Tensile properties of short-glass-fiber- and short-carbon-fiber-reinforced polypropylene composites

Composites of polypropylene (PP) reinforced with short glass fibers (SGF) and short carbon fibers (SCF) were prepared with extrusion compounding and injection molding techniques. The tensile properties of these composites were investigated. It was noted that an increase in fiber volume fraction led to a decrease in mean fiber length as observed previously. The relationship between mean fiber length and fiber volume fraction was described by a proper exponential function with an offset. The tensile strength and modulus of SGF/PP and SCF/PP composites were studied taking into account the combined effect of fiber volume fraction and mean fiber length. The results about the composite strength and modulus were interpreted using the modified rule of mixtures equations by introducing two fiber efficiency factors, respectively, for the composite strength and modulus. It was found that for both types of composites the fiber efficiency factors decreased with increasing fiber volume fraction and the more brittle fiber namely carbon fiber corresponded to the lower fiber efficiency factors than glass fiber. Meanwhile, it was noted that the fiber efficiency factor for the composite modulus was much higher than that for the composite strength. Moreover, it was observed that the tensile failure strain of the composites decreased with the increase of fiber volume fraction. An empirical but good relationship of the composite failure strain with fiber volume fraction, fiber length and fiber radius was established.     

短纤维混杂增强PP复合泡沫材料的力学性能

将助剂预混与二次挤出工艺相结合制备含短纤维预发泡粒料, 并用型内二次发泡工艺制备了短炭纤维(SCF)、 短玻璃纤维(SGF)混杂增强聚丙烯(PP)复合泡沫材料。研究了在纤维总质量分数不变时, SCF与SGF的相对含量、 增强纤维与PP的界面性能及泡沫体的表观密度对PP复合泡沫材料的发泡效果和力学性能的影响。结果表明: SGF和SCF的同时加入能够改善PP的高温熔体强度, 获得孔径较小且均一的类球形的闭孔PP泡沫体。SGF和SCF混杂增强提高了PP复合泡沫材料的强度和模量, 且增强效果高于单一纤维, 当纤维总质量分数为15%, 且SGF ∶SCF为1 ∶1时(质量比), PP复合泡沫材料的抗弯强度和抗压强度最高, 而SGF ∶SCF为3 ∶1时, PP泡沫复合材料的冲击韧性和压缩模量达到最大值 。泡沫体的表观密度对PP复合泡沫材料的冲击韧性和抗压强度影响显著, 当表观密度从0.32g/cm3增至0.45g/cm3时, 冲击韧性和抗压强度分别从4.29kJ/m2和6.57MPa 提高到17.87kJ/m2和20.57MPa。      

Instrumented impact fracture and related failure behavior in short- and long-glass-fiber-reinforced polypropylene

The fracture behavior of injection-moulded polypropylene (PP) composites reinforced with chopped, short glass fibers (SGF) and long glass fibers (LGF) was studied in instrumented high-speed impact bending tests. Testing was carried out on Charpy specimens of different notching direction in order to elucidate microstructural effects. The microstructural parameters were included in a reinforcing effectiveness parameter, R, which considers the fiber volume fraction, the fiber layering and fiber orientation therein, and the fiber aspect ration and its distribution.

From tests performed at −40, 20 and 60°C, fracture mechanical parameters such as fracture toughness, K_d, initiation fracture energy, G_d,i, and Young's modulus, E_d, were derived. A distinction was made between crack initiation and propagation stages based on the fractograms by using the ductility index, DI. Addition of LGF considerably improved K_d, G_d,i and DI, while E_d was unaffected when compared to the related values of SGF-PP. In addition, K_d, G_d,i and DI did not change significantly with temperature.

A reasonable correlation was found between the fracture toughness of the composite, K_d,c, and of the matrix, K_d,m, by considering the above R parameter according to the microstructural efficiency (M) concept.

