Institute of Fundamental Technological Research

The process of concrete cracking is a common problem because the first micro-cracks due to the loss of moisture may appear even before the concrete is loaded. The application of fracture mechanics allows for a better understanding of this problem. Steel-fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC) samples with a notch were subjected to a three-point bending test, and the results for crack energy were used to analyze the concrete’s material properties. In this paper, an experimental and numerical analysis of SFRC with rapid changes in the force (F) crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD) curve (F-CMOD) is presented. In order to obtain the relevant F-CMOD diagrams, three-point bending tests were carried out with non-standard samples with a thickness equal to one-third of the width of standard samples. For analysis purposes, crimped steel fibers were adopted. A probabilistic analysis of the most important parameters describing the material in question, such as peak strength, post-cracking strength, crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD), fracture energy, and the post-cracking deformation modulus, was conducted. The tests and the analysis of their results show that the quasi-static numerical method can be applied to obtain suitable results. However, significant dynamic effects during experiments that influence the F-CMOD curves are hard to reflect well in numerical calculations.

concrete, finite element method (FEM) simulations, steel-fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC), crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD), steel fibers

In this work, significant strength and ductility variations are reported for AlSi10Mg parts fabricated at different orientations using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). Hardness and surface roughness of the specimens at different orientations were measured. Tensile testing together with digital image correlation technique were conducted on the specimens. XY specimens showed the highest yield stress and ultimate tensile strength while XZ specimens showed the highest ductility. Hardness measurements for different specimens were in accordance with the tensile test results, following the same order as the UTS values, XY specimens being the highest and XY-45° (out-of-plane) specimens being the lowest. Fractography of the broken surfaces of the specimens under tensile testing revealed the microstructural features and various defects in the tensile fracture. The anisotropy in mechanical properties is attributed to the microstructural anisotropy as well as presence of various types of defects induced by the AM process, which affects the deformation and failure mechanism of the parts. Linear relationships between experimental Vickers hardness versus yield stress and UTS measurements were developed. In case of material selection for different applications, these relationships can be used as a simple tool for converting hardness and yield stress (or UTS) values to each other. An equivalent strain-hardness relationship was also proposed which can be used for health monitoring of parts subject to tensile loading.

Laser powder bed fusion, Hardness, Mechanical properties, Defects, Microstructure

Impact resistance is one of the most critical features of composite structures, and therefore, its examination for a new material has a fundamental importance. This paper is devoted to the characterization of the fully recyclable thermoplastic ELIUM acrylic resin reinforced by glass fabric woven, which belongs to a new category of materials requiring advanced testing before their application in responsible elements of engineering structures. Its high strength, low weight as well as low production cost give excellent opportunities for its wide application in the automotive industry as a replacement of the thermoset-based laminates. The study presents an experimental work concerning the effect of damage due to low and high cyclic fatigue aging of two groups of specimens, first with the woven fabric orientations of [0°/90°]4 and secondly with [45°/45°]4, on the low impact velocity properties. The impact resistance was measured in terms of load peak, absorbed energy, penetration threshold and damage analysis. The low velocity impact results indicate that the uniaxial cyclic loading (fatigue aging) of the material leads to the reduction of impact resistance, especially at the high impact energy levels. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Computed Tomography (CT) scan observations reveal that the damage area grows with the increase of both strain amplitude and impact energy.

elium acrylic, glass fibers, composite laminates, fatigue aging, low impact velocity, damage

The paper reports experimental and numerical study of different deformation mechanisms activated in the AZ31B mag nesium alloy sheet subjected to cyclic in-plane tensile – compressive deformation. The influence ofslip, twinning and detwinning upon the mechanical response and texture evolution of the material is thoroughly investigated. The regime of twinning and detwinning activity is assessed based on the variation of hardening modulus in the course of the process. Velocity-based large strain crystal plasticity model accounting for twinning and detwinning is formulated. The crystal plasticity model parameters are identified using the implementation of the evolutionary algorithm. Predicted activity of deformation mechanisms is discussed with respect to the experimental data.

