Thermal and mechanical properties of waste grass broom fiber-reinforced polyester composites

The main focus of this study is to utilize waste grass broom natural fibers as reinforcement and polyester resin as matrix for making partially biodegradable green composites. Thermal conductivity, specific heat capacity and thermal diffusivity of composites were investigated as a function of fiber content and temperature. The waste grass broom fiber has a tensile strength of 297.58 MPa, modulus of 18.28 GPa, and an effective density of 864 kg/m³. The volume fraction of fibers in the composites was varied from 0.163 to 0.358. Thermal conductivity of unidirectional composites was investigated experimentally by a guarded heat flow meter method. The results show that the thermal conductivity of composite decreased with increase in fiber content and the quite opposite trend was observed with respect to temperature. Moreover, the experimental results of thermal conductivity at different volume fractions were compared with two theoretical models. The specific heat capacity of the composite as measured by differential scanning calorimeter showed similar trend as that of the thermal conductivity. The variation in thermal diffusivity with respect to volume fraction of fiber and temperature was not so significant.The tensile strength and tensile modulus of the composites showed a maximum improvement of 222% and 173%, respectively over pure matrix. The work of fracture of the composites with maximum volume fraction of fibers was found to be 296 Jm⁻¹.     

Tensile and flexural properties of snake grass natural fiber reinforced isophthallic polyester composites

Natural fiber composite materials are one such capable material which replaces the conventional and synthetic materials for the practical applications where we require less weight and energy conservation. The present paper, which emphasis the importance of the newly identified snake grass fibers which are extracted from snake grass plants by manual process. In this paper, the tensile properties of the snake grass fiber are studied and compared with the traditionally available other natural fibers. The mixed chopped snake grass fiber reinforced composite is prepared by using the isophthallic polyester resin and the detailed preparation methodology is presented. Fiber pull-outs on the fractured specimen during the physical testing of the composites are also investigated. The experimental evidence also shows that the volume fraction increases the tensile, flexural strength and modulus of the snake grass fiber reinforce composite.     

Tensile properties of elephant grass fiber reinforced polyester composites

Elephant grass stalk fibers were extracted using retting and chemical (NaOH) extraction processes. These fibers were treated with KMnO₄ solution to improve adhesion with matrix. The resulting fibers were incorporated in a polyester matrix and the tensile properties of fiber and composite were determined. The fibers extracted by retting process have a tensile strength of 185 MPa, modulus of 7.4 GPa and an effective density of 817.53 kg/m³. The tensile strength and modulus of chemically extracted elephant grass fibers have increased by 58 and 41%, respectively. After the treatment the tensile strength and modulus of the fiber extracted by retting have decreased by 19, 12% and those of chemically extracted fiber have decreased by 19 and 16%, respectively. The composites were formulated up to a maximum of 31% volume of fiber resulting in a tensile strength of 80.55 MPa and tensile modulus of 1.52 GPa for elephant grass fibers extracted by retting. The tensile strength and the modulus of chemically extracted elephant grass fiber composites have increased by approximately 1.45 times to those of elephant grass fiber composite extracted by retting. The tensile strength of treated fiber composites has decreased and the tensile modulus has shown a mixed trend for the fibers extracted by both the processes. Quantitative results from this study will be useful for further and more accurate design of elephant grass fiber reinforced composite materials.     

Post-fire flexural properties of fibre-reinforced polyester, epoxy and phenolic composites

The effect of fire damage on the flexural properties of fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites is investigated. The FRP composites studied contained glass, carbon or Kevlar fibres with a polyester, epoxy or phenolic resin matrix. Artificial fire tests were performed on the composites using a cone calorimeter. The residual flexural modulus and strength of the burnt composites were determined at room temperature after the fire tests. The post-fire flexural properties of all the composites decreased rapidly with increasing heating time. Even the properties of the fibre-reinforced phenolic materials were severely degraded despite their low flammability and excellent fire resistance. The flexural properties of the phenolic-based composites were reduced due to thermal degradation and cracking of the resin matrix. In comparison, the properties of the polyester- and epoxy-based composites were reduced by combustion of the resin and formation of delamination cracks. A model is presented for determining the post-fire flexural properties of FRP composites with good accuracy.     

