• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.113-123
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• 2019

In this study, carbon fiber/epoxy (CF/EP) composites were interleaved with aramid nonwoven veils with an areal weight density of $8.5g/m^2$ to improve their Mode-I fracture toughness. The control and aramid interleaved CF/EP composite laminates were manufactured by VARTM in a [0]4 configuration. Tensile, three-point bending, compression, interlaminar shear, Charpy impact and Mode-I (DCB) fracture toughness values were determined to evaluate the effects of aramid nonwoven fabrics on the mechanical performance of the CF/EP composites. Thermomechanical behavior of the specimens was investigated by Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA). The results showed that the propagation Mode-I fracture toughness values of CF/EP composites can be significantly improved (by about 72%) using aramid nonwoven fabrics. It was found that the main extrinsic toughening mechanism is aramid microfiber bridging acting behind the crack-tip. The incorporation of these nonwovens also increased interlaminar shear and Charpy impact strength by 10 and 16.5%, respectively. Moreover, it was revealed that the damping ability of the composites increased with the incorporation of aramid nonwoven fabrics in the interlaminar region of composites. On the other hand, they caused a reduction in in-plane mechanical properties due to the reduced carbon fiber volume fraction, increased thickness and void formation in the composites.

• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.106-112
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• 2009

In the present work, novel biocomposites made with biodegradable Lyocell woven fabrics and poly (butylene succinate) were successfully fabricated for the first time. Lyocell/poly(butylene succinate) biocomposites with different fiber loadings of 0, 30, 40, 50 and 60 wt% were prepared by compression molding with a sheet interleaving manner. The effect of Lyocell fabric loading on the interlaminar shear strength, tensile and flexural properties, heat deflection temperature, thermal expansion behavior, and thermal stability of the biocomposites was investigated. The properties strongly depended on the fabric loading and the results were consistent with each other. It was demonstrated that the Lyocell fabrics played a remarkable role in improving the properties of poly(butylene succinate) resin by incorporating the fabrics into the resin. The greatest inter-laminar, tensile, flexural and thermal properties of the biocomposites were obtained with Lyocell fabrics of 50% by weight.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.20 no.1 s.69
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• pp.49-54
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• 2005

Recently, many kinds of advanced composite materials have been used in various industry fields. Among them, fabric CFRP composites are being used as primary structural components in many applications because of their superior properties. However, the complexity of the fabric structure makes understanding of their failure behavior very difficult. The mechanical strength and crack propagation of plain woven carbon fiber fabric laminate composites are examined by acoustic emission(AE) method. AE signals are acquired during the tensile test and fracture tests. Thus, the relationship between AE signal and mechanical behavior curves and crack extension length are shown. Also the interlaminar fracture toughness in terms of AE characteristics are discussed in viewpoint of crack propagation behavior.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society For Composite Materials Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.105-110
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• 2001

Autoclave curing using the vacuum bagging method is widely used for the manufacture of advanced composite prepreg airframe structures. Due to increasing use of advanced composites, specific techniques have been developed to repair damaged composite structures. In order to repair the damaged part, it is required that the damaged areas be removed, such as skin and/or honeycomb core, by utilizing the proper method and then repairing the area by laying up prepreg (and core) then curing under vacuum using the vacuum bagging materials. It shall be cured either in an oven or autoclave per the original specification requirements. Delamination can be observed in the sound areas during and/or after a couple times exposure to the elevated curing temperature due to the repeated repair condition. This study was conducted for checking the degree of degradation of properties of the cured parts and delamination between skin prepreg and honeycomb core. Specimens with glass honeycomb sandwich construction and glass/epoxy prepreg were prepared. The specimens were cured 1 to 5 times at $260^{circ}F$ in an autoclave and each additionally exposed 50, 100 and 150 hours in the $260^{circ}F$ oven. Each specimen was tested for tensile strength, compressive strength, flatwise tensile strength and interlaminar shear strength. To monitor the characteristics of the resin itself, the cured resin was tested using DMA and DSC. As a results, the decrease of Tg value were observed in the specific specimen which is exposed over 50 hrs at $260^{circ}F$. This means the change or degradative of resin properties is also related to the decrease of flatwise tensile properties. Accordingly, minimal exposure on the curing temperature is recommended for parts in order to prevent the delation and maintain the better condition.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society For Composite Materials Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.79-82
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• 2005

In this study, mechanical properties of carbon fabrics composite under the thermal shock cycling were evaluated. Due to the interactions between fiber and polymer matrix, it is reasonable to conclude that both thermal cycles of thermal shock result in improvement of interlaminar shear strength(ILSS) for the longer conditioning time duration. The rise in ILSS may be attributed to the improved adhesion by cryogenic compressive stress and also by the post-curing strengthening effect. However, the flexural and tensile strength were decreased with increasing conditioning time of thermal cycle.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.567-573
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• 2015

