• Composites Research
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.39-44
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• 2009

The effect of exposure times on the aging characteristics of carbon fiber/epoxy composite ring specimen was evaluated using an accelerating aging tester. Combined exposure conditions, such as temperature, moisture, and ultraviolet, were applied up to 3000 hours. Tensile properties and flexural properties including the effect of curvature were evaluated on the specimens subject to various exposure times through a material testing system. Their aging surfaces were observed through a scanning electron microscope. According to the results, tensile modulus was little affected by the exposure times. However, tensile strength, at the early stage of the exposure times, increased due to physical aging and curing reaction, but tensile strength slightly decreased due to degradation as the exposure times increased. The flexural modulus and flexural strength increased at the early stage of the exposure times, but slightly decreased as the exposure times increased. Aging surfaces of the specimens examined using the scanning electron microscope revealed a different morphology in various exposure times and provided useful information for identifying the degradation in mechanical properties of the composite subject to various exposure times.

• Composites Research
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.7-13
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• 2009

With the wide application of fiber-reinforced composite material in aero-structures and mechanical parts, the design of composite joint have become a very important research area because they are often the weakest areas in composite structures. In this paper, the failure strengths of the hybrid composite joints which were composed of a combination of an adhesive joint and a mechanical joint were evaluated and predicted. The 10 hybrid joint specimens which have different w/d, e/d and adherend thickness were manufactured and tested. The damage zone theory and the failure area index method were used for the failure prediction of the adhesive joint and the mechanical joint, respectively and the hybrid joints were assumed to be failures if either of the two failure criteria was satisfied. From the results of experiments and analyses, the failure strengths of the hybrid joints could be predicted to within 25.5%.

• Composites Research
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.7-14
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• 2006

In this paper, an integrated probabilistic strength analysis was conducted to predict the reliability of a composite pressure vessel under inner pressure loading condition. As a probabilistic strength analysis, the probabilistic progressive failure model consisting of progressive failure model and Monte Carlo simulation was incorporated with a commercial FEA code, ABAQUS Standard, to perform the probabilistic failure analysis of composite structure which has a complex shape and boundary conditions. As design random variables, the laminar strengths of each direction were considered. Finally, from probabilistic strength analysis, the scattering of burst pressure could be explained and the reliability of composite pressure vessel could be obtained for each component. In case of composite structures in mass production, the effects of uncertainties in material and manufacturing on the performance of composite structures would apparently become larger. So, the probabilistic strength analysis is essential for the structural design of composite structures in mass production.

• Composites Research
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.12-19
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• 2006

In this paper, conceptual structural design of the main wing for a small scale WIG(Wing in Ground Effect) among high speed ship projects, which will be a high speed maritime transportation system for the next generation in Rep. of Korea, was performed. The Carbon/Epoxy material was selected for the major structure, and the skin-spar with a foam sandwich structural type was adopted for improvement of lightness and structural stability. As a design procedure for the present study, firstly the design load was estimated through the critical flight load case study, and then flanges of the front and rear spars from major bending loads and the skin and the spar webs from shear loads were preliminarily sized using the netting rule and the rule of mixture. Stress analysis was performed by a commercial FEA code, NASTRAN. From the stress analysis results for the first designed wing structure, it was confirmed that the upper skin between the front spar and the rear spar was unstable fer the buckling. Therefore in order to solve this problem, a middle spar and the foam sandwich type structure at the skin and the web were added. After design modification, the structural safety and stability for the final design feature was confirmed. In addition to this, the insert bolt type structure with eight high strength bolts to fix the wing structure to the fuselage was adopted for easy assembly and removal as well as in consideration of more than 20 years fatigue life.

• Composites Research
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.16-22
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• 2006

The puncture properties under various conditions were investigated for the optimum conditions to yield the best properties. Fiber aspect ratio(AR: length of fiber/diameter of fiber), interphase condition and fiber content were considered as variables which impact the puncture force and friction force. The puncture force of short-fiber reinforced rubber increases up to 3.4 times compared to the virgin material. The better interphase condition shows the higher puncture force at given fiber AR and fiber content. The friction force of the matrix and reinforced rubber with a fiber AR below 155 does not exist. The friction force of the reinforced rubber with the good interphase condition and high fiber AR is higher than puncture force of matrix. Overall, it was found that the interphase condition, fiber AR and fiber content have an important effect on the puncture properties.

