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Applied Mechanics, Volume 7, Issue 1

2026 March - 25 articles

Cover Story: Non-crimp fabric (NCF) composites are increasingly utilized in structural components due to their favourable combination of high mechanical performance and processability. These materials comprise parallel, unidirectional yarn bundles secured by polyester binder threads, providing improved manufacturability while maintaining fibre alignment and low crimp. Like other fibre-reinforced plastics, NCF composites are susceptible to in-service damage from tool drops or unintended collisions, which reduce load-bearing capacity. This study develops a validated finite element modelling framework to simulate damage initiation and post-impact behaviour in NCF structures. Experimental characterization and subcomponent testing were combined with LS-DYNA simulations using the MAT_ENHANCED_COMPOSITE_DAMAGE (MAT54) model, accurately predicting damage location, deformation modes, and residual strength. View this paper
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Articles (25)

  • Article
  • Open Access
1,994 Views
23 Pages

On Sucker Rod Pump Systems with Data Analysis

  • Sheldon Wang,
  • Clayton Brasher,
  • Jimmy Tran,
  • Pavle Kalaba and
  • Ty Criss

A sucker rod pump is an artificial lift system widely used in oil wells to extract crude oil from deep underground. Due to the clearance between the barrel and the pump plunger, a phenomenon termed slippage occurs in which the annulus column of oil r...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cutting-Edge Developments in Computational and Experimental Mechanics)
  • Article
  • Open Access
2,035 Views
32 Pages

Aero-Structural Analysis of a Wind Turbine Blade Lay-Up as a Preliminary Design Alternative

  • Eduardo Alcantara-Rojas,
  • Boris Miguel López-Rebollar,
  • Jesús Ramiro Félix-Félix,
  • Martha Fernanda Mohedano-Castillo and ,
  • Carlos Roberto Fonseca Ortiz and
  • Gerardo Cano-Perea
  • + 1 author+ 0 author

Wind energy has become an essential resource for the development and diversification of the energy sector in México and worldwide. In this context, the mechanical design of turbine blades has emerged as a priority research topic, given its imp...

  • Article
  • Open Access
7 Citations
1,834 Views
50 Pages

In many densely populated towns and semi-urban areas, masonry buildings often stand close to busy roads, exposing them to blasts from improvised explosives or other localized sources. Such structures are rarely designed to resist sudden explosive for...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1 Citations
1,776 Views
23 Pages

An Artificial Neural Network-Based Strategy for Predicting Multiaxial Fatigue Damage to Welded Steel Structures

  • Bhagyashri Bachhav,
  • Dawei Zhang,
  • Hanghang Gao,
  • Hauke Schmidt and ,
  • Chen Gang,
  • Songyun Ma,
  • Franz Bamer and
  • Bernd Markert
  • + 3 authors+ 0 author

Fatigue failure constitutes an issue that cannot be ignored when designing welded steel structures due to the initiation of cracks at weld toes and defects under cyclic loading conditions. Traditional methods, such as the notch stress approach, estim...

(This article belongs to the Collection Fracture, Fatigue, and Wear)
  • Article
  • Open Access
2 Citations
2,610 Views
23 Pages

Novel Design and Optimization of Aircraft Stiffened Panels for Improved Critical Buckling Load Resistance

  • Raed Hossain,
  • Tanvir Ahmad,
  • Mohammed Aksir Talukder,
  • Md Mazedur Rahman and ,
  • Gyula Varga and
  • Saiaf Bin Rayhan
  • + 1 author+ 0 author

This study proposes two novel stiffened panel configurations, designated X and X-30, manufactured from the conventional aerospace alloy Al 2024-T3 to enhance the critical buckling resistance under in-plane compression. Their performance was evaluated...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Design Technologies for Beam, Plate and Shell Structures (4th Edition))
  • Article
  • Open Access
1,968 Views
31 Pages

Experimental and Numerical Assessment of Bamboo–Coir Hybrid Composite Panels for Formwork Systems

  • C. Bhargavi,
  • K. S. Sreekeshava,
  • Manish S. Dharek,
  • B. K. Raghu Prasad and
  • J. V. Raghavendra

28 February 2026

This study evaluates bamboo–coir hybrid composite panels developed for formwork applications using an 80:20 fiber–matrix ratio and a 50:50 bamboo-to-coir distribution. The novelty of this study lies in the combined assessment of formwork-...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Early Career Scientists 2025 (ECS 2025) Contributions to Applied Mechanics (3rd Edition))
  • Article
  • Open Access
2 Citations
1,155 Views
23 Pages

SHM System for Multilevel Impact Detection of Full-Scale Composite Wing Box

  • Monica Ciminello,
  • Vittorio Memmolo,
  • Assunta Sorrentino and
  • Fulvio Romano

26 February 2026

This paper presents the structural health monitoring (SHM) system applied to a 9 m composite outer wing box (OWB) specifically designed for a brand-new regional aircraft to detect barely visible impact damage (BVID) based on structural response data....

