Chioma Ifeyinwa Madueke^1,*, Okwunna Maryjane Ekechukwu², Funsho Olaitan Kolawole³

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.12, No.12, pp. 2017-2047, 2024, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2024.055207 - 20 December 2024

Abstract Coir fibre has generated much interest as an eco-friendly, sustainable fibre with low density. This review findings show that coir fibres are abundant, with an average global annual production of 1019.7 × 103 tonnes, with about 63% of this volume produced from India. Extraction of coir has been carried out through water retting. However, the retting period has been limited to 4–10 months. The lignin content of coir is more than 60% higher than that of other natural fibres; hence, coir could double as a source of lignin for other applications. The diameter of coir… More >

Nicolás Amigo^*

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.81, No.3, pp. 3665-3678, 2024, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2024.059895 - 19 December 2024

Abstract This study explores the mechanical behavior of single-crystal copper with silver inclusions, focusing on the effects of dendritic and spherical geometries using molecular dynamics simulations. Uniaxial tensile tests reveal that dendritic inclusions lead to an earlier onset of plasticity due to the presence of high-strain regions at the complex inclusion/matrix interfaces, whereas spherical inclusions exhibit delayed plasticity associated with their symmetric geometry and homogeneous strain distribution. During the plastic regime, the dislocation density is primarily influenced by the volume fraction of silver inclusions rather than their shape, with spherical inclusions showing the highest densities due… More >

Subburayan Manickavasagam Suresh Kumar¹, Sundaravel Balachandran², Seong Cheol Kim³, Balamurugan Rathinam^4,*, Vanaraj Ramkumar^3,5,*

Journal of Polymer Materials, Vol.41, No.4, pp. 207-218, 2024, DOI:10.32604/jpm.2024.057901 - 16 December 2024

Abstract The present study focuses on sustainable biopolymer composites created from coconut sheath and basalt fibres, which are biodegradable, environmentally benign, and have low carbon footprints. High specific strength, superior mechanical performance, reduced weight, and improved thermal stability are all displayed by these materials. Four hybrid epoxy composites (C1–C4) were produced utilizing five stacking sequences and compression moulding, demonstrating that hybridization considerably enhances mechanical characteristics. The hybrid and pure basalt fibre composites have larger storage moduli than untreated coconut sheath fibre-reinforced epoxy (2.1 GPa). The greatest glass transition temperature (Tg) for C4 has been determined to More > Graphic Abstract

Aswinraj Anbazhagan¹, Piyali Roy Choudhury¹, Sahila Sambandam², Jayakumari Lakshmanan Saraswathi^1,*

Journal of Polymer Materials, Vol.41, No.4, pp. 299-313, 2024, DOI:10.32604/jpm.2024.056261 - 16 December 2024

Abstract Petroleum-based cured epoxy polymers, used widely in aerospace, marine, and automotive industries, pose environmental threats due to their toxicity. Therefore, developing alternative curing systems for epoxy resin is crucial. This study explores the use of bio-based phenalkamines as curing agents for epoxy resin to enhance the mechanical properties of polymer composites and fiber-reinforced laminates. The functional groups, morphology, and thermal properties of the composites were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Mechanical properties of two epoxy systems—EP-TETA (triethylenetetramine-cured) and EP-PA (phenalkamine-cured)—were evaluated according to ASTM standards. More > Graphic Abstract

Hongze Wang^1,2,3,*, An Wang^1,2, Zijue Tang^1,2, Yi Wu^1,2,3, Haowei Wang^1,2,3,4

The International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences, Vol.32, No.2, pp. 1-1, 2024, DOI:10.32604/icces.2024.012430

Abstract Hatch spacing is a crucial parameter for achieving superior mechanical properties during the process of laser directed energy deposition (L-DED) process. However, the optimum hatch spacing is based on trial and error approaches using pre-existing experience. In this paper, we have systematically compared the porosity characteristics, microstructure evolution, and thermal gradients in double tracks of AlSi10Mg under various hatch spacings during blue laser directed energy deposition (BL-DED). A peculiar phenomenon of pore segregation is observed at the boundary of the overlapping zone of adjacent deposited tracks, where the porosity is almost 8 times that of… More >

