GOALI: Impact Response and Failure of Bio-Composites

该GOALI项目是与福特汽车公司合作的一个项目，旨在研究由嵌入合成和天然聚合物粘合树脂中的天然纤维制成的复合材料的机械冲击性能和能量吸收能力。我们的目标是发展的能量耗散和这些生物复合材料在微观力学水平的故障机制的理解，增加其在冲击安全应用的目的。各种天然材料将在研究中处理，包括韧皮，草原草和纤维素纤维，和大豆基树脂。将制造材料的复合配方并进行实验室测试，以确定其在高速冲击时的机械响应和断裂特性。基于试验结果和试样的扫描电子显微镜，将建立一个细观力学有限元模型来研究这些生物复合材料的破坏机制、能量耗散机制和材料设计之间的关系，研究的成功完成将使人们对生物复合材料的冲击响应和破坏行为有一个全面的了解，从而促进其在冲击安全应用中的设计。这些材料可以在更广泛的应用中替代传统的玻璃/乙烯基酯复合材料，并抵消传统复合材料制造中消耗的一些石油。一般知识将导致高速率测量技术，所得数据的适当解释，其连接到能量吸收行为和冲击过程的微观力学建模技术。

This GOALI project is a collaboration with Ford Motor Company on the mechanical impact performance and energy absorption capabilities of composite materials formulated from natural fibers embedded in synthetic and natural polymeric binding resins. The goal is to develop understanding of the energy dissipation and failure mechanisms of these bio-composites at the micromechanical level, for the purpose of increasing their use in impact safety applications. Various natural materials will be treated in the research including bast, prairie grass and cellulose fibers, and soy based resin. Composite formulations of the materials will be manufactured and laboratory tested to determine their mechanical response and fracture characteristics when impacted at high rate. Based on the test results and scanning electron microscopy of test samples, a micromechanical finite element model will be developed to investigate the relationships between failure mechanisms, energy dissipation mechanisms, and material design of these bio-composites.The successful completion of the research will yield a general understanding of the impact response and failure behavior of bio-composites, facilitating their design for impact safety applications. These materials could serve as replacements of traditional glass/vinyl ester composites in an increased range of applications, and offset some of the petroleum consumed in the manufacture of the traditional composites. General knowledge will result on high rate measurement techniques, appropriate interpretation of the resulting data, its connection to energy absorbing behavior and micromechanical modeling techniques for impact processes.