Bio-inspired Topologies to Enhance the Mechanical Strength of Co-cured Ti-CFRP Hybrid
Joints
A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering
Breyner Andres Castro Castillo
National University, Bogota, Colombia
School of Engineering
College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths
RMIT University
January 2022
I
Declaration
I certify that except where due acknowledgement has been made, this research
is that of the author alone; the content of this research submission is the result of work
which has been carried out since the official commencement date of the approved
research program; any editorial work, paid or unpaid, carried out by a third party is
acknowledged; and, ethics procedures and guidelines have been followed.
In addition, I certify that this submission contains no material previously
submitted for award of any qualification at any other university or institution, unless
approved for a joint-award with another institution, and acknowledge that no part of
this work will, in the future, be used in a submission in my name, for any other
qualification in any university or other tertiary institution without the prior approval of
the University, and where applicable, any partner institution responsible for the joint-
award of this degree.
I acknowledge that copyright of any published works contained within this thesis
resides with the copyright holder(s) of those works.
I give permission for the digital version of my research submission to be made
available on the web, via the University’s digital research repository, unless permission
has been granted by the University to restrict access for a period of time.
Breyner Andres Castro Castillo
17th January 2022
II
Dedicated to
The Most-holy blessed Virgin Mary; this work would not be possible without her prayer.
My beloved wife Angelica, for her patience and support, during hardship. My new
daughter may be as blessed as I have been.
III
Acknowledgement
First and foremost, I would like to thank my senior supervisor, Professor Akbar
Khatibi, for his invaluable guidance, support and patience throughout my research
candidature. Mainly, I would like to thank him for having confidence in my capabilities
and encouraging me to move forward during hardship periods that I have encountered.
He was always there for me, providing moral and academic advice, without which I
would not have been able to complete my master by research. Next, I thank Professor
Adrian Orifici for his excellent guidance and constructive criticism during the period of
my Master by research. I am indebted to him for his continual encouragement and
support to carry out the current study.
I extend my sincere appreciation towards the technical officers at RMIT
(Bundoora East campus). This Master by research would not have been possible
without the assistance and guidance of Paul Muscat, Wei Qian Song (William), Julian
Bradler and Alex Crusiz. The workshop lads for their numerous assistances with rapid
solutions. Special thanks to Matthew Field and Chaitali Dekiwadia for their invaluable
technical support and assistance with microscopic analysis. Peter Rummel for his help
with cross-sectional microscopy. I would also like to acknowledge Paul Spithill, Simon
Brudler and Phil Pille of Advanced Manufacturing Precinct (AMP) for their help with
manufacturing the titanium samples. I would like to extend my thanks to Alexander
Thomson and Anna Munro from RMIT student services for helping me out at the
beginning of this master.
My master by research would not be in fruition without Colfuturo. My mother for
her love and support throughout my education. Finally, I am grateful for the support
and motivation from my dear wife Angelica and our little baby for their patience and
support during the countless times I have been away from home stuck in the lab or in
front of my computer doing this project.
Finally, I thank God and the Hispanic community at St Brigid's parish for
providing me with an opportunity to pursue my dream of completing this master by
research.
IV
Table of Contents
Declaration .................................................................................................................. I
Dedicated to ............................................................................................................... II
Acknowledgement ..................................................................................................... III
Table of Contents ...................................................................................................... IV
List of figures ............................................................................................................ VII
List of tables .............................................................................................................. XI
List of abbreviations ................................................................................................. XII
List of symbols ........................................................................................................ XIII
Abstract ...................................................................................................................... 1
Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................... 3
Project background .............................................................................................. 3
Aim and scope of the study ................................................................................. 4
Format of Master Thesis ...................................................................................... 6
Chapter two: Literature review ................................................................................... 8
Abstract ................................................................................................................. 8
2.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 8
2.2 Fibres reinforced polymers .............................................................................. 10
2.2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................... 10
2.2.2 Manufacturing processes .......................................................................... 12
2.2.3 Modes of failure ........................................................................................ 16
2.3 Joining technologies ....................................................................................... 19
2.3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................... 19
2.3.2 Through-thickness reinforcements ............................................................ 21
2.3.3 The load-displacement law ....................................................................... 28
2.4 Additive manufacturing .................................................................................... 31
