Analysis and Characterization of Advanced Composites for Competitive Failure Models

加拿大的气候计划是为了确保到2030年减少温室气体(GHG)排放，到2050年达到净零排放。加拿大的气候计划确定，运输业排放的温室气体约占总排放量的25%。其中一项主要建议是减轻车辆重量，同时提高新轿车、轻型卡车运输机和船舶的结构性能。复合材料是应对这些挑战的理想选择。这引发了复合材料制造技术的进一步进步，以及通过结合天然纤维和合成纤维进行杂交。这些进步决定了需要考虑制造缺陷及其对机械响应和故障的影响。这项研究计划进行三项平行调查，以捕捉这些影响并扩展现有模拟工具的功能。这些平行的研究是：1)用于识别制造缺陷的微观结构评估；2)用于描述这些缺陷对机械响应的影响的微观机械模型；以及3)用于检查制造缺陷对失效极限的影响的宏观机械模型。在微观结构评价研究中，采用了两种制造方法及其变体，即高压罐和真空辅助树脂传递模塑(VARTM)。微观结构的定量评估也解释了使用单向和二维机织纤维之间的差异。微观机械模型调查研究在评估调查中确定的单个和组合制造缺陷对机械响应的影响。寻求均化特性以能够预测在使用载荷下的机械响应。最后，宏观力学模型研究扩展了制造缺陷对失效预测影响的研究。利用宏观-微观力学关系寻找制造缺陷的竞争性失效模型。通过微观和宏观力学研究，该研究计划旨在将图形用户界面(图形用户界面)开发为主流有限元商业代码。该图形用户界面允许设计者将制造方法转换为一组目标输入，以消除对耗时的多层次模拟的需要。考虑到所有工程领域都采用复合材料，拟议方案的影响是普遍的。复合材料在世界范围内的使用突显了拟议方案成果在国际上传播的预期潜力。将研究成果转化为商业代码确保了它们在研究人员和不同行业中的实际传播。此外，拟议的计划还保证了HQP在最先进的无损评估和先进的模拟技术方面的培训。这些结果结合在一起，将对加拿大的工业、经济发展和环境可持续性产生有利影响。

Canada's climate plan is developed to ensure reducing greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions by 2030 and reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. Canada's climate plan identified that transportation sector is responsible for about 25% of GHG emissions. One of the major recommendations is for the reduction in vehicle weight while enhancing structural performance of new cars, light trucks transport aircraft and marine craft. Composite materials represent the ideal candidate for meeting these challenges. This triggered further advances in composite manufacturing technologies as well as hybridization by combining natural and synthetic fibres. These advances dictate the need to account for manufacturing defects and their influence on mechanical response and failure. This research program plans three parallel investigations to capture these effects and extend functionality of existing simulation tools. These parallel investigations are 1) microstructural assessment to identify manufacturing defects, 2) micromechanical modeling to delineate the influence of these defects on mechanical response and 3) macromechanical modeling to examine the effects of manufacturing defects on failure limits. In microstructure assessment investigations, two manufacturing methods and their variations are utilized, namely, autoclave and vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM). Quantitative assessments of microstructure also account for variations between using unidirectional and two-dimensional woven fibres. Micromechanical modeling investigations study effect of individual and combined manufacturing defects identified in assessment investigations on mechanical response. Homogenized properties are sought to enable prediction of mechanical response under service loads. Finally, macromechanical modeling investigations extend studies on effect of manufacturing defects towards failure prediction. Competitive failure models accounting for manufacturing defects are sought utilizing macro-micro mechanical relationships. Through micro- and macro-mechanical investigations, the research program aims at developing graphical user interface (GUI) into mainstream finite element commercial codes. This GUI allows the designer to translate manufacturing method into set of objective inputs to eliminate need for time consuming multi-level simulations. Given that composite materials are adopted in all engineering fields, the impact of proposed program is universal. World-wide use of composites highlights expected potential of internationally spreading the outcomes of the proposed program. Implementation of research outcomes into commercial codes guarantees their practical dissemination among researchers and various industries. Moreover, the proposed program guarantees HQP training on state-of-the-art non-destructive evaluation and advanced simulation techniques. These outcomes combined will have favorable impacts on Canadian industry, economy development and environmental sustainability.