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Ultrasonic testing is widely used for defect detection in polymer composites owing to advantages such as fast processing speed, simple operation, high reliability, and real-time monitoring. However, defect information in ultrasound images is not easily detectable because of the influence of ultrasound echoes and noise. In this study, a stable three-dimensional deep convolutional autoencoder (3D-DCA) was developed to identify defects in polymer composites. Through 3D convolutional operations, it can synchronously learn the spatiotemporal properties of the data volume. Subsequently, the depth receptive field (RF) of the hidden layer in the autoencoder maps the defect information to the original depth location, thereby mitigating the effects of the defect surface and bottom echoes. In addition, a dual-layer encoder was designed to improve the hidden layer visualization results. Consequently, the size, shape, and depth of the defects can be accurately determined. The feasibility of the method was demonstrated through its application to defect detection in carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study delves into the mechanical characteristics of polyamide PA2200 components crafted using selective laser sintering (SLS) technology. Our primary objective is to analyze the tensile behavior of the components printed at various orientations, showing its response to diverse loading conditions. Finite element method (FEM) modeling was employed to analyze the tensile behavior of these details. The time determined for breaking the detail is 9 s. In addition we forecast key properties, such as tensile behavior and strength, using machine learning (ML) techniques, and the best models are for predicting relative elongation are KNeighborsRegressor and SVR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wear is the leading cause of nozzle failure. The durability of the nozzle is affected by the material it is made from. Traditional materials are ceramics, stainless steel, brass, and polymers. One of the possible ways to improve the wear resistance of polymer nozzles is through the incorporation of dispersed fillers into them. This paper presents the results of testing polymer composites for their chemical resistance to pesticides, examining the effects of different types and amounts of fillers on the chemical and abrasion resistance. When silicon carbide was used as a filler, the strength increased by 30.2%. The experiments on chemical resistance to pesticides revealed that the nature, shape, and volume content of filler particles do not significantly affect the resistance of the compounds obtained. Tests on hydro-abrasive wear have shown that graphite and silicon carbide are effective fillers capable of reducing wear by up to 7.5 times. Based on previous research, it is recommended to use a composite compound with 15% volume of silicon carbide for nozzle manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationships between gas permeability and free volume fraction, intersegmental distance, and glass transition temperature, are investigated. They are analyzed for He, CO2, O2, CH4, and N2 gases and for five similar polyimides with a wide range of permeabilities, from very low to extremely high ones. It has been established here that there is an exponential relationship between permeability and the free volume fraction, and between permeability and the most probable intersegmental distance as measured by WAXS; in both cases, with an exponential coefficient that depends on the kinetic gas diameter as a quadratic polynomial and with a preexponential positive constant. Moreover, it has been proven that the intersegmental distance increases linearly with the free volume fraction. Finally, it has been established that the free volume fraction increases with the glass transition temperature for the polymers tested, and that they depend on each other in an approximate linear way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the field of 3D printing technology. Among the various technologies available, fused deposition modeling (FDM) has emerged as the most popular and widely used method. However, achieving optimal results with FDM presents a significant challenge due to the selection of appropriate process parameters. Therefore, the objective of this research was to investigate the impact of process parameters on the tribological and frictional behavior of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polylactic acid (PLA) 3D-printed parts. The design of experiments (DOE) technique was used considering the input design parameters (infill percentage and layer thickness) as variables. The friction coefficient values and the wear were determined by experimental testing of the polymers on a universal tribometer employing plane friction coupling. Multi-response optimization methodology and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to highlight the dependency between the coefficient of friction, surface roughness parameters, and wear on the process parameters. The optimization analysis revealed that the optimal 3D printing input parameters for achieving the minimum coefficient of friction and linear wear were found to be an infill percentage of 50% and layer thickness of 0.1 mm (for ABS material), and an infill percentage of 50%, layer thickness of 0.15 mm (for PLA material). The suggested optimization methodology (which involves minimizing the coefficient of friction and cumulative linear wear) through the optimized parameter obtained provides the opportunity to select the most favorable design conditions contributing