for 20 years, our researchgroup 'Mechanics of Materials and Structures', a subgroup of 'Mechanical Construction and production' (Ghent University) is active in the mechanics of composite materials. The principal topic of research is the behaviour of these materials under impact and fatigue loading, both experimental and numerical (modelling). |
Study of the shear behaviour of composites
Depending on the outcome of a number of experiments on an unidirectional reinforced glass-epoxy,
the behaviour under shear stress of this material is determined. Next, a damage model
is developed, which is implemented in a finite elements program, 'Samcef'. After implementation, this model
is verified with the previous experiments. |
Experimental and Numerical Study of Different Setups for Conducting and Monitoring Fatigue Experiments of Fibre-Reinforced Thermoplastics
There is an increase in the use of fibre-reinforced thermoplastic polymers in the industry, amongst others for aeronautical
and automotive applications. However, these materials are not yet considered for load bearing parts, because such parts are often subjected to
fatigue loads. The behaviour under fatigue loading conditions of these materials is very complicated and not yet completely understood.
If these materials are used, then often very large safety factors are used, which causes the advantages of composites, for instance the high
strength to weight ratio, to diminish. As such, there is a need for a better understanding of the mechanical behaviour of these composites
under fatigue loading conditions. |
Publications in international journals of the Science Citation Index (SCI):
Unfortunately, I cannot place pdf-files of A1 articles on my site. If the DOI link is already available, you can click on the paper for the corresponding link. After it is published, you can find it on the web of science.
The following articles are already published or accepted: