Volume 60, Issue 1

It is needed to join C/C composite to other materials since its individual use is limited. Brazing is a method to join C/C composite that has been studied most, maturest and most widely used in recent decades. The quality of a brazed joint is largely determined by the intermediate layer material. It is significant to choose filler materials reasonably. C/C composite is difficult to be wetted by common brazing filler materials. Moreover, there is a large difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion between C/C composite and metals. At present, there is no brazing filler alloy exclusively recommended for commercial C/C composites and metal brazing. Usually, active elements are added into filler metals to improve the wettability of them on C/C composite surface. The existing research includes Al-based, Ag-based, Cu-based, Ti-based, Ni-based brazing filler metals, and so on. In addition, various particle reinforced composite filler materials and stress buffer metal interlayer added composite filler materials have been studied for brazing C/C composite. The summarization of the overview on the application of intermediate filler metals is made in this paper. The basic reference basis is provided for the subsequent brazing filler metals development and joint performance improvement for C/C composite brazing.

Nanomaterials have unique and superior properties such as high surface area and nanoscale size, makes them highly advanced and vital for rapid diagnosis and beneficial in treatment of numerous diseases in health sector. Joint efforts from multiple disciplines have contributed to the developments of advanced nanomaterials and enabled their uses in dentistry. These advanced nanomaterials can give more promising results in diagnosis and treatment procedures compared to their conventional counterparts. This review outlines the nanomaterials available and used in dentistry and will further go into discussing the shapes and compositions of various nanomaterials relevant to dentistry. Incorporating nanoparticles in dental restorative materials can be useful for preventing and/or managing dental caries. Integrating the sciences of nanomaterials and biotechnology, nanomaterials could potentially be revolutionary in improving oral health by providing preventative and diagnostic measures; they could also have effects on repairing damaged dental tissue.

The scarcity of nonrenewable resource motivated inclination towards the environmental-friendly novel materials and development of waste natural filler-based hybrid composite is encouraged to fulfill the material demand. Epoxy resins-based composites are high-performing thermosetting polymers and have outstanding blending properties, good machinability, and low cost. Due to these advantages, thermoset plastic is largely used in a broad range of engineering applications; however, thermomechanical properties of neat epoxy are low. Thus, to enhance the thermomechanical properties of epoxy, it is interfaced materials such as graphite, graphene nanoplatelet, boron, carbon fiber, aluminium, silver, etc. Among various substances, graphene has been deliberated as an acceptable novel filler because of its exceptional properties. In addition to inorganic filler inclusion, natural filler/fiber like hemp, sisal, flax, bamboo, jute, etc. can be utilized in a higher percentage as biodegradable material. The present article assisted to improve thermomechanical properties of neat epoxy. This work identifies and addresses (i) processes used for graphene modification; (ii) treatment utilized for enhancing the binding properties of natural filler; (iii) various natural filler extraction process employed; (iv) neat epoxy modification; and (v) influence of different dimensions of fillers.

The rapid development of aerospace industry has made more and more machinery parts of equipment working at high temperature. Due to the lubrication failure of lubricating oil and grease at high temperature, solid lubricant coatings are almost the only effective method to achieve super low friction at high temperature. In recent years, the tribological properties of diamond-like carbon (DLC) films have been extensively studied at high temperature. The present study reviews the microstructure of DLC films and the influence of doping different elements on the structure of DLC films. Second, the mechanical properties and thermal stability of pure DLC films and DLC doped with different elements are also described. DLC films have different microstructures and tribological properties by different preparation methods. Finally, the high-temperature lubrication failure mechanism of DLC films and the tribological properties of DLC films when doped with different elements are discussed from the macro and micro perspectives.

Cellulose nanomaterials (CNMs) naturally exist in biomass. Recent developments in nanotechnology and extraction procedure of CNMs open up a new era in the polymer composites industry. Abundant, renewable, biodegradable, transparent, light weight, and most importantly, low cost make CNMs the ideal material for packaging, automotive, construction, and infrastructure applications. CNMs are generally used as materials for polymer matrix reinforcement in the composites industry. The industrial-scale manufacturing of CNM/thermoplastic composites remains an unsolved puzzle for both academics and industries. The dispersion of nanocellulose in polymer matrix is the central problem inhibiting the manufacturing of CNM/polymer composites at an industrial scale. Several attempts were made to disperse nanocellulose effectively in a polymer matrix and improve compatibility between the matrix and CNMs. Chemical-aided surface modification of CNMs has been effective in several cases; however, chemical toxicity, high price, and critical control of reactions make them unsuitable. This current review paper focuses on novel eco-friendly physical dispersion techniques of CNMs and their future scope of research. The physical dispersion techniques such as plasma-induced surface modification, ultrasonication, magnetic and electric field discharge, electrospinning, or drawing can visibly improve the dispersion state of CNMs. But several factors affect physical techniques’ performance, e.g. CNM type and forms, process conditions and parameters, etc. Moreover, the material-related factors interplay with the process-related factors. This review addresses the current state of knowledge on the physical dispersion techniques for CNMs and identifies challenges that are critical to adoption of these novel materials at commercial scale for future applications.

Asphalt pavements have been extensively used in highway system. However, a great number of asphalt pavements suffer from early distresses after servicing for about 2–3 years, which leads to frequent rehabilitation and increased maintenance cost. To understand the damage propagation principle and the correlated rehabilitation measure, the progress of pavement distress rehabilitation, structural performance, and damage assessment of asphalt pavements has been explored in the perspectives of materials and structures. The current advance on the parameters for describing the cracking and rutting of asphalt pavements has been introduced. The development tendency for the damage self-healing and rehabilitation, and structural assessment has also been discussed. The study can provide a scientific guidance for understanding the generally used structural damage rehabilitation measure and performance assessment methods of asphalt pavements.

Considerable attention has been given to graphene as a reinforcement material for metal matrix composite (MMC) because of its great potential for use in the automotive and aerospace industry. In general, the difficulty in achieving optimally improved properties can be attributed to poor wettability, agglomerations, and non-uniform distribution of reinforcement in the MMCs. Therefore, in terms of structural integrity, interfacial bonding, and its strengthening mechanism are important to achieve a high performance composite, which makes it imperative to discuss the integration of graphene into the alloy. The reinforcement mechanism of graphene-reinforced aluminium alloy has been evaluated in a limited number of studies, and this article examines current publications in this area. This article outlines three key topics related to the key challenges of graphene as a reinforcement material, the strengthening mechanism of graphene in a metal matrix, and the factors limiting the properties enhancement. Lastly, future works and recommendations addressed are summarized. The review presented aims to benefit to a wide range of industries and researchers and serve as a resource for future scholars.

Precast-reinforced concrete (RC) structures in urban rail transit projects can provide many advantages over their cast-in-place counterparts. However, lessons learned from past earthquakes show that beam-column joints may be a critical point of these structures and can overestimate the mechanical performance under vertical seismic loadings if not properly understood. This paper presents unbonded and bonded prestressed precast RC beam-column joints for elevated station platforms. Prestressed steel strands are used to provide joints with self-centring capacity. The performance of the proposed joints under vertical cyclic loadings is experimentally investigated and compared to that of monolithic joints in this study. The obtained results demonstrate the good properties of the proposed precast joints in terms of bearing capacity, energy dissipation capacity and ductility control. A comparison with a conventional monolithic beam-column joint indicates the better performance against earthquakes of the proposed precast prestressed joints, and the precast joint with symmetric prestressed steel strands in the top and bottom of the beam exhibits better flexural stiffness and energy dissipation capacity. Graphical abstract

In recent years, hybrid structures have attracted wide consideration because they generate new very interesting properties. In this study, a hybrid gas sensor was developed using a simple fabrication process from the combination of porous silicon (PSi) and polythiophene (PTh). The study of the effect of electropolymerization rate and film thickness of PTh on the sensitivity and the stability of sensor was realized at room temperature. PSi was formed by electrochemical anodization, and it is an interesting material for sensing applications due to its high surface area. However, to avoid its degradation and to preserve its properties over the time, PSi surface was functionalized electrochemically with PTh subsequently to thermal oxidation. PTh as a conductive polymer is known for its high sensitivity and stability to environmental change. Several thicknesses of PTh have been electropolymerized onto the oxidized PSi surface to determine the best conditions for developing a sensitive and stable sensor. PTh thickness was controlled by the number of applied voltammogram cyclic. The characterizations of the different elaborated surfaces were carried out by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, cyclic voltammetry, contact angle, and secondary ion mass spectrometry. Finally, we studied the sensitivity, the response time, and the stability of PSi/PTh structures with different PTh thicknesses in the presence of CO 2 gas and under cigarette smoke, by performing electrical characterizations, at room temperature.

