Publications

Assessment of Ichu fibers as non-expensive thermal insulation system for the Andean regions

In the Andean regions, low temperatures (5 to −25°C) combined with the wind effect give the sensation of extreme cold. Besides, in the rural areas, dwelling structures are very rudimentary, being based on adobe walls and galvanized steel corrugated roofs. The combination of weather issues and construction without thermal insulation considerations put people in extreme living conditions. Using local and cheap natural fibers as thermal insulation is a great alternative especially to upgrade/refurbish rudimentary constructions. In areas above 3000m over sea level, natural fibers are vast and cheap (∼0.15USD/kg), especially fibers named “Ichu”. In this study thermal properties of natural fibers were characterized according to the ASTM C177. Results show that the thermal conductivity varies from 0.047 to 0.113W/mK, for mats with unidirectional oriented fibers, being fine Ichu which have the lowest values. For the fine Ichu fiber to be competitive in terms of cost per unit thermal resistance, fiber mat density were reduced, arranging the fibers randomly; results show a significant reduction in density, without increasing significantly the thermal conductivity. According to these results Ichu fibers have exceptional thermal insulation properties. Moreover, this is the first conducted study on the thermal performance of this natural Andeans fiber.

Assessment of the Interface Shear Strength of Metal-Polymer System Based on the Single Filament Fragmentation Test Method

Among the different test methods to characterize the fibre/matrix interfacial shear strength, the fragmentation test is one of the most simple in terms of experimental setup and the amount of data that can be extracted from one single test. In this work, the fragmentation test method was implemented to assess the interface shear strength obtained for a single steel filament embedded in an unsaturated polyester resin.. The fragment lengths were discriminated and processed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Chi-square fitting test methods showing that the fragment lengths correspond to the extreme statistical distributions. In addition, a very high shear strength (67MPa) of the steel/polyester interface was estimated using the Kelly and Tyson criteria considering the critical fragment length.

Beneficios y riesgos de dispositivos de drenaje para tratamiento de glaucoma

En el tratamiento del glaucoma se suele iniciar con medicamentos. En segunda instancia, se recurre a cirugias o implante de dispositivos de drenaje. Los dispositivos de drenaje son usados para tratar glaucomas refractarios (no responden a tratamiento medico o cirugias), cuando la trabeculectomia o cualquier cirugia falla en el control de la presion intraocular. En la actualidad existe una gama de disenos que basicamente consisten en un tubo que drena humor acuoso desde la camara anterior o posterior a un plato ubicado en la zona ecuatorial del ojo. Asimismo, los dispositivos de drenaje han tenido un avance significativo en los ultimos anos, y han variado el mecanismo de accion, los materiales, las dimensiones y las indicaciones de uso. Este trabajo proporciona informacion sobre el estado del arte del glaucoma, asi como una revision sistematica de la literatura sobre los dispositivos de drenaje, que describe su mecanismo de funcionamiento, las principales ventajas, la efectividad medida segun la variacion de la presion intraocular y las complicaciones mas importantes halladas en cada estudio.

Assessment of cement-based boards reinforced with fibers extracted from Andean Ichu grass

High cycle fatigue life analysis of unidirectional flax/PLA composites through infrared thermography

The durability of structural components under fatigue loading is a huge concern, especially in laminated composites. During the last few years, flax fibers have also gained an outstanding position as a reinforcement of biopolymeric matrices as polylactic acid (PLA). However, there is limited reported information regarding the fatigue behavior of unidirectional flax/PLA composites. Therefore, fatigue properties of unidirectional flax/PLA composites are evaluated in this work; tools such as infrared thermography and dissipated energy were used in order to establish the fatigue limit, and fracture surface was analyzed. Results show consistent and reliable tensile properties (σut = 234.4 MPa, E = 20.56 GPa, and εf = 0.0181). The fatigue stress-cycle curve was established and fitted to the Basquin and Weibull fatigue models and the fatigue limit (σ∞) was obtained as 0.4343 and 0.426 using the thermography and dissipated energy, respectively. Furthermore, the fatigue fracture surface presents a striation on the matrix due to the progressive crack propagation.

Correction: Influence of the secondary aluminum chip on the physical and mechanical properties of concrete

The Effect of Alkali Treatment on Chemical and Physical Properties of Ichu and Cabuya Fibers

Ichu and Cabuya were characterized and the effect of alkali treatment on the chemical and physical properties of these fibers was studied. This treatment was carried out to remove non-cellulosic components in order to improve the adhesion of these fibers to be used as reinforcing composites since they are currently being tested in polymer matrix composites. The chemical properties were investigated through TAPPI Standards and FTIR spectroscopy. The physical properties (microfibrillar angle and density) were analyzed through polarized light microscopy and a gas pycnometer, respectively. The results show that with this chemical treatment, it is possible to remove 53.9% of lignin and 22.7% of hemicellulose for Ichu fiber and 50.7% and 91.7%, respectively, for Cabuya. Besides, it was found that the microfibrillar angle is not affected by this chemical treatment since its effect is only superficial. In addition, SEM images show that Ichu fiber has amorphous silica particles in its surface, in which it becomes a potential fiber for cement composites.