to a more sustainable approach to manufacturing by reducing overall material consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is oriented toward the specific testing of polymer composites and textile PA66 cords used as reinforcement for composites. The aim of the research is to validate the proposed new testing methods for low-cyclic testing of polymer composites and PA66 cords for the characterization of material parameters useful as input data for computational tire simulations. Part of the research is the design of experimental methods for polymer composites and test parameters such as load rate, preload, and other parameters such as strain for the start and stop of cycle steps. The DIN 53835-13 standard is used for the conditions of textile cord during the first five cycles. A cyclic load is carried out at two temperatures of 20 °C and 120 °C. The testing method includes a hold step for 60 s between each loop. The video-extensometer technique is used for testing. The paper evaluated the effect of temperatures on the material properties of PA66 cords. The true stress-strain (elongation) dependences between points for the video-extensometer of the fifth cycle of every cycle loop are the data results from composite tests. The forcestrain dependences between points for the video-extensometer are the data results from tests of the PA66 cord. These dependencies can be used as input material data of textile cords in the computational simulation of tire casings using a custom material model definition. The fourth cycle in every cycle loop of polymer composites can be considered a stable cycle because the change in the maximum true stress between the fourth and fifth cycles is 1.6%. Other results of this research include a relationship between stress and the number of cycle loops as the second-degree polynomial curve for polymer composites and a simple relationship to describe the value of the force at each end of the cycles for a textile cord. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies suggest that the incorporation of graphene in resin-based dental materials might enhance their mechanical properties and even decrease their degree of contraction during polymerization. The present study aimed at comparing the three-point flexural strength (FS), the compressive strength (CS), and the Vickers hardness (VH) of a CAD/CAM poly-methylmethacrylate (PMMA)-based resin, a recently introduced graphene-reinforced CAD/CAM PMMA-based resin (G-PMMA), and a conventional dental bis-acryl composite resin (BACR). No significant differences (p > 0.05) were detected among the materials in terms of flexural strength. On the other hand, a mean flexural modulus value of 9920.1 MPa was recorded in BACR group, significantly higher compared to the flexural modulus detected for G-PMMA (2670.2 MPa) and for conventional PMMA (2505.3) (p < 0.05). In terms of compressive modulus (MPa) and compressive strength (MPa), BACR was significantly stiffer than PMMA and G-PMMA. Concerning VH measurements, a significantly increased hardness emerged comparing the BACR group (VH 98.19) to both PMMA and G-PMMA groups (VH 34.16 and 34.26, respectively). Based on the finding of the present study, the graphene-reinforced (PMMA)-based polymer herein tested was not superior to the conventional PMMA and seemed not able to be considered as an alternative material for permanent restorations, at least in terms of hardness and mechanical response to compressive stress. More research on the mechanical/biological properties of G-PMMAs (and on graphene as a filler) seems still necessary to better clarify their potential as dental restorative materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous organic polymers incorporating nitrogen-rich functionalities have recently emerged as promising materials for efficient and highly selective CO2 capture and separation. Herein, we report synthesis and characterization of new two-dimensional (2D) benzene- and triazine-based azo-bridged porous organic polymers. Different synthetic approaches towards the porous azo-bridged polymers were tested, including reductive homocoupling of aromatic nitro monomers, oxidative homocoupling of aromatic amino monomers and heterocoupling of aromatic nitro monomers and a series of aromatic diamines of different lengths and rigidity. IR spectroscopy, 13C CP/MAS NMR spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, nitrogen adsorption–desorption experiments and computational study were used to characterize structures and properties of the resulting polymers. The synthesized azo-bridged polymers are all amorphous solids of good thermal stability, exhibiting various surface areas (up to 351 m2 g−1). The obtained results indicated that the synthetic methods and building units have a pronounced effect on the porosity of the final materials. Reductive and oxidative homocoupling of aromatic nitro and amino building units, respectively, lead to 2D azo-bridged polymers of substantially higher porosity when compared to those produced by heterocoupling reactions. Periodic DFT calculations and Grand-canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations suggested that, within the used approximations, linear linkers of different lengths do not significantly affect CO2 adsorption properties of model azo-bridged polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellular lattices with architectural intricacy or metamaterials have gained a substantial amount of attention in the past decade due to the recent advances in additive manufacturing methods. The lattice topology controls its physical and mechanical properties; therefore, the