Computed tomography (CT) scanning technology is helpful in investigating rock materials as it can demonstrate the micro structure of rock clearly. Conventional triaxial compression tests and the corresponding graded triaxial loading tests were carried out to investigate the complex failure mechanism of the marble at the Jinping Hydropower Station. After that CT-scanning tests were done on the loaded marble specimens. The test results show that (1) the CT numbers of the specimens have a certain statistical regularity, that is, the CT numbers of the specimens under different confining pressures satisfy the Weibull distribution, as the confining pressure increases, the mean values rise while variances decrease; (2) in the two groups of tests, the average CT numbers corresponding to the conventional triaxial tests are higher than those corresponding to the graded loading tests, but the CT number variances are lower than those of the graded loading tests; and (3) according to meso-damage mechanics, the damage variables of the rock specimens were established based on the definition of CT numbers. The calculation results show that the damage variables decrease with the increase in confining pressure, the damage variables of the rock specimens in the graded loading tests are higher than those in the conventional triaxial test, and the differences between the two loading tests have grown with the increase in confining pressure.

In this article, the ABAQUS finite element software is used to simulate the bond behavior of the steel bar in salt–frost-damaged recycled coarse aggregate concrete, and the influence of the steel bar diameter and the concrete cover thickness on the bond strength is investigated. The result shows that the calculated bond–slip curve is in good agreement with the experimental bond–slip curve; the mean value of the ratio of the calculation results of ultimate bond strength to the experiment results of ultimate bond strength is 1.035, the standard deviation is 0.0165, and the coefficient of variation is 0.0159, which proves that the calculation results of the ultimate bond strength are in good agreement with the experimental results; with the increase of steel bar diameter and the concrete cover thickness, the ultimate bonding strength of RAC and steel increases; the calculation formulas for the ultimate bond strength of specimens with different steel bar diameters (concrete cover thickness) after different salt–frost cycles are obtained.

Achieving high-efficiency sorting of microfluidics (such as cells, particles, droplets, etc.) has great significance in the fields of biology, chemistry, medical treatment, material synthesis, and drug development. This paper introduces the microfluidics sorting methods in recent years. The current research status and progress can be divided into the active sorting system and passive sorting system according to whether there is an external field. They can control the microfluidics by promoting more selective separation, so as to obtain higher resolution and selection rate. In this paper, the above methods are analyzed and discussed, and the future microfluidic sorting is prospected.

Metals with a bimodal grain size distribution have been found to have both high strength and good ductility. However, the coordinated deformation mechanisms underneath the ultrafine-grains (UFGs) and coarse grains (CGs) still remain undiscovered yet. In present work, a bimodal Cu with 80% volume fraction of recrystallized micro-grains was prepared by the annealing of equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) processed ultrafine grained Cu at 473 K for 40 min. The bimodal Cu has an optimal strength-ductility combination (yield strength of 220 MPa and ductility of 34%), a larger shear fracture angle of 83° and a larger area reduction of 78% compared with the as-ECAPed UFG Cu (yield strength of 410 MPa, ductility of 16%, shear fracture angle of 70°, area reduction of 69%). Grain refinement of recrystallized micro-grains and detwinning of annealing growth twins were observed in the fractured bimodal Cu tensile specimen. The underlying deformation mechanisms for grain refinement and detwinning were analyzed and discussed.

This work reports the preparation, characterization, and a drug release study of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MNPSiO 2 ) functionalized with folic acid (FA) and loaded with Cis-Pt as a targeted release system to kill glioblastoma cancer cells. The MNPSiO 2 were synthesized by the Stöber method using hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide as the templating agent, which was finally removed by calcination at 550°C. The folic acid was chemically anchored to the silica nanoparticles surface by a carbodiimide reaction. Several physicochemical techniques were used for the MNPSiO 2 characterization, and a triplicate in vitro Cis-Pt release test was carried out. The release Cis-Pt experimental values were fitted to different theoretical models to find the Cis-Pt release mechanism. The cytotoxicity evaluation of the MNPSiO 2 was performed using LN 18 cells (human GBM cells). Homogeneous and well-defined nanoparticles with well-distributed and homogeneous porosity were obtained. The spectroscopic results show the proper functionalization of the mesoporous nanoparticles; besides, MNPSiO 2 showed high surface area and large pore size. High correlation coefficients were obtained. Though the best fitted was the Korsmeyer-Peppas kinetic model, the Higuchi model adjusted better to the results obtained for our system. The MNPSiO 2 -FA were highly biocompatible, and they increased the cytotoxic effect of Cis-Pt loaded in them.

Two series of iron-containing solid solutions Bi 2 Mg 1− x Fe x Nb 2 O 9+ δ and Bi 2 MgNb 2−2 x Fe 2 x O 9− δ of pyrochlore structure were obtained by the traditional solid phase synthesis method. The electronic state and character of exchange interactions of iron atoms in solid solutions were investigated by methods of magnetic dilution and NEXAFS-spectroscopy. According to X-ray spectroscopy and magnetic susceptibility data, iron(III) atoms are distributed mainly in octahedral positions of niobium(V) and in a dominant amount are in the charge state of Fe(III) in the form of monomers and exchange-bonded clusters mainly with antiferromagnetic type of exchange. Differences in magnetic behavior of iron-containing solid solutions of both series have been revealed. Antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic exchange can be realized between iron atoms, which, with increasing concentration of paramagnetic atoms and averaging structure distortions, becomes less significant. The parameters of exchange interactions in clusters and distribution of iron paramagnetic atoms depending on the concentration of solid solutions have been calculated.

The present work consisted in obtaining and studying selective surfaces for applications in low-cost flat plate solar collectors, using residues from the granite industry. Five different surfaces were studied, varying the percentage by weight: 100% granite powder, 75% granite powder + 25% titanium oxide, 50% granite powder + 50% titanium oxide, 25% granite powder + 75% titanium oxide and 100% titanium oxide. For the tests, an experimental wooden bench was built, and it was possible to simulate the conditions of a flat plate solar collector. For characterization of the surfaces, SEM techniques, infrared analysis and UV-VIS absorbance determination were used, as well as graphs with surface temperatures and with radiation in the sun tests. The efficiency of the surfaces was determined by the ratio of the absorptivity through the emissivity, as well as the trademark MR TiNOX. An efficiency of 23.58 was obtained for this, while for the 50% granite - 50% titanium surface the value of 23.30 (closest to the trade mark) was calculated. Therefore, replacing the traditional components of selective surfaces with granite proved to be a satisfactory solution, contributing to the reduction of costs with solar energy.

A whole series of titania nanocomposites modified with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was prepared using solvothermal method followed by calcination. Modification of titania with rGO has been found to lead to better photocatalytic properties. The highest photocatalytic performance was obtained at calcination temperature of 600°C. Electron paramagnetic resonance/ferromagnetic resonance measurements showed oxygen defects and ferromagnetic ordering systems. The linewidth of resonance line of oxygen defects decreased linearly with calcination temperature increasing up to 600°C and an accompanying growth of mean crystallite size of anatase phase. The integrated resonance line intensity of oxygen defects depended on the calcination temperature and caused a very large increase in the intensity of resonance lines originating from oxygen defects, because inert atmosphere of calcination was enhanced by graphene presence. The occurrence of magnetic ordering system significantly influenced the performance of photocatalytic processes by changing the amount of oxygen defects.

In this paper, the mechanical models of large-scale double row slewing ball bearing considering combined loading conditions were presented based on the rigid rings and flexible rings, respectively. And the contact properties between the ball and raceway were studied. These workflows for the calculation were described and programmed by MATLAB. The load distributions of slewing bearing for 2MW wind turbine were presented. The results indicated that the load distribution with the ideal stiff assumption differs from the load distribution determined by taking into account the flexibility of rings. With flexible rings, the magnitude of contact force is less than that of the rigid rings. The influences of the initial contact angle, the coefficient of groove curvature radius, the clearance on maximum contact force were analyzed and some suggestions have been discussed. These parameters have significant effects on the load distribution. The maximum contact force decreases with coefficient of groove curvature radius decrease. A three dimensional finite element model of the slewing bearing is established and analyzed. The simulated results are compared with that of mechanical models.

