Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
4.5
3.3
Journals
J. Compos. Sci.
Special Issues
Mechanics of Innovative Materials in Engineering Applications
share announcement

Mechanics of Innovative Materials in Engineering Applications

A special issue of Journal of Composites Science (ISSN 2504-477X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2019) | Viewed by 24606

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Francesco Tornabene

grade E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Innovation Engineering, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Interests: theory of shells, plates, arches, and beams; generalized differential quadrature; FEM; SFEM; WFEM; IGA; SFIGA; WFIGA; advanced composite materials; functionally graded materials; nanomaterials and nanotechnology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Michele Bacciocchi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
DESD Department, University of San Marino, Via Consiglio dei Sessanta, 99, 47891 Dogana, Repubblica Di San Marino
Interests: finite element methods; structural mechanics; plates and beams; numerical analysis; laminated composites; multiphase composites; innovative composite materials; functionally graded materials; carbon nanotubes; non-local theories
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the last few decades, many engineers and researchers have dedicated their efforts to develop new classes of composite materials that can be used in the manufacture of aerospace components, aircrafts, boat hulls and sails, car bodies, long span roofs, as well as biomedical prostheses, electronic devices, and drones. It is evident that the structural elements that could be employed in these fields require peculiar features that composite materials can provide more than conventional constituents, such as isotropic mediums.

Unidirectional fiber-reinforced composites represent one of the most characteristics materials that are currently used for these purposes. Nevertheless, it should be mentioned that advanced configurations of these mediums have attracted the attentions of many researchers, so that curvilinear fibers and their arbitrarily graded placements have been applied to achieve improved structural responses. These concepts fall within the topic of Variable Angle Tow (VAT) and Functionally Graded (FG) composites, respectively.

Due to the advancements in the nanotechnologies, the reinforcing phases of composite materials can be applied at the nanoscale level. It is well-known that Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) can improve the mechanical behavior of these composites because of their remarkable physical and chemical features. As proven by the enormous number of papers available in the pertinent literature, these kinds of nanostructures represent one of the most exploited innovative mediums.

Enhanced mechanical features can be also obtained by designing materials and structures with particular geometries. This class of advanced components known as lattice-based metamaterials provides peculiar properties that could be exploited in several engineering fields. Analogously, tensegrity structures and pre-stressed lattices should be mentioned for the same purpose.

In addition, various applications have been presented in literature to model SMART materials and SMART-structured systems. Examples of SMART applications involve large stroke SMART actuators, piezoelectric sensors, shape memory alloys, magnetostrictive and electrostrictive materials, as well as auxetic components. These particular constituents can be included in the lamination schemes of SMART structures to control and monitor the vibrational behavior or the static deflection of several composites.

All things considered, the main aim of this Special Issue is to collect various investigations focused on the mechanical analysis of composite structures and materials. Numerical analyses, analytical solutions, and experimental studies involving these composites are welcomed. Authors are encouraged to present unconventional constitutive laws and innovative homogenization techniques, advanced mechanical configurations, as well as multiscale approaches, to provide a complete framework on these groundbreaking materials and facilitate their use in different engineering applications.

Prof. Dr. Francesco Tornabene
Dr. Michele Bacciocchi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Composites Science is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • advanced materials
  • composite mediums
  • nanostructures
  • carbon nanotubes
  • curvilinear reinforcing fibers
  • constitutive laws
  • numerical and experimental analyses
  • functionally graded materials
  • metamaterials
  • auxetic materials
  • smart materials

