Effect of filler content and surface treatment on the tensile properties of glass‐bead‐filled polypropylene composites

The tensile properties of polypropylene (PP) filled with two A‐glass beads with the same size, PP/3000 (glass bead surface pretreated with a silane coupling agent) and PP/3000U (no surface pretreatment), have been measured by using an Instron materials testing machine at room temperature, to identify the effects of the filler surface pretreatment and its content on the tensile properties of these composites. The results show that the Young's modulus E_c of the composites increases non‐linearly with increasing volume fraction of glass beads ϕ_f, while the tensile yield strength σ_yc and tensile stress at break σ_bc of the composites decrease with an increase of ϕ_f, in the ϕ_f range 0–30%. Furthermore, the values of E_c and σ_bc of the PP/3000 system are somewhat higher than those of the PP/3000U system under the same test conditions, but this is in contrast to the tensile strain at break ε_bc and tensile fracture energy E_bc, especially at higher ϕ_f values. Good agreement is shown between the measured tensile strength and the predicted value by using an equation proposed in previous work. In addition, ε_bc and E_bc reach maximum values at ϕ_f = 25% for both systems. This indicates that there is a brittle–ductile transition for the composites in tension. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry     

Starch‐filled ternary polymer composites. II: Room temperature tensile properties

The room temperature tensile properties of granular starch‐filled low‐density polyethylene (PE) and starch‐filled blends of PE and poly(hydroxy ester ether) (PHEE) are presented. At low filler contents (?_f), the filled PE:PHEE blend has a higher yield stress and tensile strength than either the starch/PE composites or the unfilled matrix. The increase in the yield stress indicates that matrix yielding occurs before debonding. At high filler contents, the tensile strength of the filled blend is again greater than the strength of the starch/PE composites. This increase in strength is the result of higher debonding stresses in the ternary composite. In both materials there is a change in the deformation process at a critical filler content, ?_cr. Below ?_cr, deformation involves the growth of debonded regions; above ?_cr, deformation is confined to narrow damaged zones. There is a reduction in the strain at failure when this change in the deformation process occurs. Although the PHEE surface coating affects the debonding stress and the tensile strength, it does not affect the strain at failure or the tensile modulus. For both composite materials, the increase in modulus with ?_f can be adequately described using a simplified form of the Kerner equation. Polym. Eng. Sci. 44:1839–1847, 2004. © 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers.     

Simultaneously enhanced cryogenic mechanical behaviors of cyanate ester/epoxy resins by poly(ethylene oxide)‐co‐poly(propylene oxide)‐co‐poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO‐PPO‐PEO) block copolymer and clay

Cryogenic mechanical properties are important parameters for thermosetting resins used in cryogenic engineering areas. The hybrid nanocomposites were prepared by modification of a cyanate ester/epoxy/poly(ethylene oxide)‐block‐poly(propylene oxide)‐block‐poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO‐PPO‐PEO) system with clay. It is demonstrated that the cryogenic tensile strength, Young's modulus, ductility (failure strain), and fracture resistance (impact strength) are simultaneously enhanced by the addition of PEO‐PPO‐PEO and clay. The results show that the tensile strength and Young's modulus at 77 K of the hybrid nanocomposite containing 5 wt% PEO‐PPO‐PEO and 3 wt% clay were enhanced by 31.0% and 14.6%, respectively. The ductility and impact resistance at both room temperature and 77K are all improved for the hybrid composites. The fracture surfaces of the neat BCE/EP and its nanocomposites were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Finally, the dependence of the coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) on the clay and PEO‐PPO‐PEO contents was examined by thermal dilatometer. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:2237–2247, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Damage to rigid‐particle‐filled polymer under cyclic tension

The effect of particle volume fraction, strain rate and interfacial bonding strength on the damage to a glass bead‐filled high density polyethylene composite was studied experimentally by means of cyclic tension tests. Although the volume fraction of the glass beads varies from 5% to 25%, the materials studied are always sensitive to the strain rate, reflected by an increase of the modulus with strain rates changing from 10^?3 s^?1 to 10^?5 s^?1. The damage evolution is a function of the applied far‐field strain, but is also strongly influenced by the particle volume fraction, strain rate and interfacial bonding strength. Strong interfacial adhesion can postpone the initiation of damage and cause a lower level of damage than that occuring with weak adhesion under a given strain. For the studied materials with interfacial debonding taking place, the higher the volume fraction of the glass beads, the greater the number of microcracks formed at the interface. The effect of strain rate on the damage may be related to the effect of loading time, ie low strain rate favours damage development. The residual strain is a function of far‐field strain and also depends on the strain rate and residual deformation of microvoids formed at two poles of the particle. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