In this study, a series of in-plane hexagonal honeycombs with different Poisson's ratio induced by topological diversity are studied, considering re-entrant, semi-re-entrant and convex cells, respectively. The crushing strength of honeycomb in terms of Poisson's ratio is firstly presented. In the previous research, we have studied the compression performance of honeycomb with different negative Poisson's ratio. In this study, a comparative study on the local impact resistance of different sandwich panels is conducted by considering a spherical projectile with low to medium impact speed. Some critical criteria ( i.e. local indentation profile, global deflection, impact force and energy absorption) are adopted to analyze the impact resistance. Finally, an influential mechanism of Poisson's ratio on the local impact resistance of sandwich panel is studied by considering the variation of core strength and post-impact collapse behavior.

In this study, the effect of SiO 2 /Al 2 O 3 (S/A), Na 2 O/Al 2 O 3 (N/A) and H 2 O/Na 2 O (H/N) molar ratios on bending and compressive strength of geopolymer were investigated. The geopolymerization mechanism was also analyzed from microstructure difference by FTIR. The experimental results showed that compressive strength and bending strength of geopolymer has an opposite reaction under different critical molar ratios. The increase of S/A molar ratio and the decrease of N/A and H/N molar ratios have resulted in an increase of the compressive strength. However, it caused a noticeable decrease in bending strength. The microstructure of geopolymer indicated that the degree of polymerization and cohesion of geopolymer have systematical depending on these critical molar ratios, making the mechanical properties of geopolymer susceptible to different types of loads. This paper reveals the relationship between the microstructure of geopolymer and different mechanical properties and helps to selectively prepare corresponding geopolymer for different loading patterns.

Hyperthermia therapy is a promising therapy for liver cancer treatment that utilizes external electromagnetic waves to heat the tumor zone to preferentially kill or minimize cancer cells. Nevertheless, it’s a challenge to realize localized heating of the cancer tissue without harming the surrounding healthy tissue. This research proposes to utilize nanoparticles as microwave absorbers to enhance microwave imaging and achieve localized hyperthermia therapy. A realistic 3D abdomen model has been segmented using 3D Slicer segmentation software, and then the obtained segmented CAD model exported to Computer Simulation Technology (CST STUDIO) for applying the Finite Element Modeling (FEM). Next investigating both imaging and treatment capability. Finally, the specific absorption rate (SAR) and temperature distribution were computed without nanoparticles and with different types of nanoparticles such as gold (GNPs) and silver nanoparticles at frequency 915 MHz. By comparing the achived results, it was seen that Silver nanoparticles can make a great enhancement in raising the temperature. However, this result was unsatisfactory but, after adding gold nanoparticles the temperature exceed 42°C, at frequency 915 MHz which is achieving the hyperthermia treatment without harming the nearby healthy tissue, GNPs also can achieve a great enhancement in SAR result

Mechanical properties of carbon nanotube (CNT)-based nanocomposites are broadly discussed in the literature. The influence of CNT arrangements on the elastic properties of nanocomposites based on the finite-element method (FEM) and representative volume element (RVE) approach is presented here. This study is an application of RVE modeling in the characterization of elastic behavior of CNT polymer nanocomposites. Our main contribution is the analysis of the impact of a nanotube arrangement on the elastic properties of nanocomposite to comprehensively determine the material constants. While most of the articles are focused on one distribution, not all material constants are determined. Our FEM analysis is compared with micromechanical models and other results from the literature. The current work shows that nanotube arrangements lead to different results of elastic properties. The analytical micromechanical models are consistent with the numerical results only for axial Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio, whereas other elastic constants are lower than the numerical predictions. The results of these studies indicate that FEM can predict nanocomposite mechanical properties with good accuracy. This article is helpful and useful to comprehensively understand the influence of CNT arrangements on the elastic properties of nanocomposites.

Fiber breakage is one of the most negative factors that affect the mechanical performance of unidirectional carbon-fiber (CF)-reinforced composites. In the present study, unidirectional CF-reinforced epoxy (CF/epoxy) laminates with and without fiber breakages located in different layers were manufactured from prepreg via hot compression. The static and cyclic flexural mechanical properties of the unidirectional CF/epoxy laminates were determined through static and low-cycle three-point bending tests. Flexural behavior was observed by using optical microscopy to discuss the failure behavior of the unidirectional CF/epoxy laminates. Results indicated that fiber breakages in different layers led to the static and cyclic mechanical degradation of the unidirectional CF/epoxy laminates. Moreover, fiber breakages in the tension side displayed higher flexural strength and better cyclic performance than those in the compression side.

Iron phosphate-modified pollen microspheres (pollen@FePO 4 ) were prepared and applied as sorbents for the removal of heavy metals (Cd 2+ and Pb 2+ ) from the aqueous solution. Batch sorption studies were conducted to investigate the effects of solution pH, contact time, sorbent dosage, and metal concentration on the adsorption process. The sorption of Cd 2+ and Pb 2+ ions on pollen@FePO 4 corresponds to the pseudo-second-order model and Langmuir isotherm, which is similar to the unmodified pollen. At pH 5.92, pollen@FePO 4 offers maximum adsorption capacities of 4.623 and 61.35 mg·g −1 for Cd 2+ and Pb 2+ , respectively. The faster sorption kinetics and higher adsorption capacities of Cd 2+ and Pb 2+ ions onto pollen@FePO 4 than pollen indicates that it might be a promising material for the removal of heavy metal ions in aqueous solutions. The possible adsorption mechanism involves electrostatic and chemisorption for Cd 2+ and mainly complexion for Pb 2+ .

In strong wind area, wind vibration on key railway catenary components may lead to safety hidden danger like fatigue failures. In this work, a load identification approach was proposed by decoupling the wind-induced suspension attitude to acquire the hard-to-get environmental wind load and evaluate the catenary fatigue damage on railway catenary. In theoretical modeling, mechanical relation between wind load and registration displacement is formulated in pure lateral and vertical loading by finite element analysis. Wind load is identified via suspension attitude decoupling into displacement under individual load. Nodal forces, as the external load acting on catenary connections between supporting beams, are further correlated with the identified wind load to calculate the structural stress of catenary components. In experiment, visual detection is used to measure the wind-induced attitude of catenary suspension in wind area, where maximum wind speed climbs up to 41 m/s. Experimental results are transferred into wind loads and nodal forces using the proposed model. Stress spectra and fatigue damage evaluation of connection components are carried out adopting the rain-flow counting method and damage accumulation rule. Research outcome certifies that the proposed methodology provides an effective means to evaluate the fatigue behavior of railway catenary in wind area.

This paper investigated the response and residual compression properties of honeycomb sandwich structures subjected to single quasi-static indentation (QSI) and repeated QSI (RQSI). The damage depth after repeated low-velocity impact (LVI) was considered as the governing parameter during the QSI experiments. Three-dimensional digital image correlation method was applied to determine deformation of the front panels after LVI and QSI to describe damage to honeycomb structures. For specimens with the same depth, it is found that the residual strength of QSI was less than that of LVI and close to that of RQSI. Results indicated that it is more reasonable to describe the damage by volume than by depth.

