In this study the effect of using multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) on flexural and compressive strengths, ultimate displacement and energy absorption capability of standard cement mortar considering different weight percentages of nanotubes as well as different dispersion methods has been investigated. Influential point in adding nanotubes to the composites is their proper dispersion, which...

Geopolymers are known as high strength and durable construction materials but have a brittle fracture. In practice, this results in a sudden collapse at ultimate load, without any chance of preventing the breakdown of parts or of withstanding the stress for some time. Glass fiber usage as a total anisotropic shape acting as a compact structure component should hinder the fracture mechanism. The...

The effects of calcium fluoride (CaF2) additions on the densification and mechanical properties of hydroxyapatite–zirconia composites (HA–ZrO2) were investigated. When small amount of CaF2 was added, the density of the composites was markedly enhanced. The reactions of HA with CaF2, which led to the formation of fluorapatite (FA), were attributed to the observed improvements in densification. W...

A new ceramic sintering approach employing plastic deformation as the dominant mechanism is proposed, at low temperature close to the onset point of grain growth and under high pressure. Based on this route, fully dense boron carbide without grain growth can be prepared at 1,675-1,700 °C and under pressure of (≥) 80 MPa in 5 minutes. The dense boron carbide shows excellent mechanical properties...

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM Recently Yttrium-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP) has been introduced due to superior flexural strength and fracture toughness compared to other dental ceramic systems. Although zirconia has outstanding mechanical properties, the phenomenon of decrease in the life-time of zirconia resulted from degradation in flexural strength after low temperature aging h...

A new ceramic–carbon nanostructured hybrid (86 vol.% ceramics, 14 vol.% carbon) formed from organoclay during pyrolysis is reported. It functions as a reinforcing filler and a binder for carbon/carbon (C/C) composites. Alone, it can also serve as a high-temperature structural monolith. During pyrolysis, the ordered montmorillonite clay (d001 31.5 Å) is transformed to mullite, cristobalite and d...

In spite of their popularity in fulfilling aesthetic requirements, plastic brackets still present some disadvantages because of their low elastic modulus, decreased fracture toughness, and reduced wear resistance. Fibre-reinforced composites are well established in dentistry and consist of a polymer matrix in which reinforcing fibres are embedded. Stress is transferred from the polymer matrix t...

A laminated composite was produced using a thermoplastic prepreg by inserting an interleaved film with the same type of matrix as the prepreg during the lay-up process to improve the low interlaminar properties, which is a known weakness of laminated composites. Carbon fiber fabric (CFF) and polypropylene (PP) were used to manufacture the thermoplastic prepregs. Eight prepregs were used to prod...

Hydrophilic nature of epoxy polymers can lead to both reversible and irreversible/permanent changes in epoxy upon moisture absorption. The permanent changes leading to the degradation of mechanical properties due to combined effect of moisture and elevated temperature on EPON 862, Nanomer I.28E, and Somasif MAE clay-epoxy nanocomposites are investigated in this study. The extent of permanent de...

An indirect J-integral technique for measuring the tension softening curve of non-yielding materials like concrete is presented and is applied to mortars reinforced with various short fiber types (steel and synthetic). The tension softening curve serves to characterize and measure material fracture resistance. The dependence of structural behavior on material fracture resistance is investigated...