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Smart Materials: Next Generation in Science and Technology

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Smart Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 November 2023) | Viewed by 15419

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Peng Liu

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Guest Editor

School of Civil Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410075, China
Interests: green and low-carbon; civil engineering; concrete structure; construction technology; prefabricated building
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Lingkun Chen

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Guest Editor

School of Civil Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225127, China
Interests: engineering; mechanical; bridge
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Xu Dongyu

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Guest Editor

Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Construction Materials Preparation and Measurement, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, Shandong, China
Interests: intelligent detection; nondestructive testing; structural health monitoring; new type sensor; advanced composite

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recent years have witnessed fascinating developments in various fields of materials science and the step-by-step transformation of scientific progress into novel technologies, which as a rule not only exhibit a substantially enhanced performance but are also friendly toward human health and the environment. The field of smart materials and structures, with all its traditionalism and multidisciplinarity, has also profited from this development. However, the specific features of this field have led to a considerable scattering of the literary sources and a lack of mutual information between all the relevant subjects.

This Special Issue should help to overcome these problems. It provides an opportunity to create a compendium of novel methods, which will not only boost further scientific progress but also provide restorers and artists with a useful literary overview. It is focused on smart materials and structures, publishing the most important results from different regions of the world.

I cordially invite you to submit your contribution to this issue, whose topics include but are not limited to the following:

Smart material development and application;
Smart materials utilized as sensors and actuators with applications at any scale;
Sensor and sensor networks for smart materials and structure applications;
Energy harvesting systems including modeling, applications, and implementation issues;
Structural health monitoring with applications to ground vehicles, aircraft, and civil infrastructure.

Dr. Peng Liu
Dr. Lingkun Chen
Dr. Xu Dongyu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2600 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

sensor
actuator
smart materials and structures
energy storage
advanced materials
acoustics
structural health monitoring
intelligent system
durability

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 2220 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Advanced Ceramics with Dual Functions of Healing and Decomposition

by Nobuhide Sekine, Yasushi Nakajima, Takahiro Kamo, Masahiro Ito and Wataru Nakao

Materials 2024, 17(3), 647; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma17030647 - 29 Jan 2024

Viewed by 646

Abstract

This study developed advanced ceramic materials with both healing and decomposition functions using a metastable product generated under superheated steam. The developed composite material comprises ZrC particles dispersed in a yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) matrix. After introducing a surface crack of approximately 120 μm on the composite specimen, it showed a complete strength recovery rate after one hour of heat treatment under superheated steam at 400 °C, while it exhibited a decomposition behavior after one hour of heat treatment in air at 400 °C. The XRD analysis of the heat-treated specimens showed that the final product was monoclinic ZrO₂ under both steam and air conditions. In other words, full strength recovery in superheated steam was achieved by a chain reaction involving metastable intermediate products derived from H₂O, unlike the reaction in air. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Materials: Next Generation in Science and Technology)

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21 pages, 6695 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental Study of the Shear Performance of Combined Concrete–ECC Beams without Web Reinforcement

by Kai Cheng, Yulin Du, Haiyan Wang, Rui Liu, Yu Sun, Zhichao Lu and Lingkun Chen

Materials 2023, 16(16), 5706; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma16165706 - 20 Aug 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 844

Abstract

Background: Shear damage of beams is typically brittle damage that is significantly more detrimental than flexural damage. Purpose: Based on the super-high toughness and good crack control ability of engineered cementitious composites (ECC), the shear performance of concrete–ECC beams was investigated by replacing a portion of the concrete in the tensile zone of reinforced concrete beams with ECC and employing high-strength reinforcing bars to design concrete–ECC beams. The purpose of this investigation is to elucidate and clarify the shear performance of concrete–ECC beams. Methodology/approach: Experimental and FE analyses were conducted on the shear performance of 36 webless reinforced concrete–ECC composite beams with varied concrete strengths, shear-to-span ratios, ECC thicknesses, and interfacial treatments between the layers. Results: The results indicate that the effect of the shear-to-span ratio is greater, the effect of the form of interface treatment is smaller, the effect is weakened after the ECC thickness is greater than 70 mm (i.e., the ratio of the replacement height to section height is approximately 0.35), the shear resistance is reduced when the hoop rate is greater, and the best shear resistance is obtained when the ECC 70 mm thickness and the hoop rate of 0.29% are used together. Conclusions: This study can serve as a technical reference for enhancing the problems of low durability and inadequate fracture control performance of RC beams in shear and as a guide for structural design research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Materials: Next Generation in Science and Technology)

