Microstructure and mechanical behavior of die casting AZ91D-Fly ash cenosphere composites

The feasibility of incorporating fly ash cenospheres in die cast magnesium alloy has been demonstrated. The effects of fly ash cenosphere additions on the microstructure and some of the salient physical and mechanical properties of magnesium alloy (AZ91D) metal matrix composites were investigated. The control AZ91D alloy and associated composites, containing 5, 10, and 15 wt.% of fly ash cenospheres (added), were synthesized using a die casting technique. A microstructural comparison showed that microstructural refinement – occurred due to the fly ash additions and became more pronounced with an increase in the percentage of the fly ash added. The metal matrix areas nearer to the fly ash particles exhibited a greater degree of refinement than was observed in the areas further away from these particles. Both filled and unfilled fly ash cenospheres, and porosity were observed in the composite microstructures. The composite specimen densities decreased and the coefficient of thermal expansion did not change significantly as the volume percent of fly ash was increased within the range investigated. The hardness values of the composite specimens exhibited an increase in proportion to the increase in percentage of added fly ash. The tensile strength of the composites also increased as the concentration of fly ash cenospheres was increased. In contrast, the Young’s modulus of these composite samples, as measured by non-destructive pulse-echo method, decreased as the percentage of fly ash in the composite was increased. SEM micrographs of the tensile fracture surfaces showed broken cenospheres on the fracture surface and evidence of ‘pull outs’, where fly ash particles were previously embedded in the matrix. Compression testing results showed that the presence of 5 wt.% cenospheres decreased the compressive strength and compressive yield strength of the composite relative to that of the AZ91D matrix alloy. Surprisingly, a significant change in compression strength was not observed for the composites with 10 and 15 wt.% cenospheres in comparison to the AZ91D matrix alloy. In contrast to the tensile tests, no cenosphere remnants were observed on the compressive test fracture surface of the composites. This observation suggests that the fracture of the composite was initiated within the AZ91D matrix by normal void nucleation and growth, followed by crack propagation through the matrix, avoiding any of the cenospheres, leading to composite fracture of the matrix.     

Aluminum–ceramic cenospheres syntactic foams produced by powder metallurgy route

Aluminum–cenospheres syntactic foams of different compositions and varying relative densities were fabricated by powder metallurgy using a low compaction load (ranging from 200 MPa to 300 MPa). The produced composites were examined in terms of density, porosity, macro- and micro-structural characteristics. Mechanical properties of the sintered samples, like compressive strength and deformation mechanisms, quasi-elastic modulus and absorbed energy were also investigated. A novel theoretical model reflecting the compressive strength of aluminum–cenospheres syntactic foams was developed with respect to the production conditions (compact pressure) of the “green body”. Finally, the influence of the powder metallurgy route on the deformation mechanisms and fracture strength of the metal matrix syntactic foams was elicited, providing refined insight to optimum production parameters. The yielded results stipulate that characteristic properties like porosity inhomogeneity or insufficient bonding between matrix particles have a direct impact on the final properties of metal syntactic foams. As the compact pressure and the volume fraction of the cenospheres increases, composites exhibit a mechanical response typical of metal matrix syntactic foams.     

Processing and characterization of a model functionally gradient material

A technique for preparing model Functionally Gradient Materials (FGM) using polyester resin and cenospheres is developed. The cenosphere volume fraction in the polyester matrix is continuously varied through a buoyancy assisted casting process. FGMs having cenosphere volume fraction varying from 0 to 0.45 over a length of 250 mm are prepared. The overall properties of the FGM are varied by adding plasticizer to the polyester matrix. The physical, elastic and fracture properties of the prepared FGMs are evaluated as a function of location to generate the property profiles. The results of the material characterization indicate that, the quasi-static and dynamic modulus of the material increases and the material density decreases in the direction of increasing cenosphere volume fraction. The quasi-static fracture toughness increases up to a certain volume fraction of cenospheres and then decreases. Fractographic analyses of the fractured specimens indicate a change in the fracture mechanism as the cenosphere volume fraction increases. Estimate of the composite modulus using the Halpin-Tsai model with porosity correction matches closely with the test results.     

