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Polymers
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Fiber-Reinforced Polymers and Lightweight Structures
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Fiber-Reinforced Polymers and Lightweight Structures

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Fibers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2024) | Viewed by 7872

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Shaowei Zhu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Aerospace Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400030, China
Interests: lightweight structures; mechanical metamaterials; fiber-reinforced composites; machine learning; mechanical property
Dr. Xiaojun Tan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Civil Aviation, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710129, China
Interests: lightweight structures; mechanical metamaterials; smart materials and structures; deployable structure; mechanical property

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fiber-reinforced polymers (including short fiber, long fiber, and continuous fiber) and lightweight structures are playing important roles in aerospace, automobile, and many other fields. In recent years, due to the emergence of new ideas for designing lightweight structures (and metamaterials) and the rapid development of additive manufacturing, there have been many valuable developments in this field.

We are pleased to invite the submission of scientific articles reporting recent advances in lightweight structures made of polymers or fiber-reinforced polymers, such as novel structure concepts, design and optimization methods, preparation processes, connection technology, macro- or micro-characterization, experimental tests, and failure analysis. Other topics on lightweight structures are also welcome.

Dr. Shaowei Zhu
Dr. Xiaojun Tan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • fiber-reinforced polymers
  • lightweight structures
  • metamaterials
  • design and optimization
  • preparation processes
  • connection technology
  • characterization
  • mechanical tests
  • failure analysis