Published Papers (6 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

17 pages, 7034 KiB  
Article
Optical and Mechanical Properties of Highly Transparent Glass-Flake Composites
by Benedikt Scharfe, Sebastian Lehmann, Thorsten Gerdes and Dieter Brüggemann
J. Compos. Sci. 2019, 3(4), 101; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jcs3040101 - 21 Nov 2019
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4178
Abstract
In this paper, the dynamic mechanic and optical properties of composites made of Polyvinyl Butyral (PVB) and Micro Glass Flakes (MGF) with matching refractive indices (RIs) are investigated. The composite is produced by a slurry-based process using additional blade casting and lamination. It [...] Read more.
In this paper, the dynamic mechanic and optical properties of composites made of Polyvinyl Butyral (PVB) and Micro Glass Flakes (MGF) with matching refractive indices (RIs) are investigated. The composite is produced by a slurry-based process using additional blade casting and lamination. It can be shown that a high degree of ordering of the MGF in the polymer matrix can be achieved with this method. This ordering, combined with the platelet-like structure of the MGF, leads to very efficient strengthening of the PVB with increasing content of the MGF. By carefully adjusting the RIs of the polymer, it is shown that haze is reduced to below 2%, which has not been achieved with irregular fillers or glass fibers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanics of Innovative Materials in Engineering Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

22 pages, 1258 KiB  
Article
Bending, Free Vibration, and Buckling Analysis of Functionally Graded Porous Micro-Plates Using a General Third-Order Plate Theory
by Semsi Coskun, Jinseok Kim and Houssam Toutanji
J. Compos. Sci. 2019, 3(1), 15; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jcs3010015 - 01 Feb 2019
Cited by 59 | Viewed by 5841
Abstract
Static bending, free vibration and buckling of functionally graded porous micro-plates are investigated using a general third order plate theory. In addition, analytical solutions are obtained using the Navier method. The effect of the material length scale factor and the variation of material [...] Read more.
Static bending, free vibration and buckling of functionally graded porous micro-plates are investigated using a general third order plate theory. In addition, analytical solutions are obtained using the Navier method. The effect of the material length scale factor and the variation of material property through the thickness direction of plates are considered as well as porosity effects. Three different porosity distributions are considered and the effects of porosity variations are examined in the framework of a general third order plate theory. Numerical results show that the effect of each distribution of porosity is distinguished due to coupling between the heterogeneity of the material properties and the variation of porosity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanics of Innovative Materials in Engineering Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

23 pages, 1855 KiB  
Article
Thermal Buckling Behaviour of Thin and Thick Variable-Stiffness Panels
by Riccardo Vescovini and Lorenzo Dozio
J. Compos. Sci. 2018, 2(4), 58; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jcs2040058 - 07 Oct 2018
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3098
Abstract
The possibility of designing composite panels with non-uniform stiffness properties offers a chance for achieving highly-efficient configurations. This is particularly true for buckling-prone structures, whose response can be shaped through a proper distribution of the membrane and bending stiffnesses. The thermal buckling behaviour [...] Read more.
The possibility of designing composite panels with non-uniform stiffness properties offers a chance for achieving highly-efficient configurations. This is particularly true for buckling-prone structures, whose response can be shaped through a proper distribution of the membrane and bending stiffnesses. The thermal buckling behaviour of composite panels is among the aspects that could largely benefit from the adoption of a variable-stiffness design, but, in spite of that, it has rarely been addressed. The paper illustrates a semi-analytical approach for evaluating the thermal buckling response of variable-stiffness plates (VSP) by considering different boundary conditions. The formulation relies upon the method of Ritz and a variable-kinematic approach, leading to a computationally efficient implementation, which is particularly useful for exploring the larger design spaces, typical of variable-stiffness configurations. Due to the possibility of choosing the underlying kinematic approach as an input of the analysis, the formulation is not restricted to thin plates, but is suitable for analyzing the response of thick plates as well. Novel results are derived, which can be useful for benchmarking purposes and for gathering insight into the mechanical behaviour of variable-stiffness plates. Furthermore, the importance of transverse shear flexibility is illustrated with respect to the boundary conditions as well as the degree of steering of the fibers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanics of Innovative Materials in Engineering Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