Mechanical characterization and fractography of glass fiber/polyamide (PA6) composites

The mechanical properties of the glass fiber reinforced Polyamide (PA6) composites made by prepreg tapes and commingled yarns were studied by in-plane compression, short-beam shear, and flexural tests. The composites were fabricated with different fiber volume contents (prepregs—47%, 55%, 60%, and commingled—48%, 48%, 49%, respectively) by using vacuum consolidation technique. To evaluate laminate quality in terms of fiber wet-out at filament level, homogeneity of fiber/matrix distribution, and matrix/fiber bonding standard microscopic methods like optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used. Both commingled and prepreg glass fiber/PA6 composites (with Vf ∼ 48%) give mechanical properties such as compression strength (530–570 MPa), inter-laminar shear strength (70–80 MPa), and transverse strength (80–90 MPa). By increasing small percentage in the fiber content show significant rise in compression strength, slight decrease in the ILSS and transverse strengths, whereas semipreg give very poor properties with the slight increase in fiber content. Overall comparison of mechanical properties indicates commingled glass fiber/PA6 composite shows much better performance compared with prepregs due to uniform distribution of fiber and matrix, better melt-impregnation while processing, perfect alignment of glass fibers in the composite. This study proves again that the presence of voids and poor interface bonding between matrix/fiber leads to decrease in the mechanical properties. Fractographic characterization of post-failure surfaces reveals information about the cause and sequence of failure. POLYM. COMPOS., 36:834–853, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers

Effect of Polymer Form and its Consolidation on Mechanical Properties and Quality of Glass/PBT Composites

The aim of this study was to understand the role of the processing in determining the mechanical properties of glass fibre reinforced polybutylene terephth

Moisture effect on tensile and low‐velocity impact tests of flax fabric‐reinforced PLA biocomposite

This study investigates the hygrothermal aging effect on the tensile and impact behavior of flax/PLA biocomposites. Specimens underwent up to four weeks of conditioning at 40°C in a climate chamber with water. Analysis covered porosity, moisture diffusibility, and transversal microstructure, enabling assessment of tensile strength, tensile modulus, and impact performance in relation to moisture uptake and fiber orientation. The study of tensile properties revealed that at approximately 12% moisture content, stiffness and yield stress decrease, while strength remains constant. Moisture diffusivity is higher in warp and weft yarn directions than the out‐of‐plane direction. Tensile testing at environmental equilibrium moisture reveals greater stiffness in the weft direction, correlated with lower crimp percentage and yarn angle. The main contribution of the paper is the study of the influence of moisture on the impact behavior, the results show that energy absorption capability of flax/PLA biocomposite increases with moisture content. Highlights Fully biodegradable composite material by heat‐compression molding subjected to hygrothermal aging conditions for up to four weeks. The moisture diffusivity in both the warp and weft yarn directions registered higher values in comparison to the out‐of‐plane direction. Tensile testing at environmental equilibrium moisture revealed that the stiffness in the weft direction presented higher values. At 12% of moisture uptake, the stiffness and yield stress reached their lowest values, while strength remained constant. However, the low‐velocity impact properties of the composites exhibited improvement with moisture.

Influence of Reinforcement Architecture on Behavior of Flax/PLA Green Composites under Low-Velocity Impact

The main goal of this study is the comparison of different reinforcement architectures on the low-velocity impact behavior of green composites. The study includes the comparison of unidirectional, basket weave, and twill weave flax/PLA composites, they are subjected to unidirectional tensile tests, drop-weight impact tests, and after-impact compression tests. Results show that the unidirectional composite demonstrates superior tensile strength and initial modulus due to reduced fiber crimp, while basket weave exhibits the highest energy absorption capability and strain capacity attributed to its higher fiber-weight ratio and fiber crimp. Unidirectional composite also shows a larger impacted damage area compared to basket weave and twill weave, attributed to its internal architecture. Residual compressive strength across all composites decreased by 40% compared to the reference sample. However, the reduction in stiffness after impact was different, UD/PLA composite stiffness was reduced by 30% while the reduction in BW/PLA and T/PLA composites was about 20%.