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20 pages, 7811 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on the Nonlinear Behavior and Factors Influencing the Axial Compression of High-Durability Fibrous Concrete Wrapped Steel Tube Composite Members

by Jun Wei, Zhenshan Wang, Yanan Su and Jiayi Han

Materials 2022, 15(21), 7603; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15217603 - 29 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1219

Abstract

Thin-walled steel pipe concrete has better economic performance, but the problem of local buckling is more prominent with a thin-walled steel pipe; meanwhile, thin-walled steel pipe is more sensitive to the environment and the influence of rusting is more prominent. To solve the above problems, this paper proposes new spiral stiffened rib thin-walled steel pipe concrete laminated members to obtain better force and economic performance. Based on axial compression tests on five forms of composite members, this paper studies the nonlinear behavior of the axial compression of this new type of laminated member and the factors influencing it. The following conclusions are obtained. Under the constraint of the spiral ribs, the new composite member has good integrity and each part can ensure cooperative stress; the buckling of the steel pipe is well limited and the mechanical performance is significantly improved. Compared with ordinary thin-walled concrete-filled steel tubular members, the bearing capacity is increased by about 20% and the deformation ability is increased by more than 30%. The nonlinear behavior of the member in compression can be better achieved through finite element analysis. The parametric analysis shows that the pitch and the steel tube width-to-thickness ratio greatly influence the force behavior of the member. In contrast, the spiral rib width-to-thickness ratio and the external reinforcement only need to meet the structural requirements. Finally, based on the superposition theory, the proposed method of calculating the member’s axial compressive load-bearing capacity is given and design suggestions are made. The results of this paper can provide some basis for the engineering application of this new combination member. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Materials: Next Generation in Science and Technology)

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12 pages, 3067 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of the Doping Amount on Electroelastic Coupled-Wave Scattering and Dynamic Stress Concentration around Defects in BNT Doped FN Materials

by Jiawei Fan, Chuanping Zhou, Junqi Bao, Huawei Ji, Yongping Gong, Weihua Zhou and Jiang Lin

Materials 2022, 15(16), 5781; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15165781 - 21 Aug 2022

Viewed by 1236

Abstract

Sodium bismuth titanate (Bi_0.5Na_0.5TiO₃, BNT) has attracted much attention because of its excellent dielectric, piezoelectric and electromechanical properties. The microstructure of sodium bismuth titanate-doped ferrum niobium material (Bi_0.5Na_0.5TiO₃ doped (Fe_0.5Nb_0.5)⁴⁺, BNT-xFN) shows a triangle as its typical defect shape. Since piezoelectric devices usually operate under dynamic loads, they fail easily owing to dynamic stress concentration or dynamic fracture. Elastic waves can simulate many types of dynamic loads, and the dynamic stress concentration caused by an anti-plane shear wave is the basis for the calculation of the stress field strength factor of type Ⅲ-dynamic fractures. In this study, the electroelastic coupled-wave diffraction and dynamic stress concentration of BNT-xFN materials with triangular defects under the incidence of anti-plane shear waves were studied. Maxwell equations are decoupled by auxiliary functions, and the analytical solutions of the elastic wave field and electric field are obtained. Based on the conformal mapping method, the triangle defect was mapped to the unit circle defect, and the dynamic stress concentration coefficient around the triangle defect was obtained by calculating the undetermined mode coefficients in the expression through boundary conditions. The numerical calculation shows that the size of the triangular hole, the frequency of the applied mechanical load, the incidence angle of mechanical load and the amount of FN doping have a great influence on the stress concentration of BNT-xFN materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Materials: Next Generation in Science and Technology)

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19 pages, 4886 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Magnetorheological Grease’s Viscosity to the Torque Performance in Magnetorheological Brake

by Khairul Anwar Abdul Kadir, Nurhazimah Nazmi, Norzilawati Mohamad, Muhammad Kashfi Shabdin, Dimas Adiputra, Saiful Amri Mazlan, Nur Azmah Nordin, Shahir Mohd Yusuf and Ubaidillah

Materials 2022, 15(16), 5717; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15165717 - 19 Aug 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1334