  • Article
  • Open Access
1,747 Views
17 Pages

Structural Characterization and Photocatalytic Performance of PDMS/TiO2 Nanocomposites Prepared via Ex Situ Dispersion Route

  • Abdelkader Hassein-Bey,
  • Nadir Belgroune,
  • Assia Bessi,
  • Omar Kebour and ,
  • Mohamed Mohammedi,
  • Ahmed Rafik Touil and
  • Amel Boudjemaa
  • + 2 authors+ 0 author

14 February 2026

This work reports the elaboration and testing of polydimethylsiloxane/titanium dioxide (PDMS/TiO2) polymer nanocomposites, focusing on producing and combining TiO2 nanoparticles with a polymer matrix through an ex situ route. By mixing the inherent f...

(This article belongs to the Collection Fracture, Fatigue, and Wear)
  • Article
  • Open Access
1,626 Views
40 Pages

11 February 2026

Non-crimp fabric (NCF) composites are increasingly adopted for structural components due to their high mechanical performance and processability. Like other fibre-reinforced plastics, NCFs remain vulnerable to in-service damage from tool drops or uni...

  • Article
  • Open Access
958 Views
21 Pages

The dynamic behavior of the DS306 detacher, a critical component in industrial fiber processing lines, plays a decisive role in maintenance performance and overall operational reliability. This study introduces a strengthened preventive maintenance s...

(This article belongs to the Collection Fracture, Fatigue, and Wear)
  • Article
  • Open Access
1,512 Views
20 Pages

The Discrete Element Method is widely used in applied mechanics, particularly in situations where material continuity breaks down (fracturing, crushing, friction, granular flow) and classical rheological models fail (phase transition between solid an...

  • Article
  • Open Access
3 Citations
1,038 Views
24 Pages

Traditional expansion joints in bridge structures are prone to durability problems, such as leakage, corrosion, and high maintenance demands, which can significantly reduce service life. To overcome these limitations, ultra-high-performance concrete...

(This article belongs to the Topic Advances on Structural Engineering, 3rd Edition)
  • Article
  • Open Access
2 Citations
1,188 Views
15 Pages

Investigation of Microstructure and Mechanical Behavior of Nanomodified Cement-Based Materials

  • Spyridoula G. Farmaki,
  • Dimitrios A. Exarchos,
  • Vasileios Dracopoulos,
  • Anastasios Gkotzamanis and ,
  • Konstantinos G. Dassios and
  • Theodore E. Matikas
  • + 1 author+ 0 author

Recent advances in nanotechnology have highlighted the transformative potential of carbon-based nanomaterials, such as carbon nanofibers, carbon nanotubes, and graphene, in cementitious systems. These materials have shown a remarkable ability to enha...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1,223 Views
28 Pages

In this study, the influence of nanochitosan and kenaf fibers on the tensile strength, elastic modulus, and impact strength of polylactic acid (PLA)/natural rubber (Standard Malaysian Rubber, grade 20—SMR20) biocomposites was investigated exper...

(This article belongs to the Topic Advances in Manufacturing and Mechanics of Materials)
  • Systematic Review
  • Open Access
5 Citations
4,602 Views
44 Pages

Vibration-Based Predictive Maintenance for Wind Turbines: A PRISMA-Guided Systematic Review on Methods, Applications, and Remaining Useful Life Prediction

  • Carlos D. Constantino-Robles,
  • Francisco Alberto Castillo Leonardo,
  • Jessica Hernández Galván,
  • Yoisdel Castillo Alvarez and ,
  • Luis Angel Iturralde Carrera and
  • Juvenal Rodríguez-Reséndiz
  • + 1 author+ 0 author

This paper presents a systematic review conducted under the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) framework, analyzing 286 scientific articles focused on vibration-based predictive maintenance strategies for wind...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1 Citations
1,514 Views
35 Pages

Numerical and Experimental Modal Analyses of Re-Entrant Unit-Cell-Shaped Frames

  • Adil Yucel,
  • Alaeddin Arpaci,
  • Asli Bal and
  • Cemre Ciftci

This study investigates the dynamic behaviors of re-entrant unit-cell-shaped steel frames through numerical and experimental modal analyses. Inspired by re-entrant honeycomb structures, individual frame units were modeled to explore how natural frequ...