The failure modes of the materials were studied by fractography and are discussed. It was concluded that the matrix fails by crazing, whereas among the fiber-related failure events fracture and debonding occur in the LGF composites, while, debonding and pull-out dominate in the SGF-PP.     

The effects of volume percent and aspect ratio of carbon fiber on fracture toughness of reinforced aluminum matrix composites

Carbon fiber reinforced aluminum matrix composites are used as advanced materials in aerospace and electronic industries. In order to investigate role of aspect ratio of carbon fiber on fracture toughness of aluminum matrix composite, the composite was produced using stir casting. Al–8.5%Si–5%Mg selected as a matrix. The samples were prepared with three volume fractions (1, 2 and 3) and three aspect ratios (300, 500 and 800). Three-point bending test was performed on the specimens to evaluate the fracture toughness of the materials. The results showed that the fracture toughness of composites depends on both fiber volume fraction and aspect ratio. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to elucidate the fracture behavior and crack deflection of composites. The study also, showed that the toughening mechanism depends strongly on fiber volume fraction, aspect ratio and the degree of wetting between fiber and matrix.     

Fracture behavior of injection-molded short and long glass fiber—polyamide 6.6 composites

Relationships between the fracture toughness, K_Q, and microstructure of chopped short (SGF) and long glass fiber (LGF) reinforced injection-molded polyamide 6.6 composites have been studied. K_Q and elastic modulus, E, of the composites were determined on compact tension specimens as a function of temperature, T, and crosshead speed, v. The microstructure of the composites was characterized by the dimensionless reinforcing effectiveness parameter, R, which was extended in this work for LGF reinforcement. R takes into account not only the processing-induced fiber layer structure, the fiber alignment and the fiber volume fraction but also the aspect ratio and aspect ratio distribution of the reinforcement. The semi-empirical linear relationship between fracture toughness of the composite, K_Q,C, and that of the matrix, K_Q,C, established for SGF-reinforced plastics, i.e. K_Q,C = MK_Q,M = (a + nR)K_Q,M still exists if the newly defined modified R is used. Both the matrix stress condition factor, a, and the energy absorption coefficient, n, have been determined under different testing conditions and tabulated together with K_Q,M. This allows an estimate of K_Q,C for any given R. Normalized fracture maps in form K_Q vs (E,T) have been constructed. Failure mechanisms of both the matrix and the composites which have been revealed by scanning electron microscopy are discussed and summarized in failure maps indicating changes of breakdown processes as a function of T and v.     

Effect of polypropylene fiber on fracture properties of cement treated crushed rock

A parametric experimental study has been conducted to investigate the effect of polypropylene fibers on the fracture properties of cement treated crushed rock (CTCR), which is a new pavement composite material. By means of three-point bending method, the fracture toughness, fracture energy, the ultimate deflection in span center, critical crack mouth opening displacement, critical crack tip opening displacement, maximum crack mouth opening displacement and maximum crack tip opening displacement of the specimen of CTCR reinforced with polypropylene fibers were measured respectively. The test results indicate that the addition of polypropylene fibers is helpful to improve the fracture properties of CTCR. Polypropylene fibers have great improvement on the fracture parameters of CTCR. Besides, the fracture parameters increase gradually and the fracture relational curves are becoming plumper and plumper when the fiber volume fraction increases from 0% to 0.1%. Furthermore, the capability of polypropylene fiber to resist crack propagation of CTCR appears to be becoming stronger and stronger with the increase of fiber volume fraction with the fiber volume fraction not beyond 0.1%.     