玻璃微珠填充LDPE复合物的拉伸力学性质

应用Instron材料试验机,考察了拉伸过程中玻璃微珠填充LDPE复合体系的力学性能。发现弹性模量(E)随着微珠质量百分数(Φ)的增加而增大,两者之间呈非线性关系;拉伸断裂应变则随着Φ的增加而呈非线性减小;微珠直径对试样力学性能的影响不大。此外,经偶联剂处理过的微珠填充体系,其强度略高于未作处理的体系。     

Mechanical and thermal properties of glass bead–filled nylon‐6

The mechanical and thermal properties of glass bead–filled nylon‐6 were studied by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), tensile testing, Izod impact, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) tests. DMA results showed that the incorporation of glass beads could lead to a substantial increase of the glass‐transition temperature (T_g) of the blend, indicating that there existed strong interaction between glass beads and the nylon‐6 matrix. Results of further calculation revealed that the average interaction between glass beads and the nylon‐6 matrix deceased with increasing glass bead content as a result of the coalescence of glass beads. This conclusion was supported by SEM observations. Impact testing revealed that the notch Izod impact strength of nylon‐6/glass bead blends substantially decreased with increasing glass bead content. Moreover, static tensile measurements implied that the Young's modulus of the nylon‐6/glass bead blends increased considerably, whereas the tensile strength clearly decreased with increasing glass bead content. Finally, TGA and DSC measurements indicated that the thermal stability of the blend was obviously improved by incorporation of glass beads, whereas the melting behavior of the nylon‐6 remained relatively unchanged with increasing glass bead content. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 94: 1885–1890, 2004     

Effects of the glass bead content and the surface treatment on the mechanical properties of polypropylene composites

Polypropylene composites filled with glass beads (GBs) were prepared by means of a twin‐screw extruder. The tensile properties and impact‐fracture strength of the composites were measured at room temperature to identify the effects of the GB content and surface treatment on the mechanical properties. The results show that the relative elastic modulus increased nonlinearly, whereas the tensile strength decreased with increasing GB volume fraction (?_f). The notched impact strength increased with increasing ?_f when ?_f was less than 11%, and then, it decreased; this might have been related to the GB aggregation in the case of higher concentration. The mechanical properties of the composite systems in which the GB surface was treated with silane coupling agent were better than those of the composite systems filled with the untreated GBs under the same conditions. Furthermore, the impact‐fractured surfaces were observed with a scanning electron microscope to understand the interfacial morphology between the inclusion and the matrix and to examine the toughening mechanisms. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Effects of poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) and ultrafined wollastonite on the physical properties and crystallization of recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate)

Recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate) (rPET), obtained mainly from postconsumer bottles, was melt‐mixed with either poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) (PBAT) or PBAT plus ultrafine wollastonite (～5 μm) at different weight ratios on a twin‐screw extruder and then injection‐molded. Among the five rPET/PBAT blends (10–50 wt% PBAT) evaluated, the 80/20 wt% rPET/PBAT blend exhibited the highest tensile strength and degree of crystallinity, a slight increase in the tensile strain, and a remarkable increase in the melt flow index, but a lower tensile modulus and thermal stability with respect to the neat rPET. This blend was subsequently filled with four loading levels of wollastonite (10–40 wt%), where the tensile properties (modulus, strain at break, and strength) and thermal stability of the blend were all improved by the addition of wollastonite in a dose‐dependent manner. Based on differential scanning calorimetry analysis, the crystallinity of rPET in the rPET/PBAT/wollastonite composites decreased in the presence of wollastonite, accompanied with a noticeable increase in the glass transition, cold crystallization, and crystallization temperatures, but only a slight change in the melting temperature was noted compared with those of the neat 80/20 wt% blend. Moreover, the addition of wollastonite at 30 wt% or higher showed a strong reduction in the melt dripping of the composites during combustion. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 23:106–116, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Investigation on the use of coir fiber as alternative reinforcement in polypropylene

