Jute fibre/epoxy composites: Surface properties and interfacial adhesion

Jute fibres were surface treated in order to enhance the interfacial interaction between jute natural fibres and an epoxy matrix. The fibres are exposed to alkali treatment in combination with organosilane coupling agents and aqueous epoxy dispersions. The surface topography and surface energy influenced by the treatments were characterized. Single fibre pull-out tests combined with SEM and AFM characterization of the fracture surfaces were used to identify the interfacial strengths and to reveal the mechanisms of failure.     

Influence of fibre surface oxidation treatment on mechanical interfacial properties of carbon fibre/ polyarylacetylene composites

Abstract

In the present work, the mechanical interfacial properties of carbon fibre (CF) reinforced polyarylacetylene (PAA) resin composites were modified through the surface oxidation treatment of carbon fibres by ozone. Both X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy showed that oxidation treatment could increase the amount of elemental oxygen on the fibre surface markedly by introducing more oxygen groups. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images indicated that weak surface regions of fibres had been etched and removed, and the degree of fibre surface roughness was increased. The interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) and the interfacial shear strength (IFSS) of CF/PAA composites were both improved notably (no less than 50%). It could be concluded that an improvement of fibre surface chemical activity, better wettability of resin on the carbon fibre surface, and stronger mechanical joining between fibres and resin all resulted in the modification of interfacial properties of carbon fibre reinforced PAA composites. The influences of temperature, ozone concentration, and treatment time on the oxidation results were studied, and optimal treatment parameters determined.     

Evaluation of interfacial properties between carbon fibres and semicrystalline thermoplastic matrices in single-fibre composites

The interfacial properties between pitch-based carbon fibre and semicrystalline thermoplastic matrices have been investigated by using the fragmentation test on single-fibre composites. For this purpose, fibres with seven different degrees of surface oxidation were prepared. From the fragmentation test, it was found that oxidization of carbon fibre reduces the fibre fragment length. Further, the length is also influenced by the nature of resin used as matrix. The morphology of crystallites formed on the fibres has been studied. Based on these results, the interfacial properties of carbon fibre and thermoplastic resins are discussed.     

Surface oxidation of carbon fibre on tribological properties of PEEK composites

Abstract

In this work, ozone modification method and air oxidation were used for the surface treatment of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) based carbon fibre. The surface characteristics of carbon fibres were characterised by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The interfacial properties of carbon fibre reinforced PEEK (CF/PEEK) composites were investigated by means of the single fibre pull-out tests. As a result, it was found that IFSS values of the composites with ozone treated carbon fibre are increased by 60% compared with that without treatment. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results show that ozone treatment increases the amount of carboxyl groups on carbon fibre surface, thus the interfacial adhesion between carbon fibre and PEEK matrix is effectively promoted. The effect of surface treatment of carbon fibres on the tribological properties of CF/PEEK composites was comparatively investigated. Experimental results revealed that surface treatment can effectively improve the interfacial adhesion between carbon fibre and PEEK matrix. Thus the wear resistance was significantly improved.     

Effects of silsesquioxane coating structure on mechanical interfacial properties of carbon fibre/polyarylacetylene composites

Carbon fibres (CF) were treated with different coatings, including [3-(methacryloxy)propyl]trimethoxylsilane (MPMS), [3-(methacryloxy)propyl]silsesquioxane (MPMS-SSO), and (methacryloxy)propyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (Methacryl-POSS), to improve the interfacial properties of carbon fibre reinforced polyarylacetylene (PAA) matrix composites. MPMS-SSO was obtained from the hydrolytic condensation of MPMS. The complicated structure, including cage and ladder one, of MPMS-SSO may be assigned by Fourier transforms infrared (FT-IR) spectra, ¹H, ¹³C and ²⁹Si nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and ultraviolet matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UV-MALDI-TOF MS). Interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) was tested to investigate the effect of coating structure on the interfacial bonding. The values of ILSS of untreated and treated CF/PAA composites with different coatings (MPMS, MPMS-SSO and Methacryl-POSS) show that the treatment effect of Methacryl-POSS coating is the best one and the MPMS-SSO coating is better than that of MPMS coating. SEM micrographs of shear fracture of CF/PAA composites also suggested the different coating treatment effects. The differences of increasing degrees of ILSS indicate that the structure of coating is important when silsesquioxanes are used as coatings to treat fibre surface for building up the adhesion and improving interfacial properties of fibre reinforced polymer matrix composites.     