Thermal behavior of E-glass fiber-reinforced unsaturated polyester composites

The aim of this work is to study the behavior of E-glass fiber unsaturated polyester composites, subjected to moderate and high temperatures. The obtained results show that the chemical, physical and mechanical properties of the resin and the composite change with the rise of the temperature. A thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed that the thermal degradation of the composite occurs in two steps: the first between 130 and 200 °C and the second between 250 and 440 °C.The characterization of the resin and the composite, after heating, revealed that at moderate temperatures (lower than 100 °C) an improvement of the properties of materials is observed. For high temperatures but lower than the temperature of decomposition (Td), the mechanical strength of the resin does seem to be very affected, even improved for certain cases. For these temperatures, the composite presents some fractures of the fiber–matrix interfaces, which causes losses in strength and ductility.When the temperature reaches the temperature of decomposition (Td), a fall of the mechanical properties was recorded for both resin and composite.     

Modeling of post-fire stiffness of E-glass fiber-reinforced polyester composites

A new model is proposed to estimate the post-fire stiffness of FRP composites after different fire-exposure times. The model considers the E-modulus recovery of the material if cooled down from temperatures between glass transition and decomposition during the fire. Furthermore, based on this model, the through-thickness temperature gradients and remaining resin contents (RRC) can be calculated. Post-fire stiffness estimated by the new model and refined two- and three-layer post-fire models based on temperature or RRC criteria was compared with experimental results. A good agreement of calculated and measured post-fire stiffness of two full-scale cellular GFRP panels subjected to mechanical and thermal loading was found for fire-exposure times up to 2 h.     

Freeze-thaw influence on the flexural properties of ductile fiber-reinforced cementitious composites (DFRCCs) for durable infrastructures

Ductile fiber-reinforced cementitious composites (DFRCCs) are innovative cementitious materials characterized by multiple cracking and pseudo strain-hardening behavior under static flexure. This paper investigates the effects of freeze-thaw cycles, and water-to-binder ratio (W/B) as well as reinforcing fiber combination on flexural properties and cracking procedure of DFRCC prismatic specimens. The DFRCC materials used in the present study are reinforced with hybrid polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (PE) at the 1.5% volume fraction. These DFRCC materials were tested for modulus of rupture (MOR), relative dynamic modulus of elasticity, and change in mass. The test results for freezing and thawing actions within 300 cycles indicate that freeze-thaw cycles have little effect on the MOR of the DFRCC materials, whereas freeze-thaw cycles have a negative effect on multiple cracking behavior and deformation capacity of DFRCC prismatic specimens under flexural loadings. The results of durability tests show that the DFRCC specimens remain durable after 300 cycles of freezing and thawing actions.     

Ultimate strength properties of fiber-reinforced composites

The volume effect and stress heterogeneity effect (i.e., the effect of loading type) on the ultimate strength are analyzed for fiber-reinforced composites. The main failure mechanisms are assumed to be fiber breakage and fiber pull-out. Depending on the load redistribution around a broken fiber, two different regimes can be obtained. The results are applied to the prediction of ultimate strengths of SiC fiber-reinforced composites subjected to tension, pure flexure and three-point flexure.     

Influence of filler/reinforcing agent and post-curing on the flexural properties of woven and unidirectional glass fiber-reinforced composites

The aim of this study is to investigate the reinforcing effect of woven and unidirectional glass fibers and the effect of post-curing on the flexural strength and flexural modulus of glass fiber-reinforced composites. A series of composites containing 2,2-bis[4-(2-hydroxy-3-methacryloyloxypropoxy)-phenyl]propane and triethyleneglycol dimethacrylate matrices and different reinforcements of unidirectional or woven glass fibers were prepared. The samples, 25 × 2 × 2 mm, were cured with a halogen curing lamp, followed by additional curing by thermal treatment at 135 ± 5 °C temperature and 60 psi pressure. Samples were tested before and after post-curing in order to determine the flexural strength and flexural modulus. The degree of reinforcement with glass fibers was varied between 14 and 57 wt% or 7.64 and 38.44 vol% by changing the number of unidirectional bundles or woven glass fiber bands in the composites, respectively. The obtained flexural strength values were in the range of 95.20–552.31 Mpa; the flexural modulus ranged between 2.17 and 14.7 GPa. The highest flexural strength and flexural modulus values were recorded for samples with unidirectional glass fibers. The mechanical qualities of the glass fibers-reinforced composites increased after post-curing treatment. Increasing of the glass fiber amount in the experimental composites improves both flexural strength and modulus. SEM micrographs of fractured composites indicate a strong interfacial interaction between the glass fibers and the polymer matrix.     

