Center for Composite Materials
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The Center for Composite Materials(CCM) is an internationally recognized, interdisciplinary center of excellence for composites education and research. The Center was founded in 1974 and is in the College of Engineering at the University of Delaware.
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Browsing Center for Composite Materials by Author "Das, Shagata"
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Item Annulus Void Fill Material for Rehabilitated Sliplined Culverts(The University of Akron, 2023-03) Patnaik, Anil; Alzlfawi, Abdullah; Das, ShagataSliplining is a method used by transportation agencies to rehabilitate deteriorated culverts. In recent years, ODOT discovered a number of sliplined culverts that did not have their annulus void spaces completely filled. Such culverts experience distortion and settlement as well as reduced structural capacity. Field inspections of several sliplined culverts in Ohio in this study confirmed that the lack of complete annulus void filling is a prevalent problem. Filler grout properties, particularly poor flow characteristics, would prevent the grout from completely filling annulus voids. This led to the investigation of grout properties that are most important to achieve good flow and fillability. New mixture proportions of a controlled low-strength material (CLSM) and cellular grout C40 were developed based on extensive laboratory testing. These improved grouts were also mixed in a batching plant at a larger scale and were pumped over a 200-ft length at an upslope of 2.5% to determine the suitability of these grouts in practical applications. Grouting of the annulus voids of 20-foot-long sections was verified using a 36-inch liner pipe sliplined within a 48-inch host pipe. A suggested basis for changes to the relevant ODOT specifications in SS 837 is recommended.Item Bladder expandable robotic system and UV materials for rapid internal pipeline repair(SAMPE Conference Proceedings 2023, 2023-04-18) Tierney, John J.; Vanarelli, Alex; Fuessel, Lukas; Abu-Obaid, Ahmad; Sauerbrunn, Steve; Das, Shagata; Deitzel, Joseph; Tatar, Jovan; Heider, Dirk; Shenton, Harry W. III; Kloxin, Christopher J.; Sung, Dae Han; Thostenson, Erik; Gillespie, John W. Jr.This paper describes a novel composite placement process to fabricate stand-alone structural pipe within existing legacy pipelines—with no disruption in gas service. The process utilizes low-cost, UV-curable, glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP) for discrete preforms made from continuous fiber fabrics. These sections are designed to meet 50-year service life by addressing the unique loading conditions of the pipe repair allowing for the design customization of the preforms to accommodate the state of pipe corrosion, access points or other local features that may vary along the length of the pipe. The approach offers maximum design flexibility and customization while minimizing installation time and cost. The preforms are fabricated above ground using rapid automated manufacturing methods for quality control. The preforms are transported by a tethering system to the robot. The robot is comprised of a self-propelled dual inflation expandable bladder system that places, consolidates, and cures standard or custom composite sections along the entire pipe length in a continuous co-cure process. This system is designed to adapt to pipe features that include lateral tees, service connections, joints, gaps, and irregular cross sections. In addition, variable thickness composite sections can be placed along the pipe where exposed to high external loads under railroads, highways, airports or where soil erosion and movement occurs. This paper presents the robot design, assessment of UV curable resins, embedded sensing methods, and fabrication of pipe sections with this system.Item Development of a Recyclable Flax Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composite(Composites in Civil Engineering, 2023-06-28) Das, Shagata; Doshi, Sagar; Millan, Emmanuel; Mendez, Damaris; Luckenbill, Dan; Tatar, JovanThis study compared the mechanical properties of a recyclable flax fiber reinforced polymer composite (FFRP) with a covalent adaptable network (CAN) matrix to an FFRP composite with a conventional (unrecyclable) epoxy resin matrix. The results indicated that composites fabricated via vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) exhibited up to 19% higher tensile modulus and strength compared to those fabricated via hand layup, attributed to reduced air void content and more uniform fiber alignment. Microscopy evidence supported by mechanical property tests revealed superior adhesion of the CAN matrix to flax fibers compared to conventional epoxy resin. Additionally, a solvent-based method was demonstrated for separating fibers from the CAN matrix, facilitating reuse or upcycling.Item Mechanical behavior of UV-cured composite stepped lap adhesive joints(SAMPE Conference Proceedings 2023, 2023-04-18) Das, Shagata; Gillespie, John W. Jr.; Shenton, Harry W. III; Tatar, JovanJoints often control the design of composite structures because they represent locations of high stress concentrations. Adhesive joints offer several benefits over mechanically fastened connections such as reduced stress concentrations, and higher joint efficiency. This study evaluates the performance of stepped lap adhesive joints. The novelty lies in the implementation of UV-cured vinyl ester resin which allows integration of co-cured stepped lap joints in applications where fast curing at ambient temperatures is required. The experimental program consisted of a series of tensile tests on 20-ply 7781 E-glass laminates integrating UV-cured stepped lap joints, where the primary variables were stepped lap joint angle (ranging from 0.9° to 5.7°) and number of ply drops (ranging from 1 to 10). Physical properties of all the UV-cured joint panels, such as density, void content, fiber volume fraction, and hardness, were also evaluated and compared between the test groups. The preliminary findings indicate that reducing the scarf angle from 5.7° to 0.9° increased the joint strength by a maximum of 115%. The joint strength efficiency approached 100% of the laminate tensile strength for 19-step joints having a scarf angle of 0.9º.