main challenge is selecting the appropriate lattice topology for a desired function and application. In this work, we comprehensively study the topology–property relationship of three classes of polymer metamaterials based on triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS) of sheet/shell and ligament types, and other types of well-known strut-based lattices. The study uses a holistic approach of designing, additive manufacturing, microstructural characterization, and compressive uniaxial mechanical testing of these polymer lattices that are 3D-printed using the laser powder bed fusion technique known as selective laser sintering (SLS). In total, 55 lattices with different topologies and relative densities were 3D-printed and tested. Printing quality was assessed using scanning electron microscopy and micro-computed tomography. The extracted mechanical properties of elastic modulus, yield strength, plateau strength, and energy absorption are thoroughly compared between the different lattice architectures. The results show that all the investigated ligament-based TPMS polymer lattices exhibit bending-dominated elastic and plastic behavior, indicating that they are suitable candidates for energy absorbing applications. The sheet-based TPMS polymer lattices, similarly to the well-known Octet-Truss lattice, exhibited an elastic stretching-dominated mode of deformation and proved to have exceptional stiffness as compared to all other topologies, especially at low relative densities. However, the sheet-based TPMS polymer lattices exhibited a bending-dominated plastic behavior which is mainly driven by manufacturing defects. Overall, however, sheet-based TPMS polymer lattices exhibited the best mechanical properties, followed by strut-based lattices and finally by ligament-based TPMS lattices. Finally, it is depicted that at high relative densities, the mechanical properties of lattices of various architectures tend to converge, which implies that the topological effect is more significant at low relative densities. Generally, this study provides important insights about the selection of polymer mechanical metamaterials for various applications, and shows the superiority of TPMS-based polymer metamaterials as compared to several other classes of polymer mechanical metamaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymeric micelle forming from self-assembly of amphiphilic macromolecules is one of the most potent drug delivery systems. Fatty acids, naturally occurring hydrophobic lipid components, can be considered as potential candidates for the fabrication of block copolymer micelles. However, examples of synthesis of responsive block copolymers using renewable fatty acids are scarce. Herein, we report the synthesis, characterization and testing of block copolymer micelles composed of a renewable fatty-acid-based hydrophobic block and thermoresponsive hydrophilic block for controlled drug delivery. The block copolymers of functionalized fatty acid and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) were prepared via consecutive microwave-assisted reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The block copolymers with variable hydrophobic block length self-assembled in aqueous media and formed spherical nanoparticles of ~30 nm with low critical micelle concentration (CMC). To demonstrate the proof-of-concept, carbamazepine (CBZ) was used as a hydrophobic model drug to evaluate the performance of these micelles as nanocarriers. The in vitro drug release tests were carried out below (25 °C) and above (37 °C) the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the block copolymer. The drug release showed obvious temperature-triggered response and an accelerated drug release at 37 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The layer number effect on electric breakdown strength (EBD) of multi-layer polymer films is investigated using 10-μm polypropylene (PP) films under a dc condition. The layer number, n, of the films during the test is as large as 120. It is observed that the relation between EBD and n conforms to a minus power law, i.e., EBD(n) = E1′n−a, where the power exponent, a, is 0.27, E1′ is a constant. By reviewing the experimental data in references, it is found that the power law holds true for different types of polymers in different test conditions, but the value of a varies from 0.072 to 0.5. The variation of a is explained in perspective of the discontinuous structures within films and those between films. A small value of a means a good purity level of the film, which is due to the decrease of the size of the inter-layer defects. A large value of a means a poor purity level of the films, which is due to the increase of the amount of intra-layer defects. Both factors influence the value of a, leading to the variation of a. