Effects of fibre content on mechanical properties and fracture behaviour of short carbon fibre reinforced geopolymer matrix composites

Geopolymer matrix composites reinforced with different volume fractions of short carbon fibres (C_f/geopolymer composites) were prepared and the mechanical properties, fracture behaviour and microstructure of as-prepared composites were studied and correlated with fibre content. The results show that short carbon fibres have a great strengthening and toughening effect at low volume percentages of fibres (3·5 and 4·5 vol.%). With the increase of fibre content, the strengthening and toughening effect of short carbon fibres reduce, possibly due to fibre damage, formation of high shear stresses at intersect between fibres and strong interface cohesion of fibre/matrix under higher forming pressure. The property improvements are primarily based on the network structure of short carbon fibre preform and the predominant strengthening and toughening mechanisms are attributed to the apparent fibre bridging and pulling-out effect.     

Wheat flour thermoplastic matrix reinforced by waste cotton fibre: Agro-green-composites

New composites materials, 100% ecofriendly, having waste cotton fibre as reinforcement in wheat flour based thermoplastic matrix were prepared by extrusion method. The fibre content in the composite varied from 0 to 15% w/w. Using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, the structure and morphology of the composites have been analysed. This investigation is focused on the effects of the fibre content on the mechanical and thermal properties of the composites. Addition of the waste cotton fibre to the matrix increased the tensile properties. For the composite with 10% w/w of fibre the values of the tensile stress are found maximum. We also show that thermal conductivity and resistivity are not affected by the fibre content. By thermogravimetry we show that the addition of fibres to the matrix has no significant influence on the thermal stability of the composites. Finally, to analyse the efficiency of the present system, a comparative study of the mechanical properties obtained with flax and cotton fibres is performed.     

Molecular composites of poly(p-phenylene benzobisthiazole) with thermoplastics: coagulation studies

The solubility limits of solutions of poly (p-phenylene benzobisthiazole) (PBZT), poly(ether-ether-ketone), and two nylons (du Pont, Zytel^®42 and Zytel^®330) in methane sulphonic acid (MSA) were determined by turbidimetric titration with water. The solubilities rank as follows: Zytel^®42 > Zytel^®330 > PEEK > PBZT. The coagulation of solutions of these polymers was examined in two limiting case: very slow (exposure to water vapour) and very fast (immersion in a water bath) coagulation rates. The slow coagulation of ternary solutions shows that PBZT may either precipitate first from the composite solutions or coprecipitate with the thermoplastic depending on their relative solubility. The immersion coagulation process can be described by a simple diffusion model and the diffusion coefficient of water in the polymer solution is determined to be on the order of 10^–5 cm²s^–1. Our results suggest that PBZT will coagulate first from ternary solutions of PBZT, nylon, and MSA during wet-spinning, resulting in a continuous microfibrillar network structure of PBZT followed by the precipitation of nylon.     

Polyethylene-polyethylene microfibrillar composites

Solid-state drawing of melt-crystallized, or gel(solution)-crystallized, polyethylene (PE) is well established as a means of producing high modulus high-strength fibres. Here, an alternative route, based on melt-processing, is reviewed and its merits are assessed. Contrary to expectation, melt processing of flexible chain polymers can directly yield oriented products with good mechanical properties, without the need for post-drawing in the solid state. The melt-processed PE can give a special microfibrillar composite morphology which results in good mechanical properties. The paper also reviews aspects of composites design by comparing these microfibrillar composites with traditional fibre composites and molecular composites.Dedicated to professor Andrew Keller, FRS, after retirement, as a mark of appreciation for his contributions to the understanding of polymer crystallization, and for allowing us to learn about the subject and encouraging our investigations in a general research environment at Bristol.     

Effect of glass-fibre reinforcement and annealing on microstructure and mechanical behaviour of nylon 6,6

The effects of glass fibres and annealing on the microstructures and spherulitic morphology of a glass fibre-reinforced nylon 6,6 were investigated. The annealing effects on matrix crystallinity of nylon 6,6 composites with varying glass fibre contents were measured and the morphology of the composites were examined using both the microtomed bulk samples and thin composite films prepared by melt crystallization. It was found that fibre breakage during injection moulding was significant for composites with glass content higher than 20 wt%, and the spherulite size as well as the crystallinity were reduced by the additions of glass fibres. Upon annealing, the start of a log time rate increase of matrix crystallinity was delayed by the addition of glass fibres. Glass fibre-induced transcrystallinity was not observed in injection-moulded composites; however, columnar spherulites were found to develop along the glass fibres in melt-crystallized thin composite films. Differences in morphological observations between the two sample preparation methods are also discussed.     