Effect of particle surface treatment and blending method on flexural properties of injection-molded cenosphere/HDPE syntactic foams

The present work on cenosphere/high-density polyethylene (HDPE) syntactic foams aims at understanding the effect of surface treatment of cenospheres and functionalization of HDPE on flexural properties. Cenospheres are treated with silane, and HDPE is functionalized with 10 % dibutyl maleate. Effects of mechanical and Brabender mixing methods are also studied. Flexural test specimens are cast with 20, 40, and 60 wt% of cenospheres using injection molding. The flexural modulus and strength are found to increase with increasing cenosphere content. Particle breakage increases with the cenosphere content, and the measured properties show increased dependence on processing method. Brabender mixing resulted in 70 and 41 % higher modulus and strength for 60 wt% cenospheres than HDPE. Modulus of syntactic foams is predicted by two theoretical models. Bardella–Genna model provides close estimates for syntactic foams having 20 and 40 wt% cenospheres, while predictions are higher for higher cenosphere content, likely due to particle breakage during processing. The uncertainty in the properties of cenospheres due to defects contributes to the variation in the predicted values.     

漂珠聚氨酯复合泡沫力学特性及本构模型研究

以粉煤灰漂珠为主要组分的复合泡沫具有较高的比强度和比吸能,在轻质抗冲击结构设计和缓冲防护领域极具应用潜力。然而,漂珠尺寸和增强相等因素对材料力学性能和行为的影响机制尚不清楚,且当前研究尚未构建该类复合泡沫的力学模型,不利于开展结构设计中材料选型和数值仿真等工作。为此,该研究针对漂珠尺寸和蜂窝铝增强相对复合泡沫的力学性能和变形行为的影响规律进行系列准静态压缩实验研究,在此基础上采用Avalle理论构建该复合泡沫的力学模型。结果表明:①当相对密度小于0.29时,漂珠尺寸对复合泡沫的力学性能几乎没有影响;当相对密度大于0.29时,漂珠尺寸对复合泡沫力学性能的影响随密度的增大而增大;②对于含增强相的复合泡沫,含小尺寸漂珠的复合泡沫力学性能有明显提高,铝蜂窝的额外增强效果对包含小尺寸漂珠的复合泡沫更为明显,该增强机制主要是将材料的初始失效模式由剪切转变为轴向压溃;③使用Avalle理论构建的本构模型,其应力平台阶段和能量耗散特性的拟合与实验结果一致,可较为准确地预测该材料的基本力学性能。该研究可为粉煤灰的综合利用及其复合泡沫在轻质抗冲击结构设计中的应用提供理论参考和基本预测模型。     

Jute-reinforced polyester composites

Raw jute fibre has been incorporated in a polyester resin matrix to form uniaxially reinforced composites containing up to 60 vol% fibre. The tensile strength and Young's modulus, work of fracture determined by Charpy impact and inter-laminar shear strength have been measured as a function of fibre volume fraction. These properties all follow a Rule of Mixtures relationship with the volume fraction of jute. Derived fibre strength and Young's modulus were calculated as 442 MN m^–2 and 55.5 GN m^–2 respectively. Polyester resin forms an intimate bond with jute fibres up to a volume fraction of 0.6, above which the quantity of resin is insufficient to wet fibres completely. At this volume fraction the Young's modulus of the composite is approximately 35 GN m^–2, the tensile strength is 250 MN m^–2, the work of fracture is 22 kJ m^–2 and the inter-laminar shear strength is 24 MN m^–2. The properties of jute and glass fibres are compared, and on a weight and cost basis jute fibres are seen in many respects to be superior to glass fibres as a composite reinforcement.     

Mechanical properties of natural fibre reinforced polyester composites: Jowar,sisal and bamboo

In this paper, the experiments of tensile and flexural tests were carried out on composites made by reinforcing jowar as a new natural fibre into polyester resin matrix. The samples were prepared up to a maximum volume fraction of approximately 0.40 from the fibres extracted by retting and manual process, and compared with established composites like sisal and bamboo developed under similar laboratory conditions. Jowar fibre has a tensile strength of 302 MPa, modulus of 6.99 GPa and an effective density of 922 kg/m³. It was observed that the tensile strength of jowar fibre composite is almost equal to that of bamboo composite, 1.89 times to that of sisal composite and the tensile modulus is 11% and 45% greater than those of bamboo and sisal composites, respectively at 0.40 volume fraction of fibre. The flexural strength of jowar composite is 4%, 35% and the flexural modulus is 1.12 times, 2.16 times greater than those of bamboo and sisal composites, respectively. The results of this study indicate that using jowar fibres as reinforcement in polyester matrix could successfully develop a composite material in terms of high strength and rigidity for light weight applications compared to conventional sisal and bamboo composites.     