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 2856 KiB  
Article
Influence of Failure-Load Prediction in Composite Single-Lap Joints with Brittle and Ductile Adhesives Using Different Progressive-Damage Techniques
by Yung-Cheng Chuang, Cong-Sheng Su and Yu-Jui Liang
Polymers 2024, 16(7), 964; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16070964 - 02 Apr 2024
Viewed by 352
Abstract
The usage of adhesively bonded joints, such as single-lap and double-lap joints, is increasing rapidly in aerospace composite structures as a popular alternative to bolts and rivets. Compared to the conventional joining methods such as fastening and riveting, adhesive-bonding technology better prevents damage [...] Read more.
The usage of adhesively bonded joints, such as single-lap and double-lap joints, is increasing rapidly in aerospace composite structures as a popular alternative to bolts and rivets. Compared to the conventional joining methods such as fastening and riveting, adhesive-bonding technology better prevents damage to composite structures due to the smooth configuration and the mitigation of stress concentration around holes. In this work, the built-in progressive-damage-modeling techniques in Abaqus, including the cohesive zone model (CZM) and the virtual crack closure technique (VCCT), are used to predict the strength and progressive failure of composite single-lap joints subjected to tensile loading. Modeling of an adhesive layer by using a zero/non-zero-thickness cohesive element, cohesive surface, and VCCT is investigated, as is the effect of brittle and ductile adhesives. Two-dimensional finite-element models with different damage-modeling strategies are performed in this study. The failure-load predictions are compared with the experimental results obtained from the literature. For the ductile adhesive, the predicted failure loads using a zero/non-zero-thickness cohesive elements and a cohesive surface are all shown to be in good agreement with the experiments. However, the VCCT technique predicts higher failure loads. For a brittle adhesive, on the other hand, the predictions by zero/non-zero-thickness cohesive elements and cohesive surfaces reveal notable deviations compared to the experimental results. In contrast to the ductile adhesive, the VCCT technique is revealed to be accurate in predicting the brittle adhesive. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber-Reinforced Polymers and Lightweight Structures)
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16 pages, 11149 KiB  
Article
Peeling Force Required for the Detachment of Non-Woven Plastic Tissue from the Surface of Mortar Prisms
by Sifatullah Bahij, Safiullah Omary, Essia Belhaj, Vincent Steiner and Francoise Feugeas
Polymers 2023, 15(21), 4286; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15214286 - 31 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1294
Abstract
The purpose of this experimental paper is to examine the adhesion properties between non-woven plastic sheets and cement mortar. Specifically, the effect of w/c ratio and quantity of superplasticizer on the peeling force required for the detachment of tissue from the surface of [...] Read more.
The purpose of this experimental paper is to examine the adhesion properties between non-woven plastic sheets and cement mortar. Specifically, the effect of w/c ratio and quantity of superplasticizer on the peeling force required for the detachment of tissue from the surface of prisms was studied in detail. Therefore, two types of mortar mixtures were prepared: (1) mixtures without superplasticizer with three different w/c ratios of 0.45, 0.50, and 0.55, and (2) mixtures with reduced amounts of water and three various percentages of superplasticizer of 0.0%, 1.11%, and 2.17% (by weight of cement). For this purpose, bond tests with a special setup, interferometry and microscopic analyses, and mechanical tests were performed. The results highlight that non-woven sheets had strong adhesion to cement mortar without using any adhesive materials. However, the peeling force improved by 15.78% as the w/c ratio increased from 0.50 to 0.55. Conversely, this force declined by 24.50% as the w/c ratio decreased from 0.50 to 0.45. In addition, the peeling force decreased by 20.62% as the w/c ratio decreased from 0.50 to 0.45 and 1.11% superplasticizer was added to the mixtures. This property decreased further by 38.29% as the w/c ratio lowered to 0.40, and the amount of superplasticizer increased to 2.17%. The interferometry and microscopic analyses clearly demonstrate that the adhesion between tissue and mortar is largely related to the surface texture, amount of cement paste, and quantity of residual fibers on the surfaces of samples. It indicates that mortar samples with higher w/c ratios had a smoother surface, and providing more contact area for microfilaments, which resulted in thicker layers of remaining fibers compared to the specimens with a lower w/c ratio. Even though there was not much difference in the surface texture of specimens with superplasticizer and lower w/c ratios, because of their similar workability. Still, thicker layers of microfilaments remained on the surface of specimens containing a lower amount of superplasticizer, which resulted in strong adhesion between sheet and cement mortar. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber-Reinforced Polymers and Lightweight Structures)
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14 pages, 5579 KiB  
Article
Joint Performance of a Continuous Glass Fiber/Polypropylene Composite
by Shuai Jin, Liming Chen, Shaowei Zhu, Bing Du, Tao Liu and Xianbo Hou
Polymers 2023, 15(19), 3942; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15193942 - 29 Sep 2023
Viewed by 756
Abstract
Thermoplastic composite structures possess superior properties compared with thermosetting composites, including recyclability and high damage tolerance. However, the poor adhesion properties of thermoplastic composites make their joining process challenging. In this research, three bonding techniques, namely adhesive, mechanical joining, and hybrid bonding, are [...] Read more.
Thermoplastic composite structures possess superior properties compared with thermosetting composites, including recyclability and high damage tolerance. However, the poor adhesion properties of thermoplastic composites make their joining process challenging. In this research, three bonding techniques, namely adhesive, mechanical joining, and hybrid bonding, are investigated using lap shear specimens to evaluate their mechanical properties and failure modes. The stress distributions at the joints of the three bonding techniques are analyzed by numerical simulation. The findings demonstrate that hybrid bonding enhances the strength of composite joints, albeit at the expense of some stiffness due to the presence of an open hole. This method is particularly suitable for applications that necessitate robust connections requiring high strength. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber-Reinforced Polymers and Lightweight Structures)