Fique fiber-reinforced polyester composites: Effects of fiber surface treatments on mechanical behavior

Composites consisting of fique fibers (Colombian fibers) and unsaturated polyester (UP) matrix have been investigated. Fique fiber bundles were subjected to alkalization and/or treated with different chemical agents such as maleic anhydride, acrylic acid and a silane to provide increased compatibility between fiber and resin. The mechanical behavior of the composite materials was analyzed by flexural tests. Maximum mechanical properties were observed for composites with fibers subjected to alkalization and also when it was applied as previous process for the other treatments. Aspects of composite materials such as fiber bundle length, fiber content as well as two ways of preparing the material, lamination and BMC, have been evaluated. The influence of surface treatment of fiber on curing of the polyester resin was analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Dynamic mechanical properties were also evaluated to establish the influence of the interfacial interactions on the mechanical behavior of the laminates.     

盐雾环境中玻璃纤维/不饱和聚酯复合材料腐蚀深度对弯曲性能的影响

采用中性盐雾加速老化试验模拟海洋大气环境, 对玻璃纤维/不饱和聚酯复合材料在盐雾环境中的弯曲性能进行了研究。通过玻璃纤维/不饱和聚酯复合材料经盐雾加速老化后的吸湿率、玻璃化转变温度、巴氏硬度和弯曲性能的变化, 结合金相显微镜观测得到的腐蚀深度, 研究腐蚀深度对玻璃纤维/不饱和聚酯复合材料耐久性的影响。结果表明:老化初期玻璃纤维/不饱和聚酯复合材料的吸湿率随时间增长较快, 随后增长逐渐趋于稳定。玻璃纤维/不饱和聚酯复合材料的玻璃化转变温度呈现先增加后下降的趋势, 老化180 d后玻璃化转变温度增加了2.1%;老化180 d后玻璃纤维/不饱和聚酯复合材料的巴氏硬度与老化前相比降低了17.6%, 弯曲强度损失率为10%。基于金相显微镜分析得到老化后玻璃纤维/不饱和聚酯复合材料的腐蚀深度, 建立了腐蚀深度与弯曲强度之间的关系。      

Compressive and flexural behavior of carbon fiber-reinforced PPS composites at elevated temperature

ABSTRACT

The effect of temperature on the mechanical behavior of carbon fiber reinforced polyphenylenesulfide (PPS) composites was investigated by compressive and flexural tests from ambient temperature up to 150°C. The failure morphologies of the C/PPS composites were analyzed to identify the variation of failure modes. Related results showed that the mechanical behavior of C/PPS composites decreased severely with the increase of temperature due to the softening of matrix. The PPS resin film tensile test was carried out and the PPS matrix behavior was recognized as the main factor to dominate the mechanical behavior of composites under compressive/flexural loading at elevated temperatures. It can be found that there was an approximate linear relationship between the compression properties of C/PPS composites and the PPS matrix. The dependence of failure modes of composites on temperatures was closely related to the mechanical behavior of PPS matrix.     

