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This study aims to evaluate the failure behavior of glass fiber-reinforced epoxy (GFRE) laminate subjected to cyclic loading conditions. It involves experimental investigation and statistical analysis using Weibull distribution to characterize the failure behavior of the GFRE composite laminate.

Fatigue tests were conducted using a tension–tension loading scheme at a frequency of 2 Hz and a loading ratio (R) of 0.1. The tests were performed at five different stress levels, corresponding to 50%–90% of the ultimate tensile strength (UTS). Failure behavior was assessed through cyclic stress-strain hysteresis plots, dynamic modulus behavior and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis of fracture surfaces.

The study identified common modes of failure, including fiber pullouts, fiber breakage and matrix cracking. At low stress levels, fiber breakage, matrix cracking and fiber pullouts occurred due to high shear stresses at the fiber–matrix interface. Conversely, at high stress levels, fiber breakage and matrix cracking predominated. Higher stress levels led to larger stress-strain hysteresis loops, indicating increased energy dissipation during cyclic loading. High stress levels were associated with a more significant decrease in stiffness over time, implying a shorter fatigue life, while lower stress levels resulted in a gradual decline in stiffness, leading to extended fatigue life.

This study makes a valuable contribution to understanding fatigue behavior under tension–tension loading conditions, coupled with an in-depth analysis of the failure mechanism in GFRE composite laminate at different stress levels. The fatigue behavior is scrutinized through stress-strain hysteresis plots and dynamic modulus versus normalized cycles plots. Furthermore, the characterization of the failure mechanism is enhanced by using SEM imaging of fractured specimens. The Weibull distribution approach is used to obtain a reliable estimate of fatigue life.

In the present study, a steel lifting lug is replaced with a composite (carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy [CFRP]) lifting lug made of a carbon/epoxy composite. The purpose of this paper was to obtain a composite lifting lug with a higher level of strength that is capable of carrying loads without failure.

The vibration and static behaviors of steel and composite lifting lugs have been investigated using finite element analysis (FEA), ANSYS software. The main consideration in the design of the composite (CFRP) lifting lug was that the displacement of both steel and composite lugs was the same under the same load. Hence, by using the FEA displacement result of the steel lifting lug, the thickness of the composite lifting lug is determined using FEA.

Compared to the steel lifting lug, the composite (CFRP) lifting lug has much lower stresses and much higher natural frequencies. Static behavior was experienced by the composite lifting lug, showing a reduction in von Mises stress, third principal stress and XZ shear stress, respectively, by 48.4%, 34.6% and 89.8%, respectively, when compared with the steel lifting lug. A higher natural frequency of mode shape swaying in X (258.976√1,000 Hz) was experienced by the composite lifting lug when compared to the steel lifting lug (195.935√1,000 Hz). The safe strength of the design composite lifting lug has been proven by FEA results, which showed that the composite (CFRP) lifting lug has a higher factor of safety in all developed stresses than the steel lifting lug. According to von Mises stress, the factor of safety of the composite lifting lug is increased by 76% when compared to the steel lifting lug. The von Mises stress at the edge of the hole in the composite lifting lug is reduced from 23.763 MPa to 20.775 MPa when compared to the steel lifting lug.

This work presents the designed composite (CFRP) lifting lug, which will be able to carry loads with more safety than a steel one.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the free vibration response of a laminated honeycomb sandwich panels (LHSP) for aerospace applications. Higher order shear deformation theory (HSDT) was simplified for the dynamic analysis of LHSP. Furthermore, the effects of honeycomb parameters on the value of natural frequency (NF) of vibration were explored.

This paper applies HSDT to the analysis of composite LHSP to derive four vibration differential equations of motion and solve it to find the NF of vibration. Two analytical models (Nayak and Meunier models) were selected from literature for comparison of the NF of vibration. In addition, a numerical model was built by using ABAQUS and the results were compared. Furthermore, parametric studies were conducted to explore the effect of honeycomb parameters on the value of the NF of vibration.

The present model is successful in simplifying HSDT for the analysis of LHSP. The first five natural frequencies of vibration were calculated analytically and numerically. In the parametric study, increasing core height or young’s modulus or changing laminate layup will increase the value of NF of vibration. Furthermore, increasing plate constraint (using clamped edge boundary condition) will increase the value of NF of vibrations.

The current analysis is suitable for all-composite symmetric LHSP. However, for isotropic or non-symmetric materials, minor modifications might be adopted.