Jinlong Su^1,2, Chaolin Tan^2,*, Swee Leong Sing^1,*

The International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences, Vol.32, No.2, pp. 1-1, 2024, DOI:10.32604/icces.2024.012733

Abstract Tailoring thermal history during additive manufacturing (AM) offers a viable approach to customising the microstructure and properties of materials without changing alloy compositions, which is generally overlooked as it is hard to achieve in commercial materials. In this work, a customised Fe-Ni-Ti-Al maraging steel with rapid precipitation kinetics offers the opportunity to leverage thermal history during AM for achieving large-range tunable strength-ductility combinations without post heat treatment or changing alloy chemistry. The Fe-Ni-Ti-Al maraging steel was processed by laser-directed energy deposition (LDED) with different deposition strategies to tailor the thermal history. As the phase transformation… More >

Bosong Li¹, Jamie J. Kruzic^1,*

The International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences, Vol.32, No.2, pp. 1-2, 2024, DOI:10.32604/icces.2024.011331

Abstract Additive manufacturing has made the fabrication of large-dimensioned bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) achievable; however, questions remain regarding how to control the processing parameters to obtain dense and fully amorphous BMGs with desirable mechanical properties. Here, laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) was used to produce dense and fully amorphous Zr_59.3Cu_28.8Nb_1.5Al_10.4 BMG samples from two different starting powders within a large processing window of laser powers and scanning speeds. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that fully amorphous materials with high relative densities (>99%) were obtained when the LPBF energy density ranged from ~20 J/mm³ up to ~33 J/mm³ for coarse… More >

Zhiheng Hu^1,*, Hang Li Seet¹, Sharon Mui Ling Nai¹

The International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences, Vol.31, No.4, pp. 1-1, 2024, DOI:10.32604/icces.2024.012118

Abstract Heat treatment is a common way for enhancing the mechanical properties of the aluminum alloys. For the alloys developed for laser powder bed fusion, changes in chemical composition, together with the non-equilibrium microstructures resulting from the ultrafast cooling rate during the process, potentially alter the effectiveness of heat treatment. This study investigates the effect of the heat treatments on a Al6xxx alloy fabricated by LPBF. The response to the same heat treatment varies depending on the initial microstructure, and similarly, different heat treatments yield distinct outcomes when applied to the same original microstructures. While there… More >

Chenze Li¹, Manish Jain^1,2, Qian Liu¹, Zhuohan Cao¹, Michael Ferry³, Jamie J. Kruzic¹, Bernd Gludovatz¹, Xiaopeng Li^1,*

The International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences, Vol.31, No.4, pp. 1-2, 2024, DOI:10.32604/icces.2024.011290

Abstract Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing (AM) technology has become a versatile tool for producing new microstructures in metal components, offering novel mechanical properties for different applications. In this work, enhanced ductility (~55% elongation) and tunable mechanical anisotropy (ratio of ductility along vertical to horizontal orientation from ~0.2 to ~1) were achieved for a CoCrNi medium entropy alloy (MEA) by multi-scale synergistic microstructure manipulation (i.e., melt pool boundary, grain morphology and crystallographic texture) through adjusting key LPBF processing parameters (e.g., laser power and scan speed). By increasing the volumetric energy density (VED) from 68.3… More >

Xudong Yang¹, Yifan Wang^1,*

The International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences, Vol.31, No.4, pp. 1-1, 2024, DOI:10.32604/icces.2024.011275

Abstract Shape-morphing materials present promising avenues for mimicking the adaptive characteristics of biological organisms capable of transitioning between diverse morphologies. However, existing morphing strategies through pre-arranged localized strain and/or cut/fold patterns have a limited range of achievable geometries, and the morphed structures usually have low stiffness due to the intrinsic softness of underlying materials. To overcome these challenges, we are inspired by the inherently non-monolithic architectures in living organisms, e.g., the nacre or bone consisting of stiff building blocks joined by the weak interfaces, which endow creatures ingenious shape-morphing abilities and tunable mechanical properties through collectively… More >