Effect of particle size and surface treatment on constitutive properties of polyester-cenosphere composites

Cenospheres (hollow, aluminum silicate spheres ranging from 10 to 400 m in diameter) are used as filler in a homogeneous polyester composite. Particle size was varied to study its effect on mechanical properties of the composite. The effect of particulate surface modification using a silane coupling agent was also studied. Properties of the composites were characterized using standard testing methods. When compared to the largest particulate used, an increase in compression strength was achieved by particle size reduction and use of coupling agent. The Elastic modulus increased by using fine particles, while Poisson's ratio remained constant and independent of silane treatment or particle size. Fracture toughness increased with particle size reduction and increased further with silane surface modification. Dynamic compressive strength increased with particle size reduction, while silane did not show improvement. The addition of cenospheres as well as silane treatment increased the glass transition temperature for polyester. A given mass fraction of particulate, of a mean diameter D, will have the surface area between the particulate and matrix scale as D ^–1 (specific surface area). The sensitivity of these properties to cenosphere size is a direct function of the interfacial surface contacts between the polyester and the cenospheres and the specific surface area.     

Performance and application study of silane coupling agent (KH550) modified wood fiber-fly ash cenosphere/epoxy resin composites

In this paper, the epoxy resin composite filled with wood fiber and fly ash cenosphere was prepared. In order to improve the bonding properties between wooden fiber/fly ash cenosphere and epoxy resin, the grafting treatment of wooden fiber and fly ash cenosphere surfaces was carried out here using KH550 type silane coupling agent. The effects of different process parameters on the surface modification effect of wooden fiber and fly ash cenosphere were investigated, the mechanical properties and energy absorption characteristics of the materials before and after the filler modification were tested, and the microscopic interfacial structures of the matrix with wooden fiber and fly ash cenosphere were investigated by scanning electron microscopy. Meanwhile, based on LS-DYNA simulation software, the energy-absorbing performance of energy-absorbing boxes prepared from AA6061 aluminum alloy and modified wooden fiber-fly ash cenosphere/epoxy resin composites were compared in low-velocity collisions.     

Hygrothermal studies on syntactic foams and compressive strength determination

Syntactic foams are commonly used as core materials in composite sandwich structures for weight sensitive applications such as aircraft and spacecraft structures and boat hulls. Moisture absorption is highly undesirable in these applications. The present study evaluates the hygrothermal properties of two types of syntactic foams. Distribution of outer diameter of cenospheres (hollow particles) incorporated in both types of syntactic foams is the same but there is variation in the internal diameter causing difference in the density of syntactic foams. Epoxy resin is used as matrix material and the volume fractions of matrix and cenospheres are kept at 0.35 and 0.65 by volume, respectively. Moisture absorption experiments are conducted at two different temperatures, 25 and 70 °C and in deionized and salt waters. Non-destructive ultrasonic imaging technique is used to find the extent of moisture penetration and damage to the specimens. Syntactic foam samples are tested for compressive strength after moisture absorption and the results are compared with the compression test results of dry syntactic foam samples.     

A Study on flexural properties of wildcane grass fiber-reinforced polyester composites

The main objective of this study is to introduce a new natural fiber as reinforcement in polymers for making composites. Wildcane grass stalk fibers were extracted from its stem using retting and chemical (NaOH) extraction processes. These fibers were treated with KMnO₄ solution to improve adhesion with matrix. The resulting fibers were intentionally reinforced in a polyester matrix unidirectionally, and the flexural properties of the composite were determined. The fibers extracted by retting process have a tensile strength of 159 MPa, modulus of 11.84 GPa, and an effective density of 0.844 g/cm³. The composites were formulated up to a maximum fiber volume fraction of 0.39, resulting in a flexural strength of 99.17 MPa and flexural modulus of 3.96 GPa for wildcane grass fibers extracted by retting. The flexural strength and the modulus of chemically extracted wildcane grass fiber composites have increased by approximately, 7 and 17%, respectively compared to those of composites made from fibers extracted by retting process. The flexural strength and the modulus of KMnO₄-treated fiber composites have increased by 12 and 76% over those of composites made from fibers extracted by retting process and decreased by 3 and 48% over those of composites made from fibers extracted by chemical process, respectively. The results of this study indicate that wildcane grass fibers have potential as reinforcing fillers in plastics in order to produce inexpensive materials with high toughness.     