The composite sandwich structures with foam core and fiber-reinforced polymer skin are prone to damage under local impact. The mechanical behavior of sandwich panels (glass fiber-reinforced polymer [GFRP] skin reinforced with lattice webs and syntactic foams core) is studied under crushing load. The crushing behavior, failure modes, and energy absorption are correlated with the number of GFRP layers in facesheets and webs, fiber volume fractions of facesheets in both longitudinal and transverse directions, and density and thickness of syntactic foam. The test results revealed that increasing the number of FRP layers of lattice webs was an effective way to enhance the energy absorption of sandwich panels without remarkable increase in the peak load. Moreover, a three-dimensional finite-element (FE) model was developed to simulate the mechanical behavior of the syntactic foam sandwich panels, and the numerical results were compared with the experimental results. Then, the verified FE model was applied to conduct extensive parametric studies. Finally, based on experimental and numerical results, the optimal design of syntactic foam sandwich structures as energy absorption members was obtained. This study provides theoretical basis and design reference of a novel syntactic foam sandwich structure for applications in bridge decks, ship decks, carriages, airframes, wall panels, anticollision guard rails and bumpers, and railway sleepers. Graphical abstract

Storage of cellulose solution can be practically ineluctable before it is manufactured into various regenerated products (e.g., fibers, films), especially in the case of industrial production. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the effect of storage time and temperature on the dissolved state of cellulose in the interested TBAH-based solvents (including TBAH/H 2 O, TBAH/H 2 O/DMSO, TBAH/H 2 O/Urea), as well as on the mechanical property of the relevant regenerated products (films were prepared in this work for the evaluation). The dissolved state of cellulose in these solvents along with storage has been analyzed with the polarized light microscope photographs and Stormer viscosity. Focus on the interested TBAH/H 2 O/DMSO solvent, the effect of storage time and temperature on the solution viscosity, and degree of polymerization of cellulose have been discussed. Critical storage time for different storing temperature has been determined, after where significant cellulose degradation happens. A series of regenerated cellulose films with storage time ranging from 0 to 200 h have been prepared. The optimal storage time and strengthening mechanism for cellulose films regenerated from the solution of cellulose/TBAH/H 2 O/DMSO have been discussed. This work can provide reference about storage time and temperature of cellulose/TBAH/H 2 O/DMSO, especially for the production of pilot-scale, etc.

In this study, aramid fiber-reinforced polymer (AFRP) composites were prepared and then postcured under specific heating/cooling rates. By dynamic mechanical analysis, the viscoelastic properties of the AFRP composites at elevated temperatures and under various frequencies were determined. Thermomechanical analysis (TMA), in the modes of creep-recovery and stress–relaxation tests, was also performed. Furthermore, differential scanning calorimetry was also used, and the decomposition of the AFRP composites, aramid fibers, and pure postcured epoxy, in two different atmospheres, namely, air atmosphere and nitrogen (N 2 ) atmosphere, was explored by the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). From this point of view, the aramid fibers showed remarkably thermal resistance, in N 2 atmosphere, and the volume fraction of fibers (Φ f ) was calculated to be Φ f = 51%. In the TGA experiments, the postcured AFRP composites showed very good thermal resistance, both in air and N 2 atmosphere, and this characteristic in conjunction with their relatively high T g , which is in the range of 85–95°C, depending on the frequency and the determination method, classifies these composites as potential materials in applications where the resistance in high temperatures is a required characteristic.

This article proposed an innovative composite sandwich structure reinforced with trapezoidal latticed webs with angles of 45°, 60° and 75°. Four specimens were conducted according to quasi-static compression methods to investigate the compressive behavior of the novel composite structures. The experimental results indicated that the specimen with 45° trapezoidal latticed webs showed the most excellent energy absorption ability, which was about 2.5 times of the structures with vertical latticed webs. Compared to the traditional composite sandwich structure, the elastic displacement and ultimate load-bearing capacity of the specimen with 45° trapezoidal latticed webs were increased by 624.1 and 439.8%, respectively. Numerical analysis of the composite sandwich structures was carried out by using a nonlinear explicit finite element (FE) software ANSYS/LS-DYNA. The influence of the thickness of face sheets, lattice webs and foam density on the elastic ultimate load-bearing capacity, the elastic displacement and initial stiffness was analyzed. This innovative composite bumper device for bridge pier protection against ship collision was simulated to verify its performance. The results showed that the peak impact force of the composite anti-collision device with 45° trapezoidal latticed webs would be reduced by 17.3%, and the time duration will be prolonged by about 31.1%.

This article reports the experimental behavior of square hollow stainless steel tubular trusses under static loading. A total of five specimens, including three trusses with K-joint, one truss with N-joint, and one truss with T-joint, were tested to study the effect of different outer widths of brace members and the types of joint on the flexural performance of square hollow stainless steel tubular trusses. The failure modes, flexural rigidity, load carrying capacity, ductility, load versus displacement curves, and load versus strain curves of all the tested specimens are presented. It can be seen that the chords of all specimens experienced surface plasticity. The test results indicate that the specimen with T-joint has the best ductility. The flexural rigidity of the truss with the K-joint is better than that of specimens with N-joint or T-joint. The flexural rigidity of trusses with the K-joint was found to increase with the increase of outer width ( D ) of the brace members varying from 38 to 80 mm. Besides, the load-carrying capacity per unit weight of the specimen with T-joint is better than that of specimens with N-joint or K-joint. Graphical abstract

Ball screws are the indispensable machine tool components and, as such, influence the positional accuracy of machine tools. The accuracy stability of machine tools is affected by thermal deformation of ball screws resulting from the increase in temperature. Inspired by the distinctive artificial muscle heat behavior, a bio-inspired ball screw was proposed. The proposed ball screw was based on the inner-embedded carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP), which restrains the axial expansion through the thermal contraction of CFRP. Additionally, a thermal conductor was mounted between the screw shaft and CFRP to improve the thermal conduction condition. Furthermore, both the simulation analysis and comparative experiments were carried out to compare the bio-inspired ball screw with the standard one. Two working conditions were considered to evaluate the effectiveness of the novel design, primarily in terms of reducing thermal deformation. Both results show that the proposed approach is effective and can be applied to reduce the thermal deformation of ball screws. Graphical abstract

Copper alloy rod billet with 20% silver was prepared using homemade three-chamber vacuum cold-type vertical continuous casting equipment. The variation rules of the microhardness, eutectic ratio, and size and distribution of silver particles precipitated in the primary α-Cu phase at the end of the continuous casting alloy rod blanks were studied using a microhardness tester and scanning electron microscope. The obtained results show that when the cold-type vertical continuous casting speed is 120 mm·min −1 , there is obvious reverse segregation of solute element near the end of the prepared ∅7.8 mm copper–silver alloy rod blank. From the end of the continuous casting alloy rod blank to 5 mm from the end, the Cu–Ag eutectic structure in the copper–silver alloy increases from 13.4 to 15.9%, and the size of Ag particles precipitated in the primary α-Cu phase increases from 100 to 350 nm. The microhardness increases from 56 HV0.05 to 85 HV0.05. When the distance from the end exceeds 5 mm, the microstructure and properties of the continuous casting alloy rod blank are basically stable.

Geotextile tubes are one of the emerging and promising technologies to build fine-grain tailings dams. In this study, shaking table model tests are conducted to evaluate the seismic performance as characterized by horizontal acceleration and displacement of the tailings dam subject to horizontal peak ground accelerations (HPGAs). The test results indicate that the tailings dam is sustainable, whereas the whole dam tends to slide forward. Test results reveal a W-pattern variation of acceleration amplification coefficient ( A m ) at the same elevation despite different HPGA, whereas A m on the geotextile tubes exhibits minimal changes with increasing HPGA. A m inside the dam is highly variable in terms of the elevation and the specific position. The maximum vertical displacement occurs at the top of the geotextile tubes as the side of the geotextile tubes tilting upward. The highest horizontal displacement is observed in the middle section of the geotextile tubes, resulting in an overall convex deformation pattern. Two reinforcement schemes are proposed accordingly including strengthening the drainage and installing the anti-slide piles. The dynamic behaviors of the tailings dam subject to earthquakes from this study can serve as guidance for seismic design and technology promotion.

The transient impact load during the launch of a rocket at sea threatens the safety of the launcher and the deck structure of the launch platform. In view of the impact resistance of the offshore rocket launcher system, this paper takes the real-scale rocket launcher system as the research object and establishes the analysis model of the fiber-reinforced composite rocket launcher based on the finite element method. Then, we explore the factors of the thickness by finite element simulation method and the angle and the position of IM7 fiber-reinforced composite, which influence the impact resistance property of the rocket launcher. The results show that the fiber-reinforced composite rocket launcher can effectively reduce the impact response of the structure and improve the impact resistance of the structure. The best laying scheme is to lay four layers of IM7 fiber material on both sides of the panels of the fixed bracket and the webs of the erector, respectively, with a single layer thickness of 0.75 mm and a laying angle of [90°/∓45°/90°]. Graphical abstract

Residual stress generated during the blank forming and machining process significantly influences the dimensional stability of the mechanical parts. The equivalent bending stiffness and thermal vibration stress relief (TVSR) are two factors that affect the deformation of thin-walled workpiece. To increase the machining accuracy, on the one hand, increase the equivalent bending stiffness in manufacturing, and on the other hand, usually conduct the stress relief process to reduce the residual stress in manufacturing. In the present study, morphology optimization and TVSR process are conducted on a thin-walled part Specimen B of 7075 aluminum alloy to control the residual stress and machining deformation before finish machining. As a contrast, Specimen A is machined in one step. The deformations vary with time of Specimen A and B are measured. The corresponding finite element model is built to further study the stress and distortion during the machining process. Results showed that (1) deformation decreased with the increase of equivalent bending stiffness, compared with Specimen A, the maximum deformation of Specimen B decreased by 58.28%. (2) The final maximum deformation of Specimen B can be reduced by 38.33% by topology reinforcement to improve the equivalent stiffness and TVSR to reduce the residual stress. Graphical abstract

Dynamic responses and vibration characteristics of a rotating functionally graded material (FGM) beam with a hollow circular cross-section in the temperature field are investigated in this paper. The material properties of the FGM beam are assumed to be temperature-dependent and vary along the thickness direction of the beam. By considering the rigid-flexible coupling effect, the geometrically nonlinear dynamic equations of a hub–FGM beam system are derived by employing the assumed modes method and Lagrange’s equations. With the high-order coupling dynamic model, the effect of temperature variations under two different laws of motion is discussed, and the free vibration of the system is studied based on the first-order approximate coupling model. This research can provide ideas for the design of space thermal protection mechanisms.

