Interconnected multi-walled carbon nanotubes reinforced polymer-matrix composites

A modified method for interconnecting multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) was put forward. And interconnected MWCNTs by reaction of acyl chloride and amino groups were obtained. Scanning electron microscopy shows that hetero-junctions of MWCNTs with different morphologies were formed. Then specimens of pristine MWCNTs, chemically functionalized MWCNTs and interconnected MWCNTs reinforced epoxy resin composites were fabricated by cast moulding. Tensile properties and fracture surfaces of the specimens were investigated. The results show that, compared with pristine MWCNTs and chemically functionalized MWCNTs, the chemically interconnected MWCNTs improved the fracture strain and therefore the toughness of the composites significantly.     

Single wall nanotube and vapor grown carbon fiber reinforced polymers processed by extrusion freeform fabrication

Single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and vapor grown carbon fibers (VGCFs) were compounded with poly(acrylonitrile-co-butadiene-co-styrene) (ABS) to create composite materials for use with Extrusion Freeform Fabrication (EFF). The composite materials possessed homogeneously dispersed fibers that were oriented with EFF processing. The VGCF and SWNT reinforced materials processed by EFF displayed improved tensile modulus compared to similarly processed ABS and composite material with isotropic fiber orientation, and the SWNT reinforced material displayed the highest properties, strength and modulus, of the materials studied. The materials containing oriented VGCFs and SWNTs showed modulus improvements of 44 and 93%, respectively.     

Unidirectional carbon fibre reinforced polyamide-12 composites with enhanced strain to tensile failure by introducing fibre waviness

Unidirectional (UD) carbon fibre reinforced polymers offer high specific strength and stiffness but they fail in a catastrophic manner with little warning. Gas-texturing and non-constrained annealing were used to introduce fibre waviness into UD polyamide 12 composites produced by wet-impregnation hoping to produce composites with a more gradual failure mode and increased failure strain. Both methods increased the variation of fibre alignment angle compared to the control samples. The composites containing wavy fibres exhibited a stepwise, gradual failure mode under strain controlled uniaxial tension rather than a catastrophic failure, observed in control samples. Gas-texturing damaged the fibres resulting in a decrease of the tensile strength and strain to failure, which resulted in composites with lower tensile strength and ultimate failure strain than the control composites. Non-constrained annealing of carbon fibre/PA-12 produced wavy fibre composites with ultimate failure strain of 2%, significantly higher than 1.6% of the control composite.     

Experimental investigation of carbon fiber reinforced poly(phenylene sulfide) composites prepared using a double-belt press

The high-performance carbon fiber reinforced poly(phenylene sulfide) composites were continuously fabricated using thermoplastic prepregs in a double-belt press. The effects of process velocity on the composite consolidation quality and mechanical properties were investigated. It is found that the tensile and interlaminar shear properties of composites prepared using the double-belt press are comparable to that of compression-molded composites when the process velocity is no more than 0.20 m·min⁻¹. The composite fracture morphologies also show different failure mechanisms between different samples and indicate that the interfacial adhesion strength may play a vital role in the mechanical properties of CF/PPS composites. Furthermore, experimental results show that the heating time above 330 °C should be over 440 s and the void content should be lower than 2.38% in order to obtain high performance CF/PPS composites.     

Pristine and amino functionalized carbon nanotubes reinforced glass fiber epoxy composites

Multi-phase composites have been studied by incorporating carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as a secondary reinforcement in an epoxy matrix which was then reinforced with glass fiber mat. Different types of CNTs e.g. amino functionalized carbon nanotubes (ACNT) and pristine carbon nanotubes (PCNT) were homogeneously dispersed in the epoxy matrix and two-ply laminates were fabricated using vacuum-assisted resin infusion molding technique. The issues related to CNT dispersion and interfacial bonding and its affect on the mechanical properties have been studied. An important finding of this study is that PCNT scores over ACNT in composites prepared under certain conditions. This is a very significant finding since PCNT is available at a much lower cost than ACNT.     

Investigation of structure,mechanical and tribological properties of short carbon fiber reinforced UHMWPE-matrix composites

Structural, mechanical and tribological properties of composite materials based on ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene reinforced with carbon fibers were investigated. The effect of surface modification of carbon fibers on the interaction at the fiber–matrix interface in UHMWPE based composites was studied. It was found that the thermal oxidation of carbon fibers by air oxygen at 500 °C can significantly enhance the interfacial interaction between the polymer matrix and carbon fibers. This allowed us to form composite materials with improved mechanical and tribological properties.     