The matrix fatigue behaviour of fibre composites subjected to repeated tensile loads

In a fibre/metal matrix composite the mechanical properties of the matrix itself are changed by the presence of the reinforcing fibres. This changed behaviour of the metal is referred to asin situ behaviour, and a phenomenological model is developed to evaluate thein situ plastic stress-strain properties of a metallic matrix containing fibres, from a study of the properties of the composite. The model is based upon the idealised behaviour of the two components of the system. The application of the model to B/Al alloy composites shows that the plastic stress-strain behaviour of the matrix containing fibres varies strongly with the fibre volume content, and also that the matrixin situ cyclic stress-strain behaviour can be approximately described by a power law of the type: where the strength coefficient and the exponent increase with the fibre volume fraction. It also predicts that in the steady state fatigue behaviour of the composites, the fraction of load amplitude carried by the fibres decreases with increasing applied stress amplitude, and is also dependent on the fibre volume fraction. The effect of the applied stress on the damping capacity is established through expressions derived from the basic ideas involved in the model.     

Composites based on polypropylene and short wool fibres

Isotropic polypropylene-based composites, containing up to 60 wt.% of well dispersed wool fibres, were successfully prepared by melt blending in an internal batch mixer. The addition of a maleinized polypropylene compatibilizer was investigated in order to improve fibre/matrix adhesion. Morphology, thermal and mechanical properties of the ensuing composites were investigated focusing the attention on fibre length and their distribution as well as on fibre/matrix interaction. Data from mechanical analysis were compared with theoretical models and with the mechanical characteristics of a composite made of polypropylene with uncut aligned wool fibres.     

Mechanical properties of natural fibre reinforced polymer composites

During the last few years, natural fibres have received much more attention than ever before from the research community all over the world. These natural fibres offer a number of advantages over traditional synthetic fibres. In the present communication, a study on the synthesis and mechanical properties of new series of green composites involving Hibiscus sabdariffa fibre as a reinforcing material in urea-formaldehyde (UF) resin based polymer matrix has been reported. Static mechanical properties of randomly oriented intimately mixed Hibiscus sabdariffa fibre reinforced polymer composites such as tensile, compressive and wear properties were investigated as a function of fibre loading. Initially urea-formaldehyde resin prepared was subjected to evaluation of its optimum mechanical properties. Then reinforcing of the resin with Hibiscus sabdariffa fibre was accomplished in three different forms: particle size, short fibre and long fibre by employing optimized resin. Present work reveals that mechanical properties such as tensile strength, compressive strength and wear resistance etc of the urea-formaldehyde resin increases to considerable extent when reinforced with the fibre. Thermal (TGA/DTA/DTG) and morphological studies (SEM) of the resin and biocomposites have also been carried out.     

Influence of microstructure on the strength of Nicalon-reinforced aluminium metal-matrix composites

The microstructure and mechanical properties of two aluminium-based composites reinforced with Nicalon fibre are investigated. During composite processing, aluminium carbide forms at the interface as a result of a reaction between aluminium and free carbon in the fibre. Magnesium, when present in the aluminium matrix, diffuses into the outer (~ 200 nm) layer of the fibre where it reacts with the silicon oxycarbide constituent to form magnesium-containing oxide and also to free carbon for the production of more interfacial aluminium carbide. These chemical reactions affect to differing degrees the strength of a fibre, as measured after extraction from the two composites, and influence the respective fibre/matrix interfacial friction stress and composite strength. A simple rule-of-mixtures approach based upon the measured strength of extracted fibres gave some agreement with longitudinal properties of the composite, but treatment of the fibres as bundles, using a Weibull probability distribution of properties, provided more accurate predictions.     

Fabrication and mechanical properties of aramid/nylon plain knitted composites

The presence of fibre/matrix interfaces strongly influences the overall mechanical properties of composites. In order to produce fully recyclable fiber reinforced composites with improved adhesion properties, polyethylene and polypropylene materials were previously used as single-polymer composite materials. In this paper, another breed of single-polymer composite material has been defined as the ‘one-unity’ composite. Polyamide materials were chosen and combined with aramid fibre in an attempt to achieve better interfacial bonding. Weft-knitting technique was used to produce textile reinforcements for aramid/nylon composite processing. Aramid/epoxy knitted composites were also fabricated to compare them with aramid/nylon thermoplastic composites. Mechanical properties of aramid/nylon and aramid/epoxy composites and their relationships to the fibre/matrix interfacial adhesion and interactions have been investigated. With the increase in processing time, tensile modulus and strength of aramid/nylon composites have increased and decreased, respectively. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopic observations clearly indicated that longer molding time has resulted in stronger adhesion property between fiber and matrix. Aramid/nylon knitted composites have revealed comparable strength property in the course direction, albeit they have inferior tensile strength in the wale direction when compared to that in aramid/epoxy composites. In aramid/nylon knitted composites, while tensile modulus exhibited an increasing trend, there were clear drops in tensile strengths with longer molding time. This indicates that there could be an optimum molding condition at which maximum tensile properties can be obtained. Aramid/nylon knitted composites exhibited relatively better interfacial bonding properties than Aramid/epoxy composites, which suffered fibre/matrix debonding.     