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive employment of biomaterials in the areas of biomedical and microbiological applications is considered to be of prime importance. As expected, oil based polymer materials were gradually replaced by natural or synthetic biopolymers due to their well-known intrinsic characteristics such as biodegradability, non-toxicity and biocompatibility. Literature on this subject was found to be expanding, especially in the areas of biomedical and microbiological applications. Introduction of porosity into a biomaterial broadens the scope of applications. In addition, increased porosity can have a beneficial effect for the applications which exploit their exceptional ability of loading, retaining and releasing of fluids. Different applications require a unique set of pore characteristics in the biopolymer matrix. Various pore morphologies have different characteristics and contribute different performances to the biopolymer matrix. Fabrication methods for bio-based porous materials more related to the choice of material. By choosing the appropriate combination of fabrication technique and biomaterial employment, one can obtain tunable pore characteristic to fulfill the requirements of desired application. In our previous review, we described the literature related to biopolymers and fabrication techniques of porous materials. This paper we will focus on the biomedical and microbiological applications of bio-based porous materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiaxial testing in composites may generate failure modes which are more representative of what occurs in a real structure submitted to complex loading conditions. However, some of its main handicaps include the need for special facilities, the correct design of the experiments, and the challenging interpretation of the results. The framework of this research is based on a triaxial testing machine with six actuators which is able to apply simultaneous and synchronized axial loads in the three space directions. Then, the aim was to design from a numerical point of view a triaxial experiment adapted to this equipment. The methodology proposed could allow for an adequate characterization of the triaxial response of a polymer-based composite with apparent isotropic behaviour in the testing directions. The finite element method (FEM) is applied in order to define the geometry of the triaxial specimen. The design pursues to achieve homogeneous stress and strain states in the triaxially loaded region, which should be accessible for direct measurement of the strains. Moreover, a fixing system is proposed for experimentally reproducing the desired boundary conditions imposed on the numerical simulations. The procedure to determine the full strain tensor in the triaxially loaded region is described analytically and with the help of FEM virtual testing. The hydrostatic component and the deviatoric part of the strain tensor are proposed for estimating the susceptibility of the polymer-based composite to fail due to the triaxial strain state imposed. Then, the loading scenarios that cause higher values of the deviatoric components in the triaxially loaded region are considered to be more prone to damage the region of interest. Nevertheless, the experimental failure is expected to be produced in the arms of the specimen which are uniaxially loaded, since in all of the loading cases the simulations show higher levels of stress concentration out of the triaxially loaded region. Thus, although the triaxial strength could not be accurately determined by the proposed tests, they can be utilized for observing the triaxial response before failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The heterogeneity and anisotropy of fibre-reinforced polymer matrix composites results in a highly complex mechanical response and failure under multiaxial loading states. Among the different biaxial testing techniques, tests with cruciform specimens have been a preferred option, although nowadays, they continue to raise a lack of consensus. It is therefore necessary to review the state of the art of this testing methodology applied to fibre-reinforced polymers. In this context, aspects such as the specific constituents, the geometric design of the specimen or the application of different tensile/compressive load ratios must be analysed in detail before being able to establish a suitable testing procedure. In addition, the most significant results obtained in terms of the analytical, numerical and experimental analyses of the biaxial tests with cruciform specimens are collected. Finally, significant modifications proposed in literature are detailed, which can lead to variants or adaptations of the tests with cruciform specimens, increasing their scope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the paper is to design, manufacture, and test an off-axis composite profile of circular cross-section. Composite profile based on continuous carbon fibers reinforcing the onyx matrix, i.e., a matrix that consists of nylon and micro carbon fibers, was produced by fused deposition modeling (FDM) method. A buckling test of the six printed composite specimens was performed on a tensile test machine. The values of the experiment were compared with the values of the computational simulation using the Finite Element Method (FEM) analysis. The mean value of the experimentally determined critical force at which the composite profile failed was 3102 N, while the value of the critical force by FEM analysis was calculated to be 2879 N. Thus, reliability of the simulation to determine the critical force differed from the experimental procedure by only 7%. FEM analysis revealed that the primary failure of 3D printed composite parts was not due to loss of stability, but due to material failure. With great accuracy, the results of the comparison show that it is possible to predict the mechanical properties of 3D printed composite laminates on the basis of a theoretical model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymer flooding has gained much interest within the oil industry in the past few decades as one of the most successful chemical enhanced oil recovery (CEOR) methods. The injectivity of polymer solutions in porous media is a key factor in polymer flooding projects. The main challenge that faces prediction of polymer injectivity in field applications is the inherent non-Newtonian behavior of polymer