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1. Mechanical behavior of nonwoven non-crosslinked fibrous mats with adhesion and friction

   https://doi.org/10.1039/c9sm00658c  

   Negi, V. ; Picu, R. C. ( July 2019 , Soft Matter)

   We present a study of the mechanical behavior of planar fibrous mats stabilized by inter-fiber adhesion. Fibers of various degrees of tortuosity and of infinite and finite length are considered in separate models. Fibers are randomly distributed, are not cross-linked, and interact through adhesion and friction. The variation of structural parameters such as the mat thickness and the mean segment length between contacts along given fibers with the strength of adhesion is determined. These systems are largely dissipative in that most of the work performed during deformation is dissipated frictionally and only a small fraction is stored as strain energy. The response of the mats to tensile loading has three regimes: a short elastic regime in which no sliding at contacts is observed, a well-defined sliding regime characterized by strain hardening, and a rapid stiffening regime at larger strains. The third regime is due to the formation of stress paths after the fiber tortuosity is pulled out and is absent in mats of finite length fibers. Networks of finite length fibers lose stability during the second regime of deformation. The scaling of the yield stress, which characterizes the transition between the first and the second regimes, and of the secondmore »regime's strain hardening modulus, with system parameters such as the strength of adhesion and friction and the degree of fiber tortuosity are determined. The strength of mats of finite length fibers is also determined as a function of network parameters. These results are expected to become useful in the design of electrospun mats and other planar fibrous non-cross-linked networks.« less
2. Effect of Network Architecture on the Mechanical Behavior of Random Fiber Networks

   Islam, M.R. ; Picu, R.C. ( June 2018 , Journal of applied mechanics)

   Fiber-based materials are prevalent around us. While microscopically these systems resemble a discrete assembly of randomly interconnected fibers, the network architecture varies from one system to another. To identify the role of the network architecture, we study here cellular and fibrous random networks in tension and compression, and in the context of large strain elasticity. We observe that, compared to cellular networks of same global parameter set, fibrous networks exhibit in tension reduced strain stiffening, reduced fiber alignment, and reduced Poisson’s contraction in uniaxial tension. These effects are due to the larger number of kinematic constraints in the form of cross-links per fiber in the fibrous case. The dependence of the small strain modulus on network density is cubic in the fibrous case and quadratic in the cellular case. This difference persists when the number of cross-links per fiber in the fibrous case is rendered equal to that of the cellular case, which indicates that the different scaling is due to the higher structural disorder of the fibrous networks. The behavior of the two network types in compression is similar, although softening induced by fiber buckling and strain localization is less pronounced in the fibrous case. The contribution of transientmore »interfiber contacts is weak in tension and important in compression« less
3. Behavior of polyhedral built-up glass compression members

   Yost, Joseph Robert ; Akbarzadeh, Masoud ; Bolhassani, Mohammad ; Ryan, Liam ; Schneider, Jens ; Chhadeh, Philipp Amir ( July 2021 , International Conference on Civil Engineering and Architectural Design)

   This research presents an experimental program executed to understand the strength and stiffness properties of hollow built-up glass compression members that are intended for use in the modular construction of all glass, compression-dominant, shell-type structures. The proposed compression-dominant geometric form has been developed using the methods of form finding and three-dimensional graphical statics. This research takes the first steps towards a new construction methodology for glass structures where individual hollow glass units (HGU) are assembled using an interlocking system to form large, compression-dominant, shell-type structures, thereby exploiting the high compression strength of glass. In this study, an individual HGU has an elongated hexagonal prism shape and consists of two deck plates, two long side plates, and four short side plates, as is shown in Figure 1. Connections between glass plates are made using a two-sided transparent structural adhesive tape. The test matrix includes four HGUs, two each fabricated with 1 mm and 2 mm thick adhesive tape. All samples are dimensioned 64 cm on the long axis of symmetry, 51 cm on the short axis of symmetry, and are 10 cm in width. Glass plates are all 10 mm thick annealed float glass with geometric fabrication done using 5-axis abrasivemore »water jet cutting. HGU assembly is accomplished using 3D printed truing clips and results in a rigid three-dimensional glass frame. Testing was done with the HGU oriented such that load was introduced on the short side edges of the two deck plates, resulting in an asymmetric load-support condition. A soft interface material was used between the HGU and steel plates of the hydraulic actuator and support for the purpose of avoiding premature cracking from local stress concentrations on the glass edges at the load and support locations. Force was applied in displacement control at 0.25 mm/minute with a full array of displacement and strain sensors. Test results for load vs. center deck plate transverse deflection are shown in Figure 2. All samples failed explosively by flexural buckling with no premature cracking on the load and support edges of the deck plates. Strain and deformation data clearly show the presence of second-order behavior resulting from bending deformation perpendicular to the plane of the deck plates. In general, linear axial behavior transitions to nonlinear second-order behavior, with increasing rates in deflection and strain growth, ultimately ending in glass fracture on the tension surfaces of the buckled deck plates. The failure resulted in near-complete disintegration of the deck plates, but with no observable cracking in any side plates and a secure connection on all adhesive tape. Results of the experimental program clearly demonstrate the feasibility of using HGUs for modular construction of compression dominant all-glass shell-type structures. This method of construction can significantly reduce the self-weight of the structure, and it will inspire the use of sustainable materials in the construction of efficient structures.« less
4. Effect of Nano-Reinforcement Topologies on the Viscoelastic Performance of Carbon Nanotube/Carbon Fiber Hybrid Composites