Abstract

Recently, magnetorheological grease (MRG) has been utilized in magnetorheological (MR) brakes to generate a braking torque based on the current applied. However, the high initial viscosity of MRG has increased the off-state torque that led to the viscous drag of the brake. Therefore, in this study, the off-state viscosity of MRG can be reduced by the introduction of dilution oil as an additive. Three samples consist of pure MRG (MRG 1) and MRG with different types of dilution oil; hydraulic (MRG 2) and kerosene (MRG 3) were prepared by mixing grease and spherical carbonyl iron particles (CIP) using a mechanical stirrer. The rheological properties in the rotational mode were examined using a rheometer and the torque performances in MR brake were evaluated by changing the current of 0 A, 0.4 A, 0.8 A, and 1.2 A with fixed angular speed. The result shows that MRG 3 has the lowest viscosity which is almost 93% reduction while the viscosity of MRG 2 has lowered to 25%. However, the torque performances generated by MRG 3 were highest, 1.44 Nm, when 1.2 A of current was applied and followed by MRG 2 and MRG 1. This phenomenon indicated that the improvement of torque performances was dependent on the viscosity of MRG. By reducing the viscosity of MRG, the restriction on CIP to form chain formation has also decreased and strengthen the torque of MRG brake. Consequently, the utilization of dilution oil in MRG could be considered in MR brake in near future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Materials: Next Generation in Science and Technology)

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12 pages, 1892 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Magnetoacoustic Wave Scattering and Dynamic Stress Concentration around the Elliptical Opening in Exponential-Gradient Piezomagnetic Materials

by Zhiwen Wang, Chuanping Zhou, Xueting Zhang, Xiao Han, Junqi Bao, Lingkun Chen, Maofa Wang, Yongping Gong and Weihua Zhou

Materials 2022, 15(13), 4564; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15134564 - 29 Jun 2022

Viewed by 1083

Abstract

Based on the theory of magnetoacoustic coupled dynamics, the purpose of this paper is to evaluate the dynamic stress concentration near an elliptical opening in exponential-gradient piezomagnetic materials under the action of antiplane shear waves. By the wave function expansion, the solutions for the acoustic wave fields and magnetic fields can be obtained. Stress analysis is performed by the complex function method and the conformal mapping method, which are used to solve the boundary conditions problem, and is used to express the dynamic stress concentration coefficient (DSCC) theoretically. As cases, numerical results of DSCCs are plotted and discussed with different incident wave numbers and material parameters by numerical simulation. Compared with circular openings, elliptical openings are widely used in material processing techniques and are more difficult to solve. Numerical results show that the dynamic stress concentration coefficient at the elliptical opening is strongly dependent on various parameters, which indicates that the elliptical opening is more likely to cause crack and damage to exponential-gradient piezomagnetic materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Materials: Next Generation in Science and Technology)

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28 pages, 13476 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluating the Effect of Rail Fastener Failure on Dynamic Responses of Train-Ballasted Track-Subgrade Coupling System for Smart Track Condition Assessment

by Yuanjie Xiao, Zhenxing Chang, Jianfeng Mao, Sijia Zhou, Xiaoming Wang, Weidong Wang, Degou Cai, Hongwei Zhu and Yao Long

Materials 2022, 15(7), 2675; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15072675 - 05 Apr 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1932

Abstract

Rail fasteners are among the key components of ballasted track of high-speed railway due to their functionality of fixing rails to sleepers. The failure of rail fastening system hinders the transmission of train loads to underlying track substructure and therefore endangers the operation safety and longevity of ballasted track. This paper first established a three-dimensional (3D) numerical model of the train-ballasted track-subgrade coupling system by integrating multibody dynamics (MBD) and finite element method (FEM). Numerical simulations were then performed to investigate the effects of different patterns of rail fastener failure (i.e., consecutive single-side, alternate single-side, and consecutive double-side) on critical dynamic responses of track structures, train running stability, and operation safety. The results show that the resulting influences of different patterns of rail fastener failure descend in the order of consecutive double-side failure, consecutive single-side failure, and alternate single-side failure. As the number of failed fasteners increases, the range where dynamic responses of track structures are influenced extends, and the failure of two consecutive single-side fasteners exerts a similar influence as that of four alternate single-side fasteners. The failure of single-side fasteners affects dynamic responses of the intact side of track structures relatively insignificantly. The influence of rail fastener failure on track structures exhibits hysteresis, thus indicating that special attention needs to be paid to locations behind failed fasteners during track inspection and maintenance. The occurrence of the failure of two or more consecutive fasteners demands timely maintenance work in order to prevent aggravated deterioration of track structures. The findings of this study could provide useful reference and guidance to smart track condition assessment and condition-based track maintenance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Materials: Next Generation in Science and Technology)