Polypropylene/coir fiber composites were prepared according to an experimental statistical design, in which the independent variables, coir fiber, and compatibilizer content, were varied. The compatibilizer used was maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (PP‐g‐MA). Compatibilizer free composites were also prepared. Composites were processed in a corotating twin‐screw extruder and submitted to mechanical and morphological analyses. The effects of the independent variables on the mechanical properties were assessed through tensile strength, elongation at break, flexural modulus, and impact strength. The morphological properties were assessed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicated the need for using compatibilizers in the composites due to the incompatibility of PP and coir fiber. The variable with the strongest effect on the properties was coir content, whose increase caused increase in tensile strength, impact strength and elastic modulus, and decrease in elongation at break. The presence of PP‐g‐MA was fundamental to achieving the aforementioned results. The effect of increasing compatibilizer content was only observed for the elastic modulus. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

A constitutive model for non‐linear behavior of SMC accounting for linear viscoelasticity and micro‐damage

An approach for modeling sheet molding compound (SMC) composites as viscoelastic damageable material is presented. Continuum damage mechanics theory by Chow and Wang (Int. J. Fract., 33, 3 (1987)) was used in combination with linear viscoelasticity. The model was applied to a modern SMC composite material containing both hollow glass spheres for low density and toughening additive for improved impact resistance. Tensile tests and uniaxial creep test were employed to build the constitutive model. Validation was done by comparing test data with simulations of uniaxial creep on material with different degrees of damage. The model has good accuracy at moderate damage levels under controlled time‐dependent crack propagation. Tensile testing at two different fixed strain rates was simulated using quasi‐elastic method to calculate relaxation modulus. The model predicts the stress‐strain curve with good accuracy until the region is close to failure, where new mechanisms not accounted for are taking place. Finally, a simulation of a cyclic tensile test with increasing maximum strain per cycle was performed, and since both damage and viscoelasticity are included in the model, the slope change, accumulation of residual strain, and hysteresis in the stress‐strain, loading‐unloading curve are predicted. POLYM. COMPOS., 26:84–97, 2005. © 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers     

玻璃微珠填充聚丙烯复合材料的力学性能研究

用硅烷偶联剂对玻璃微珠(GB)进行表面改性,采用熔融共混法制备了GB填充聚丙烯(PP)复合材料,考察了PP/GB复合材料的力学性能。结果表明:随着GB用量的增加,复合材料的断裂伸长率降低;拉伸弹性模量呈非线性形式增加;拉伸强度开始下降速率较快,然后趋于平缓;复合材料的冲击强度先随GB用量的增加而增加然,后降低;偶联剂处理GB有利于复合材料力学性能的改善。     

Polylactide‐pine wood flour composites

Biobased and biodegradable polylactide (PLA)‐pine wood flour (PWF) composites were investigated as a means to reduce the overall material cost and tailor the material properties. The composites were prepared using a kinetic‐mixer and an injection molding machine. The tensile modulus of the PLA‐PWF composites increased with the PWF content whereas the toughness and strain‐at‐break decreased. The tensile strength remained the same irrespective of the PWF content (up to 40%). The storage modulus also increased with the PWF content. Additionally, composites containing PWF treated with silane showed higher storage modulus than those without the silane treatment. The area integration underneath the tan δ peaks decreased with increasing PWF, indicating that the PLA‐PWF composites exhibited more elastic behavior with increasing PWF. The degree of crystallinity of the PLA‐PWF composites increased significantly with the PWF content. Furthermore, the treatment of PWF with silane had a positive effect on its nucleating ability, as treated PLA‐PWF composites showed higher crystallinity compared with their untreated counterparts. The morphology of the fracture surfaces were studied using a scanning electron microscope. Finally, a Halpin‐Tsai analytical model to predict Young's modulus of PLA‐PWF composites was presented to compare the theoretical results with that of experimental results. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Polylactide‐recycled wood fiber composites

