Mode-II fracture of nanostitched para-aramid/phenolic nanoprepreg composites by end-notched flexure

The mode-II interlaminar fracture toughness considering the end-notched flexure method of nanostitched para-aramid/phenolic composite structures was investigated. The fracture toughness (GIIC) of the nanostitched and stitched composites exhibited a slight increase as compared to the pristine sample. Hence, the nanostitching enhanced the fracture toughness of the para-aramid/phenolic composite structures. Although the type of stitch fiber was not effective, the fabric interlacement frequency, notably prepreg Twaron nanostitched yarn and basket nanoprepreg biaxial interlaced fabric was of critical importance. The principle mechanism for raising the GIIC in the nanostitched composite structure was the interlayer resin fracture particularly as a form of slight shear hackle marks. Cracks grew around the inter- and intrayarn boundaries where the resin was fractured half way around each yarn cross-section. This is called a “zigzag crack path,” and microcracks moved to the through-the-thickness of the composite where nanostitching arrested the crack growth and suppressed delamination in the stitching zone. At the blunt crack tip, carbon nanotubes in the phenolic resin and multiple filament bundles probably diminished the stress clustering via friction/debonding/pull-out/sliding or stick-slip. Thus, nanostitched para-aramid/phenolic composite structures demonstrated better damage tolerance behavior considering the neat structure.

Interaction between a generalized screw dislocation in the matrix and an inhomogeneity containing an elliptic hole in piezoelectric–piezomagnetic composite materials

The paper deals with the interaction of a generalized screw dislocation and an elliptic inhomogeneity containing a confocal elliptic hole in a magneto-electro-elastic composite material. Exact solutions are derived for the case where the generalized screw dislocation is located in the matrix under a remote anti-plane shear stress field, an in-plane electric field, and a magnetic field. Based on the complex variable method, the complex potentials of both the matrix and the inhomogeneity are obtained in series, and analytic expressions for the generalized stress and strain field, the image force, the generalized stress intensity factor of the blunt crack tip, and the energy release rate are derived explicitly. The presented solutions include some previous solutions, such as pure elastic, piezoelectric, piezomagnetic, and circular inclusions. Typical numerical examples are presented and the influences of the dislocation position, the volume of inhomogeneity, and the elliptic hole on these physical quantities are discussed. The results show that the magneto-electro-elastic coupling effect has a great influence on the image force and the equilibrium position of dislocation, especially when the dislocation approaches the interface; the coupling effect makes the image force on the screw dislocation follow different variation laws in piezoelectric–piezomagnetic composite materials compared with elastic materials.