Mechanical properties of woodflour/linseed oil resin composites

The purpose of this project was to obtain new composites using filler and resin obtained from renewable resources, combining low cost and good mechanical properties. The matrix consisted of a polyester resin synthesized from linseed oil and further crosslinked with styrene in a peroxide‐initiated reaction. Composite materials made from the unsaturated polyester/styrene thermoset and containing various percentages of woodflour were prepared and tested. The relationships between the filler content, porosity fraction, and mechanical properties of the materials were evaluated. The bending modulus and strength of the composites were significantly higher than that of the matrix. Simple models were successfully applied in the analysis of the mechanical properties of the materials. The porosity effect was also considered in the model predictions. The results of the mechanical and dynamic mechanical tests, the scanning electron micrographs of surface fractures, and the adhesion parameter calculated from the strength models all indicated that there was a strong interfacial interaction between matrix and filler. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Dependence of the mechanical properties of woodflour–polymer composites on the moisture content

Woodflour of Eucaliptus saligna with two different chemical treatments (mercerization and esterification with maleic anhydride) was used as filler of an unsaturated polyester matrix. Woodflour was treated to increase the interfacial adhesion with the matrix, to improve the dispersion of the particles, and to decrease the water sorption properties of the final composite. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of the moisture content and the woodflour chemical modification on the physical and mechanical properties of the different composites. Results indicated that mechanical properties (compression and bending tests) were severely affected by moisture and chemical modifications. In wet conditions, the composites made from treated woodflour had the lowest flexural modulus and ultimate stress. It was found that this was a reversible effect, because the original values of the compression properties were recovered after drying. Temperature scans in dynamic mechanical tests showed that an irreversible change occurred during exposure to humid environments, probably due to the hydrolysis of the polyester matrix. Essentially, the same behavior was observed for matrix and composites; however, a wood-related transition overlapped the main transition in the case of wet composites. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 68: 2069–2076, 1998     

Thermal and mechanical properties of woodflour/tannin adhesive composites

Composite materials formulated with a natural polyphenolic matrix (commercial tannin adhesive made from quebracho tannin extract), pine woodflour as reinforcing material, and hexamethylenetetramine as hardener were prepared and tested. Scanning electron microscopy of fractured samples was used to analyze the efficiency of the wetting and adhesion of the filler to the surrounding matrix. Thermogravimetric analysis was used in the thermal characterization of the woodflour and the tannin extract. Flexural, compression, and dynamic‐mechanical tests were performed on composites to study the relationship of the filler content and particle size with the composite final properties. Moreover, the influence of the moisture content on the physical and mechanical properties of the different composites was analyzed. Results indicated that the mechanical properties were severely affected by the absorbed moisture. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 3074–3082, 2004     

Evaluation of properties of unsaturated polyester/acetylated hydroxypropyl guar gum composites

Guar gum is a naturally occurring galactomannan, which is extremely hydrophilic in nature. Hydroxypropyl guar gum (HPG) was subjected to acetylation using acetic anhydride and pyridine. The effect of the reduction in the hydrophilic nature of the polymer on its filler properties was studied by using the derivatized guar gum as filler in an unsaturated polyester composite. The effect of degree of substitution and the concentration of filler on the rheological, chemical, and mechanical properties of the composites were studied. Results indicated that an increase in the acetate content in the HPG resulted in an increased polymer–filler interaction. However, the composites resulting from these derivatized HPGs showed reduced mechanical properties. This decrease in the mechanical properties were attributed to the decrease in the hydrogen bonding in the filler particles, thus reducing the cohesiveness and strength of the filler particles themselves. Thus, polysaccharides can be used as fillers but chemically modifying them results in a change in the basic nature of the filler itself and is not just restricted to surface modification as is the case of inorganic fillers and fibers. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Uncured and cured state properties of fly ash filled unsaturated polyester composites

Physical properties of fly ash filled unsaturated polyester composites in both uncured and cured states have been studied with special reference to the effect of degree of loading, nature of filler surface, and surface treatment of filler. The effect of filler surface on curing and oil absorption characteristics of filler were also examined. In the uncured state, sedimentation rate test and viscosity measurement for fly ash reinforced composites were performed. For cured fly ash filled unsaturated polyester composites, tensile properties decreased with the addition of fly ash particles whereas surface treatment led to improved mechanical properties and resistance to swelling. In terms of dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, effects of both filler and surface treatment on loss factor (tan δ) were discussed. Tan δ value and damping temperature range increased to the 15% fly ash addition. The composite having 15% unsilanized fly ash was found to have the highest tan δ and damping temperature range together with maximum performance in terms of tensile properties and swelling behavior. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 1128–1136, 2000     

