The accurate and reliable numerical approximation of wave propagation is of fundamental importance to the simulation of acoustic, electromagnetic and elastic phenomena. In mechanical engineering, advanced composites such as carbon fibre reinforced polymer have become one of the most promising materials to build light-weight structures for several fields of application, for instance in aerospace...

The contemporary Formula 1 racing car makes extensive use of advanced composite materials in its construction. The design, manufacture, and ultimate performance under compression of composite suspension push-rods that typically could be used in a Grand Prix racing car are described in this present paper. An aerofoil cross section has been used based on different lay-ups of carbon/epoxy composit...

Current work reports the design and evaluation of circular rings for Ilizarov external fixator system. A radiolucent composite material of knitted aramid fibre (and short chopped carbon) and epoxy resin is used to replace stainless steel, currently the most commonly used material. The use of a radiolucent composite material permits easier and more accurate radiographic evaluation of the healing...

In recent years, the environmental necessity to replace HFC refrigerants with natural refrigerants like carbon dioxide (CO2) in refrigeration and air-conditioning applications has led to the development of an Ultra High Pressure Tribometer (UHPT) specifically customized for testing in CO2 environment at pressures comparable to those found in compressors up to 13.8 MPa (2000 psi). It was found t...

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are excellent candidates for a new generation of high-strength, high-stiffness materials due to their low density, high aspect ratio and intrinsically superior mechanical properties. The present study investigates the feasibility of reinforcing conventional fibre/matrix composites by grafting CNTs onto the fibre surface. The approach is to exploit the CNT performance to ...

This article addresses the experimental investigation and modelling of the uneven fibre distribution inside yarns of a textile composite. The test data is given for the tri-axial carbon-fibre braid; a considerable irregularity is revealed for the fibre distribution along and across the yarns. The importance of this effect for the damage resistance is illustrated with a simple finite-element (FE...

This paper reports the sensor integration method into carbon composites for the development of Structural Health Monitoring (SHM). Early detection and long term monitoring of the specific properties of composites will improve the security and prolong the time of service 1 . The core function of SHM is the damage detection and identification at elevated temperatures, over loads and corrosion. Va...

Increasing the efficiency of wind turbines will be vital for the wind energy sector to continue growing. The drive for increased efficiency is pushing turbine manufacturers to shift from glass fibre composite blades towards carbon/glass fibre-hybrid composite blades. This shift brings significant challenges in terms of optimising the design and understanding the failure of these new blade mater...

Based on a phenomenological methodology, a three dimensional (3D) thermochemical model was developed to predict the temperature profile, the mass loss and the decomposition front of a carbon-reinforced epoxy composite laminate (T700/M21 composite) exposed to fire conditions. This 3D model takes into account the energy accumulation by the solid material, the anisotropic heat conduction, the ther...