Structural form and experimental research of truss arch bridge with multi-point elastic constraints

With the increase of the arch bridge span, the mechanical properties of arch bridges will decrease rapidly. In order to solve this problem, triangular net is set between the arch rib and girder to form a kind of truss arch bridge in which arch rib acts as top chord, girder acts as lower chord, triangular net acts as web member, and hangers provide elastic restrains at several points. The triangle stability of the truss can improve linear stiffness of arch rib and girder, which will thus improve the mechanical properties of arch bridges. A test bridge with a span of 50 m was built to prove the superiority of the truss arch bridge with multi-point elastic constraints (MTAB). Structural stresses and displacements were obtained through dead load experiments, and the mechanical properties of the structure were calculated through the finite element (FE) software. It is turned out that, compared with the conventional through arch bridge (CTAB), the mechanical performance of the MTAB is greatly improved. The test values of structural stresses and displacements match calculation values well. Moreover, with the same steel consumption, the more layers of the triangular net, the better the mechanical properties of the structure.

Download Full-text

Optimization of hanger arrangement in pedestrian tied arch bridge with sparse hanger system

Advances in Structural Engineering ◽

10.1177/1369433219849842 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 22 (12) ◽

pp. 2594-2604 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Yonggang Tan ◽

Yuanbin Yao

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Genetic Algorithm ◽

Numerical Analysis ◽

Mechanical Behavior ◽

Live Load ◽

Optimization Approach ◽

Dense Network ◽

Arch Bridge ◽

Arch Bridges ◽

Tied Arch Bridge

The hanger arrangement has a decisive influence on the mechanical behavior of the tied arch bridge with network hanger system. Many investigations on highway or railway tied arch bridges show that the arch bridges with dense network hangers are superior to those with vertical hangers under larger live load. However, numerous dense inclined hangers lower the esthetic effect of the bridge, especially for pedestrian tied arch bridges. Consequently, the sparse inclined hanger system is recommended in the design of pedestrian tied arch bridges. However, the amount of possible schemes of the hanger arrangement grows rapidly with the number of hangers increasing beyond 10, rendering great difficulties in searching for proper schemes. In this article, a dimensionless optimization approach based on genetic algorithm is proposed in searching for hanger arrangement schemes. Numerical analysis indicates that the proposed method is effective in the optimization of pedestrian tied arch bridge with sparse inclined hanger system, and some of the feasible hanger arrangement solutions show more excellent mechanical properties.

Download Full-text

Weldability - Behavior of Welded Reinforcement

Revista de Chimie ◽

10.37358/rc.19.10.3469 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 70 (10) ◽

pp. 3469-3472

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Chemical Composition ◽

Mechanical Characteristics ◽

Mechanical Performance ◽

Current Work ◽

Carbon Equivalent ◽

Work Process ◽

Ultimate Limit

Weldability involves two aspects: welding behavior of components and safety in operation. The two aspects will be reduced to the mechanical characteristics of the elements and to the chemical composition. In the case of steel reinforcing rebar’s, it is reduces to the percentage of Cech(carbon equivalent) and to the mechanical characteristics: the yielding limit, the ultimate limit, and the elongations which after that represent the ductility class in which the re-bars is framed. The paper will present some types of steel reinforcing rebar’s with its mechanical characteristics and the welding behavior of those elements. In the current work, process-related behavior of welded reinforcement, joint local and global mechanical properties, and their correlation with behavior of normal reinforcement and also the mechanical performance resulted in this type of joints. Keywords: welding behavior, ultimate limit, reinforcing rebar’s

Download Full-text

Preparation of Long Sisal Fiber-Reinforced Polylactic Acid Biocomposites with Highly Improved Mechanical Performance

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym13071124 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (7) ◽

pp. 1124

Author(s):

