering the unstabilised post-consumer material becomes brittle, while the re-stabilised post-consumer film becomes fragile only after about 1500 h. A synergistic effect is observed when an antioxidant and an UV stabiliser are added. Indeed, in this case, the recycled material is not brittle even after more than 1700 h. These last results can be probab…
Durability of a strach-based biodegradable polymer
2007
Abstract The photo-oxidation and the photo-stabilization of a commercial biodegradable polymer have been investigated in order to establish the possibility of using this polymer as raw material for films for agriculture. The degradation has been followed by measuring the mechanical properties as a function of photo-oxidation time and in particular by following the elongation at break. The virgin polymer, made from maize starch and a synthetic biodegradable polyester, shows poor resistance to the UV irradiation as observed by the fast decay of the elongation at break, but the presence of small amounts of conventional UV stabilizers strongly improves the durability of this polymer. The UV sta…
Modeling the nonlinear deformation of flax-fiber-reinforced polymer matrix laminates in active loading
2015
In an attempt to fully utilize the mechanical properties of bast fibers in polymer-matrix composites, unidirectional (UD) or quasi-UD flax-fiber-reinforced composites are being developed and characterized. Their response in tension is markedly nonlinear both in on- and off-axis loading. A semiempirical tensor-linear model is applied to describe such deformation nonlinearity in active combined loading. The deformation model of UD ply, combined with an elementary laminate theory, is used to predict the stress–strain curves of laminated composites in tension. Reasonable accuracy of prediction is demonstrated for fiber-dominated layups.
Polymer, Metal, and Hybrid Nano- and Mesotubes by Coating Degradable Polymer Template Fibers (TUFT Process)
2000
). Selective reaction with the silver atoms at the interface of the particles occurred and the coated particles were then extracted from reverse micelles. The powder of coated nanocrystals thus obtained was then dispersed in hexane, giving an optically clear solution. The size distribution was still rather large (30 %), and to reduce it a size-selected precipitation process [20] was used. In this process two solvents, such as hexane and pyridine, are mixed. The first is a good solvent and the second a poor solvent for the alkyl chains. With this solvent mixture, the larger coated particles flocculated whereas the smaller ones remain in the solution, thus providing size selection. By repeati…
SPM and TOF-SIMS investigation of the physical and chemical modification induced by tip writing of self-assembled monolayers
2003
Abstract The nanoelectrochemical modification of alkyl self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) obtained on hydrogenated silicon surfaces via radical-initiated reactions of 1-octadecene has been investigated. Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) showed that the modification of the organic layer occurs by applying either positive or negative biases to the tip at a threshold of about ±5 V. When the bias absolute value was ≤6 V, the height of the monolayer was only faintly modified, whereas a consistent increase in tip/sample friction force was observed, in agreement with the formation of hydrophilic moieties at the organic surface. In addition to the increase of friction, bias absolute values larger than …
Fractional viscoelastic characterization of laminated glass beams under time-varying loading
2021
Abstract Laminated glass is a composite made of elastic glass layers sandwiching thin viscoelastic polymeric interlayers. There are several types of polymers, traditionally modelled as linear viscoelastic materials using a Prony’s series of units in the Maxwell-Wiechert arrangement. We show that one single element with fractional viscoelastic properties (two constitutive parameters that depend on environmental temperature), is sufficient to provide an accurate description of the polymer response under arbitrary time-varying actions. This is a great advantage over the classical viscoelastic characterization, which requires at least 10–15 terms in the Prony’s series, each one characterized by…
Stimuli-Responsive Y-Shaped Polymer Brushes Based on Junction-Point-Reactive Block Copolymers
2012
Reversibly responsive, thin or ultrathin polymer fi lms, often referred to as “smart surfaces”, can alter their properties upon application of external stimuli. [ 1 , 2 ] One particular application fi eld represents the engineering of nanostructured fi lms mimicking cell membranes. [ 3 , 4 ] Such materials offer application potential for sensors, textiles, construction materials, and smart coatings due to a rapid change in surface energy and morphology. [ 5–7 ] The surface response can be triggered by various external stimuli such as light, temperature, electrical potential, mechanical force, magnetic fi eld, pH change, or selective solvent treatment. [ 1 , 8–12 ] A variety of different thi…
The influence of mechanical damaging on the lifetime of positrons In ultrahigh-molecular polyethylene
2013
We study the influence of damaging of ultrahigh-molecular polyethylene [(PE-UHMW) Chirulen®1120] applied, among other materials, in the production of hip endoprostheses on the spectra of positrons lifetime in this material. Polyethylene samples were damaged by the impacts, rolling friction, and collisions with metal balls in a planetary mill. The changes in the parameters of the spectra of positrons lifetime related to the annihilation of orthopositronium (o-Ps) were analyzed depending on the mechanical energy transferred to the sample. On the basis of the Eldrup–Tao model, the changes in the radii of voids in which positroniums are formed and annihilated and the changes in the degree of fi…
Modeling the non-linear deformation of a short-flax-fiber-reinforced polymer composite by orientation averaging
2013
Abstract The growing usage of short-flax-fiber-reinforced polymer composites in such applications as automotive industry necessitates the prediction of their mechanical response up to and beyond the limit of elasticity. Due to the imperfect, mechanical interlocking-dominated adhesion of natural fibers to most polymers, both fiber debonding and matrix yielding contribute to the non-linear deformation. In the present study, the deformation under an active loading of a short misaligned fiber composite is modeled by the orientation averaging approach, employing an analytical description of the behavior of a unit cell (UC), the parameters of which are determined using a FEM analysis of UC respon…
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…