短切纤维及预应力对玄武岩织物增强水泥基复合材料拉伸力学性能的影响

通过静态拉伸试验研究不同体积掺量的短切碳纤维、钢纤维、耐碱玻璃纤维及预应力对5层玄武岩织物增强水泥基复合材料(BTRC)拉伸性能的影响。试验结果表明:短切碳纤维、玻璃纤维可以提高基体和BTRC的开裂强度,且开裂强度随着碳纤维掺量的增加而增加;预应力使基体产生预压力,明显提高其开裂强度。短切纤维及预应力都显著提高BTRC的峰值荷载和韧性,但峰值应变基本不变;峰值荷载和韧性随着钢纤维掺量的增加而增加,体积分数为1.5vol%掺量时达到最大值;随着碳纤维掺量增加,峰值荷载和韧性先增加后减小,体积分数为1.0vol%掺量时最大。施加预应力且掺入短切碳纤维或钢纤维时,短切纤维增强的基体可以更好地承受张拉力释放后纤维束径向变形引起的环向应力,进一步提高了织物与基体界面的挤压作用力及摩擦力,从而增强效果最明显,峰值荷载分别增加50.4%和58.9%,韧性分别增加84.7%和79.5%。BTRC材料掺入短切玻璃纤维、钢纤维及施加预应力均可以增加其受力后的裂缝条数,减小裂缝间距和裂缝宽度。     

Microstructural efficiency and fracture toughness of short fiber/thermoplastic matrix composites

This paper outlines the fracture behavior of composites with thermoplastic matrices of different fracture toughness K_cm (increasing in the order PPS → PET (I) → PET (II) → ETFE → PC). In particular, the way in which the fracture toughness of these composite systems, K_cc, is affected by the volume fraction, orientation and distribution of short glass fibers across the plaque thickness (fiber length ≈ 200 μm, fiber diameter ≈ 10 μm), and by the quality of their interfacial bonding to the matrix is discussed. SEM studies were carried out to define the microstructural details and the dominant mechanisms of energy adsorption during breakdown of the composites.In general, an increase in composite toughness can be expected with increasing extent of reinforcement if the matrix is in a brittle condition (here also verified by K_c-tests at lower temperatures) and if the fibers are well bonded and mostly oriented perpendicular to the crack front. An opposite tendency may occur for matrices which behave in a highly ductile manner even in the presence of fibers. The probability of this behavior is favored in poorly bonded systems. The results are discussed in terms of a ‘microstructural efficiency factor’ M, which mainly considers the relative contributions of fiber and matrix related mechanisms to energy dissipation during breakdown of a composite (‘energy absorption ratio’ n) as well as the reinforcement content and its arrangement in the matrix (‘reinforcing effectiveness parameter’ R).     

PP/POE/SGF三元复合泡沫体的压缩吸能特性研究

在准静态单向压缩条件下,测试和分析了聚丙烯(PP)/乙烯-1-辛烯共聚物(POE)/短玻璃纤维(SGF)三元泡沫复合材料的压缩性能,考察了SGF的质量分数对压缩弹性模量、屈服强度和能量吸收特性的影响.结果表明:PP/POE/SGF泡沫复合材料的压缩应力-应变曲线具有典型的弹性变形、屈服平台和致密化三个阶段;适量SGF的引入提高了压缩弹性模量、屈服强度和吸能能力,而在研究的范围内,较高含量(20%以上)的SGF才能提高泡沫复合材料的吸能效率,其增强效果不如吸能能力明显.     

Finite Element Analysis of the Competition Between Crack Deflection and Penetration of Fiber-Reinforced Composites Using Virtual Crack Closure Technique

Crack deflection along the fiber/matrix interface for fiber-reinforced composites is an important condition upon which the toughening mechanisms depend. Sound control for the interface debonding of composites contributes to improving the fracture toughness of composites. Combined with the virtual crack closure technique, a finite element model of composites is proposed to predict the competition between the matrix crack deflection along the interface and the matrix crack penetration into the fibers under the thermomechanical coupling fields. For C/C composites, the effects of the geometry size, fiber volume fraction, fiber coating materials and thermal mismatch on the energy release rate and the crack deflection mechanisms are studied. Results show the fiber coating increases the ability to deflect at large thermal mismatch and small crack sizes, and the TaC coating shows larger effect than the SiC coating. The research provides fundamental method for promoting the toughening design of C/C composites.     

