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Polymers
Special Issues
Mechanical and Fracture Behavior of Polymers and Composites
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Mechanical and Fracture Behavior of Polymers and Composites

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 August 2022) | Viewed by 6445

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Sunwoong Choi

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Guest Editor
Experimental Mechanics Laboratory, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Hannam University, Deajeon 34054, Korea
Interests: mechanical behavior; structure-property; fracture mechanics; creep; stress-rupture; fatigue; surface embrittlement; thermal fusion joining; non-destructive test
Prof. Dr. Byoung-Ho Choi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Advanced Materials Characterization Laboratory, School of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea
Interests: material degradation; fracture mechanics; material durability; structure-property relationship; damage mechanics; composite materials; multiphysics and multiscale analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Yeongsung Suh

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Computational Mechanics of Materials Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Hannam University, Daejeon 34430, Korea
Interests: computational modeling and analysis of nonlinear material behavior; mechanics of materials; plasticity; metal forming

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the widening application of polymeric materials to structural applications, a clear understanding of their mechanical behavior is of critical importance to ensure the safety and integrity of structures made of polymeric materials. Therefore, a great deal of exploratory and application research has been conducted in the last decades, including works on the mechanical response of thermal fusion joining, as the joint’s mechanical integrity often dictates the lifetime performance of the structures and parts. Through these efforts, extensive data have been compiled of their strength, deformation, and fracture behavior, as well as fusion joining method and non-destructive evaluations. As a result, new directions for better analyzing, predicting, and experimenting with the mechanical behavior of polymers are emerging. In line with this, in more recent times, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning algorithms continue to be explored to build mechanical property data supporting the computational requirements. At the same time novel experimental methods are evolving to readily and accurately provide experimental data that would confirm the computational predictions.    

For this special issue, original and review papers are being invited that address the mechanical and fracture behavior of amorphous and semi-crystalline polymers; thermoplastics and thermoset-based composites materials; and structures, parts, and fusion joints made thereof, including non-destructive testing. Both experimental and modeling investigations from academics, research institutions, and industries are encouraged to make input to present their latest findings. In addition, colleagues involved in developing experimental/analytical methods for global standards are also encouraged to participate in support of the related industries. 

Prof. Dr. Sunwoong Choi
Prof. Dr. Byong-Ho Choi
Prof. Dr. Yeongsung Suh
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

  • static behavior
  • hardness and surface properties (including tribology and surface embrittlement)
  • impact and high-speed behavior
  • time and temperature-dependent behavior
  • fracture and fatigue behavior
  • mechano-chemical degradation behavior
  • novel mechanical test method
  • thermal fusion joining
  • non-destructive evaluation

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 905 KiB  
Article
Structure and Mechanical Properties of a Porous Polymer Material via Molecular Dynamics Simulations
by Sharon Carol Volpe, Dino Leporini and Francesco Puosi
Polymers 2023, 15(2), 358; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15020358 - 10 Jan 2023
Viewed by 1572
Abstract
We characterize, using molecular dynamics simulations, the structure and mechanical response of a porous glassy system, obtained via arrested phase separation of a model polymer melt. In the absence of external driving, coarsening dynamics, with power-law time dependence, controls the slow structural evolution, [...] Read more.
We characterize, using molecular dynamics simulations, the structure and mechanical response of a porous glassy system, obtained via arrested phase separation of a model polymer melt. In the absence of external driving, coarsening dynamics, with power-law time dependence, controls the slow structural evolution, in agreement with what was reported for other phase-separating systems. The mechanical response was investigated in athermal quasi-static conditions. In the elastic regime, low values for the Young’s and shear modulus were found, as compared to dense glassy systems, which originate from the porous structure. For large deformations, stress–strain curves show a highly intermittent behavior, with avalanches of plastic events. The stress-drop distribution is characterized exploring a large set of parameters. This work goes beyond the previous numerical studies on atomic porous materials, as it first examines the role of chain connectivity in the elastic and plastic responses of materials of this type. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical and Fracture Behavior of Polymers and Composites)
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18 pages, 8544 KiB  
Article
Influence of Elevated Temperature on the Mechanical Properties of Hybrid Flax-Fiber-Epoxy Composites Incorporating Graphene
by Amer Oun, Allan Manalo, Omar Alajarmeh, Rajab Abousnina and Andreas Gerdes
Polymers 2022, 14(9), 1841; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14091841 - 29 Apr 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 1722
Abstract
Natural fibers are now becoming widely adopted as reinforcements for polymer matrices to produce biodegradable and renewable composites. These natural composites have mechanical properties acceptable for use in many industrial and structural applications under ambient temperatures. However, there is still limited understanding regarding [...] Read more.
Natural fibers are now becoming widely adopted as reinforcements for polymer matrices to produce biodegradable and renewable composites. These natural composites have mechanical properties acceptable for use in many industrial and structural applications under ambient temperatures. However, there is still limited understanding regarding the mechanical performance of natural fiber composites when exposed to in-service elevated temperatures. Moreover, nanoparticle additives are widely utilized in reinforced composites as they can enhance mechanical, thermal, and physical performance. Therefore, this research extensively investigates the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) and flexural properties of flax fiber composites with graphene at different weight percentages (0%, 0.5%, 1%, and 1.5%) and exposed to in-service elevated temperatures (20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 °C). Mechanical tests were conducted followed by microscopic observations to analyze the interphase between the flax fibers and epoxy resin. The results showed that a significant improvement in flexural strength, modulus, and interlaminar shear strength of the composites was achieved by adding 0.5% of graphene. Increasing the graphene to 1.0% and 1.5% gradually decreased the enhancement in the flexural and ILSS strength. SEM observations showed that voids caused by filler agglomeration were increasingly formed in the natural fiber reinforced composites with the increase in graphene addition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical and Fracture Behavior of Polymers and Composites)
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20 pages, 8758 KiB  
Article
Visual, Non-Destructive, and Destructive Investigations of Polyethylene Pipes with Inhomogeneous Carbon Black Distribution for Assessing Degradation of Structural Integrity
by Taesik Kim, Suleyman Deveci, Inmo Yang, Bob Stakenborghs and Sunwoong Choi
Polymers 2022, 14(5), 1067; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14051067 - 07 Mar 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2455
Abstract
Carbon black (CB) is used in polyethylene (PE) pipes to protect against thermal and photooxidation. However, when CB is not properly dispersed in the PE matrix during processing, white regions having little or no CB concentration, known as “windows,” appear within the CB/PE [...] Read more.
Carbon black (CB) is used in polyethylene (PE) pipes to protect against thermal and photooxidation. However, when CB is not properly dispersed in the PE matrix during processing, white regions having little or no CB concentration, known as “windows,” appear within the CB/PE mixed black compound. In some cases, windows can drastically affect the structural integrity of both the pipe and butt fusion joint. In this work, PE pipes with varying amounts of windows were investigated for their characteristic window patterns, as well as quantifying the area fraction of windows (% windows). Tensile test on specimens with known % windows determined a critical limit above which the fracture strain rapidly degrades. Micro-tensile and micro-indentation results showed tear initiation at the window–black PE matrix boundary; however, they did not confirm the mechanism of tear initiation. In support of this work, a method of making thin shavings of a whole pipe cross section was developed, and the best viewing windows under cross-polarized monochromatic light were identified. In addition, a phased array ultrasonic test (PAUT) and microwave imaging (MWI) were directly applied to the pipe and confirmed the presence and patterns of the windows. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical and Fracture Behavior of Polymers and Composites)
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