In this research, the growth of bioglass (BG) (45S5) incorporated oxide layer via plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) method was studied with respect to different sodium hydroxide (NaOH) concentrations (0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7 M). The voltage response during the deposition process was highly dependent on the electrolyte concentration. Large sparks were recorded at the lowest electrolyte concentration. The result also showed that the increment of electrolyte concentration improved the thickness and mechanical properties of BG-coated pure titanium (TI) surfaces via the PEO process. However, the morphological investigation showed that the coating formation and the uniformity of coating distribution are dependent on the optimum concentration of the electrolyte. This study demonstrates the feasibility of the PEO method in producing a uniform bio-functional coating for biomedical applications. Graphical abstract

In this article, the laser-assisted ultrasonic vibration dressing technique was applied to the cubic boron nitride (CBN) grinding wheel to study the effect of various process parameters (namely, laser power, dressing depth, feed rate, and grinding wheel speed) on the grinding force, surface quality, and morphological evolution of CBN abrasive particles. The results showed that abrasive particles’ morphology mainly undergoes micro-crushing, local crushing, large-area crushing, macro-crushing, and other morphological changes. The dressing force can be effectively reduced by controlling the dressing process parameters. Besides, grinding tests are performed on the grinding wheel after dressing to reveal specimens’ surface quality. Excellent grinding characteristics and grinding quality of the grinding wheel were obtained by the proposed technique with the optimized process parameters.

Composite materials have become a research hotspot in the field of vibration and noise reduction for their high strength, high damping, and other outstanding mechanical properties in recent years. In this paper, the effect of laminated materials on the dynamic performance of floating rafts is investigated based on modal superposition theory using the finite element method. The detailed derivation of the modal superposition theory was made, and taking T700 fiber-reinforced composite material as an example the damping effect of the floating raft structure in three cases was discussed: whether the composite material is laid or not, different layup angles, and different layup positions. The research shows that laying composite materials can improve damping effect of the floating raft and the changes in both the laying angle and the laying position will affect its dynamic performance. Moreover, the damping performance of the structure is inversely correlated with its stiffness within a certain range. Graphical abstract

In this paper, the robot arm is manufactured to increase the structural strength and improve safety. The stability of the nursing robot in the process of carrying out the typical nursing task of holding patients was studied, and the influence of the center of gravity on the movement stability of the nursing robot was analyzed. The mathematical model of the stability of the robot is built by using the inverse kinematics solution of the robot. By studying the trajectory planning of a nursing robot under the condition of ZMP constraint, the robot can move safely and optimally along the prescribed trajectory between two working points. The simulation results show that the algorithm can significantly improve the work safety of the robot. In the experiment, four pressure sensors are used to measure the pressure of four wheels on the ground, the data are obtained and substituted into the expression of center of pressure (COP) method. The results show that the stability is in a reasonable moving area without any hidden danger, and its COP value is less than the stable qualitative boundary, which verifies the rationality and effectiveness of the optimal center of gravity stability planning algorithm. Graphical abstract

The laser scanning parameters used in laser additive manufacturing (LAM) can impact the growth direction of the columnar grains produced during rapid solidification. This growth direction affects the mechanical properties of the manufactured parts after cladding. The effective use of a high laser power and a rapid scanning speed for LAM requires an accurate analysis of the relationships between the laser scanning process parameters and the grain growth direction and microstructural morphology of the scanned material. An experimental study was conducted to determine the macromorphology, microstructural morphology, and grain growth direction of 304 stainless steel material obtained during the laser scanning process at different scan speeds. The impact of the scan speed on different regions in the cladding layer (the clad zone (CZ), the heat affected zone (HAZ), and the dilution zone (DZ)) was determined, as well as on the direction of grain growth, the grain morphology and the grain size (which are the microstructures of the cladded materials), the degree of elemental mixing during laser scanning (which are changes in material composition of cladded material), and the microscopic hardness of the CZ (which is one of the mechanical properties of cladded material). With increasing scan speed, the CZ, HAZ, DZ, and dilution rate (DR) of the material gradually decreased, and grain growth gradually oriented towards the building direction of the cladding layer. At a 16 mm·s −1 scan speed, the angle between the grain growth direction and the scan direction was 84°. Changing the scan speed from 4 to 16 mm·s −1 caused the columnar grain size to gradually decrease from 13.3 to 9.2 μm and the corresponding microhardness to gradually increase.

Due to the lack of commercially available finite elements packages allowing us to analyse the behaviour of porous functionally graded (FG) structures in this paper, axisymmetric deformations of coupled FG spherical shells are studied. The analytical solution is presented by using complex hypergeometric polynomial series. The results presented agree closely with the reference results for isotropic spherical shells of revolution. The influence of the effects of material properties is characterized by a multiplier characterizing an unsymmetric shell wall construction (stiffness coupling). The results can be easily adopted in design procedures. The present results can be treated as the benchmark for finite element investigations.

During the electrical discharge machining (EDM) process, the tool electrode wear is inevitable, which affects the process precision of the micro-hole. In the present experimental investigation, a fixed reference axial compensation (FRAC) method is proposed to enhance the machining precision of micro-hole. The effect of pulse power, compensation methods, and electrode materials on the depth and roundness factor of micro-hole are explored. The experiment results show that the FRAC method can realize the accurate compensation and reach the expected depth hole processing. When the FRAC is used, the depth deviation is less than 0.43%, and the minimum difference from the expected depth is only 0.106 µm. In addition, the micro-holes of tungsten steel and brass electrodes machine by the FRAC method were close to the expected depth, the difference from the expected depth less than 0.7%, but the bottom of micro-hole produced a cone. However, compared to tungsten steel and brass electrodes, the copper electrode has a better processing performance, the roundness factor is up to 79.8%. When the long-pulse power supply is applied, the expected depth of 400–1,600 µm blind holes with a better processing shape, and the phenomenon of the cone at the bottom are not apparent. Therefore, the proposed FRAC method can be utilized in many high-end manufacturing fields to improve the precision of the micro-hole for micro features.

Electrolytic Ni–Re alloy coatings were obtained in galvanostatic conditions from nickel–rhenium baths with different contents of ammonium rhenate( vii ) (0.5, 1.25, 2.5 and 5 g·L −1 ). The surface morphology, chemical, and phase composition of the obtained materials were determined. The coatings’ corrosion resistance tests were carried out in a 5% NaCl solution. Based on the tests, it was found that the highest corrosion resistance characterizes the coating with the highest rhenium content (37%). This material can be recommended for practical use as a protective coating. The density of the deposited Ni–37Re alloy was determined, and its specific surface area was assessed. The melting point, hardness, and electrical conductivity were also determined.

DC magnetization of a series of titania nanocomposites modified with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) has been investigated. Hysteresis loops observed at room temperature disappeared at low temperatures. At a temperature of about 100 K, a phase transition to the superferromagnetic order state was observed, probably due to the linear expansion and self-reorientation of the magnetic moments. Processes associated with magnetic moment reorientation can cause a hysteresis loop to disappear at low temperatures as well as superferromagnetic ordering. It was suggested that the isolated nanoparticle in the nanopore could be used to create a “compass” at a nanometer-sized level that would be many times more sensitive than the conventional one. Measurements of the zero-field cooling and field cooling modes do not exclude the possibility of the coexistence of a superparamagnetic state.