Mechanical properties of 3D KD-I SiCf/SiC composites with engineered fibre-matrix interfaces

Three-dimensional (3D) silicon carbide (SiC) matrix composites reinforced with KD-I SiC fibres were fabricated by precursor impregnation and pyrolysis (PIP) process. The fibre-matrix interfaces were tailored by pre-coating the as-received KD-I SiC fibres with PyC layers of different thicknesses or a layer of SiC. Interfacial characteristics and their effects on the composite mechanical properties were evaluated. The results indicate that the composite reinforced with as-received fibre possessed an interfacial shear strength of 72.1 MPa while the composite reinforced with SiC layer coated fibres had a much higher interfacial shear strength of 135.2 MPa. However, both composites showed inferior flexural strength and fracture toughness. With optimised PyC coating thickness, the interface coating led to much improved mechanical properties, i.e. a flexural strength of 420.6 MPa was achieved when the interlayer thickness is 0.1 μm, and a fracture toughness of 23.1 MPa m^1/2 was obtained for the interlayer thickness of 0.53 μm. In addition, the composites prepared by the PIP process exhibited superior mechanical properties over the composites prepared by the chemical vapour infiltration and vapour silicon infiltration (CVI-VSI) process.     

The interface,microstructure and mechanical properties of Cf/LAS glass-ceramic composites

Carbon fibre (C_f)-reinforced lithium aluminium silicate (LAS) glass-ceramic matrix composites were prepared by using LAS ultrafine powders and LAS sol as starting materials and binder, respectively. The effects of fibre content, hot-pressing temperature and pressure on the mechanical properties of the composites were studied. By means of SEM and theoretical calculation, the effects of thermal mismatching between fibre and matrix, and the microstructure on the mechanical properties of the composites were analysed and discussed. The flexural strength and fracture toughness of C_f/LAS glass-ceramic matrix composite prepared were 740 MPa and 19.5 MPa m^1/2, respectively. The wettability of carbon fibre with matrix was also investigated.     

Viscoelastically generated prestress from ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibres

The viscoelastic characteristics of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibres are investigated, in terms of creep-induced recovery strain and force output, to evaluate their potential for producing a novel form of prestressed composite. Composite production involves subjecting fibres to tensile creep, the applied load being removed before moulding the fibres into a resin matrix. After matrix curing, the viscoelastically strained fibres impart compressive stresses to the surrounding matrix, to produce a viscoelastically prestressed polymeric matrix composite (VPPMC). Previous research has demonstrated that nylon fibre-based VPPMCs can improve mechanical properties without needing to increase mass or section dimensions. The viability of UHMWPE fibre-based VPPMCs is demonstrated through flexural stiffness tests. Compared with control (unstressed) counterparts, these VPPMCs typically show increases of 20–40 % in flexural modulus. Studies on the viscoelastic characteristics indicate that these fibres can release mechanical energy over a long-timescale and fibre core–skin interactions may have an important role.     

The effect of fibrous reinforcement on optical and impact performance of fibre-reinforced transparent glass composites

Fire-resistant laminated glass composite containing intumescent silicate as an interlayer between two glass sheets is a widely used transparent building material. To improve the impact and other mechanical properties of this composite structure, a transparent silicate matrix has been reinforced with alkali- and UV-resistant synthetic (polypropylene, polyamide 66, glass) and metallic (steel) fibres as of nonwoven webs or woven meshes. The refractive indices (RIs) of the fibres and the matrices were measured and the transparency of the laminated composites depended upon fibre RI as well as reinforcement structure. All fibres were successful in significantly enhancing impact properties of laminated glass composites with alkali-resistant glass fibres showing the best performance.     

Hybrid C/Pet/epoxy composites

Hybrid carbon/PET/epoxy composites were prepared by a wet layup technique and characterized by standard methods of fracture and impact tests. The influence of PET fibre surface treatment with polyfunctional amine on the composite properties has been studied in order to determine the role of the fibre/matrix interface. The state of the fibre/matrix interface has been examined by several techniques, such as SEM, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and contact angle measurements. A significant hybrid effect of the PET/aminated fibres on the curing reaction and T _g of the epoxy matrix in the composites was established. It is probably due to the reaction between the amine groups of the fibre surface and the epoxy component of the resin, as determined by DSC.     