The application of simplified HSDT to the analysis of LHSP is one of the important values of this research. The other is the successful and complete dynamic analysis of all-composite LHSP.

Auxetics metamaterials show high performance in their specific characteristics, while the absolute stiffness and strength are much weaker due to substantial porosity. This paper aims to propose a novel auxetic honeycomb structure manufactured using selective laser melting and study the enhanced mechanical performance when subjected to in-plane compression loading.

A novel composite structure was designed and fabricated on the basis of an arrowhead auxetic honeycomb and filled with polyurethane foam. The deformation mechanism and mechanical responses of the structure with different structural parameters were investigated experimentally and numerically. With the verified simulation models, the effects of parameters on compression strength and energy absorption characteristics were further discussed through parametric analysis.

A good agreement was achieved between the experimental and simulation results, showing an evidently enhanced compression strength and energy absorption capacity. The interaction between the auxetic honeycomb and foam reveals to exploit a reinforcement effect on the compression performance. The parametric analysis indicates that the composite with smaller included angel and higher foam density exhibits higher plateau stress and better specific energy absorption, while increasing strut thickness is undesirable for high energy absorption efficiency.

The results of this study served to demonstrate an enhanced mechanical performance for the foam filled auxetic honeycomb, which is expected to be exploited with applications in aerospace, automobile, civil engineering and protective devices. The findings of this study can provide numerical and experimental references for the design of structural parameters.

This study provides an analysis of patch repair for cracked aircraft structures. Delamination is a type of damage that affects the patch's behavior. The purpose of this study is to assess the influence of delamination on repair performance.

An analytical and numerical study using the finite element method was conducted for a cracked plate repaired with a patch containing a pre-existing delamination defect. The method for defining the contact pair surfaces and modeling the delamination interaction within the patch interface is specified using the virtual crack closure technique (VCCT) approach.

The efficiency of the repair is measured in terms of the J-integral. The effects of delamination initiation, mechanical loading, crack length and patch stacking sequences are presented. It is noted that in mode I, delamination propagation is only significant at node A. The numerical results are in good agreement with those of the analytical solution found in the literature. It is observed that the patch's behavior is strongly dependent on loading, crack size and stacking sequences in terms of reducing the structure's lifespan, especially in the presence of delamination.

The numerical modeling presented by the VCCT approach is highly valuable for studying delamination evolution. The influence of loading, crack size and stacking sequences on repair performance is discussed in this work.

Adhesively bonded joints are used in many fields, especially in the automotive, marine, aviation, defense and outdoor industries. Adhesive bonding offers advantages over traditional mechanical methods, including the ability to join diverse materials, even load distribution and efficient thermal-electrical insulation. This study aims to investigate the mechanical properties of adhesively bonded joints, focusing on adherends produced with auxetic and flat surfaces adhered with varying adhesive thicknesses.

The research uses three-dimensional (3D)-printed materials, polyethylene terephthalate glycol and polylactic acid, and two adhesive types with ductile and brittle properties for single lap joints, analyzing their mechanical performance through tensile testing. The adhesion region of one of these adherends was formed with a flat surface and the other with an auxetic surface. Adhesively bonded joints were produced with 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4 mm bonding thickness.

Results reveal that auxetic adherends exhibit higher strength compared to flat surfaces. Interestingly, the strength of ductile adhesives in auxetic bonded joints increases with adhesive thickness, while brittle adhesive strength decreases with thicker auxetic bonds. Moreover, the auxetic structure displays reduced elongation under comparable force.

The findings emphasize the intricate interplay between adhesive type, bonded surface configuration of adherend and bonding thickness, crucial for understanding the mechanical behavior of adhesively bonded joints in the context of 3D-printed materials.

The purpose of this research is present an experimental and numerical study of the mechanical properties of the acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) in the additive manufacturing (AM) by fused filament fabrication (FFF). The characterization and mechanical models obtained are used to predict the elastic behavior of a prosthetic foot and the failure of a prosthetic knee manufactured with FFF.

Tension tests were carried out and the elastic modulus, yield stress and tensile strength were evaluated for different material directions. The material elastic constants were determined and the influence of infill density in the mechanical strength was evaluated. Yield surfaces and failure criteria were generated from the tests. Failures over prosthetic elements in tridimensional stresses were analyzed; the cases were evaluated via finite element method.

The experimental results show that the material is transversely isotropic. The elasticity modulus, yield stress and ultimate tensile strength vary linearly with the infill density. The stresses and the failure criteria were computed and compared with the experimental tests with good agreement.