Mixed resin and carbon fibres surface treatment for preparation of carbon fibres composites with good interfacial bonding strength

The objective of this work is to improve the interlaminar shear strength of composites by mixing epoxy resin and modifying carbon fibres. The effect of mixed resin matrix’s structure on carbon fibres composites was studied. Anodic oxidation treatment was used to modify the surface of carbon fibres. The tensile strength of multifilament and interlaminar shear strength of composites were investigated respectively. The morphologies of untreated and treated carbon fibres were characterized by scanning electron microscope and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Surface analysis indicates that the amount of carbon fibres chemisorbed oxygen-containing groups, active carbon atom, the surface roughness, and wetting ability increases after treatment. The tensile strength of carbon fibres decreased little after treatment by anodic oxidation. The results show that the treated carbon fibres composites could possess excellent interfacial properties with mixed resins, and interlaminar shear strength of the composites is up to 85.41 MPa. The mechanism of mixed resins and treated carbon fibres to improve the interfacial property of composites is obtained.     

Thermomechanical behaviour of interfacial region in carbon fibre/epoxy composites

A study of the thermomechanical stability of the fibre-matrix interphase in carbon/epoxy composites has been carried out. The thermodynamic work of adhesion has been evaluated at room temperature by wetting measurements. The interfacial shear stress transfer level τ for sized and desized carbon fibre has been measured as a function of temperature by means of a single-fibre fragmentation test. As the test temperature increased τ values were found to decrease, with values being higher for the desized carbon fibre. The dependence of interfacial shear stress transfer on bulk matrix mechanical properties (modulus and shear strength) has also been discussed. Dynamic mechanical measurements performed on single-bundle composites confirmed the better thermomechanical stability of the desized fibre interphase.     

The effect of surface treatment on the interfacial properties in carbon fibre/epoxy matrix composites

Carbon fibres with different degrees of surface oxidation, as well as epoxy-sized fibres, were used to prepare epoxy composites in order to compare the effects of the fibres surface chemistry on the interfacial properties. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, water vapour adsorption measurements and contact angle examination were applied to characterize the carbon fibre surfaces. A correlation was found between the content of primary adsorption sites on the fibre surface and interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of the composites. Higher values of ILSS obtained for the oxidized fibres containing composites are proposed to be due to the higher concentration of carboxylic groups created on the oxidized fibres surface and to the creation of chemical bonds at the fibre/epoxy matrix interface. Enthalpy of cure, reaction peak temperature and glass transition temperature of the composites were determined by differential scanning calorimetry.     

The effect of fibre sizing on fibres and bundle strength in hybrid glass carbon fibre composites

Tests have been carried out on single carbon fibres supplied in the sized and unsized conditions, as well as impregnated tows and tows in a glass–carbon fibre hybrid composite of the same fibre. The results were analysed using a Weibull distribution for the strengths of the reinforcing fibres and composites. The tensile strength of the single fibres appeared to be unaffected by the sizing of the filaments. In the case of the impregnated tows, an increase in characteristic strength of 7% was observed for the unsized fibres. The strength of the impregnated tows in hybrid composites was seen to be 15% higher than those tested in air. This can be attributed to the “hybrid effect”. This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Synthesis of unsaturated polyesters for improved interfacial strength in carbon fibre composites

Carbon fibres are gaining use as reinforcement in glass fibre/polyester composites for increased stiffness as a hybrid composite. The mechanics and chemistry of the carbon fibre–polyester interface should be addressed to achieve an improvement also in fatigue performance and off-axis strength. To make better use of the versatility of unsaturated polyesters in a carbon fibre composite, a set of unsaturated polyester resins have been synthesized with different ratios of maleic anhydride, o-phthalic anhydride and 1,2-propylene glycol as precursors. The effective interfacial strength was determined by micro-Raman spectroscopy of a single-fibre composite tested in tension. The interfacial shear strength with untreated carbon fibres increased with increasing degree of unsaturation of the polyester, which is controlled by the relative amount of maleic anhydride. This can be explained by a contribution of chemical bonding of the double bonds in the polymer to the functional groups of the carbon fibre surface.     

Effect of Co60 gamma ray irradiation for carbon fibre on interfacial properties in epoxy resin composites

Abstract

In order to improve the interfacial adhesion between carbon fibre and resin matrix in composite materials, it is necessary to treat the surface of the carbon fibre. In this paper, γ-ray irradiation technique was used to modify polyacrylonitrile based carbon fibre. Laser Raman spectrum and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to investigate and analyse the structure and chemical composition near the surface of the carbon fibre. The influence of irradiation parameters on the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of carbon fibre reinforced epoxy composite materials and the bundle tension strength of carbon fibre was studied. The interfacial adhesion behaviour of composites was characterised using torsional braid analysis. The results show that after irradiation the ILSS of the composite was increased by 20%, while the glass transition peak of the specimen, determined from torsional braid analysis, shifts towards a higher temperature compared with an unirradiated specimen. The value of the glass transition temperature T _g is increased from 416.8 to 424.3 K. After irradiation there was no apparent change in the bundle tensile strength of carbon fibre. Investigations indicate that after irradiation the decrease of microcrystal size, the increase of surface free energy of carbon fibre surface and the active chemical function group formed from unsaturated carbon atoms improve the interface adhesion between the carbon fibre and the matrix in the composites.     

