Philippe Chaudet

On the fracture of multi-crystalline silicon wafer

This work focuses on the fracture behavior of multi-crystalline silicon in 4-point bending tests. The objective is to investigate the crack path as well as the effect of the grain boundary on the crack propagation. Thin specimens that contain the same grains have been tested under identical loading in order to assess the consistency of the fracture process. Fractography analysis has been carried out with a confocal microscope to describe the crack propagation within grains and at grain boundaries. The fracture paths have been also compared to X-FEM numerical simulations, and a very good agreement was found. Fractographies have been used to identify the cleavage planes in locations where surface instabilities are observed, and to reveal how grain boundaries are crossed. Laue x-ray diffraction analysis has been carried out to measure the grain orientations and further identify the cleavage planes in the areas far from instabilities and grain boundaries. It is observed that the fracture of multi-crystalline silicon is completely determinist, i.e. the same crack path for twin silicon plates, with the crack propagating mainly on the crystallographic plane and eventually on . The misorientation across the grain boundary can drive the crack away from the lowest surface energy plane. Another interesting observation is that the grain boundary slows down or stops shortly the crack propagation.

Specific Ultrasound Data Acquisition for Tissue Motion and Strain Estimation: Initial Results

Ultrasound applications such as elastography can benefit from 3-D data acquisition and processing. In this article, we describe a specific ultrasound probe, designed to acquire series of three adjacent imaging planes over time. This data acquisition makes it possible to consider the out-of-plane motion that can occur at the central plane during medium scanning, and is proposed with the aim of improving the results of strain imaging. In this first study, experiments were conducted on phantoms, and controlled axial and elevational displacements were applied to the probe using a motorized system. Radiofrequency ultrasound data were acquired at a 40-MHz sampling frequency with an Ultrasonix ultrasound scanner, and processed using a 3-D motion estimation method. For each of the 2-D regions of interest of the central plane in pre-compression data, a 3-D search was run to determine its corresponding version in post-compression data, with this search taking into account the region-of-interest deformation model chosen. The results obtained with the proposed ultrasound data acquisition and strain estimation were compared with results from a classic approach and illustrate the improvement produced by considering the mediums local displacements in elevation, with notably an increase in the mean correlation coefficients achieved.

Thermoforming Modelling and Simulation of Multilayer Composites with Continuous Fibre and Thermoplastic Matrix

CFRTP prepreg laminates thermoforming (Continuous Fibre Reinforcements and Thermoplastic Resin) is a fast composite manufacturing process. Furthermore the thermoplastic matrix is favourable to recycling. The development of a thermoforming process is complex and expensive to achieve by trial/error. A simulation approach for thermoforming prepregs thermoplastic is presented. This model is based on a continuous approach. A hyperelastic behaviour is associated with dry reinforcements. The hyperelastic potential is built from the contribution of three principal deformation modes that are supposed to be independent. A nonlinear viscoelastic model based on the generalization of simple rheological models is associated with the in-plane shear mode. The finite element simulation of a thermoforming example using this model is presented.

Thermoforming Simulation of Multilayer Composites with Continuous Fibre and Thermoplastic Matrix

CFRTP prepreg laminates thermoforming (Continuous Fibre Reinforcements and Thermoplastic Resin) is a fast composite manufacturing process. Furthermore the thermoplastic matrix is favourable to recycling. The development of a thermoforming process is complex and expensive to achieve by trial/error. A simulation approach for thermoforming of multilayer thermoplastic is presented. Each prepreg layer is modelled by semi-discrete shell elements. These elements consider the tension, in-plane shear and bending behaviour of the ply at different temperatures around the fusion point. The contact/friction during the forming process is taken into account using forward increment Lagrange multipliers. A lubricated friction model is implemented between the layers and for ply/tool friction. Thermal and forming simulations are presented and compared to experimental results. The computed shear angles after forming and wrinkles are in good agreement with the thermoforming experiment.