Zhifang Liang ◽

Hongwu Wu ◽

Ruipu Liu ◽

Caiquan Wu

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Polylactic Acid ◽

Mechanical Performance ◽

Tensile Elongation ◽

Sisal Fiber ◽

Fiber Reinforced ◽

Impact Performance ◽

The Matrix ◽

Blending Process ◽

Extension Direction

Green biodegradable plastics have come into focus as an alternative to restricted plastic products. In this paper, continuous long sisal fiber (SF)/polylactic acid (PLA) premixes were prepared by an extrusion-rolling blending process, and then unidirectional continuous long sisal fiber-reinforced PLA composites (LSFCs) were prepared by compression molding to explore the effect of long fiber on the mechanical properties of sisal fiber-reinforced composites. As a comparison, random short sisal fiber-reinforced PLA composites (SSFCs) were prepared by open milling and molding. The experimental results show that continuous long sisal fiber/PLA premixes could be successfully obtained from this pre-blending process. It was found that the presence of long sisal fibers could greatly improve the tensile strength of LSFC material along the fiber extension direction and slightly increase its tensile elongation. Continuous long fibers in LSFCs could greatly participate in supporting the load applied to the composite material. However, when comparing the mechanical properties of the two composite materials, the poor compatibility between the fiber and the matrix made fiber’s reinforcement effect not well reflected in SSFCs. Similarly, the flexural performance and impact performance of LSFCs had been improved considerably versus SSFCs.

Download Full-text

Tribological and Mechanical Properties of Multicomponent CrVTiNbZr(N) Coatings

Coatings ◽

10.3390/coatings11010041 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 41

Author(s):

Yin-Yu Chang ◽

Cheng-Hsi Chung

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Nitrogen Content ◽

Adhesion Strength ◽

Mechanical Performance ◽

Bulk Material ◽

High Entropy Alloy ◽

Composition Gradient ◽

Multilayered Structures ◽

High Entropy ◽

Alloy Target

Multi-element material coating systems have received much attention for improving the mechanical performance in industry. However, they are still focused on ternary systems and seldom beyond quaternary ones. High entropy alloy (HEA) bulk material and thin films are systems that are each comprised of at least five principal metal elements in equally matched proportions, and some of them are found possessing much higher strength than traditional alloys. In this study, CrVTiNbZr high entropy alloy and nitrogen contained CrVTiNbZr(N) nitride coatings were synthesized using high ionization cathodic-arc deposition. A chromium-vanadium alloy target, a titanium-niobium alloy target and a pure zirconium target were used for the deposition. By controlling the nitrogen content and cathode current, the CrNbTiVZr(N) coating with gradient or multilayered composition control possessed different microstructures and mechanical properties. The effect of the nitrogen content on the chemical composition, microstructure and mechanical properties of the CrVTiNbZr(N) coatings was investigated. Compact columnar microstructure was obtained for the synthesized CrVTiNbZr(N) coatings. The CrVTiNbZrN coating (HEAN-N165), which was deposited with nitrogen flow rate of 165 standard cubic centimeters per minute (sccm), exhibited slightly blurred columnar and multilayered structures containing CrVN, TiNbN and ZrN. The design of multilayered CrVTiNbZrN coatings showed good adhesion strength. Improvement of adhesion strength was obtained with composition-gradient interlayers. The CrVTiNbZrN coating with nitrogen content higher than 50 at.% possessed the highest hardness (25.2 GPa) and the resistance to plastic deformation H3/E*2 (0.2 GPa) value, and therefore the lowest wear rate was obtained because of high abrasion wear resistance.

Download Full-text

Experimental investigation of the mechanical behavior of glass fiber/high fluidity polyamide-based composites for automotive market

Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites ◽

10.1177/07316844211014006 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 073168442110140

Author(s):

Hossein Ramezani-Dana ◽

Moussa Gomina ◽

Joël Bréard ◽

Gilles Orange

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Glass Fiber ◽

Mechanical Performance ◽

Physical And Mechanical Properties ◽

Ultimate Strain ◽

Uniaxial Tensile ◽

Compression Tests ◽

Automotive Market ◽

Glass Fiber Reinforced ◽

Glass Fiber Reinforcement

In this work, we examine the relationships between the microstructure and the mechanical properties of glass fiber–reinforced polyamide 6,6 composite materials ( V f = 54%). These materials made by thermocompression incorporate different grades of high fluidity polyamide-based polymers and two types of quasi-UD glass fiber reinforcement. One is a classic commercial fabric, while the other specially designed and manufactured incorporates weaker tex glass yarns (the spacer) to increase the planar permeability of the preform. The effects of the viscosity of the polymers and their composition on the wettability of the reinforcements were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy observations of the microstructure. The respective influences of the polymers and the spacer on the mechanical performance were determined by uniaxial tensile and compression tests in the directions parallel and transverse to the warp yarns. Not only does the spacer enhance permeability but it also improves physical and mechanical properties: tensile longitudinal Young’s modulus increased from 38.2 GPa to 42.9 GPa (13% growth), tensile strength increased from 618.9 MPa to 697 MPa (3% growth), and decrease in ultimate strain from 1.8% to 1.7% (5% reduction). The correlation of these results with the damage observed post mortem confirms those acquired from analyses of the microstructure of composites and the rheological behaviors of polymers.