33 pages, 11459 KiB  
Article
Numerical Study of the Mixed-Mode Delamination of Composite Specimens
by Rossana Dimitri and Francesco Tornabene
J. Compos. Sci. 2018, 2(2), 30; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jcs2020030 - 04 May 2018
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3113
Abstract
The present research deals with the delamination process in multi-layered composite specimens, with a reduced computational effort. The adhesive interface between sublaminates is represented as a continuous distribution of elastic-brittle springs in the normal and/or tangential direction depending on the interfacial mixed-mode condition. [...] Read more.
The present research deals with the delamination process in multi-layered composite specimens, with a reduced computational effort. The adhesive interface between sublaminates is represented as a continuous distribution of elastic-brittle springs in the normal and/or tangential direction depending on the interfacial mixed-mode condition. Each composite adherend, instead, is modelled according to the Timoshenko’s beam theory. The proposed formulation is here enhanced through the Generalized Differential Quadrature (GDQ) method, where the differential equations of the problem are solved directly in a strong form. Thus, the possibility of tracking the delamination response of the specimens is provided locally in a numerical sense, in terms of interface stresses, internal forces and displacements but also in terms of critical fracture energies and mode mixity angles. A further check of the proposed formulation is performed with respect to some standard solutions available in literature. The good agreement between numerical and theoretical predictions verifies the efficiency of the proposed GDQ approach for the study of complex mixed-mode delamination phenomena in composite materials and joints. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanics of Innovative Materials in Engineering Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

41 pages, 74555 KiB  
Article
Effect of Curvilinear Reinforcing Fibers on the Linear Static Behavior of Soft-Core Sandwich Structures
by Francesco Tornabene and Michele Bacciocchi
J. Compos. Sci. 2018, 2(1), 14; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jcs2010014 - 06 Mar 2018
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 4284
Abstract
The present research deals with the linear static behavior of soft-core sandwich plates and shells. The external skins are reinforced by curvilinear fibers. Their curved paths are described by a general mathematical law that allows the definition of arbitrary placements. The mechanical behavior [...] Read more.
The present research deals with the linear static behavior of soft-core sandwich plates and shells. The external skins are reinforced by curvilinear fibers. Their curved paths are described by a general mathematical law that allows the definition of arbitrary placements. The mechanical behavior of these structures is modeled through several Higher-order Shear Deformation Theories (HSDTs) including the zig-zag effect, based on an Equivalent Single Layer (ESL) approach. The solution of the governing equations is achieved numerically by means of the Generalized Differential Quadrature (GDQ) method. A huge number of parametric investigations is proposed in graphical and tabular forms to highlight the influence of the fiber orientation on the static response. The results prove that the structural behavior is affected by such parameters. Thus, the desired structural behavior can be modified by means of a proper choice of the fiber orientation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanics of Innovative Materials in Engineering Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

350 KiB  
Article
Convergence Investigation for the Exponential Matrix and Mathematical Layers in the Static Analysis of Multilayered Composite Structures
by Salvatore Brischetto and Roberto Torre
J. Compos. Sci. 2017, 1(2), 19; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jcs1020019 - 18 Dec 2017
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3113
Abstract
The exact three-dimensional analysis of a large group of geometries is accomplished here using the same formulation written in orthogonal mixed curvilinear coordinates. This solution is valid for plates, cylindrical shells, cylinders and spherical shells. It does not need specialized equations for each [...] Read more.
The exact three-dimensional analysis of a large group of geometries is accomplished here using the same formulation written in orthogonal mixed curvilinear coordinates. This solution is valid for plates, cylindrical shells, cylinders and spherical shells. It does not need specialized equations for each proposed geometry. It makes use of a formulation that is valid for spherical shells and automatically degenerates in the simpler geometries. Second order differential equations are reduced of an order redoubling the number of variables, and then they are solved via the exponential matrix method. Coefficients of equations vary through the thickness when shells are considered. M mathematical layers must be introduced into each physical layer to approximate the curvature. The correlation between M and the order of expansion N for the exponential matrix is analyzed in this paper in order to find their opportune combined values to obtain the exact results. As their effects may depend on different parameters, several geometries, lamination sequences, thickness ratios and imposed half-wave numbers are taken into consideration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanics of Innovative Materials in Engineering Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-6
Back to TopTop