Influence of the secondary aluminum chip on the physical and mechanical properties of concrete

Secondary aluminum swarf is a residue from the turning or drilling process that originates after the metal melting phase. It is a major problem in Peru bec

Experimental Analysis of Hybrid Panels Combining Flax/PLA Composite with UHMWPE and Steel Under Ballistic Impact

This study investigates the feasibility of substituting UHMWPE and steel with flax/PLA green composite in ballistic applications with the objective to increase sustainability and cost-effectiveness. Results reveal that flax/PLA composite exhibits significantly lower ballistic performance than UHMWPE due to its lower energy absorption capacity. However, hybrid panels where 33% of UHMWPE was replaced by biocomposite showed similar values of V50 than homogenous UHMWPE, suggesting potential for partial replacement without compromising ballistic performance. However, the hybrid panels of biocomposite and steel showed a ballistic limit much lower than pure steel. Analysis of scan results indicates distinct failure modes: UHMWPE exhibits viscoelastic deformation, biocomposites show local damage failure, and steel displays ductile behavior. These findings provide insights into the viability of hybridizing UHMWPE with biocomposites for eco-friendly ballistic applications.

Repeated Slamming of Sandwich Composite Panels on Water

Wave slamming was simulated by repeatedly slamming rectangular sandwich composite specimens mounted on a rigid wedge with constant deadrise angle onto the body of calm water at various energy levels. Under single slamming, peak pressures and strains on the specimens were consistently found near the keel, whereas the maximum damage was localized near the chine. Significant reduction in strength was observed resulting from a single slam even at a moderate slamming energy level that left no apparent/visible damage to the test panel. Similarly, a substantial reduction in strength was observed under repeated slamming at various energy levels. The results were corroborated with acoustic emission observations that indicated a substantial reduction in AE activity in slammed specimens. A methodology was developed for the quantitative assessment of remaining strength and damage accumulation in slammed specimens using AE technique. Face yielding and core crushing were found to be the dominant modes of failure.

Chemical Characterization for the Comparative Study of Peruvian Natural Fibers

Chemical Characterization for the Comparative Study of Peruvian Natural Fibers C. Tenazoa, S. Charca, M. Quintana, E. Flores Abstract. In recent years, natural fibers have acquired a fundamental role in the industry because, besides being available in great abundance, they are bio-renewable. These are mainly composed of lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose, which are natural polymers […]

Evaluation of the Interface Strength in Metal/Polymer Composite Systems

No abstract is provided for this article.

Damage Assessment Due to Single Slamming of Foam Core Sandwich Composites

Foam core sandwich composite panels were slammed onto the body of calm water as a function of slamming energy (161—779 J) and deadrise angle (0°—45°). Higher slamming energy and lower deadrise angle resulted in greater damage to the material. Discrete pressure data though critical in ship design, failed to yield any relevant damage information. Catastrophic failure was observed to occur beyond a threshold strain of 0.0035 mm/mm. With the introduction of a hydroelasticity function, quasi-static analysis accurately predicted strain behavior under slamming. Post-failure analysis of noncatastrophically damaged specimens indicated very little reduction in flexural capacity in spite of a measurable change in the acoustic emission activity. Core shear along the interface with the facesheets and local buckling of the facesheet and resin fragmentation were observed to be the dominant modes of failure under slamming.

Fatigue Life (Limit) Analysis Through Infrared Thermography on Flax/PLA Composites with Different Reinforcement Configurations

This paper presents the fatigue limit of flax/PLA composites with different fiber reinforcement architectures. The configurations of the analyzed flax/PLA composites are [0°]8, [0°/90°]s, [+45°/−45°]s, [90°]4, stacking sequences, and basket weave laminates. The methods used to estimate the fatigue limit are the fitting of stress versus number of cycles data using Weibull and Basquin equations, the surface thermographic technique with bilinear and exponential models to analyze the evolution of temperature increment, and volumetric dissipated energy. According to the results found, superficial temperature and the maximum strain reached stabilization over 2000 cycles for σmax/σut < 0.7, which was used to determine cyclic stress–strain curves and the fatigue limit. The cyclic stress–strain shows a nonlinear behavior for all laminates, having a good correlation to the Ramberg–Osgood model. Furthermore, having the stabilized temperature and volumetric dissipated energy, the exponential model was used to evaluate the fatigue limit and compared to the values found by Basquin and bilinear models. The fatigue limit found by Basquin and bilinear models shows conservative values compared to the exponential models. The results also show that temperature measurement using infrared thermography is quite sensitive to the environmental temperature variation, especially at low stress applied, and finally, the comparison of these methods on different reinforcement configurations provides a guide to select a proper technique in each case.