Optimization of chemical reactions between alumina/silica fibres and aluminium-magnesium alloys during composite processing

An Al-Si-;Cu-Mg alloy reinforced with alumina/silica fibres (Fiberfrax®, alumina/silica ratio=45/55) has been extensively characterized in terms of microstructure, interfacial chemical reactions and mechanical properties. The composite was fabricated by squeeze casting. The above characteristics were measured as a function of (a) calcination temperature of the fibre preform before infiltration, and (b) subsequent composite heat treatment. The main reaction that occurs during the processing of aluminium alloy matrix composites is the reduction of silica in the binder and fibres by magnesium from the matrix. When calcined below 1000°C, the fibres remain amorphous with a coating of porous silica binder. In this condition, the reinforcement reacts strongly with the matrix during heat treatment of the composite. In contrast, at high calcination temperatures (1200°C), the fibres transform partially into mullite and the silica binder densifies; these fibres are somewhat less reactive with the matrix. In both cases, the matrix/reinforcement reactions are very strong during high-temperature heat treatment, leading to a complete reduction of silica in some cases. The degradation caused by chemical reactions adversely affects the mechanical properties of these composites. Therefore, in order to optimize the mechanical properties of this composite, the fibre preform first must be calcined at high temperature, then the composite heat treatment limited to low temperature.     

Influence of fibre-surface treatment on structural, thermal and mechanical properties of jute fibre and its composite

Jute fibres (Corchorus olitorious), an environmentally and ecologically friendly product, were chemically modified and treated with 5% NaOH solution at room temperature for 2 h, 4 h and 8 h. The above samples were characterized and morphologically analysed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Instron 1185. Alkali treatment affects the supramolecular structure of the fibre as shown by XRD by improving the degree of crystallinity of the fibre. Surface chemistry of the fibre also altered as depicted by FT-IR studies. This chemical treatment was also found to alter the characteristic of the fibre surface topography as seen by the SEM. From the mechanical single fibre test it was found that the tenacity and modulus of the fibre improved after alkali treatment. This might be due to the improvement in the crystallinity. DSC data demonstrated that the thermal degradation temperature for the cellulose get lowered from 365·26°C to 360·62°C after alkali treatment led to the reduction in fibre thermal stability. Jute fibre reinforced composite were prepared with treated and untreated jute fibre (15 wt%) reinforced unsaturated polyester (UPE). Effectiveness of these composites was experimentally investigated through the study of the composites by DSC, Instron 1195 for mechanical property of composites, volume fraction of the porosity and hydrophobic finishing of the composite. From the DSC analysis it was found that thermal stability enhanced for treated fibre reinforced composite. This could be due to the resistance offered by the closely packed cellulose chain in combination with the resin. Flexural strength of the composite prepared with 2 h and 4 h alkali treated fibre were found to increase by 3·16% and 9·5%, respectively. Although 8 h treated fibre exhibited maximum strength properties, but the composite prepared with them showed lower strength value. Alkali treatment helped in the development of hydrophobicity and reduction in volume fraction of the porosity. This may be due to the better fibre matrix interface adhesion caused due to the fibre surface treatment by alkali.     

Hi-Nicalon reinforced silicon nitride matrix composites

The present paper reports on the fabrication and the mechanical properties of SiC (Hi-Nicalon) fibres reinforced Si3N4 matrix composites. The composite was fabricated by liquid infiltration of an aqueous Si3N4 slurry followed by hot-pressing. The effect of fibre coating layers was investigated with a 400 nm thick pyrolytic carbon. The fibre coating was found to have a significant effect on the frictional stress of the fibre-matrix interface and consequently on the fracture behaviour of the composite.     

All-cellulose composites of regenerated cellulose fibres by surface selective dissolution

All-cellulose composites of Lyocell and high modulus/strength cellulose fibres were successfully prepared using a surface selective dissolution method. The effect of immersion time of the fibres in the solvent during composite’s preparation and the effect of the starting fibre’s structure on their properties were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, dynamic mechanical analysis, and tensile testing were used to assess the structure and properties of the composites. These all-cellulose composites of regenerated cellulose fibres demonstrate a promising route to biocomposites with excellent mechanical and thermal properties which can also be tuned depending upon a selection of fibres and preparation parameters.     

The influence of fibre microstructure on fibre breakage and mechanical properties of natural fibre reinforced polypropylene

The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of fibre morphology of different natural fibres on the composites mechanical properties and on the fibre breakage due to extrusion process. The composite materials were manufactured using LTF (long fibre thermoplastic) extrusion and compression moulding and the used fibres were sisal, banana, jute and flax, and the matrix was a polypropylene. The results showed that sisal composites had the best impact properties and the longest fibres after the extrusion. Generally, the composites flexural stiffness was increased with increased fibre content for all fibres, being highest for flax composites. The flexural strength was not affected by the addition of fibres because of the low compatibility. The addition of 2 wt.% maleated polypropylene significantly improved the composites properties. Unlike the other three fibres, flax fibres were separated into individual elementary fibres during the process due to enzymatic retting and low lignin content.