SUMMARY Theoretical analyses are made of the influence of the following features on the longitudinal shear and transverse tensile moduli of unidirectional fibre reinforced composites: (i) random variations in positioning of individual fibres, (ii) overall variations leading to fibre bunching, (iii) overall variations leading to interspersed matrix layers, (iv) localised variations resulting in ...

In this paper, the electromagnetic shielding characteristics of an up-to-date typical carbon filler material, carbon fiber used with a metal mesh were investigated. Carbon fiber 12k-prepregs, where carbon fibers were impregnated with epoxy, were laminated with wire meshes, vacuum bag-molded and hardened to manufacture hybrid-type specimens, with which an electromagnetic shield test was performe...

The use of near-surface mounted (NSM) fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) bars is an interesting method for increasing the shear and flexural strength of existing timber members. This article examines the behaviour of carbon FRP (CFRP) bars in timber under direct pull-out conditions. The objective of this experimental program is to investigate the bond strength between composite bars and timber: bar...

We have developed an instrument for directly measuring the emissivity of reflective surfaces at near-millimeter wavelengths. The thermal emission of a test sample is compared with that of a reference surface, allowing the emissivity of the sample to be determined without heating. The emissivity of the reference surface is determined by one's heating the reference surface and measuring the incre...

As the human race will continue to explore the space by creating new space transportation means and sending them to other planets, the enhance of atmospheric reentry study is crucial. In this context, an analysis of mass recession rate of ablative materials for thermal shields of reentry spacecrafts is important to be carried out. The paper describes a new estimation method for calculating the ...

The production of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) is currently changing from a highly manual and expensive to an automated process. However for automated production of CFRP parts new sensor systems for quality control are required. In this article we present a photometric stereo inspection system that is able to automatically evaluate critical quality criteria of carbon fiber fabrics. Ba...

Most of the laboratory tests investigated the flexural performance of un-preloaded or undamaged RC beams strengthened with CFRP composites. However, in engineering applications, the structural member must carry a certain load or damage. There is a lack of systematical investigations on the effects of preload or damage level on the flexural load-carrying capacity of CFRP-strengthened RC beams. T...