Download Full-text

Effects of a Twin-Screw Extruder Equipped with a Molten Resin Reservoir on the Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of Recycled Waste Plastic Polyethylene Pellet Moldings

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym13071058 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (7) ◽

pp. 1058

Author(s):

Hikaru Okubo ◽

Haruka Kaneyasu ◽

Tetsuya Kimura ◽

Patchiya Phanthong ◽

Shigeru Yao

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Mechanical Performance ◽

Value Added ◽

Industrial Applications ◽

Twin Screw Extruder ◽

Screw Extruder ◽

Polymer Properties ◽

Wide Range ◽

Twin Screw ◽

Recycled Plastics

Each year, increasing amounts of plastic waste are generated, causing environmental pollution and resource loss. Recycling is a solution, but recycled plastics often have inferior mechanical properties to virgin plastics. However, studies have shown that holding polymers in the melt state before extrusion can restore the mechanical properties; thus, we propose a twin-screw extruder with a molten resin reservoir (MSR), a cavity between the screw zone and twin-screw extruder discharge, which retains molten polymer after mixing in the twin-screw zone, thus influencing the polymer properties. Re-extruded recycled polyethylene (RPE) pellets were produced, and the tensile properties and microstructure of virgin polyethylene (PE), unextruded RPE, and re-extruded RPE moldings prepared with and without the MSR were evaluated. Crucially, the elongation at break of the MSR-extruded RPE molding was seven times higher than that of the original RPE molding, and the Young’s modulus of the MSR-extruded RPE molding was comparable to that of the virgin PE molding. Both the MSR-extruded RPE and virgin PE moldings contained similar striped lamellae. Thus, MSR re-extrusion improved the mechanical performance of recycled polymers by optimizing the microstructure. The use of MSRs will facilitate the reuse of waste plastics as value-added materials having a wide range of industrial applications.

Download Full-text

Microstructure and Mechanical Performance of Resistance Spot Welded Martensitic Advanced High Strength Steel

Processes ◽

10.3390/pr9061021 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. 1021

Author(s):

Yunzhao Li ◽

Huaping Tang ◽

Ruilin Lai

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Failure Modes ◽

Mechanical Performance ◽

Strong Dependence ◽

High Strength ◽

Weld Nugget ◽

Resistance Spot ◽

Pull Out ◽

Cross Tension ◽

Spot Welded

Resistance spot welded 1.2 mm (t)-thick 1400 MPa martensitic steel (MS1400) samples are fabricated and their microstructure, mechanical properties are investigated thoroughly. The mechanical performance and failure modes exhibit a strong dependence on weld-nugget size. The pull-out failure mode for MS1400 steel resistance spot welds does not follow the conventional weld-nugget size recommendation criteria of 4t0.5. Significant softening was observed due to dual phase microstructure of ferrite and martensite in the inter-critical heat affected zone (HAZ) and tempered martensite (TM) structure in sub-critical HAZ. However, the upper-critical HAZ exhibits obvious higher hardness than the nugget zone (NZ). In addition, the mechanical properties show that the cross-tension strength (CTS) is about one quarter of the tension-shear strength (TSS) of MS1400 weld joints, whilst the absorbed energy of cross-tension and tension-shear are almost identical.

Download Full-text

Functional Bionanocomposite Fibers of Chitosan Filled with Cellulose Nanofibers Obtained by Gel Spinning

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym13101563 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (10) ◽

pp. 1563

Author(s):

Sofia Marquez-Bravo ◽

Ingo Doench ◽

Pamela Molina ◽

Flor Estefany Bentley ◽

Arnaud Kamdem Tamo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Mechanical Performance ◽