Polylactide (PLA)‐recycled wood fiber (RWF) composites with a small amount of silane were compounded using a kinetic‐mixer and molded using an injection molding machine. The molded PLA‐RWF composites were characterized using gel permeation chromatography, scanning electron microscope, X‐ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimeter, tensile testing machine, and a dynamic mechanical analyzer. As observed in the stress–strain plots, the amount of necking before fracture decreased with an increasing RWF content. Similarly, the strain‐at‐break also decreased with the RWF content. The tensile strength remained the same irrespective of the RWF content. Both the tensile modulus and the storage modulus of the PLA‐RWF composites increased with the RWF content. The degree of crystallinity of the PLA increased with the addition of RWF. No reduction in the number–average molecular weight (M_n) was observed for pure PLA and PLA‐10%RWF‐0.5%Silane composites after injection molding; however, substantial reduction in M_n was found in PLA‐20%RWF‐0.5%Silane composites. Finally, a theoretical model based on Halpin–Tsai empirical relations is presented to compare the theoretical results with that of the experimental results. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Thermal and mechanical properties of plasticized poly(L‐lactide) nanocomposites with organo‐modified montmorillonites

Nanocomposites of poly(lactide) (PLA) and the PLA plasticized with diglycerine tetraacetate (PL‐710) and ethylene glycol oligomer containing organo‐modified montmorillonites (ODA‐M and PGS‐M) by the protonated ammonium cations of octadecylamine and poly(ethylene glycol) stearylamine were prepared by melt intercalation method. In the X‐ray diffraction analysis, the PLA/ODA‐M and plasticized PLA/ODA‐M composites showed a clear enlargement of the difference of interlayer spacing between the composite and clay itself, indicating the formation of intercalated nanocomposite. However, a little enlargement of the interlayer spacing was observed for the PLA/PGS‐M and plasticized PLA/PGS‐M composites. From morphological studies using transmission electron microscopy, a finer dispersion of clay was observed for PLA/ODA‐M composite than PLA/PGS‐M composite and all the composites using the plasticized PLA. The PLA and PLA/PL‐710 composites containing ODA‐M showed a higher tensile strength and modulus than the corresponding composites with PGS‐M. The PLA/PL‐710 (10 wt %) composite containing ODA‐M showed considerably higher elongation at break than the pristine plasticized PLA, and had a comparable tensile modulus to pure PLA. The glass transition temperature (T_g) of the composites decreased with increasing plasticizer. The addition of the clays did not cause a significant increase of T_g. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2006     

Modification of physical properties of thermoplastic polyurethane by incorporation of low‐molecular‐weight diurethanes

In this study, two diurethanes were synthesized and blended with thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), and the effects of the incorporation of these diurethanes on the physical properties of the TPU were evaluated. The diurethanes were obtained reacting 4,4′‐diphenylmethane‐diisocyanate with 1‐butanol (Additive 1) or 1‐octanol (Additive 2). An increase in the amount of Additive 1 promoted a reduction in the rigid phase glass transition temperature (T_g), while an increase in the amount of Additive 2 caused an increase in the T_g of this phase. Processing of the TPU increased the hardness and elastic modulus and decreased the tensile stress at break. Addition of diurethanes did not promote significant changes in the hardness and stress‐strain behavior, compared with the processed TPU; however, increasing the additive content decreased the elongation and tensile stress at break. Scanning electron microscopy micrographs showed that incorporation of diurethanes into TPU led to migration of these additives. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2010. © 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Tensile properties,swelling, and water absorption behavior of rice‐husk‐powder‐filled polypropylene/(recycled acrylonitrile‐butadiene rubber) composites

The effect of rice husk powder (RHP) on the tensile properties, swelling, water absorption, and morphology of polypropylene (PP)/[recycled acrylonitrile‐butadiene rubber (NBRr)]/RHP composites was studied. Composites containing 0 to 30 parts of RHP per hundred parts of resin were prepared by using a Haake Rheomix Polydrive R 600/610 mixer at 180°C with a rotor speed of 50 rpm. Results indicated that the tensile strength and elongation at break decreased but that the tensile modulus increased with increasing amounts of RHP. Swelling of the PP/NBRr/RHP composites in oil and toluene increased with increasing RHP contents, and the composites exhibited a non‐Fickian diffusion with a two stage absorption mechanism. Micrographs acquired by SEM revealed an increasing number of voids and micro‐holes on the tensile‐fractured surfaces of the composites with increasing amounts of RHP. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Toward environment‐friendly composites of poly(ε‐caprolactone) reinforced with stereocomplex‐type poly(l‐lactide)/poly(d‐lactide)