• Composites Research
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.23-31
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• 2006

We measured mechanical properties, including Young's modulus, effective bending modulus and nominal fracture strength of nanohoneycomb structures using an Atomic Force Microscope(AFM) and a Nano-Universal Testing Machine(UTM). Anodic aluminum oxide(AAO) films are well suited as nanohoneycomb structures because of the simple fabrication process, high aspect ratio, self-ordered hexagonal pore structure, and simple control of pore dimensions. Bending tests were carried out for cantilever structures by pressing AFM tips, and the results were compared with three-point bending tests and tensile tests using a Nano-UTM. One side of the AAO films is clogged by harrier layers, and looks like a face material of conventional sandwich structures. Analysis of this layer showed that it did not influence the bending rigidity, and was just a crack tip. The present results can act as a design guideline in applications of nanohoneycomb structures.

• Composites Research
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.1-6
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• 2006

The effects of aging on fatigue of PSF/AS4 laminates tvas studied using the new energy release rate analysis. The analysis by the variational mechanics has been useful in providing fracture mechanics interpretation of matrix microcracking in cross-ply laminates. This paper describes the changes of the critical energy release rate ${\Delta}Gmc$(microcracking toughness) about the variation of the aging period during fatigue loading. The master plot by modified Pans-law gives a characterization of a material system's resistance to microcrack formation. PSF/AS4 $[0/902]_s$ laminates were aged at four different temperatures based on the glass transition temperature for 60 days. At all temperatures, the toughness decreased with aging time. The decrease of the toughness at higher temperature was faster than at lower temperature. To assess the effects of aging on fatigue, the unaged laminates were compared with the laminates which were aged for 60 days at $170^{\circ}C$ near $180^{\circ}C\;T_g$. The slope of dD/dN versus A 6u, of the aged laminates was lower than that of the unaged laminates. There was a significant shift of the aged data to formation of microcracks at the lower values of ${\Delta}G_m$.

• Composites Research
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.17-24
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• 2007

In this study, the failure modes by ballistic impacts were studied both for a neat Kevlar woven fabric and a Kevlar liquid armor impregnated with shear thickening fluid (STF) containing silica particles. These two materials showed quite different failure modes macroscopically in ballistic impacts tests used by Cal.22 FSP and 9mm FMJ bullet. Yarn pull-out for the neat Kevlar woven fabric and yarn fracture occurred partially through all plies from 1st ply to last one for the STF-Kevlar are an important energy absorption mechanisms. The results observed by S.E.M showed commonly fiber damage which are torn skin in the longitudinal fiber direction, fiber split axially and fiber fracture for two materials. The reasons why STF-kevlar liquid armor material exhibits excellent ballistic performance are as follow: firstly the increased friction forces between yarn-yarn and fabric-fabric covered with silica particles and secondary the evolution of shear thickening phenomenmon resulting in suppression of yarn mobility.

• Composites Research
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.37-42
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• 2007

Tensile residual stress is occurred by difference of coefficients of thermal expansion between fiber and matrix is one of the serious problems in metal matrix composite(MMC). TiNi alloy fiber was used to solve the problem of the tensile residual stress as the reinforced material. TiNi alloy fiber improves the tensile strength of composite with occurring of compressive residual stress in the matrix by its shape memory effect. A hot press method was used to create the optimal fabrication condition for a Shape Memory Alloy(SMA) composite. The bonding effect of the matrix and the reinforcement within the SMA composite by the hot press method was strengthened by cold rolling. In addition, acoustic emission technique was used to quantify the microscopic damage behavior of cold rolled TiNi/A16061 shape memory alloy composite at low temperature. The damage degree for the specimen that underwent thermal shock cycles was also discussed.

• Composites Research
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.26-33
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• 2007

Pull-out and shear strengths of insert Joints of sandwich structure were investigated by experiment. Specimens were prepared by cocuring of nomex honeycomb core and carbon-epoxy composite face using an adhesive FM73. A total of 75 specimens with 10 different types depending on the core height and density, face thickness, and loading direction were tested. In the test under pull-out loading, although both the core height and density affect the failure loads, the effect of cell density is more serious. Dominant factor fur failure loads of the joints under shear loading is face thickness and the effect of core height is negligible. In the joint with same dimension, failure loads vary depending on the potted area of the core, particularly in the pull-out test.