Cellulose Nanofibers ◽

Microstructural Characterization ◽

Fiber Formation ◽

Fiber Direction ◽

Composite Fibers ◽

X Ray Diffraction ◽

Gel Spinning ◽

X Ray

Extremely high mechanical performance spun bionanocomposite fibers of chitosan (CHI), and cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) were successfully achieved by gel spinning of CHI aqueous viscous formulations filled with CNFs. The microstructural characterization of the fibers by X-ray diffraction revealed the crystallization of the CHI polymer chains into anhydrous chitosan allomorph. The spinning process combining acidic–basic–neutralization–stretching–drying steps allowed obtaining CHI/CNF composite fibers of high crystallinity, with enhanced effect at incorporating the CNFs. Chitosan crystallization seems to be promoted by the presence of cellulose nanofibers, serving as nucleation sites for the growing of CHI crystals. Moreover, the preferential orientation of both CNFs and CHI crystals along the spun fiber direction was revealed in the two-dimensional X-ray diffraction patterns. By increasing the CNF amount up to the optimum concentration of 0.4 wt % in the viscous CHI/CNF collodion, Young’s modulus of the spun fibers significantly increased up to 8 GPa. Similarly, the stress at break and the yield stress drastically increased from 115 to 163 MPa, and from 67 to 119 MPa, respectively, by adding only 0.4 wt % of CNFs into a collodion solution containing 4 wt % of chitosan. The toughness of the CHI-based fibers thereby increased from 5 to 9 MJ.m−3. For higher CNFs contents like 0.5 wt %, the high mechanical performance of the CHI/CNF composite fibers was still observed, but with a slight worsening of the mechanical parameters, which may be related to a minor disruption of the CHI matrix hydrogel network constituting the collodion and gel fiber, as precursor state for the dry fiber formation. Finally, the rheological behavior observed for the different CHI/CNF viscous collodions and the obtained structural, thermal and mechanical properties results revealed an optimum matrix/filler compatibility and interface when adding 0.4 wt % of nanofibrillated cellulose (CNF) into 4 wt % CHI formulations, yielding functional bionanocomposite fibers of outstanding mechanical properties.

Download Full-text

Electrospun PCL Patches with Controlled Fiber Morphology and Mechanical Performance for Skin Moisturization via Long-Term Release of Hemp Oil for Atopic Dermatitis

Membranes ◽

10.3390/membranes11010026 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 26

Author(s):

Sara Metwally ◽

Daniel P. Ura ◽

Zuzanna J. Krysiak ◽

Łukasz Kaniuk ◽

Piotr K. Szewczyk ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Atopic Dermatitis ◽

Mechanical Performance ◽

Antibacterial Properties ◽

Skin Condition ◽

Fiber Morphology ◽

Suitable Material ◽

Hemp Oil ◽

Skin Moisture

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, inflammatory skin condition, caused by wide genetic, environmental, or immunologic factors. AD is very common in children but can occur at any age. The lack of long-term treatments forces the development of new strategies for skin regeneration. Polycaprolactone (PCL) is a well-developed, tissue-compatible biomaterial showing also good mechanical properties. In our study, we designed the electrospun PCL patches with controlled architecture and topography for long-term release in time. Hemp oil shows anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, increasing also the skin moisture without clogging the pores. It can be used as an alternative cure for patients that do not respond to traditional treatments. In the study, we tested the mechanical properties of PCL fibers, and the hemp oil spreading together with the release in time measured on skin model and human skin. The PCL membranes are suitable material as patches or bandages, characterized by good mechanical properties and high permeability. Importantly, PCL patches showed release of hemp oil up to 55% within 6 h, increasing also the skin moisture up to 25%. Our results confirmed that electrospun PCL patches are great material as oil carriers indicating a high potential to be used as skin patches for AD skin treatment.

Download Full-text

Effect of toughened polyamide-coated carbon fiber fabric on the mechanical performance and fracture toughness of CFRP

Journal of Composite Materials ◽

10.1177/0021998321999458 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 002199832199945

Author(s):

Jong H Eun ◽

Bo K Choi ◽

Sun M Sung ◽

Min S Kim ◽

Joon S Lee

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Fracture Toughness ◽

Photoelectron Spectroscopy ◽

Mechanical Performance ◽

Epoxy Composites ◽

Scanning Calorimetry ◽

Internal Damage ◽

Impact Tests ◽

Flexural Tests ◽

The Impact

In this study, carbon/epoxy composites were manufactured by coating with a polyamide at different weight percentages (5 wt.%, 10 wt.%, 15 wt.%, and 20 wt.%) to improve their impact resistance and fracture toughness. The chemical reaction between the polyamide and epoxy resin were examined by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The mechanical properties and fracture toughness of the carbon/epoxy composites were analyzed. The mechanical properties of the carbon/epoxy composites, such as transverse flexural tests, longitudinal flexural tests, and impact tests, were investigated. After the impact tests, an ultrasonic C-scan was performed to reveal the internal damage area. The interlaminar fracture toughness of the carbon/epoxy composites was measured using a mode I test. The critical energy release rates were increased by 77% compared to the virgin carbon/epoxy composites. The surface morphology of the fractured surface was observed. The toughening mechanism of the carbon/epoxy composites was suggested based on the confirmed experimental data.

Download Full-text