twinning, detwinning, crystal plasticity, magnesium alloys, AZ31B, evolutionary algorithm

In this paper, the influences of build orientation and post-fabrication processes, including stress-relief, machining, and shot-peening, on the fatigue behavior of stainless steel (SS) 316L manufactured using selective laser melting (SLM) are studied. It was found that horizontally-built (XY) and machined (M) test pieces, which had not been previously studied in the literature, in both stress-relieved (SR) or non-stress-relieved (NSR) conditions show superior fatigue behavior compared to vertically-built (ZX) and conventionally-manufactured SS 316L. The XY, M, and SR (XY-M-SR) test pieces displayed fatigue behavior similar to the XY-M-NSR test pieces, implying that SR does not have a considerable effect on the fatigue behavior of XY and M test pieces. ZX-M-SR test pieces, due to their considerably lower ductility, exhibited significantly larger scatter and a lower fatigue strength compared to ZX-M-NSR samples. Shot-peening (SP) displayed a positive effect on improving the fatigue behavior of the ZX-NSR test pieces due to a compressive stress of 58 MPa induced on the surface of the test pieces. Fractography of the tensile and fatigue test pieces revealed a deeper understanding of the relationships between the process parameters, microstructure, and mechanical properties for SS 316L produced by laser systems. For example, fish-eye fracture pattern or spherical stair features were not previously observed or explained for cyclically-loaded SLM-printed parts in the literature. This study provides comprehensive insight into the anisotropy of the static and fatigue properties of SLM-printed parts, as well as the pre- and post-fabrication parameters that can be employed to improve the fatigue behavior of steel alloys manufactured using laser systems.

selective laser melting, stainless steel 316L, fatigue, defect, fracture

Additive manufacturing (AM) is revolutionizing production with its ability to rapidly create complex designs while minimizing material waste. The influence of the SLM parameters on mechanical properties of two sets of open cell lattices (Set A and Set B) made of IN718 was investigated. The purpose of using the modified parameters was to reduce the cost/time of manufacturing as well as to reduce microporosity in ligaments by increased exposure time (reduced laser scanning speed) or higher energy density based on increased exposure time. The researchers investigate ligament deformation and collapse in porous lattices, its impact on overall behavior, and how microstructure influences hardening under varying strain rates.

highly porous random open-cell lattice, additive manufacturing, direct impact Hopkinson pressure bar technique, Inconel 718

kompozyty, żywice termoplastyczne, badania zmęczeniowe, udarność

Modern automobile and airplane structures made of sheet metals or composites require usage of thinner and stronger materials. On the other hand, manufacturers are trying to reduce production costs by shortening the fabrication processes and by application of computed simulation for forming operation. Therefore, it is necessary to better understand and more accurately investigate deformation behaviour of sheet alloys. Testing of flat specimens under compression and cyclic tension-compression within large deformation procures a lot of problems. One of them is the buckling phenomenon. A new version of the device mounted in a standard testing machine was developed and geometry of the specimen for validation of the device was proposed. Specimens of DP690 steel with nominal thickness equal to 1.6 mm were investigated at ambient temperature. Tension-compression cyclic tests within a strain range ± 0.04 were executed starting in tension direction. It is shown that the results are repeatable.

Buckling, cyclic loading, fixture, thin sheets

composite, laminate, fatigue damage, impact damage, perforation, delamination

cyclic loading, damage evolution, laminate composites

Optimization of sheet metal forming processes requires a very good knowledge of material forming ability. During the forming of industrial parts, very complex strain paths are usually observed and can affect the formability of the sheet. Therefore, it is necessary to better understand and more accurately investigate deformation behaviour of sheet alloys. It should be noted that material testing of flat specimens under compression within a large deformation range procures many difficulties, and the buckling phenomenon seems to be the most im-portant. This paper shows the results of tension-compression tests carried out on specimens made of ultralight magnesium alloys AZ31B with nominal thickness equal to 1 mm using the anti-buckling fixture to avoid buckling problem.

Bauschinger effect, cyclic loading, buckling, fixture, thin sheet