Tensile properties of kenaf/unsaturated polyester composites filled with a montmorillonite filler

Kenaf/unsaturated polyester composites filled with montmorillonite (MMT) filler were produced. Overall, the study showed that, for samples with kenaf filler only, the strength properties decreased as the kenaf filler loading was increased from 40 to 60%. The increase in the kenaf filler loading reduced the amount of matrix material. This subsequently lowered the ability of the sample to absorb energy or distribute stress efficiently. However, with MMT, the tensile properties improved because of the high aspect ratio and surface area of the MMT. The study of the effect of kenaf filler size on the tensile properties showed that the samples with the smallest size (74 μm) displayed the lowest tensile properties compared to the larger ones. This was attributed to the agglomeration of the kenaf fillers. The addition of MMT resulted in an overall increase in the tensile strength of the composites compared to those without MMT. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Mechanical and dynamical mechanical properties of chloroprene rubber and cellulose II composites

Vulcanized composites of chloroprene rubber (CR) with cellulose II (Cel II) as a filler were investigated. Cel II, obtained by the coagulation of cellulose xanthate, was incorporated in the rubber by the traditional method. The filler content varied from 0 to 30 phr. For comparison purposes, carbon black (CB)–CR composites were also studied. The CB amount varied from 0 to 45 phr. The mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties were determined, and the CR composite containing 20 phr of Cel II showed the best set of properties. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 2425–2430, 2004     

The role of additives in the manufacture of sheets of unsaturated polyester and postconsumer unsaturated polyester/glass fiber composites: Mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties

The storage of postconsumer glass fiber reinforced unsaturated polyester composite impacts negatively on the environment because of the long lifetime and the volume/amount ratio of residuals, which are important aspects to be considered. Two types of additives were employed as an attempt to improve the mechanical properties of sheets manufactured with ground postconsumer glass fiber reinforced orthophthalic unsaturated polyester resin composite and virgin orthophthalic unsaturated polyester resin, a silane‐coupling agent and an organic dispersant. Flexural and impact tests, and dynamic mechanical analyses, demonstrated that the coupling agent increased the mechanical properties, while the dispersant decreased these properties, compared to material without either additive. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 1834–1839, 2004     

Mechanical properties of styrene–butadiene–styrene block copolymer composites filled with calcium carbonate treated by liquid polybutadienes

The factors influencing the mechanical properties of styrene–butadiene–styrene block copolymer (SBS) composites filled with liquid polybutadiene (LB)‐surface‐treated calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) were investigated with respect to the molecular structure of the LB, the amount of the LB adsorbed on the CaCO₃ surface, the heat treatment conditions, and the surface treatment method. The mechanical properties, such as the modulus, tensile strength at break, tear strength, storage modulus, and tension set, of the SBS composites were improved remarkably through the filling of CaCO₃ surface‐treated with a carboxylated LB with a high content of 1,2‐double bonds. The heat treatment of LB–CaCO₃ in air was also effective in enhancing such properties. When SBS, CaCO₃, and LB were directly blended (with the integral blend method), secondary aggregation of CaCO₃ took place, and the mechanical properties of the composite were significantly lower. In the integral blend method, LB functioned as a plasticizer. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Mechanical and tribological properties of glass–epoxy composites with and without graphite particulate filler

The objectives of this research article is to evaluate the mechanical and tribological properties of glass‐fiber‐reinforced epoxy (G–E) composites with and without graphite particulate filler. The laminates were fabricated by a dry hand layup technique. The mechanical properties, including tensile strength, tensile modulus, elongation at break, and surface hardness, were investigated in accordance with ASTM standards. From the experimental investigation, we found that the tensile strength and dimensional stability of the G–E composite increased with increasing graphite content. The effect of filler content (0–7.5 wt %) and sliding distance on the friction and wear behavior of the graphite‐filled G–E composite systems were studied. Also, conventional weighing, determination of the coefficient of friction, and examination of the worn surface morphological features by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were done. A marginal increase in the coefficient of friction with sliding distance for the unfilled composites was noticed, but a slight reduction was noticed for the graphite‐filled composites. The 7.5% graphite‐filled G–E composite showed a lower friction coefficient for the sliding distances used. The wear loss of the composites decreased with increasing weight fraction of graphite filler and increased with increasing sliding distance. Failure mechanisms of the worn surfaces of the filled composites were established with SEM. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 2472–2480, 2007     