   https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10061213  

   Ayyagari, Suma ; Al-Haik, Marwan ; Ren, Yixin ; Nepal, Dhriti ( June 2020 , Nanomaterials)

   In this investigation, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were grown over carbon fiber fabrics via a relatively nondestructive synthesis technique. The MWCNTs patches were grown into three different topologies: uniform, fine patterned and coarse patterned. Hybrid carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composites (CFRPs) were fabricated based on the patterned reinforcements. Tensile tests, dynamic mechanical thermal analyses (DMTA) and flexure load relaxation tests were carried out to investigate the effect of the patterned nano-reinforcement on the static, dynamic, glass transition, and viscoelastic performance of the hybrid composites. Results revealed that the hybrid composite based on fine-patterned topology achieved better performance over all other configurations as it exhibited about 19% improvement in both the strength and modulus over the reference composite with no MWCNTs. Additionally, the increase in glass transition for this composite was as high as 13%. The damping parameter (tan δ) was improved by 46%. The stress relaxation results underlined the importance of patterned MWCNTs in minimizing the stress decay at elevated temperatures and loading conditions. Utilizing patterned MWCNTs topology significantly reduced the stress decay percentage at the thermomechanical conditions 60 MPa and 75 °C from 16.7% to 7.8%. These improvements are attributed to both the enhanced adhesion and large interface area bymore »placing MWCNTs and by inducing an interlocking mechanism that allows the interaction of the three constituents in load transfer, crack deflection and hindering undesired viscoelastic deformations under different thermomechanical loadings.« less
5. Micromechanics and Strain Localization in Sand in the Ductile Regime

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JB024983  

   Shahin, G. ; Hurley, R. C. ( November 2022 , Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth)

   Critical processes including seismic faulting, reservoir compartmentalization, and borehole failure involve high‐pressure mechanical behavior and strain localization of sedimentary rocks such as sandstone. Sand is often used as a model material to study the mechanical behavior of poorly lithified sandstone. Recent studies exploring the multi‐scale mechanics of sand have characterized the brittle, low‐pressure regime of behavior; however, limited work has provided insights into the ductile, high‐pressure regime of behavior viain‐situmeasurements. Critical features of the ductile regime, including grain breakage, grain micromechanics, and volumetric strain behavior therefore remain under‐explored. Here, we use a new high‐pressure triaxial apparatus within‐situx‐ray tomography to provide new insights into deformation banding, grain breakage, and grain micromechanics in Ottawa sand subjected to triaxial compression under confining pressures between 10 and 45 MPa. We observed strain‐hardening at pressures above 15 MPa and strain‐neutral responses at pressures below 15 MPa. Compacting shear bands and grain breakage were observed at all pressures with no significant variation due to grain size, except for minor increases in breakage in less‐rounded sands. Grain breakage emerged at stress levels lower than the assumed yield threshold and more intense breakage was associated with thinner deformation bands. Contact sliding at inter‐grain contacts demonstrated a bifurcation into a bimodalmore »distribution, with intense sliding within deformation bands and reduced but non‐negligible sliding outside of deformation bands, suggesting that off‐band zones remain mechanically active during strain hardening.

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