The NiTi SMA fibers were cold drawn to introduce prestrain, and then, they were made to crimped fibers with various wave depths. The recovery stress was measured, which was useful for closing the cracks in fiber-reinforced concrete. The pullout behaviors were also examined considering the existing recovery stress, and it is found that the recovery stress did not influence so much on the pullout behavior. According to the pullout results, a parametric study used a finite element analyzing (FEA) model to quantify the cohesive surface model’s parameters and the value of the friction coefficient. Then, the developed model is used to investigate the crimped fiber’s pullout behavior with various embedded lengths and wave depths. When the fiber in the elastic range, the peak stresses significantly raise due to increasing embedded waves; they show a linear relationship. After the yield of the SMA fiber, the peak stresses are also a function of embedded waves; however, the increasing trend is slow down. Concerning the cost, the even distribution of the fiber, and for guaranteeing the fiber experiences the pulling out, it is recommended that the embedded lengths and corresponding wave depths should be designed to avoid the yield. Graphical abstract

Ball-milled nanocrystalline Mg powders catalyzed by TiO 2 powder, titanate nanotubes and carbon nanotubes were subjected to intense plastic deformation by equal-channel angular pressing. Microstructural characteristics of these nanocomposites have been investigated by X-ray diffraction. Microstructural parameters, such as the average crystallite size, the average dislocation density and the average dislocation distance have been determined by the modified Williamson–Hall analysis. Complementary hydrogen desorption and absorption experiments were carried out in a Sieverts’ type apparatus. It was found that the Mg-based composite catalyzed by titanate nanotubes exhibits the best overall H-storage performance, reaching 7.1 wt% capacity. The hydrogenation kinetic curves can be fitted by the contracting volume function for all the investigated materials. From the fitted parameters, it is confirmed that the titanate nanotube additive results in far the best kinetic behavior, including the highest hydride front velocity.

The stress shielding effect is a critical issue for implanted prosthesis due to the difference in elastic modulus between the implanted material and the human bone. The adjustment of the elastic modulus of implants by modification of the lattice structure is the key to the research in the field of implanted prosthesis. Our work focuses on the basic unit structure of octahedron Ti6Al4V. The equivalent elastic modulus and equivalent density of porous structure are optimized according to the mechanical properties of human bone tissue by adjusting the edge diameter and side length of octahedral lattice. Macroscopic long-range ordered arrangement of lattice structures is fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM) technology. Finite element simulation is performed to calculate the mechanical property of octahedron Ti6Al4V. Scanning electronic microscopy is applied to observe the microstructure of octahedron alloy and its cross section morphology of fracture. Standard compression test is performed for the stress–strain behavior of the specimen. Our results show that the octahedral lattice with the edge diameter of 0.4 mm and unit cell length of 1.5 mm has the best mechanical property which is close to the human bone. The value of equivalent elastic modulus increases with the increase in the edge diameter. The SLM technology proves to be an effective processing way for the fabrication of complex microstructures with porosity. In addition, the specimen exhibits isotropic mechanical performance and homogeneity which significantly meet the requirement of implanted prosthetic medical environment.

The research analyzed the physical properties of TiO 2 and bentonite nanocomposite as adsorbent materials. The TiO 2 synthesis method was carried out through a sol–gel process. Meanwhile the synthesis of bentonite was carried out by the ball mill, coprecipitation and addition of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) surfactant. X-ray diffraction nanocomposite characterization showed that the particle size was 17.13 nm. Fourier transform infrared analysis showed the required absorption peak in photocatalysis because the OH group can react with holes and prevent electron–hole pair recombination. The morphology of the nanocomposite showed the occurrence of TiO 2 pillarization in bentonite. The results of the X-ray fluorescence nanocomposite showed that the content of TiO 2 and SiO 2 was 65.22 and 17.4%, respectively.

Friction disc is the key part of the frictional clutch. But there is a lack of in-depth studies on the effect of the cutting parameters on residual stress and machining deformation. In this study, the simulation model for friction disc gear shaping was established and the effect of the typical cutting parameters on surface residual stress and machining deformation was studied. Based on the study’s results, the optimization experiment of friction disc gear shaping was carried out and a method was proposed to reduce machining deformation and to improve the fatigue life. Applying the proposed method, the residual stress on the tooth bottom increased from −122.50 to −371.33 MPa, an increase of 203.13% that increases the fatigue life greatly. Meanwhile, the front and bottom face deformation of the outer ring as well as the deformation of the front and bottom tooth tip can be decreased effectively. This study can provide technical support for improving the comprehensive performance of the friction disc and transmission system. Graphical abstract

For use in additive manufacturing (AM), powders that have a spherical shape, high fluidity, and packing density are required. One of the methods for producing spherical powders is spheroidization using inductively coupled plasma. In this work, the powder of steel grade EI961 was used. To obtain the powder for subsequent use in 3D printing, the selection of modes was carried out with the change in various parameters of the unit: different power, powder feed rate to the plasma as well as the height of feed rate. The optimal spheroidization mode is as follows: power of 15 kW, pressure of 1 atm, feed rate height of 0 mm, and powder feed rate of 28 g·min −1 . The temperature distribution over the plasma torch cross section was calculated and the maximum plasma temperature was also determined. In addition, the effect of plasma treatment on the granulometric composition, phase composition, and chemical composition was studied.

The injection of ultrasonic wave into a melt during casting can refine grain size, improve grain distribution, and thereby enhance casting performance. The available studies on ultrasonic-assisted casting are mostly about inserting a transducer directly into the melt. Such a method is not suitable for sand casting. Therefore, the study of ultrasonic sand casting by indirectly injecting ultrasonic waves into an aluminum alloy melt through a sand mold was proposed and carried out in this study. The effects of ultrasonic waves of different powers at different solidification stages on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the melt were studied. Compared to conventional sand casting, the samples prepared by ultrasonic sand casting have finer grains and better grain distribution, as well as higher mechanical properties. Moreover, the sample’s performance improves to different levels when the same ultrasonic wave is injected at different periods, when compared to the injection of ultrasonic waves with different powers in the same period. Graphical abstract

In order to study the influence of geometric nonlinearity and material parameters on the free vibration behavior of the cylindrical skeleton supported prestressed fabric composite membrane. In this paper, based on von Karman's large deflection theory and D’Alembert's principle, the governing equations of nonlinear viscous damped prestressed free vibration of frame supported anisotropic membrane structures were established. By using Galerkin and KBM perturbation method, the analytical expressions of frequency function, displacement function and mode shape of nonlinear free vibration were obtained. In order to verify the effectiveness and effective range of the method, the fourth order Runge-Kutta method was used for numerical calculation. The calculation examples of membrane material parameters were given. The calculation and analysis of different membrane prestress, different length width ratio, different rise span ratio and different material parameters (elastic modulus ratio, viscous damping and material density) were carried out. The results were compared with the numerical results obtained by Runge-Kutta method to verify the accuracy of the method. The research results of this paper provide a theoretical reference for the selection of membrane materials, the subsequent calculation of wind-induced stability of steel skeleton membrane structure and the design of wind-driven rain resistance.

Polyamide 6 (PA) matrix was reinforced with Na-activated bentonite, amino functional silane treated bentonite and organo-modified clays at different concentrations. The preparation of composites was carried out using melt-blending method and the test samples were prepared by injection-molding process. Mechanical, thermal, structural and processing investigations of PA based composites were reported performing via tensile, hardness, and impact tests, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and force measurements, respectively. According to mechanical test results, additions of fillers to PA matrix caused slight improvements for tensile strength and modulus parameters. Silane treated BNT exhibited improvement in mechanical results compared to Na-activated bentonite additions. Thermal studies revealed that decomposition and melting temperatures of PA shifted to higher values after inclusion of clay into polymer matrix. Results confirmed that organo-clay and bentonite additions with their lower filling ratios yielded enhancements for the mechanical and thermal performance of polyamide.