  • Article
  • Open Access
2 Citations
1,248 Views
26 Pages

This work investigates a data-driven approach for detecting structural damage in the wing of a Cessna 172 aircraft using reduced-order finite element (FE) models. This study focuses on the ability of machine learning methods to generalize across diff...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Early Career Scientists 2025 (ECS 2025) Contributions to Applied Mechanics (3rd Edition))
  • Article
  • Open Access
1,033 Views
31 Pages

An explicit coupled two-dimensional (2D) hydromechanical model (HMM) that can simulate discontinuous features in the foundation, as well as the effects of grout curtains and drainage systems, is employed to evaluate the influence of key parameters su...

  • Article
  • Open Access
2 Citations
1,116 Views
20 Pages

Comparative Structural and Hydraulic Assessment of a DN3000 Double Eccentric Butterfly Valve Blade Using a Coupled CFD–FEM Approach

  • Xolani Prince Hadebe,
  • Bernard Xavier Tchomeni Kouejou,
  • Alfayo Anyika Alugongo and
  • Desejo Filipeson Sozinando

Large-diameter butterfly valves are essential control components in high-flow hydraulic systems, where blade geometry directly impacts operational reliability, energy efficiency, and lifecycle cost. This study presents an integrated structural–...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Early Career Scientists 2025 (ECS 2025) Contributions to Applied Mechanics (3rd Edition))
  • Article
  • Open Access
1 Citations
989 Views
23 Pages

Calibration and Experimental Determination of Parameters for the Discrete Element Model of Shells

  • Tong Wang,
  • Xin Du,
  • Shufa Chen,
  • Qixin Sun and ,
  • Yue Jiang and
  • Hengjie Dong
  • + 1 author+ 0 author

This study conducts systematic experimental and numerical investigations to address the parameter calibration issue in the discrete element model of seashells, aiming to establish a high-fidelity numerical model that accurately characterizes their ma...

  • Article
  • Open Access
2 Citations
2,469 Views
45 Pages

Conceptual Design and Integrated Parametric Framework for Aerodynamic Optimization of Morphing Subsonic Blended-Wing-Body UAVs

  • Liguang Kang,
  • Sandeep Suresh Babu,
  • Muhammet Muaz Yalçın,
  • Abdel-Hamid Ismail Mourad and
  • Mostafa S. A. ElSayed

This paper presents a unified aerodynamic design and optimization framework for morphing Blended-Wing-Body (BWB) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) operating in subsonic and near-transonic regimes. The proposed framework integrates parametric CAD modeli...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1 Citations
2,721 Views
15 Pages

This work presents an analytical homogenization model developed to predict the tensile and bending behavior of double-wall corrugated cardboard. The proposed approach replaces the complex three-dimensional geometry, composed of five paper layers, wit...

  • Article
  • Open Access
1 Citations
1,339 Views
15 Pages

This methodology investigates the determination of the fracture toughness of 3D-printed specimens under monotonic loading conditions. The application is based on the use of a Single Edge Notch Bending (SENB) specimen made by a 3D-printing process (17...

(This article belongs to the Topic Advances in Manufacturing and Mechanics of Materials)
  • Article
  • Open Access
2 Citations
1,028 Views
25 Pages

Numerical Modeling of Thermomechanics of Antifriction Polymers in Viscoelastic and Elastic-Viscoplastic Formulations

  • Anastasia P. Bogdanova,
  • Anna A. Kamenskikh,
  • Andrey R. Muhametshin and
  • Yuriy O. Nosov

The present article relates to the description of phenomenological relations of amorphous material behavior within the framework of viscoelasticity and elastic-viscoplasticity theory, as well as to the creation of its digital analog. Ultra-high-molec...

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cutting-Edge Developments in Computational and Experimental Mechanics)
  • Article
  • Open Access
2 Citations
2,018 Views
23 Pages

This paper presents a numerical study of fluid–structure interaction (FSI) applied to wind turbines, combining computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and finite element analysis (FEA). The study focuses on a 3D wind turbine blade inspired by the GE...

(This article belongs to the Topic Energy Power, Mechanical Engineering and Their Applications)
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Appl. Mech. - ISSN 2673-3161