This research can be applied to predict failures and improve reliability in FFF or fused deposition modeling (FDM) products for applications in high-performance industries such as aerospace, automotive and medical.

This research aims to promote its widespread adoption in the industrial and medical sectors by increasing reliability in products manufactured with AM based on the failure criterion.

Most of the models studied apply to plane stress situations and standardized specimens of printed material. However, the models applied in this study can be used for functional parts and three-dimensional stress, with accuracy in the range of that obtained by other researchers. The researchers also proposed a method for the mechanical study of fragile materials fabricated by processes of FFF and FDM.

Fuselage structures are subjected to combinations of axial, bending, shear and differential pressure loads. The validation of advanced metallic and composite fuselage designs against such loads is based on the full-scale testing of the fuselage barrel, which, however, is highly demanding from a time and cost viewpoint. This paper aims to assist in scaling-down the experimentation to the stiffened panel level which presents the opportunity to validate state-of-the-art designs at higher rates than previously attainable.

Development of a methodology to successfully design tests at the stiffened panel level and realize them using advanced, complex and adaptable test-rigs that are capable of introducing independently a set of distinct load types (e.g. internal overpressure, tension, shear) while applying appropriate boundary conditions at the edges of the stiffened panel.

A baseline test-rig configuration was developed after extensive parametric modelling studies at the stiffened panel level. The realization of the loading and boundary conditions on the test-rig was facilitated through innovative supporting and loading system set-ups.

The proposed test bench is novel and compared to the conventional counterparts more viable from an economic and manufacturing point of view. It leads to panel responses, which are as close as possible to those of the fuselage barrel in-flight and can be used for the execution of static or fatigue tests on metallic and thermoplastic curved integrally stiffened full-scale panels, representative of a business jet fuselage.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of doping element on the structural, thermal properties, mechanical performance and the failure mechanism of hexagonal nano boron nitride (h-BN)-reinforced basalt fabric (BF)/epoxy composites produced by hand lay-up and vacuum bagging technique. h-BN particles doped to composite materials increased the tensile, bending and impact strength of the composite at certain rates while 1 Wt. % h- BN addition shows the highest tensile and flexural strength.

The epoxy resin was doped with h-BN nanopowder at the certain rates (0, 1, 2 and 4 Wt.%) and the epoxy: hardener ratios used in the study were selected as 80%: 20% by weight. Then, with the aid of a roller by hand lay-up method, a mixture of epoxy + hardeners containing nanoparticles and nanoparticle-free were fed onto BFs, 12 layers of each dimension 30 cm × 30 cm. The surplus epoxy resin was moved away from the composite sheets using the vacuum bagging process and left to cure at room temperature for 24 h. ASTM D3039 for tensile, D7264 for three-point bending and D256 for Izod impact test were performed for the mechanical tests. After the tensile test, the morphologies of the fracture surface were examined with a stereomicroscope and various failure mechanisms are highlighted.

In this study, a series of basalt/epoxy composites with h-BN nanopowders have been prepared to identify the effect of filler ratio on mechanical properties. It has been known from the results of mechanical experiments that the addition of h-BN improves the mechanical performance of materials at a certain rate. The tensile and flexural strengths of h-BN doped composites, increase for concentrations of 1 Wt.% h-BN, but decrease with the increasing content of it. The basalt/epoxy resin composite with higher mechanical properties could be a potential material in the automotive and aerospace industries.

The aim of this study is to contribute to literature within the context of this new combination of composites and their mechanical properties, failure mechanisms. It presents detailed characterization of each composite by using X-ray differaction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscopy.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of a non-contact full-field optical measurement technique known as digital image correlation (DIC).

The approach of this review paper is to introduce the research pertaining to DIC. It comprehensively covers crucial facets including its principles, historical development, core challenges, current research status and practical applications. Additionally, it delves into unresolved issues and outlines future research objectives.

The findings of this review encompass essential aspects of DIC, including core issues like the subpixel registration algorithm, camera calibration, measurement of surface deformation in 3D complex structures and applications in ultra-high-temperature settings. Additionally, the review presents the prevailing strategies for addressing these challenges, the most recent advancements in DIC applications across quasi-static, dynamic, ultra-high-temperature, large-scale and micro-scale engineering domains, along with key directions for future research endeavors.

This review holds a substantial value as it furnishes a comprehensive and in-depth introduction to DIC, while also spotlighting its prospective applications.