Conductive elastomer materials based on carbon black (CB) filled bromo-isobutylene-isoprene rubber (BIIR)/polypropylene (PP) thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) were prepared by two step method and one step method. The microstructure, mechanical properties, electrical resistivity, thermal stability, electromagnetic interference shielding performance, and fracture surface morphology of composite materials were studied. The result shows the serious aggregation of CB in one-step TPV, but the uniform dispersion of CB in two-step TPV. In addition, the two-step TPV shows a higher electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding performance and lower conductivity penetration threshold. The penetration threshold of the two-step TPV is 9.1%, and the maximum reflection loss of the two-step TPV16 is −29.5 dB. Therefore, this research offers an uncomplicated and scalable melt mixing approach method to manufacture conductive thermoplastic vulcanizates with excellent EMI shielding.

The increasing serious heat dissipation problem faced by electronic equipment used in airplanes makes studies on new heat dissipation components urgent. The diffusion bonding of graphite and Cu was successfully realized by a Ti/Ag/Nb interlayer at the bonding conditions applied (850°C, 4 MPa with bonding time varying from 30 to 90 min). The influence of bonding time on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the joints was studied. When the bonding time was 30 min, the typical microstructure of the joints was as follows: graphite/TiC reaction layer/residual Ti layer/Ti 2 Ag layer/TiAg/Ti[Ag,Nb]/Cu. As the bonding time increased, the thickness of the residual Ti layer decreased, whereas the thickness of the Ti[Ag,Cu] layer increased. When the bonding time was extended to 90 min, Ti–Cu intermetallic compounds were detected adjacent to the Cu. The shear strength showed an increasing trend with the extension of the bonding time. When the bonding time was 90 min, the maximum shear strength of the joints was 13.4 MPa. Graphical abstract

At present, in addition to the high-strength alloy steel still used in the main load-bearing structure of foreign nuclear submarines, many composite materials have been used for non-load-bearing components, and the common laminate is the main form of the composite plate and shell. The composite laminate with a carbon/glass hybrid material has excellent structural mechanical properties. The vibration and acoustic radiation theories of the composite laminate were analytically deduced, the effect of ply parameters in hybrid shell plates was analyzed, and the influence of the hybrid ratio on the stiffness of shell plate was also investigated. Furthermore, according to the theoretical description, the typical carbon/glass hybrid shell plate was designed and the experimental comparison on the vibro-acoustic properties with a steel plate was carried out. The results showed that the mass and stiffness of a 12 mm carbon/glass hybrid shell plate were only 30 and 70% compared with an 8 mm steel plate. The mass and stiffness of a 15 mm carbon/glass hybrid shell plate were about 40 and 160% of that of an 8 mm steel plate, and its vibration and noise reduction performance was far superior to the steel plate. Therefore, the composite shell plate can achieve excellent acoustic performance while meeting the structural-functional indicators. Graphical abstract

In this study, a finite element low-velocity impact model of Twaron ® plain-woven fabric was created and analyzed using the commercial code ANSYS ® -AUTODYN, and then was validated by drop-weight impact experiments. As a bullet or a fragment can strike a protective system from any angle in space, it is necessary to investigate fragment impact behavior response to impact threats from all angles of space. Therefore, in-plane obliquity θ , and spatial obliquity φ , were employed in this study and 17 different simulation test impact scenarios with different impact obliquity values were carried out using a standard hemispherical-head impactor. Results showed that the energy absorption of Twaron ® fabric decreases with increasing θ , whereas under the same θ , the energy absorption increases with increasing φ . This study also evaluated and compared the low-velocity impact performance of Twaron ® fabric as a function of impactor shape, such as hemispherical, flat, and ogival heads, with different θ . The results showed that under the same density, volume, and diameter conditions and at the normal impact scenario of a flat-head impactor, the fracture mechanism of the yarn is the same with all impact scenarios for a hemispherical-head impactor; the contacted yarns of the fabric fractured almost simultaneously. For the other oblique impact scenarios of the flat-head impactor, as well as impact scenarios of the ogival-head impactor, the yarns of the fabric fractured intermittently. Additionally, for the impact scenario with the ogival-head impactor, the effect of impact obliquity on energy absorption of the fabric was completely opposite to that of the hemispherical-head impact scenario. This is because in the hemispherical-head impact scenario, the fabric yarn tends to be damaged by tension, whereas in the ogival-head impact scenario, the fabric tends to be damaged by out-of-plane shear. These findings provide important guidance for the engineering of soft body armor and composite materials. Graphical abstract

The performance of textile reinforced concrete composite panels (TRCCPs) under the action of pseudo-static load up to collapse was evaluated. The test of TRCCPs under axial and transverse loading was conducted, and the results were compared with those for steel wire mesh reinforced-concrete composite panels (SMRCCPs). Ceram-site concrete was utilized as the panel matrix owing to its lightweight and insulation characteristics. The ultimate load bearing capacity, load-deformation and load-strain relationships, and failure modes were discussed and investigated in comparison with the findings of non-linear finite-element-model (FEM) analysis and the analytic method on the basis of the reinforced concrete (RC) theory. The analysis results indicate that TRCCP is suitable for use as a potential structural member for a wall or slab system of buildings, and the typical RC theory can be applied to predict the ultimate load bearing capacity if modified suitably.

In this paper, an overview focusing on the bond behavior of recycled coarse aggregate concrete (RAC) with steel bar is carried out. The results show that the failure modes of RAC specimen were not only influenced by a single factor, it is necessary to comprehensively consider the influence of various factors on the failure modes of RAC specimen; The steel bar diameter, the concrete cover to diameter ratio and the replacement rate of RCA all affect the load-slip curve of RAC specimen; Bond strength predictive equations and bond-slip relationship models of RAC with steel bar has been summarized to ensure engineers to better understand their applicability; The influencing factors of the bond behavior of RAC specimens including the replacement rate of RCA, the concrete compressive strength, the steel bar type and steel bar diameter, the steel bar embedment length and the aggregate performance; The freeze-thaw cycles and the steel bar corrosion all affect the bond behavior of RAC with steel bar. When freeze-thaw damage and steel bars corrosion reach a certain degree, the bond behavior of RAC with steel bar deteriorates.

This paper presents the concept, design, fabrication, application and experimental validation of a new type of composite sandwich matting. The composite sandwich matting comprises a paulownia woods as core material and glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) as face-skins and lattice-webs. The matting was fabricated by vacuum infusion moulding process (VIMP). The mechanical properties of the component materials were studied. Four-point bending tests were also performed to investigate the flexural properties of the paulownia wood core sandwich panels. The experimental results showed that the failure mode of the structures was upper facesheet compressive yielding. The structures have good integrity against transverse load, there was a large plateau region after the initial failure and can prevent the structures from catastrophic failure. The finite element (FE) analysis showed a good agreement with the experimental results in predicting the load-displacement curve. The developed composite sandwich matting has been successfully used in military engineering, emergency rescue and large infrastructure construction owing to its excellent mechanical properties.

The relationship between percolation mechanism and pore characteristics for recycled permeable bricks with different porosities is investigated in this study based on X-ray computed tomography (X-CT). Permeability coefficients are measured and some characteristics including size, amount, and distribution of the pore are analysed. The results show that the effective porosity and permeability coefficient of the recycled permeable bricks exhibit a linear relationship first and then a quadratic curve relationship, where the critical effective porosity is 12%. Meanwhile, we discovered that nonlinear channels in permeable bricks are larger and fewer compared with linear percolation channels, regardless of whether the percolation stage is linear or nonlinear. Additionally, when the area and number ratios of the linear and nonlinear percolation channels reached 80% and 10%, respectively, the overall percolation state of the permeable bricks changed from linear to nonlinear percolation. This research is helpful to improve the mechanical and percolation properties of recycled concrete bricks and promote the application of porous permeable material.

The research on the highly efficient reutilization of mixed recycled aggregates (MRA) produced from construction and demolition waste has attracted significant attention globally. In this study, the feasibility of using 100% MRA in cement-stabilized materials was investigated. The mechanical properties and microstructures of cement-stabilized MRA (CSMRA) materials containing 100% MRA were systematically examined through unconfined compressive strength (UCS) test, indirect tensile strength (ITS) test, drying shrinkage test, X-ray diffraction analysis, mercury intrusion porosimetry, and scanning electron microscopy. Results showed that the UCS and ITS of CSMRA materials were significantly enhanced with the increase of cement content and curing age, and there was almost a linear relationship between the UCS and ITS. The failure behavior of CSMRA materials under load showed three typical stages: compaction stage, elastic stage, and yield stage. The increase of the cement content caused the drying shrinkage deformation of CSMRA to increase sharply when the cement content exceeded 4%. The microstructural analysis indicated that cement had both filling and binding effects on CSMRA materials. The strength growth with cement content and curing age was because of the constant hydration of cement minerals, producing more calcium silicate hydrate binders between aggregates. Moreover, the increasing cement content could reduce the porosity and optimize the pore structure distribution of CSMRA materials. The findings of this study demonstrate that the use of 100% MRA in cement-stabilized materials as a road base is feasible, which will significantly enhance the utilization efficiency of MRA.