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.     

Synthesis and properties of light weight magnesium–cenosphere composite

Significantly light weight magnesium composite foams are synthesised by addition of fly ash cenosphere particles (waste from coal-fired power plants) in biocompatible pure magnesium using solidification-based disintegrated melt deposition technique. The density of the composite foams synthesised in this study approaches that of plastics- and polymer-based composites. Microstructure development of Mg/cenosphere composite foams was favourable as they exhibited better dimensional stability (reduced coefficient of thermal expansion) and remarkable improvements in tensile strengths, compressive strengths, compressive total strain and microhardness. The present study highlights the processing, microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg/cenosphere composite foams which hold great potential as light weight metal-based green materials for diverse weight critical applications spanning from engineering to biomedical sector.     

粉煤灰微珠含量与粒径级配比对环氧树脂基复合材料弯曲性能的影响

对粉煤灰空心微珠/环氧树脂复合材料进行了弯曲试验,研究了微珠粒径、含量以及级配比例对复合材料弯曲性能的影响,并通过弯曲断口微观形貌分析了内在机理。结果表明,空心微珠的加入对粉煤灰空心微珠/环氧树脂复合材料的弯曲强度影响很大。随空心微珠含量的增加,复合材料的弯曲强度呈现先升高后下降的趋势,填充量为15wt%时,复合材料的弯曲强度最大;随空心微珠粒径的减小,复合材料的弯曲强度随之提高,小粒径微珠对环氧树脂复合材料弯曲强度的提升效果更好;空心微珠级配填充环氧树脂复合材料的弯曲强度主要受级配微珠中小粒径微珠含量的影响,小粒径微珠的比例越大,弯曲强度越高。     

Radius ratio effect on high-strain rate properties of syntactic foam composites

The high-strain rate compressive properties of syntactic foams are characterized in this study. This study is performed using a pulse-shaped Split-Hopkinson Pressure Bar technique. Nine different types of syntactic foams are fabricated with the same matrix resin system but three different size microballoons and three different microballoon volume fractions. The microballoons have the same outer radius of 40 μm, but different internal radii leading to a difference in their densities. The volume fractions of the microballoons in the syntactic foams are maintained at 0.1, 0.3, and 0.6. Analysis is carried out on the effect of the microballoon radius ratio at each volume fraction on the high-strain rate properties. This approach is helpful in separating and categorizing the contribution of matrix and microballoons to the dynamic compressive properties of syntactic foams. The results at high-strain rates are compared to quasi-static strain rate compressive properties of the same material. The results show that there is little or no significant change in both compressive strength and modulus of syntactic foams at all radius ratios when tested at strain rates of 400–500/s compared to quasi-static rates. However, higher dynamic strength and stiffness values are obtained consistently at all radius ratios when tested at 800–1000/s compared to quasi-static values. It is observed that the radius ratio does not affect the syntactic foam properties significantly when tested at the same high-strain rate and volume fraction. Scanning electron microscopy is carried out to understand the fracture modes of the syntactic foams.     

粉煤灰微珠-TiO_2复合颗粒制备与性能表征

以粉煤灰微珠为基体,利用TiOSO_4水解法,制备TiO_2包覆微珠复合颗拉。通过扫描电镜、X射线衍射、比表面积、超声振荡和光电子能谱等检测手段,对复合微珠的表面形貌、包覆层相组成、比表面积、包覆层与基体结合强度与结合方式进行了研究和探讨。检测与分析表明:得到的复合微珠表面包覆层为均匀非连续包覆,包覆层主要为金红石相,包覆后微珠比表面积比未包覆前提高了超过600倍,且包覆层颗粒与基体结合强度较高,二者间存在化学键的联结。     

Determination of Dynamic Modulus of Syntactic and Particulate Foams by a Non‐Destructive Approach