Interfacially reinforced methylphenylsilicone resin composites by chemically grafting multiwall carbon nanotubes onto carbon fibers

Both silane and multiwall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were grafted successfully onto carbon fibers (CFs) to enhance the interfacial strength of CFs reinforced methylphenylsilicone resin (MPSR) composites. The microstructure, interfacial properties, impact toughness and heat resistance of CFs before and after modification were investigated. Experimental results revealed that CNTs were grafted uniformly onto CFs using 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APS) as the bridging agent. The wettability and surface energy of the obtained hybrid fiber (CF-APS-CNT) were increased obviously in comparison with those of the untreated-CF. The CF-APS-CNT composites showed simultaneously remarkable enhancement in interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) and impact toughness. Moreover, the interfacial reinforcing and toughening mechanisms were also discussed. In addition, Thermogravimetric analysis and thermal oxygen aging experiments indicated a remarkable improvement in the thermal stability and heat oxidation resistance of composites by the introduction of APS and CNTs. We believe the facile and effective method may provide a novel interface design strategy for developing multifunctional fibers.     

Mechanical,flow and electrical properties of thermoplastic polyurethane/fullerene composites: Effect of surface modification of fullerene

Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) composites with fullerene loadings varying from 0.5 to 2 weight% were prepared by melt-mixing method. Nitric acid oxidation and silanization were applied to fullerene surface to improve interfacial interactions with TPU matrix. The influence of surface modifications of fullerene on mechanical, melt flow and electrical properties of TPU based composites were investigated. Incorporation of fullerene leads to nearly twofold increase in tensile strength and Young's modulus of the composites in addition to enhancing the flexibility. The best results are obtained in nitric acid and silane modified fullerene containing composites at the lowest concentration (0.5%). Higher MFI values were observed for composites loaded with surface treated fullerenes compared to pristine fullerene because of their better dispersion in TPU. Electrical properties of TPU also improved by the addition of surface modified fullerene particles. Surface oxidation and silanization gave rise to dispersion homogeneity which may be the reason of both tensile strength and strain improvements at the same time.     

Finite element modeling of post-fire flexural modulus of fiber reinforced polymer composites under constant heat flux

In this study, a simple 1D finite element model was developed to predict the temperature evolution and post-fire mechanical degradation of glass fiber reinforced polymers (FRPs) subjected to constant heat fluxes, including 35 kW/m², 50 kW/m², 75 kW/m², and 100 kW/m². A temperature-dependent post-fire mechanical property model was proposed and implemented. The calculated temperature and residual mechanical moduli showed good agreement with the experimental data. By properly selecting the parameters of the model, an effective strategy was demonstrated to design FRP structure with enhanced durability.     

Sustainable food packaging: Valorising wheat straw fibres for tuning PHBV-based composites properties

The present work aims at investigating the impact of wheat straw fibres (WSF) size, morphology and content on the process-ability and functional properties (mechanical properties and water vapour permeability) of PHBV-based composites. For that purpose, three types of fibres obtained by successive grindings (from the micrometric up to the millimetric scale) were used. It was shown that the highest possible filler level was all the more high when decreasing fibre size (over 50 wt% in the case of micrometric fibres), due to reduced film heterogeneity and improved fibre wetting by the polymer. As regards functional properties, increasing fibre size and/or content led to a significant degradation of ultimate tensile properties, while Young’s modulus was not significantly affected. At the same time, water vapour transmission rate was significantly increased from 11 up to 110 g m⁻² day⁻¹, which could extend the applicability of PHBV/WSF composites as food packaging materials to respiring fresh products.     

Tensile and thermomechanical properties of short carbon fiber reinforced polyamide 6 composites

In this study, carbon fiber (CF) reinforced polyamide 6 (PA6) composites were prepared by using melt mixing method. Effects of fiber length and content, on the mechanical, thermal and morphological properties of CF reinforced PA6 composites were investigated. Fiber length distributions of composites were also determined by using an image analyzing program. It was seen that the maximum number of fibers were observed in the range of 0–50 μm. Mechanical test results showed that, increasing CF content increased the tensile strength, modulus and hardness values but decreased strain at break values of composites. DSC results showed that T_g and T_m values of composites were not changed significantly with increasing CF content and length. However, heat of fusion and the relative degree of crystallinity values of composites decreased with ascending CF content. DMA results revealed that storage modulus and loss modulus values of composites increased with increasing CF content.     

