Effects of Silicon Oxide Filler Material and Fibre Orientation on Erosive Wear of GF/EP Composites
Materials added to the matrix help improving operating properties of a composite. This experimental study has targeted to investigate this aim where Silicon Oxide particles were added to glass fibre and epoxy resin at an amount of 15% to the main material to obtain a sort of new composite material. Erosive wear behavior of epoxy-resin dipped composite materials reinforced with glass fibre and Silicon Oxide under three different impingement angles (30°, 60° and 90°), three different impact velocities (23, 34 and 53 m/s), two different angular Aluminum abrasive particle sizes (approximately 200 and 400 μm) and the fibre orientation of 45° (45/-45) were investigated. In the test results, erosion rates were obtained as functions of impingement angles, impact velocities, particle sizes and fibre orientation. Moreover, materials with addition of Silicon Oxide filler material exhibited lower wear as compared to neat materials with no added filler material. In addition, SEM views showing worn out surfaces of the test specimens were scrutinized. Keywords—Erosive wear, fibre orientation, GF/EP, silicon oxide
Effects of Environmental Conditions on Erosion Wear of Eggshell Particulate Epoxy Composites
The erosion wear behaviors of unboiled (UB) and boiled eggshells filler reinforced epoxy composites have been characterized. The eggshells epoxy composites have been fabricated using a hand layup technique and the samples have been exposed to different environmental conditions i.e. dry, saline, mineral, kerosene and subzero temperature. To examine the effect of the above mentioned environmental conditions at different impingement angles (30, 45, 60, and 90∘) three different particle velocities (v = 86 m/s, 101 m/s and 119 m/s) were selected for the erosion wear behavior. The highest erosion rate is found at 60∘ impingement angle, which indicates the semi-brittle erosion nature of eggshells epoxy composites. The impingement angle and impact velocity have a notable influence on erosion rate. A fruitful effect of filler addition is observed on the erosion wear rate of composites. The erosion rates of unboiled and boiled eggshells epoxy are compared. The 4 wt% unboiled eggshells filler content shows the highest wear resistance in dry condition. The exposure of composites in different environmental conditions had a negative effect on erosion rate.
Neutron Residual Stress Measurements on Rail Sections for Different Production Conditions
Rail sectioning with subsequent neutron diffraction experiments has been used to assess residual stresses in the rails. In this study we present the results of neutron stress measurements performed at the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) on rail sections from rails that were produced under various conditions. Specifically, these are air-cooled, air-cooled and roller-straightened, head-hardened and head-hardened and roller-straightened. More significantly, a head-hardened and roller-straightened rail was also studied after service to elucidate evolution of the service-induced residual stresses. In the latter case both a transverse-cut slice and the central region of a 0.53 m long piece were studied. Measurements on this piece are the first in which triaxial stresses have been determined for an intact rail. Neutron strain measurements with 3×3×3 mm3 spatial resolution were successfully employed for transversally cut slices to verify the difference in the stress state depending on the production process. Although examination of slices allows determination of only two-dimensional stresses in the plane of the slice, additional measurements on obliquely-cut slices, which were also carried out, and utilization of FEM gives the possibility of reconstructing the full triaxial stress distribution. Together, these approaches provide a better understanding of rail fabrication and the possibility of improving the durability and safety of rails in the future.Copyright © 2004 by ASME