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27 pages, 10106 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Numerical Investigation of Interlaminar Stress of CRTS II Slab Ballastless Track Induced by Creep and Shrinkage of Concrete

by Zhihui Zheng, Peng Liu, Zhiwu Yu, Yachuan Kuang, Lei Liu, Sasa He, Xiaoqiang Zhang, Qianghui Li, Wen Xu and Maofeng Lv

Materials 2022, 15(7), 2480; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15072480 - 27 Mar 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1696

Abstract

The secondary development of ABAQUS was carried out to calculate the shrinkage and creep of concrete, and a finite element model of the China Railway Track System (CRTS) II slab ballastless track was established. Then, the interlaminar stress of CRTS II slab ballastless track at different ages of the track slab during laying (AOTSL) caused by concrete shrinkage and creep was studied. The obtained results showed that the stress redistribution occurred in the sliding layer, which resulted in the generation of a gap. Although the gap length was slightly reduced due to the shear cogging, the sliding layer at the slab edge is more prone to produce gaps. Under the effect of shrinkage and creep of the ballastless track, large additional shear stress, up to 0.676 MPa, was induced at the interface between CA mortar and the track slab. Meanwhile, the appearance of additional vertical and lateral forces of the shear cogging was caused by the shrinkage and creep of the ballastless track. Additionally, by further analysis, the recommended AOTSL ranges from 120 days to 180 days. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Materials: Next Generation in Science and Technology)

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18 pages, 3351 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Numerical Simulation of Elastic Wave Field in Viscoelastic Two-Phasic Porous Materials Based on Constant Q Fractional-Order BISQ Model

by Ning Hu, Maofa Wang, Baochun Qiu and Yuanhong Tao

Materials 2022, 15(3), 1020; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15031020 - 28 Jan 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1811

Abstract

The fractional-order differential operator describes history dependence and global correlation. In this paper, we use this trait to describe the viscoelastic characteristics of the solid skeleton of a viscoelastic two-phasic porous material. Combining Kjartansson constant Q fractional order theory with the BISQ theory, a new BISQ model is proposed to simulate elastic wave propagation in a viscoelastic two-phasic porous material. The corresponding time-domain wave propagation equations are derived, and then the elastic waves are numerically simulated in different cases. The integer-order derivatives are discretised using higher-order staggered-grid finite differences, and the fractional-order time derivatives are discretised using short-time memory central differences. Numerical simulations and analysis of the wave field characterisation in different phase boundaries, different quality factor groups, and multilayered materials containing buried bodies are carried out. The simulation results show that it is feasible to combine the constant Q fractional-order derivative theory with the BISQ theory to simulate elastic waves in viscoelastic two-phasic porous materials. The combination can better describe the viscoelastic characteristics of the viscoelastic two-phasic porous materials, which is of great significance for further understanding the propagation mechanism of elastic waves in viscoelastic two-phasic porous materials and viscoelastic two-phasic porous materials containing buried bodies. This paper provides a theoretical forward simulation for fine inversion and reconstruction of layer information and buried body structure in viscoelastic two-phasic porous materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Materials: Next Generation in Science and Technology)

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10 pages, 3470 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Scattering of Magnetoacoustic Waves and Dynamic Stress Concentration around Double Openings in Piezomagnetic Composites

by Huanhuan Xue, Chuanping Zhou, Gaofei Cheng, Junqi Bao, Maofa Wang, Yongping Gong, Huawei Ji, Wu Yang, Bo Hou, Weihua Zhou, Qiaoyi Wang and Jing Ni

Materials 2021, 14(22), 6878; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma14226878 - 15 Nov 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1222

Abstract

Based on the magnetoacoustic coupled dynamics theory, the wave function expansion method is used to solve the problem of acoustic wave scattering and dynamic stress concentration around the two openings in e-type piezomagnetic composites. To deal with the multiple scattering between openings, the local coordinate method is introduced. The general analytical solution to the problem and the expression of the dynamic stress concentration are derived. As an example, the numerical results of the dynamic stress distribution around two openings with equal diameters are given. The effects of the parameters, such as the incident wave number and the spacing between the openings, on the dynamic stress concentration factor are analyzed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Materials: Next Generation in Science and Technology)

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