In this work, stereocomplex‐poly(l ‐ and d ‐lactide) (sc‐PLA) was incorporated into poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) to fabricate a novel biodegradable polymer composite. PCL/sc‐PLA composites were prepared by solution casting at sc‐PLA loadings of 5–30 wt %. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD) demonstrated the formation of the stereocomplex in the blends. DSC and WAXD curves also indicated that the addition of sc‐PLA did not alter the crystal structure of PCL. Rheology and mechanical properties of neat PCL and the PCL/sc‐PLA composites were investigated in detail. Rheological measurements indicated that the composites exhibited evident solid‐like response in the low frequency region as the sc‐PLA loadings reached up to 20 wt %. Moreover, the long‐range motion of PCL chains was highly restrained. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed that the storage modulus (E′) of PCL in the composites was improved and the glass transition temperature values were hardly changed after the addition of sc‐PLA. Tensile tests showed that the Young's modulus, and yield strength of the composites were enhanced by the addition of sc‐PLA while the tensile strength and elongation at break were reduced. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40208.     

Curing characteristics and mechanical properties of rattan‐powder‐filled natural rubber composites as a function of filler loading and silane coupling agent

Curing characteristics, tensile properties, morphological studies of tensile fractured surfaces using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the extent of rubber filler interactions of rattan‐powder‐filled natural rubber (NR) composites were investigated as a function of filler loading and silane coupling agent (CA). NR composites were prepared by the incorporation of rattan powder at filler loading range of 0–30 phr into a NR matrix with a laboratory size two roll mill. The results indicate that in the presence of silane CA, scorch time (t_s2), and cure time (t₉₀) of rattan‐powder‐filled NR composites were shorten, while, maximum torque (M_H) increased compared with NR composites without silane CA. Tensile strength and tensile modulus of composites were enhanced whereas elongation at break reduced in the presence of silane CA mainly due to increase in rubber‐filler interaction. It is proven by SEM studies that the bonding between the filler and rubber matrix has improved. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Short glass fiber reinforced ABS and ABS/PA6 composites: Processing and characterization

In this study acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene (ABS) terpolymer was reinforced with 3‐aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APS)‐treated short glass fibers (SGFs). The effects of SGF concentration and extrusion process conditions, such as the screw speed and barrel temperature profile, on the mechanical properties of the composites were examined. Increasing the SGF concentration in the ABS matrix from 10 wt% to 30 wt% resulted in improved tensile strength, tensile modulus and flexural modulus, but drastically lowered the strain‐at‐break and the impact strength. The average fiber length decreased when the concentration of glass fibers increased. The increase in screw speed decreased the average fiber length, and therefore the tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural modulus, and impact strength were affected negatively and the strain‐at‐break was affected positively. The increase in extrusion temperature decreased the fiber length degradation, and therefore the tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural modulus, and impact strength increased. At higher temperatures the ABS matrix degraded and the mechanical strength of the composites decreased. To obtain a strong interaction at the interface, polyamide‐6 (PA6) at varying concentrations was introduced into the ABS/30 wt% SGF composite. The incorporation and increasing amount of PA6 in the composites broadened the fiber length distribution (FLD) owing to the low melt viscosity of PA6. Tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural modulus, and impact strength values increased with an increase in the PA6 content of the ABS/PA6/SGF systems due to the improved adhesion at the interface, which was confirmed by the ratio of tensile strength to flexural strength as an adhesion parameter. These results were also supported by scanning electron micrographs of the ABS/PA6/SGF composites, which exhibited an improved adhesion between the SGFs and the ABS/PA6 matrix. POLYM. COMPOS. 26:745–755, 2005. © 2005 Society of Plastics Engineers     

GB/PP复合材料拉伸性能与介电性能的研究

采用小粒径玻璃微珠(OB)与聚丙烯(PP)熔融共混,研究了GB含量及表面处理对复合材料拉伸性能及介电性能的影响。研究结果表明,与未经表面改性的GB相比,经过偶联剂KH-550和EB-151处理的GB与PP复合后,其拉伸性能得到明显改善;且当GB含量为20%时,经过KH-550处理的GB/PP复合材料的拉伸强度、断裂伸长率和拉伸弹性模量比纯PP的分别提高了8.7%、109.6%和187.0%;复合材料的介电常数随GB含量的增加呈现增大的趋势,经过改性的复合材料的介电常数比未经改性的有所增加,而GB的含量和界面改性对介电损耗的影响不大。