玻璃纤维增强复合材料的机械切割性能研究

从手糊成型层合板玻璃纤维增强复合材料的切割加工入手,利用单因素法测试切削参数对切削力的影响,观察试件加工表面状况,得到切削参数之间的关系式。首次提出切削参数关系因子R的概念,并对R在低速切割时的临界值RL进行了设定,为玻璃纤维增强复合材料的加工工艺参数取值提供了参考。     

Analysis of flexural properties of hollow-particle filled composites

This paper studies flexural properties of vinyl ester–glass hollow-particle filled composites, which are used in marine applications. Sixteen compositions of composite materials are studied under three-point bending conditions to assess the effect of wall thickness and volume fraction of hollow inclusions. The results show that the flexural modulus of several composites is higher as compared to the neat resin. Moreover, the specific modulus of all composites is higher than the neat resin providing the possibility of appreciable weight saving in marine structures. Nevertheless, the flexural strength of the composites is lower than that of the neat resin. In addition, it is found that the flexural strength decreases as the inclusion volume fraction increases and is independent of the inclusion wall thickness. An analytical framework is presented to interpret the experimental findings and generate predictive capabilities for hollow-particle filled composites. Tractable formulas are used for computing the flexural modulus and strength from the mechanical and geometrical properties of the constituents. Analytical and experimental results are found to be in close agreement.     

Damping properties of thermoplastic-elastomer interleaved carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy composites

The aim of this study is to characterize the damping properties of carbon fiber-reinforced interleaved epoxy composites. Several types of thermoplastic-elastomer films, such as polyurethane elastomers, polyethylene-based ionomers and polyamide elastomers were used as the interleaving materials. The damping properties of the composite laminates with/without the interleaf films were evaluated by the mechanical impedance method. Also, the effects of the lay-up arrangements of the carbon-fiber prepregs on the damping properties of the interleaved laminates were examined. The viscoelastic properties of interleaved polymer films were reflected in the damping properties of the corresponding interleaved laminates. The loss tangent of the interleaf films at the test temperature played an important roll in the loss factor of the interleaved laminates. Also, the stiffness of the films at the resonant frequency of the laminates was another important parameter that controlled the loss factor of the interleaved laminates.     

Study of chemical and mechanical properties of Dharbai fiber reinforced polyester composites

This investigation is focused on identifying a new variety of natural fiber (Dharbai fiber) for reinforcement in polymer matrix composites. An investigation on extraction procedure of Dharbai fibers has been undertaken. The chemical properties of Dharbai fibers were determined experimentally as per TAPPI standards. The FT-IR Spectroscopy was used to study the chemical structure of Dharbai fibers and the tensile properties of these fibers were studied using single filament test. The fibers extracted were reinforced in polyester matrix by varying the fabrication parameters namely fiber weight content (%) and fiber length (mm). The effect of fiber weight content and fiber length on the mechanical properties of Dharbai fiber-polyester composites were evaluated as per ASTM standards. Scanning electron microscope was used to characterize the interfacial bonding between Dharbai fibers and polyester matrix. This study confirmed that, the Dharbai fibers could be used as an effective reinforcement material for making low load bearing polymer composites.     

Studies of the flexural properties of asbestos-reinforced phenolic composites

Factors which may influence the flexural strength of asbestos-reinforced phenolic composites were investigated. These are: fibre-to-resin adhesion, the degree of fibre dispersion, the relative fracture strains of the fibres and matrices, and voids. Fibre-to-resin adhesion was promoted by pre-coating asbestos fibres with phenol-formaldehyde in solution state throughin situ polymerization. Fibre dispersion was controlled by applying shear agitation to the mixture of fibres in solution duringin situ polymerization. The ratio of the fracture strain of the fibres to that of the matrix was varied by using resins having different fracture strains. Voids were found to be present in all cases. The size of voids was not significantly affected by different processing conditions. It is concluded that the flexural strength of the composites is largely controlled by voids in the moulded parts. Other factors have little effect on the flexural strength when they are varied over a range of practical importance.     

聚酯/碳纤维复合材料的自修复性能研究

合成了脲醛树脂/环氧树脂微胶囊,并作为功能材料设计自修复聚醋/碳纤维复合材料.采用力学性能测试,扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和光学显微镜(OM)对微胶囊功能材料和自修复材料进行研究.碳纤维能够提高材料的弹性模量,在材料损伤过程中,控制裂缝的宽度.微胶囊具有增韧效果和自修复能力.经过拉伸复合材料内部产生裂纹.微胶囊在裂纹前端...