Mechanical properties for bulk metallic glass with crystallites precipitation and second ductile phase addition

Monolithic phase bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) produced by a copper mold casting method and BMG composites containing in-situ brittle crystallites and out-situ tungsten fiber produced by a water quenching method were obtained. Mechanical properties including cyclic deformation and fracture toughness were investigated. Under symmetrically cyclic stress control, the life of tungsten fiber reinforced amorphous alloy is much longer than that of the monolithic amorphous alloy. The composite containing tungsten fibers that retard the crack propagation exhibits cyclic softening while the partially crystallized amorphous alloy exhibits stable cycling. The regions of crack initiation, stable propagation and final fracture were observed on the fracture surface. Crystalline brittle phases do not retard the crack propagation but become sites of crack initiation. Tungsten fiber reinforced BMG has the largest fracture toughness while BMG with quenched-in crystallites the smallest. Tungsten fibers stabilize crack growth in the matrix and extend the strain to failure of the composite, while brittle crystallites speed up the crack propagation even though they act as obstacles when shear bands reach them in some cases.     

Fracture toughness of thermoset composites reinforced by perfectly bonded impenetrable short fibers

The fracture toughness of brittle thermoset resins could be improved significantly by perfectly bonded tough, short fibers through both crack trapping and bridging effects. In this paper, the crack trapping effect was studied through the analysis of the change of strain energy associated with the crack propagation across a regular array of fibers, and the bridging effect was discussed based on the Andersson–Bergkvist model. The fracture resistance increases with the fiber volume fraction, and is independent of the elastic properties of the matrix, the crack length, and the cross-sectional diameter of the fibers.     

Improvement of the fracture toughness of adhesively bonded stainless steel joints with aramid fibers at cryogenic temperatures

Adhesives should be reinforced with reinforcing fibers for the bonding of adherends at cryogenic temperatures because all the adhesives become quite brittle at cryogenic temperatures. In this work, the film-type epoxy adhesive was reinforced with randomly oriented aramid fiber mats to decrease the CTE (Coefficient of Thermal Expansion) of the adhesive and to improve the fracture toughness of adhesive joints composed of stainless steel adherends at the cryogenic temperature of −150 °C. The cleavage tests of the DCB (Double Cantilever Beam) adhesive joints were performed to evaluate the fracture toughness and crack resistance of the adhesive joints. Also, the thermal and mechanical properties of the fiber reinforced adhesive layer were measured to investigate the relationship between the fracture toughness of adhesive joints and fiber volume fraction of aramid fibers. From the experiments, it was found that the crack propagated in the adhesive with the stable mode of significantly increased fracture toughness when the film-type epoxy adhesive was reinforced with aramid fiber mats. The optimum volume fraction of aramid fibers was suggested for the film-type epoxy adhesive in the adhesive joint at the cryogenic temperature of −150 °C.     

Toughening of denture base resin with short deformable fibers

Fracture resistance of polymer reinforced with short fibers consists of a sum of contributions from matrix and fiber fracture, fiber debonding and pull-out. The existing models for predicting dependence of fracture toughness on structural variables were derived for the commercially important fiber volume fractions, i.e., for v_f ? 0.1. In this contribution, modification of the existing model for the dependence of the critical strain energy release rate, G_IC, on the fiber type, length and aspect ratio, interfacial adhesion and volume fraction has been attempted to allow predictions at low v_f < 0.10. The predictions based on the modified model were compared with experimental data on fracture toughness of lightly x-linked PMMA used to manufacture base of removable dentures toughened with short randomly oriented deformable fibers. The composite toughness was measured under impact loading to simulate typical mode of fracture of removable dentures. The G_IC for composites containing short Kevlar 29, S2-glass and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVOH) fibers were obtained using instrumented Charpy impact tests at room temperature and impact speed of 1.0 m/s. Theoretical prediction based on the proposed model and experimental results agreed reasonably well.     