Tensile and compressive properties of flax fibres for natural fibre reinforced composites

Mechanical properties of standard decorticated and hand isolated flax bast fibres were determined in tension as well as in compression. The tensile strength of technical fibre bundles was found to depend strongly on the clamping length. The tensile strength of elementary flax fibres was found to range between 1500 MPa and 1800 MPa, depending on the isolation procedure. The compressive strength of elementary flax fibres as measured with a loop test lies around 1200 MPa. However, the compressive strength can be lowered severely by the decortication process. The standard decortication process induces kink bands in the fibres. These kink bands are found to contain cracks bridged by microfibrils. The failure behaviour of elementary flax fibres under compression can be described as similar to the failure behaviour of a stranded wire.     

Laccase and alkali treatments of cellulose fibre: Surface lignin and its influences on fibre surface properties and interfacial behaviour of sisal fibre/phenolic resin composites

This paper is an attempt to investigate the influences of enzyme (laccase) and alkali treatments on the surface lignin of single cellulose fibre. The fibre surface characteristics and the interfacial behaviour of the sisal fibre/phenolic resin composites were also studied by SEM, AFM, XPS. The surface lignin greatly affected the surface physical and chemical properties of single cellulose fibres. The surface lignin concentration was up to 35% for the raw fibre without any treatment, and then it decreased to 24%, 20% and 18% for the fibres with laccase treatment, alkali treatment and laccase/alkali treatment, respectively. The removal of lignin from fibre surface could enhance the interfacial strength of composites, and thus increase the tensile strength and internal bonding strength by 43% and 51%, respectively, for the composites obtained from laccase/alkali treated fibres.     

Influence of fibre surface oxidation–reduction followed by silsesquioxane coating treatment on interfacial mechanical properties of carbon fibre/polyarylacetylene composites

Carbon fibre was treated with oxidation–reduction followed by silsesquioxane coating method to improve the interfacial properties of carbon fibre/polyarylacetylene (CF/PAA) composites. The treatment method was divided into three phases, i.e., oxidation with oxygen plasma, reduction with LiAlH₄, and coating treatment with vinyl silsesquioxane (VMS–SSO). The fibre surface composition and functional group were analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The polar functional groups, especially C–OH which could react with Si–OH on silsesquioxanes, were increased after redox reaction. VMS–SSO coating treatment imported vinyl groups which could react with PAA resin during PAA cure process. The surface morphology of carbon fibre was observed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The mechanical interfacial properties of the CF/PAA composites were characterized by short-beam bending testing method. Interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of the CF/PAA composites in different treatment phases were increased by 31.7%, 28.8%, and 59.3%, respectively. The conclusion that oxidation–reduction followed by silsesquioxane coating treatment is an effective method to improve the interfacial properties of the CF/PAA composites can be drawn. This method can be used in other resin systems if the functional groups on silsesquioxane are changed according to those in resins.     

Surface evaluation of carbon fibre composites using wavelet texture analysis

Strong and lightweight fibre reinforced polymeric composites now dominate the aerospace, marine and low-volume automotive sectors. The surface finish on exterior composite panels is of critical importance for customer satisfaction. This paper describes the application of wavelet texture analysis (WTA) to the task of automatically classifying the surface finish of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) samples into two quality grades. Automatic classification was successful for all but four samples out of 14,400 classification trial configurations, representing 403,200 sample classification attempts (28 attempts per configuration). This work establishes the principle of WTA as a basis for automatic surface finish classification of composite materials.     

Microwave absorbing properties of activated carbon fibre polymer composites

Microwave absorption of composites containing activated carbon fibres (ACFs) was investigated. The results show that the absorptivity greatly depends on increasing ACF content in the absorbing layer, first increasing and then decreasing. When the content is 0·76 wt.%, the bandwidth below −10dB is 12·2 GHz. Comparing the absorption characteristics of the ACF composite with one containing unactivated fibres, it is found that carbon fibre activation increases the absorption of the composite.     

The electrical properties of joints in carbon fibre composites

The electrical properties of carbon fibre composites are discussed and the need to make good electrical bonds explained. The important factors governing electrical conduction across joints are outlined and results of measurements of bonds of practical interest, both mechanically fastened and adhesively bonded, are given. Suggestions are made as to how these may be improved without detriment to the structural strength of the joint. The paper finishes with some discussion of the need for incorporating electrical considerations in the design procedure at an early stage.