Thermal and mechanical properties of phenolic-based composites reinforced by carbon fibres and multiwall carbon nanotubes

The thermal, mechanical and ablation properties of carbon fibre/phenolic composites filled with multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were investigated. Carbon fibre/phenolic/MWCNTs were prepared using different weight percentage of MWCNTs by compression moulding. The samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), flexural tests, thermal gravimetric analysis and oxyacetylene torch tests. The thermal stability and flexural properties of the nanocomposites increased by increasing MWCNTs content (wt% ⩽1), but they decreased when the content of MWCNTs was 2 wt%. The linear and mass ablation rates of the nanocomposites after modified with 1 wt% MWCNTs decreased by about 80% and 52%, respectively. To investigate the material post-test microstructure, a morphological characterization was carried out using SEM. It was shown that the presence of MWCNTs in the composite led to the formation of a strong network char layer without any cracks or opening.     

Fabrication and mechanical properties of well-dispersed multiwalled carbon nanotubes/epoxy composites

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)/epoxy nanocomposites were fabricated by using ultrasonication and the cast molding method. In this process, MWCNTs modified by mixed acids were well dispersed and highly loaded in an epoxy matrix. The effects of MWCNTs addition and surface modification on the mechanical performances and fracture morphologies of composites were investigated. It was found that the tensile strength improved with the increase of MWCNTs addition, and when the content of MWCNTs loading reached 8 wt.%, the tensile strength reached the highest value of 69.7 MPa. In addition, the fracture strain also enhanced distinctly, implying that MWCNTs loading not only elevated the tensile strength of the epoxy matrix, but also increased the fracture toughness. Nevertheless, the elastic modulus reduced with the increase of MWCNTs loading. The reasons for the mechanical property changes are discussed.     

Preparation, characterisation and processing of carbon fibre/polyamide-12 composites for selective laser sintering

Aiming at developing carbon fibre/polyamide-12 (CF/PA) composite powders for manufacturing high-performance components by selective laser sintering (SLS), the preparation, characteristics and sintering process of the composite powders and mechanical properties of sintered components were studied. Surfaces of the carbon fibres were treated by the oxidation modification and coated with polyamide-12 through the dissolution-precipitation process to provide good interfacial adhesion and homogenous dispersion within the polyamide-12 matrix. The particle size and micro-morphology analyses show that the CF/PA composite powders with 30 wt%, 40 wt% and 50 wt% carbon fibres present the suitable powder sizes and format for SLS. The incorporation of carbon fibres into the polyamide-12 matrix decreases the initial melting temperature and consequently lowers the SLS part bed temperatures, implying lower energy requirement and less thermal degradation in the sintering process. The CF/PA composites also represent higher thermal stability than the pure polyamide-12. The CF/PA sintered components with 30 wt%, 40 wt% and 50 wt% carbon fibres exhibit the greatly enhanced flexural strengths by 44.5%, 83.3%, 114%, and the flexural modulus by 93.4%, 129.4%, 243.4%, respectively, as compared with the pure polyamide-12 sintered parts. Fractured surface analysis shows that the carbon fibres are encapsulated and bonded well with the polyamide matrix. The complex SLS parts with the thinnest wall of 0.6 mm, the density of 1.09 ± 0.02 g/cm³ and the relatively density of 94.13 ± 1.72% were manufactured using the CF/PA composite powder with 30 wt% carbon fibres. This study demonstrates that the CF/PA composite powders prepared by the surface treatment and dissolution-precipitation method represent suitable interfacial adhesion, filler dispersion, particle sizes and sintering behaviours for SLS and enable the manufacture of complex components with high performance.     

Pairing effect and tensile properties of laminated high-performance hybrid composites prepared using carbon/glass and carbon/aramid fibers

Many attempts have been made to fabricate lightweight, high-performance, and low-cost polymeric composites. To improve the mechanical performance of the same material compared to conventional composites, paired hybrid materials were manufactured with different lamination structures. Each of six types of hybrid composite was designed by lamination pairing of carbon/aramid fabric and carbon/glass fabric using VARTM. The dependence of the mechanical properties of the samples on the pairing effects of the lamination structures was investigated. All pairing materials did not lead to a large increase of tensile strength due to the domination of carbon fiber, but the mechanical properties of specific laminates were clearly changed by the particular pairing sequence used. Using the limited material, the design of an effective structure was the central laminating condition with a good tensile and bending properties. Laminating position of the carbon fiber was found to play an important role in the stacking design of hybrid composites.     