This paper aims to evaluate the variation in the mechanical properties of carbon/epoxy composites under in situ low- and high-temperature environments. In situ low- and high-temperature environments were simulated with temperature ranging from $-40^{\circ}C$ to $220^{\circ}C$ using an environmental chamber and furnace. The variation in the mechanical properties of the composites was measured for longitudinal and transverse tensile properties, in-plane shear properties and interlaminar shear strength. Under the low temperature of $-40^{\circ}C$, all mechanical properties increased moderately compared to the baseline properties measured at room temperature. The changes in the longitudinal tensile properties decreased moderately with increasing temperature. However, transverse tensile properties, in-plane shear properties and interlaminar shear strength each showed a significant drop due to the glass transition behavior of the matrix after $140^{\circ}C$. Notably, the tensile property value near $100^{\circ}C$ increased compared to baseline property value, which was an unusual occurrence. This behavior was a direct result of post-curing of the epoxy resin due to its exposure to high temperature.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.70 no.2
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• pp.233-243
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• 2019

This paper depicts the development and characterizations of laminated composites made with cellulosic giant cane (Arundinaria gigantea) fiber mats and epoxy resin. Zirconia-toughened mullite (ZTM) is used as a filler material in the laminated composite which was prepared from sillimanite through plasma processing technique. The mechanical characterizations of this composite have been carried out as per ASTM standards to evaluate its usability as a structural material. The effects of varying weight percentages of the filler and two different fiber orientations namely, angle-ply [$+45^{\circ}/-45^{\circ}/+45^{\circ}$] and balanced cross-ply [$0^{\circ}/90^{\circ}/0^{\circ}$] on the physical and mechanical properties such as density, microhardness, impact strength, tensile strength and interlaminar shear strength of the layered composite specimens have been investigated. The study indicates that the inclusion of zirconia-toughened mullite in the composite laminate as filler improves its mechanical properties. Moreover, the use of giant cane fiber mat in the laminate is more eco-friendly than the synthetic fibers. This research also helps in generating additional data to enrich the repository of natural fiber reinforced laminated composites.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.749-756
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• 2011

Most experimental studies on durability of FRP reinforcements subjected to high temperature have focused on the effect of high temperature only on tensile properties. But FRP reinforcement used in newly constructed concrete structure is first degraded by moisture and alkaline environment of concrete. When the structure is subjected to fire, the degraded FRP reinforcement is exposed to high temperature. Therefore, the effects of concrete environment and high temperature should be simultaneously considered for evaluation of FRP reinforcement damaged by fire. In this study, FRP reinforcements submerged in simulated solutions of pH 12.3 and 7 for extended period of time were subjected to temperatures of $60^{\circ}C$, $100^{\circ}C$, $150^{\circ}C$, and $300^{\circ}C$ to be examined. In order to investigate the effect of the high temperature, interlaminar shear strengths were measured and compared to those of control ones. The experimental results demonstrated that the combined effect of concrete environment and high temperature on properties of FRP reinforcement was more significant than the effect of high temperature or concrete environment solely.

• Composites Research
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.65-70
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• 2019

The aircraft composites wing parts are usually integrated with adhesive or fastener. These laminated composites have weak interlaminar strength, which can lead to delamination. In order to compensate the disadvantages of laminated composites, it is possible to improve the strength, durability, shock and fatigue resistance by reinforcing the fiber in the thickness direction. In addition, using a single structure near-net-shape saves the manufacturing time and the number of fasteners, thus can reduce the overall cost of the composite parts. In this study, compression test, tensile test and open-hole tensile test are carried out for three structural architecture of 3D (three-dimensional) textile preforms: orthogonal(ORT), layer-to-layer(LTL) and through-the-thickness(TTT) patterns. Among these, the orthogonal textile composite shows the highest Young's modulus and strength in tensile and compression. The notch sensitivity of the orthogonal textile composite was the smallest as compared with UD (unidirectional) and 2D (two-dimensional) fabric laminates.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.791-796
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• 2013

In this study, the mechanical properties of a carbon fiber/polypropylene composite were evaluated according to the carbon fiber surface treatment. Carbon fiber surface treatments such as silane coupling agents and plasma treatment were performed to enhance the interfacial strength between carbon fibers and polypropylene. The treated carbon fiber surface was characterized by XPS, SEM, and single-filament tensile test. The interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of the composite with respect to the surface treatment was determined by a short beam shear test. The test results showed that the ILSS of the plasma-treated specimen increased with the treatment time. The ILSS of the specimen treated with a silane coupling agent after plasma treatment increased by 48.7% compared to that of the untreated specimen.