The effects of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber content on mechanical and fracture properties of geopolymer concrete (GPC) were investigated in the present study. Mechanical properties include cubic compressive, prism compressive, tensile and flexural strengths, and elastic modulus. The evaluation indices in fracture properties were measured by using the three-point bending test. Geopolymer was prepared by fly ash, metakaolin, and alkali activator, which was obtained by mixing sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate solutions. The volume fractions of PVA fiber (length 12 mm and diameter 40 μm) were 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0%. The results indicate that the effects of the PVA fiber on the cubic and prism compressive strengths and elastic modulus are similar. A tendency of first increasing and then decreasing with the increase in the PVA fiber content was observed in these properties. They all reached a maximum at 0.2% PVA fiber content. There was also a similar tendency of first increase and then decrease for tensile and flexural strengths, peak load, critical effective crack lengths, fracture toughness, and fracture energy of GPC, which were significantly improved by the PVA fiber. They reached a maximum at 0.8% PVA fiber content, except the tensile strength whose maximum was at 1.0% PVA fiber volume fraction. Considering the parameters analyzed, it seems that the 0.8% PVA fiber content provides optimal reinforcement of the mechanical properties of GPC.

This paper presents thirteen square columns to study the behavior of nano-concrete-filled steel tubular columns with end plates after lateral impact. The failure modes of the square columns subjected to lateral impact damage or not subjected to lateral impact damage were compared. The lateral impact loading height, steel tubular thickness, and column height were set as the test parameters in these tests. The effects of test parameters on the ultimate capacity, initial stiffness, and ductility of columns are discussed in this paper. The bearing capacity of square columns is decreased because of the lateral impact loading which can also be concluded from the test results. And with the steel tube thickness increasing, the bearing capacity and initial stiffness of columns are increased and ductility has no obvious change. However, with the column height increasing, the bearing capacity and stiffness of columns are decreased and ductility is increased. Furthermore, the strain development of the columns under axial compressive loading is also discussed in the paper. The results indicated that the corner of the square column is more easily damaged under compressive loading. According to the test results, the calculated formula is proposed to predict the ultimate capacity of nano-concrete-filled steel tubular columns with end plates after lateral impact. The calculated results have a good agreement with the test results. Graphical abstract Graphical summary of the paper.

The analysis method of the simplified structure formation model provides the basis for the analysis of the reinforced concrete (RC) structure under earthquake and dynamic load, which has important significance for seismic analysis of RC structure. In this paper, the three-layer RC frame structure is simulated and analyzed by MATLAB based on the NewMark-β method, considering the influence of time-varying simple harmonic loads and seismic waves on acceleration, displacement, and velocity of RC structure. The vibration response of the RC structure is analyzed by introducing the stiffness reduction coefficient. The results show that NewMark-β method provides a new idea for the seismic response of RC frame structures, making the seismic analysis of frame structures more practical; the variation range of its elastic modulus is obtained through the analysis of the constitutive model of RC, which provides the basis for the value of the stiffness coefficient; the application of the top load and the bottom load has different structural responses to the RC frame structure, and the impact of the load on the structure is more adverse when the load acts on the bottom; with the change of time, the binding stiffness coefficient will also change, and the stability of the structure will decrease greatly; the function relationship between the acceleration of the third floor and the reduction coefficient of rigidity is obtained by taking different values of the reduction coefficient of rigidity. Graphical abstract

Geopolymer cementitious materials and recycled aggregate are typical representatives of material innovation research in the engineering field. In this study, we experimentally investigated a method to improve the performance of geopolymer-recycled aggregate concrete (GRAC). The recycled concrete aggregates and steel fiber (SF), fly ash (FA), metakaolin (MK), and sodium silicate solution were used as the main raw materials to prepare fiber-reinforced geopolymer-recycled aggregate concrete (FRGRAC). First, the orthogonal test was carried out to study the GRAC, and the optimal mix proportion was found. Second, building on the optimal mix proportion, the effects of the SF content on the slump, 7 and 28 days compressive strength, tensile strength, and flexural strength of FRGRAC were further studied. Finally, the microscopic mechanism of FRGRAC was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The study results indicate that the slump continues to decrease as the fiber content increases, but the compressive strength, tensile strength, and flexural strength increase to a certain extent. Through SEM analysis, it is found that SF restrains the development of cracks and improves the strength of concrete.

Fractal dimension is introduced to describe the complicated characteristics of recycled aggregate and their influence on properties of recycled concrete as an integrated indicator. The fractal dimensions of both particle outline and distribution of recycled aggregate have obvious self-similarity and fractal characteristics. The order of the bulk density, water absorption, and crushing index of recycled aggregate in particle group state is clearly and directly related to the fractal dimension of boundary line. Additionally, the fractal dimension of the distribution of recycled coarse aggregate in concrete decreases in order of natural aggregate, Type I, Type II, and Type III recycled coarse aggregate; smaller distribution dimension value represents more concentrated distribution of aggregate, and 7 and 28 days compressive strength of the corresponding recycled concrete increases. The fractal dimension method is an effective process to assess comprehensive performances of recycled aggregate and helpful to establish a quantitative evaluation criterion for its wide applications. Graphical abstract

It is still little or no knowledge about the properties of layered wood-based composites and nonwood components in the viscoelastic and plastic region of the force-deflection diagram (FDD). The properties of composites in this area are influenced by several factors such as the composition of the layered composite, the method of modification of the individual layers, the type of adhesive used, etc. This paper focuses on the analysis of the effect of the thickness of individual layers (5 and 9 mm) of beech wood ( Fagus sylvatica L.), modification of these layers with different degrees of densification (10, 20, 30, and 40%) and the type of the nonwood component (carbon and high-strength glass fibers) used to reinforce the layered composite on the properties of materials in the plastic region of the FDD. The paper describes the impact of selected factors and those interactions behavior of the tangent modulus in the whole FDD. This is the first study that describes the development of layered wood-based composites and nonwood components in the viscoelastic and plastic region and analyzes the impact of most imported types of modifications on the characteristics in the viscoelastic and plastic regions.

Geopolymers are green materials with three-dimensional silicon and aluminum tetrahedral structures that can be serving as environmentally friendly construction materials and therefore have the potential to contribute to sustainable development. In this paper, the mechanism and research progress regarding the carbonation resistance, structural fire resistance, corrosion resistance, permeation properties and frost resistance of geopolymer concretes are reviewed, and the main problems with the durability of geopolymer concretes are discussed. Geopolymers possess the superb mechanic property and their compression strengths could be higher than 100 MPa. Generally, the higher the GPC strength, the better the carbonation-resistant. GPC has excellent fire resistance, due to geopolymers are acquired an inorganic skeleton which is affected by the alkali content, alkali cation, and Si/Ai ratio. There are a large number of Al-O and Si-O structures in geopolymers. Geopolymers do not react with acids at room temperature and can be used to make acid-resistant materials. Besides, GPC owning low porosity volume shows good resistance to permeability. The freezing-thawing failure mechanism of geopolymer concretes is mainly based on hydrostatic and osmotic pressure theory. GPC has poor frost resistance, and the freezing-thawing limit is less than 75 times.

In the global construction industry, with the growth of population, two important construction problems have to be faced, namely, the excessive consumption of non-renewable resources and the massive accumulation of construction waste. In order to solve these problems, geopolymer recycled aggregate concrete (GRAC) arises at the historic moment. On the one hand, using geopolymers produced by industrial wastes to completely or partially replace cement can reduce cement consumption, thus reducing CO 2 emissions. On the other hand, recycled concrete made of recycled aggregate can consume accumulated construction waste and save non-renewable materials and land resources. The combination of the two materials can protect the environment to the greatest extent and save resources. This article reviews the current research on the mechanical properties of GRAC, makes a systematic analysis of GRAC materials, reaction mechanisms, and evaluation indicators, and also discusses the application prospects of GRAC, and strives to make contributions to the field and industry.