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12 pages, 2756 KiB  
Article
Roll-Out Deployment Process Analysis of a Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composite Tape-Spring Boom
by Sicong Wang, Shuhong Xu, Lei Lu and Lining Sun
Polymers 2023, 15(11), 2455; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15112455 - 25 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1183
Abstract
Deployable extendable booms are widely used in aerospace technology due to many advantages they have, such as high folded-ratio, lightweight and self-deployable properties. A bistable FRP composite boom can not only extend its tip outwards with a corresponding rotation speed on the hub, [...] Read more.
Deployable extendable booms are widely used in aerospace technology due to many advantages they have, such as high folded-ratio, lightweight and self-deployable properties. A bistable FRP composite boom can not only extend its tip outwards with a corresponding rotation speed on the hub, but can also drive the hub rolling outwards with a fixed boom tip, which is commonly called roll-out deployment. In a bistable boom’s roll-out deployment process, the second stability can keep the coiled section from chaos without introducing a controlling mechanism. Because of this, the boom’s roll-out deployment velocity is not under control, and a high moving speed at the end will give the structure a big impact. Therefore, predicting the velocity in this whole deployment process is necessary to be researched. This paper aims to analyze the roll-out deployment process of a bistable FRP composite tape-spring boom. First, based on the Classical Laminate Theory, a dynamic analytical model of a bistable boom is established through the energy method. Afterwards, an experiment is introduced to produce some practical verification for comparison with the analytical results. According to the comparison with the experiment, the analytical model is verified for predicting the deployment velocity when the boom is relatively short, which can cover most booms using CubeSats. Finally, a parametric study reveals the relationship between the boom properties and the deployment behaviors. The research of this paper will give some guidance to the design of a composite roll-out deployable boom. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber-Reinforced Polymers and Lightweight Structures)
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14 pages, 5961 KiB  
Article
The Hypervelocity Impact Behavior and Energy Absorption Evaluation of Fabric
by Huadong Xu, Dong Yu, Jiaxin Cui, Zhixin Shi, Di Song and Changqing Miao
Polymers 2023, 15(6), 1547; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15061547 - 21 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1485
Abstract
In this work, the mechanical behavior and energy absorption characteristics of flexible fabric under hypervelocity impact (HVI) were investigated. Basalt fabric, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fabric, and aluminum alloy (Al) plate were chosen to be the sample materials for their excellent mechanical [...] Read more.
In this work, the mechanical behavior and energy absorption characteristics of flexible fabric under hypervelocity impact (HVI) were investigated. Basalt fabric, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fabric, and aluminum alloy (Al) plate were chosen to be the sample materials for their excellent mechanical properties and applicative prospect in spacecraft shielding. HVI experiments had been conducted with the help of a two-stage light-gas gun facility, wherein Al projectile with 3.97 mm diameter was launched at velocities in the range 4.1~4.3 km/s. Impact conditions and areal density were kept constant for all targets. The microstructural damage morphology of fiber post-impact was characterized using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Analysis results show that a brittle fracture occurred for Basalt fiber during HVI. On the contrary, the ductile fractures with large-scale plastic deformation and apparent thermal softening/melting of the material had happened on the UHMWPE fiber when subjected to a projectile impact. According to the HVI shielding performance and microstructural damage analysis results, it can be inferred that ductile fractures and thermal softening/melting of the material were the prevailing energy absorption behaviors of UHMWPE fabric, which leads to absorbing more impact energy than Basalt fabric and eventually, contributes the superior shielding performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber-Reinforced Polymers and Lightweight Structures)
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14 pages, 4944 KiB  
Article
Deep Transfer Learning Approach for Localization of Damage Area in Composite Laminates Using Acoustic Emission Signal
by Jingyu Zhao, Weihua Xie, Dong Yu, Qiang Yang, Songhe Meng and Qihui Lyu
Polymers 2023, 15(6), 1520; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15061520 - 19 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1804
Abstract
Intelligent composite structures with self-aware functions are preferable for future aircrafts. The real-time location of damaged areas of composites is a key step. In this study, deep transfer learning was used to achieve the real-time location of damaged areas. The sensor network obtained [...] Read more.
Intelligent composite structures with self-aware functions are preferable for future aircrafts. The real-time location of damaged areas of composites is a key step. In this study, deep transfer learning was used to achieve the real-time location of damaged areas. The sensor network obtained acoustic emission signals from different damaged areas of the aluminum alloy plate. The acoustic emission time-domain signal is transformed into the input image by continuous wavelet transform. The convolutional neural network-based model automatically localized the damaged area by extracting features from the input image. A small amount of composite acoustic emission data was used to fine-tune some network parameters of the basic model through transfer learning. This enabled the model to classify the damaged area of composites. The accuracy of the transfer learning model trained with 900 samples is 96.38%, which is comparable to the accuracy of the model trained directly with 1800 samples; the training time of the former is only 17.68% of that of the latter. The proposed method can be easily adapted to new composite structures using transfer learning and a small dataset, providing a new idea for structural health monitoring. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber-Reinforced Polymers and Lightweight Structures)
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