The Earthquake Engineering Online Archive

Analysis of Functionally Gradient Polymer Composites

Nashat, Amir H.; Ferrari, Mauro; Johnson, George C.

UCB/SEMM-1994/17, Dept. of Civil Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, 1994-06, 10 pages

Functionally graded materials (FGM), polymer composite plates reinforced with metal powders (copper and tungsten reinforced epoxy resin composites) were fabricated by a casting technique. The concentration and elastic moduli gradients are experimentally determined via ultrasonic wave propagation. The elastic moduli are predicted through point-wise application of homogenization solutions and comparison is made between predicted and measured stiffness. A theoretical study of the behavior of an FGM with the experimentally determined concentration profile exposed to thermal gradients is conducted.

Available online: http://nisee.berkeley.edu/documents/SEMM/SEMM-94-17.pdf (1 MB)