Abstract: Developments in aviation posed requirement of lightweight, high strength and highly damage‐tolerant materials. Sandwich‐structured composites fulfilling these requirements have become the first choice for many aerospace applications as well as structural components for ground transport and marine vessels. Sandwich composites are a special class of composite materials which are widely used because of their high specific strength and high bending stiffness. Syntactic foams, which are hollow particle‐filled core materials used in sandwich composites, have recently emerged as attractive material for applications requiring low weight, low moisture absorption and high insulation properties. Quasi‐static and dynamic properties of these syntactic foams are commonly determined though various destructive techniques such as quasi‐static compression and split Hopkinson pressure bar testing. However, there is a need for characterising these materials non‐destructively in the field. The present study focuses on the prediction of dynamic Young's modulus using ultrasonic testing in various types of hollow particle‐reinforced syntactic foam and solid particulate composites. Hollow particle‐filled syntactic foams and solid particulate composites are fabricated with three different volume fractions of 10%, 30% and 60%. Longitudinal and shear wave velocities are used for calculating the dynamic modulus. Effect of longitudinal attenuation behaviour along with longitudinal and shear wave velocities on the varying density and volume fraction of syntactic foams is also discussed.     

Mg_2Si/AZ91D复合材料阻尼性能

以AZ91D镁合金为基体,采用搅熔铸造法将球磨后的粉煤灰漂珠颗粒加入到熔融态基体中,设置球磨漂珠质量分数(2%、6%和10%)和搅拌时间(3min和6min),成功制备了Mg2Si/AZ91D复合材料。采用金相分析、XRD分析和动态机械热分析等方法研究了铸态和固溶态Mg2Si/AZ91D复合材料的显微组织、成分及阻尼性能。研究表明:与AZ91D镁合金相比,加入球磨漂珠颗粒后制备的Mg2Si/AZ91D复合材料中生成了Mg2Si相,而且随着漂珠质量分数的增加,Mg2Si相呈现不规则形状,固溶后Mg2Si相呈现均匀块状。随着漂珠质量分数的增加,Mg2Si/AZ91D复合材料的阻尼性能越好,搅拌时间6min制备的复合材料阻尼性能高于搅拌时间3min制备的复合材料的阻尼性能,并且固溶态的阻尼性能优于铸态。在室温下,Mg2Si/AZ91D复合材料阻尼性能可用位错理论来解释。     

Volume fraction effect on high strain rate properties of syntactic foam composites

The volume fraction effect on the high strain rate compressive properties of syntactic foams is characterized using a pulse-shaped Split-Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) technique. Eighteen different types of syntactic foams are fabricated with the same matrix resin system but six different microballoon volume fractions and three different size microballoons. The volume fractions of the microballoons in the syntactic foams are maintained at 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, and 0.6. The microballoons have the same mean outer radius of 40 μm, but different internal radii leading to a difference in their density. Analysis is carried out on the effect of microballoon volume fractions on the high strain rate properties for each type of syntactic foam. This approach is helpful in understanding the effect of microballoon reinforcement at different volume fractions on the dynamic compressive properties of syntactic foams. The results at high strain rates are compared to quasi-static strain rate compressive properties of the same material. The results show that there is a decrease in both compressive strength and modulus as the microballoon volume fraction increases for the same type of syntactic foam at all strain rates. However, at strain rates of quasi-static and 450/s, the decrease tends to be gradual across all volume fractions, while for strain rates of 800/s, there is a dramatic decrease from 10 to 20% followed by a gradual decline for most specimens. The fracture mode plays a major role in the dynamic behavior of syntactic foams.     

Electrical properties of carbon nanofiber reinforced multiscale polymer composites

Carbon nanofiber (CNF) reinforced epoxy matrix nanocomposites and CNF reinforced glass hollow particle filled syntactic foams are studied for electrical properties. The effect of CNF weight fraction, hollow particle volume fraction, and hollow particle wall thickness on impedance and dielectric constant are characterized. The results show that the impedance decreases and the dielectric constant increases with increasing CNF content in the composites. Nanocomposites containing 10 wt.% CNFs showed significantly higher dielectric constant because of the presence of a continuous network of CNFs in the composite. CNF reinforced syntactic foams showed higher dielectric constant than the neat resin. The CNF content had a more prominent effect on the dielectric constant than the glass hollow particle volume fraction and wall thickness. The Maxwell–Garnett and the Jayasundere–Smith models are modified to include the effect of hollow particle wall thickness and obtain predictions of dielectric constants of syntactic foams. The semi-empirical predictions obtained from Maxwell–Garnett models are closer to the experimental values. Lightweight syntactic foams, tailored for electrical properties, can be useful in electronic packaging applications.