|
|
Exploring traditional, innovative, and revolutionary issues in the minerals,
metals, and materials fields. |
VISIT THE
JOM COVER GALLERY
|
|
09/27/2006 -
Fracture and Damage of Composites (2006)
edited by M. Guagliano and M.H. Aliabadi
ISBN 1-85312-669-1. WIT Press, Southampton, United Kingdom. 2006. Hardcover. 288 pages. $175.
This book is a compilation of nine extended papers relating to the fracture of composites. The editors state in their preface that "The purpose of this book is to be an updated reference about the recent development and results in composite materials science." This is a good description of the content; however, the topics have very little relationship with each other. A reader would likely have specific interest in only one of the chapters. Chapters 6, 8, and 9 use a similar technique of boundary element analysis.
Chapter 1, "Compressive Strength of Laminated Composites: An Application of the Continuum Fracture Theory," is a well-presented discussion of the strength limitation for a composite structure. The analysis is based on real structures and can be applied to complex structures. The authors end their paper with the statement: "It should be underlined that the analytical [three-dimensional] 3-D approach developed in the present chapter has a wider range of application. It can be applied not only to laminated composites, but also to any piecewise-homogeneous layered system undergoing biaxial or uniaxial compression." The authors' words concisely describe the analysis presented.
Chapter 2 is titled "Macroscopic Crack Propagation due to Stress-Corrosion Cracking in Unidirectional GFRP Composites: Micromechanical Theory and its Application." This deals with a very specific topic; however, the ideas presented, such as flaw initiation at inherent surface flaws and stable propagation of these flaws, may have application beyond the specific analysis presented.
Chapter 3, "Damage Mechanisms in Pultruded Unidirectional Fiber-Reinforced Composites under Static and Fatigue Loads," outlines investigation techniques that attempt to illuminate the effects of interface bonding, gripping techniques, and average and amplitude values in testing composites. The analysis and techniques described by the authors can be applied to other systems. This chapter has ideas that can help others investigating static and fatigue load conditions.
The authors for Chapter 4, "Fatigue Damage of Particle Reinforced Metal Matrix Composites," do not clearly state that the data and analysis is only valid for cast aluminum-matrix composites. The crack propagation analysis is different from that observed for aluminum-matrix composites that were made by powder metallurgy techniques. The authors imply that this class of material has fatigue properties that are no better than the matrix alloy. Powder-metallurgy-derived aluminum composites are currently being used as structures to hold helicopter blades on the rotors, clearly fatigue critical. The author's presentation would lead one to believe that such an application was impossible.
Chapter 5, "Modeling and Prediction of the Mechanical Properties of Woven Laminates by the Finite Element Method," presents a method for applying finite-element analysis to woven composites by defining reference volumes or unit cells that can describe the microstructure and mechanical performance of these complex structures. The author limits the analysis to carbon-fiber-reinforced epoxy laminates. The models appear to have merit for application to other woven structures.
In Chapter 6, "Boundary Element Analysis of Fracture Failure in Anisotropic Laminates," the authors present the boundary element analysis technique as a way of simplifying the analysis of anisotropic materials. The authors state that the "chapter is concerned with the formulation and numerical implementation of two-dimensional dual boundary element method for solution of linear elastic problems in composite materials." This type of analysis can be applied to many types of structures. Structures with seemingly too many variables for analysis can be reduced to a solvable problem using the techniques described.
Chapter 7 looks at the analysis of piezoelectric composite laminates with edge delamination. The piezoelectric composites have unique mechanical and electromechanical interactions that are treated in this analysis. The formulations and step-by-step analysis in this chapter can be applied to other unique combinations of mechanical property interactions.
Chapter 8, an analysis of interface cracks with contact in composites by two-dimensional boundary element method, uses the technique for the analysis discussed in Chapter 6. The authors also use stress-intensity factor and energy release rate concepts from isotropic materials and modify these concepts for orthotropic materials. The analysis presented in this chapter gives strong direction to material scientists in trying to create inter-fiber and delamination failure criterion based upon the actual mechanism of failure.
Chapter 9, which deals with the boundary element assessment of 3-D biomaterial interface cracks, concentrates on fracture of interfaces. The authors propose a tool that is a multidomain formulation of the BEM used in chapters 6 and 8. The capability of this approach is demonstrated by a 3-D analysis of a fiber/matrix debond interface crack under transverse loading. The predicted properties are compared with test data.
For more on Fracture and Damage of Composites, visit the Wiley Interscience web site. |
| | The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society's JOM Book Review Program pages are
maintained with News Update 1.1 |
|
|