晶粒互锁结构与短切碳纤维增韧ZrB2-SiC复合材料的制备与力学性能

ZrB₂-SiC基复合材料具有比单体ZrB₂更优异的抗氧化性能及力学性能, 但其相对较低的韧性限制了其实际工程应用, 采用微结构设计或引入增韧相是改善陶瓷材料韧性的两个有效途径。本研究采用反应热压烧结工艺, 分别制备了具有独特片状ZrB₂晶粒互锁结构的ZrB₂-SiC复合材料和以短切碳纤维(C_sf)为增韧相的C_sf/ZrB₂-SiC复合材料。对比研究发现, 晶粒互锁结构展现出优异的自强韧化效果, 使ZrB₂-SiC复合材料具有较高的弯曲强度及断裂韧性, 但材料表现出典型的脆性断裂特征; C_sf/ZrB₂-SiC复合材料弯曲强度下降, 但C_sf具有显著的增韧作用, 不仅使材料具有较高的断裂韧性, 而且临界裂纹尺寸及断裂功都得到显著提高, 从而表现出非灾难性破坏模式。     

Fracture behavior and microstructure of steel fiber reinforced cast iron

In this study, improvement of fracture toughness and strength of gray cast iron by reinforcing steel fiber was investigated. Three point bend specimens were used to calculate the flexural strength and fracture toughness. Fracture toughness of the reinforced cast iron with two distinct volume fraction (Vf = 0.05 and 0.08) were calculated by compliance method and J-integral method using single specimen technique. The study shows that fiber reinforced composite has higher fracture toughness and flexural strength than cast iron without reinforcement. Also, fracture toughness increases with increasing volume fraction of reinforcement. Optical and scanning electron microcopy (SEM) analyses were used to examine the microstructure and fracture surface. It is noted that the carbon diffuses from gray cast iron to steel fiber and graphite free transition regions with high hardness were observed due to the carbon diffusion.     

Mechanism for tensile strain hardening in high performance cement-based fiber reinforced composites

The mechanism responsible for the improvement in tensile strain capacity of FRC (fiber reinforced concrete) as a result of the addition of high volume fraction of discontinuous fibers was investigated, using energy changes associated with cracking. The energy terms considered include: matrix fracture energy, matrix strain energy. debonding energy, fiber strain energy and fiber frictional energy.

Assuming that the first observed crack is also the failure crack, it was found that multiple cracking occurs in high performance FRC. In such composites the energy needed to open the critical cracks exceeds the energy needed to form a new crack. The analysis predicts that the major energy term determining this behavior is the fiber debonding energy.

Multiple cracking was observed in fiber reinforced small densified DSP (particles) containing a high volume fraction (higher than 3%) of fine and short steel fibers. Because crack localization did not occur during multiple cracking, very large increases in total strain capacity were achieved with increasing fiber volume fraction. At 12% fiber volume fraction, a total strain capacity of about 0·2% was measured from flexures tests; an increase of about 15 to 20 times over that of the plain matrix.     

Multiple effects of nano-SiO2 and hybrid fibers on properties of high toughness fiber reinforced cementitious composites with high-volume fly ash

This article explores multiple effects of nano-SiO₂ and hybrid fibers on the flowability, microstructure and flexural properties of high toughness fiber reinforced cementitious composites. Only a little negative influences of nano-SiO₂ and hybrid fibers on the flowability are observed. SEM and MIP analysis reveal that nano-SiO₂ results in much smaller pore size in the composites. However, the porosity increases gradually with nano-SiO₂ addition. Three-point bending test results show that nano-SiO₂ increases the flexural strength of the composites with nearly equivalent deformability, but higher strength of the matrix leads to wider cracks. Due to larger volume fraction and higher modulus, hybrid fibers effectively mitigate this adverse influence on crack width and further enhance the flexural strength. The composites reinforced with 1.4% steel fiber and 2.5% polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber exhibit the best flexural properties in the test. Finally, a simplified model is proposed to illustrate the reinforced mechanism of steel-PVA fibers.