solutions. Polymer in situ rheology in porous media may exhibit complex behavior that encompasses shear thickening at high flow rates in addition to the typical shear thinning at low rates. This shear-dependent behavior is usually measured in lab core flood experiments. However, data from field applications are usually limited to the well bottom-hole pressure (BHP) as the sole source of information. In this paper, we analyze BHP data from field polymer injectivity test conducted in a Middle Eastern heterogeneous carbonate reservoir characterized by high-temperature and high-salinity (HTHS) conditions. The analysis involved incorporating available data to build a single-well model to simulate the injectivity test. Several generic sensitivities were tested to investigate the impact of stepwise variation in injection flow rate and polymer concentration. Polymer injection was reflected in a non-linear increase in pressure with injection, and longer transient behavior toward steady state. The results differ from water injection which have linear pressure response to rate variation, and quick stabilization of pressure after rate change. The best match of the polymer injection was obtained with complex rheology, that means the combined shear thickening at high rate near the well and moving through apparent Newtonian and shear thinning at low rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alternative sleeper technologies have been developed to address the significant need for the replacement of deteriorating timber railway sleepers. The review of the literature indicates that the railway sleepers might fail while in service, despite passing the evaluation tests of the current composite sleeper standards which indicated that these tests do not represent in situ sleeper on ballast. In this research, a new five-point bending test is developed to evaluate the flexural behaviour of timber replacement sleeper technologies supported by ballast. Due to the simplicity, acceptance level of evaluation accuracy and the lack of in-service behaviour of alternative sleepers, this new testing method is justified with the bending behaviour according to the Beam on Elastic Foundation theory. Three timber replacement sleeper technologies—plastic, synthetic composites and low-profile prestressed concrete sleepers in addition to timber sleepers—were tested under service loading condition to evaluate the suitability of the new test method. To address the differences in the bending of the sleepers due to their different modulus of elasticities, the most appropriate material for the middle support was also determined. Analytical equations of the bending moments with and without middle support settlement were also developed. The results showed that the five-point static bending test could induce the positive and negative bending moments experienced by railway sleepers under a train wheel load. It was also found that with the proposed testing spans, steel-EPDM rubber is the most suitable configuration for low bending modulus sleepers such as plastic, steel-neoprene for medium modulus polymer sleepers and steel-steel for very high modulus sleepers such as concrete. Finally, the proposed bending moment equations can precisely predict the flexural behaviour of alternative sleepers under the five-point bending test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production of 3D printed safety protection devices (SPD) requires particular attention to the material selection and to the evaluation of mechanical resistance, biological safety and surface roughness related to the accumulation of bacteria and viruses. We explored the possibility to adopt additive manufacturing technologies for the production of respirator masks, responding to the sudden demand of SPDs caused by the emergency scenario of the pandemic spread of SARS-COV-2. In this study, we developed different prototypes of masks, exclusively applying basic additive manufacturing technologies like fused deposition modeling (FDM) and droplet-based precision extrusion deposition (db-PED) to common food packaging materials. We analyzed the resulting mechanical characteristics, biological safety (cell adhesion and viability), surface roughness and resistance to dissolution, before and after the cleaning and disinfection phases. We showed that masks 3D printed with home-grade printing equipment have similar performances compared to the industrial-grade ones, and furthermore we obtained a perfect face fit by customizing their shape. Finally, we developed novel approaches to the additive manufacturing post-processing phases essential to assure human safety in the production of 3D printed custom medical devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review paper initially summarizes the latest developments in impact testing on polymer matrix composites collating the various analytical, numerical, and experimental studies performed since the year 2000. Subsequently, the scientific literature investigating nanofiller reinforced polymer composite matrices as well as self-healing polymer matrix composites by incorporating core-shell nanofibers is reviewed in-depth to provide a perspective on some novel advances in nanotechnology that have led to composite developments. Through this review, researchers can gain a representative idea of the state of the art in nanotechnology for polymer matrix composite engineering, providing a platform for further study of this increasingly industrially significant material, and to address the challenges in developing the next generation of advanced, high-performance materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]