Flexural strength of bidirectional hybrid epoxy composites reinforced by E glass and T700S carbon fibres

A study on the flexural properties of bidirectional hybrid epoxy composites reinforced by E glass and T700S carbon fibres in inter-ply configurations is presented in this paper. Test specimens are made by hand lay-up and their flexural properties are obtained by three point bend test in accordance with ASTM D790-07. For comparison, the flexural behaviour is also modelled numerically using finite element analysis (FEA), and analytically using the Classic Lamination Theory (CLT). It is shown from the results that in general, good agreement is found between the experimental data and the model predictions. The flexural strength decreases when partial laminas from a carbon/epoxy laminate are replaced by glass/epoxy laminas. No significant hybrid effects for the flexural strength are found from the experiments. However, simulation studies show that hybridisation can potentially improve the flexural strength.     

Recycling of carbon fibers from carbon fiber reinforced polymer using electrochemical method

In this research, we proposed an electrochemical method for the recycling of carbon fibers from carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP). Experiments were designed with different solution concentrations (3%, 10%, and 20% NaCl) and various levels of applied current (4 mA, 10 mA, 20 mA, and 25 mA) so as to identify the significant parameters that affect carbon fiber recycling efficiency. The recycled carbon fibers were characterized by using the single fiber tensile strength test, SEM, XRD, and XPS techniques. Test results showed that the maximum tensile strength of the reclaimed carbon fibers was 80% of the virgin carbon fibers (VCF). The increase in electrolyte concentration did not improve the recycling efficiency but resulted in severe oxidation and chlorination on the surface of recycled carbon fibers. From the experimental results, it can be concluded that the recycling of carbon fibers with electrochemical method is simple, effective, and economical.     

Tensile and compressive properties of chopped carbon fiber tapes reinforced thermoplastics with different fiber lengths and molding pressures

Tensile and compressive behaviors of chopped carbon fiber tapes reinforced thermoplastics have been investigated by varying compression molding conditions (to study the effect of the molding pressure) and the tape length (to analyze the fiber length effect on the mechanical properties of produced composites). Fractographic analysis of prepared specimens conducted after the experiments indicated that the obtained modulus values were almost independent of both the tape length and molding pressure, while the measured strengths exhibited high molding pressure sensitivity. Interlaminar shear strength was considered to be the dominate factor in damage determination during tensile testing, while interlaminar tensile strength played the main role in compression fracture. Increase in the tape length led to a slight increase in the strength magnitude, but also a significant increase in the standard deviation of strength due to the decrease in structural regularity.     

Effect of linear density and yarn structure on the mechanical properties of ramie fiber yarn reinforced composites

Effects of linear density and yarn structure on both static and dynamic mechanical properties of ramie fiber yarn reinforced composites (RYRCs) were investigated. The failure mechanisms of RYRCs were analyzed with the aid of ultrasonic C-scan and Scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the tensile strength of RYRCs increased gradually with increase of the linear density of the single yarns. The maximum tensile strength was obtained when the linear density reached 67.3 tex. However, a downtrend of the tensile strength was observed with further increase of the linear density of ramie single and plied yarns. The interlaminar fracture toughness was relatively high for RYRCs made from yarns with lower linear density due to the extensive fiber bridging observed during the double cantilever beam test. Meanwhile, the linear density and structure of ramie yarn had remarkable influence on the failure mode of RYRCs during the drop weight impact test.     

Review of the mechanical properties of carbon nanofiber/polymer composites

In this paper, the mechanical properties of vapor grown carbon nanofiber (VGCNF)/polymer composites are reviewed. The paper starts with the structural and intrinsic mechanical properties of VGCNFs. Then the major factors (filler dispersion and distribution, filler aspect ratio, adhesion and interface between filler and polymer matrix) affecting the mechanical properties of VGCNF/polymer composites are presented. After that, VGCNF/polymer composite mechanical properties are discussed in terms of nanofibers dispersion and alignment, adhesion between the nanofiber and polymer matrix, and other factors. The influence of processing methods and processing conditions on the properties of VGCNF/polymer composite is also considered. At the end, the possible future challenges for VGCNF and VGCNF/polymer composites are highlighted.