Electrical and mechanical properties of some polymeric composites

Two unsaturated polyester resins based on poly[propylene‐phthalate‐hexane‐maleate] (PE1) and poly[oxydiethylene‐phthalate‐hexane‐maleate] (PE2) were prepared and crosslinked with styrene monomer. The structure of the prepared polyesters was detected using IR and NMR. The thermal behavior of the styrenated polyesters was determined using differential scanning calorimetry. The dielectric properties for the PE1 and PE2 styrenated polyesters and their mixtures with different ratios were also studied with a frequency range of 100 Hz to 100 kHz at room temperature (≈25°C). The mixture containing a 50/50 ratio of PE1/PE2 possessed the most promising dielectric properties. Thus, this sample was chosen along with the two separate styrenated polyesters to be loaded with three different types of fillers: calcium carbonate, clay, and quartz. This investigation led to the conclusion that the sample containing 50/50 PE1/PE2 loaded with 60–70% clay possessed the most promising dielectric properties. The compressive and tensile strength values were also studied for PE1, PE2, and their 50/50 mixture filled with the three types of fillers with the recommended concentrations (60 and 70%). The results indicated that the quartz composite (60%) had the best mechanical properties with respect to the clay and calcium carbonate. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 1167–1180, 2002     

PP/木粉复合材料的热性能

以聚丙烯(PP)/木粉(WF)复合材料(WPC)为对象,研究了WF及马来酸酐接枝聚丙烯(PP-g-MAH)含量对WPC热性能的影响。PP和WF的熔融热焓分别为75.84 J/g和189.50 J/g,而w(WF)为10%,20%,30%,40%,50%的WPC的熔融热焓分别为54.99,40.37,38.66,27.34,22.09 J/g,加入PP-g-MAH后,WPC熔融热焓值有所提高。所有WPC在200～750℃的热分解都是分两步完成的,WF含量越高,两步分解现象越明显,第一步失重率越大;WPC每步分解的起始分解温度及峰值温度均有所提高,WPC对热更稳定。     

木粉/UPR复合材料的制备及力学性质研究

使用硅烷偶联剂表面处理的木粉(MW)和未改性木粉(UW)填充不饱和聚酯树脂(UPR)制备了复合材料.研究了表面改性处理和木粉粒径对复合材料力学强度的影响.结果表明,相对于未改性的木粉,用硅烷偶联剂处理的木粉对不饱和聚酯树脂有更强的增强作用,添加量为20(wt)％的MW/UPR复合材料的拉伸强度比纯UPR提高74.4％,...     

Moldability and properties of phenolic/artificial zeolite composites

The purpose of this study is to improve the several properties of composites consisting of a phenolic and fly ash or artificial Zeolite such as sodium type Zeolite (Na? Ze) or calcium type Zeolite(Ca? Ze). And it also includes the improvement in the flowability of molding compounds. The molding compounds were prepared from a phenol novolac, a curing agent, and several fillers. The flowability of the compounds containing fly ash and artificial Zeolite as a filler, mentioned above, was superior to that of the compounds containing glass fiber (GF), calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), or talc as a filler. The phenolic composites were prepared from the above molding compounds by transfer molding. The phenolic composite containing Ca? Ze had most superior heat resistance, electrical insulation, and flexural strength, though in the lastly listed property it ranked next to the GF‐filled composite. The linear expansion coefficient of the composite containing Ca? Ze was as low as almost isotropic. The reasons of obtaining these excellent properties were thought to be as follows: (1) Ca? Ze could finely be dispersed in the phenolic resin to bring good impregnation. (2) The surface chemical and physical interaction between the resin and Ca? Ze was higher than that between the resin and the other fillers. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Effect of filler surface treatment on mechanical properties and thermal properties of single and hybrid filler–filled PP composites

The influence of two types of surface treatments (aminosilane and Lica‐12) on the mechanical and thermal properties of polypropylene (PP) filled with single and hybrid filler (silica and mica) was studied. An improvement in tensile properties and impact strength was found for both treatments compared to those of untreated composites. However, the filler with silane coupling agent showed better improvement compared to the filler with Lica‐12 coupling agent. This was due to better adhesion between filler and matrix. Thermal analysis indicates that surface treatments increased the nucleating ability of filler, but decreased the coefficient of thermal expansion of PP composites. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Relation between electrical and mechanical properties of conducting polymer composites

The influence of the carbon black content on the mechanical and electrical properties of polypropylene/carbon black composites prepared by different processing procedures was investigated. The formation of a continuous conducting network in the insulating matrix and, consequently, the percolation threshold depend strongly on the processing route and influence both the mechanical and electrical properties of the prepared composites. An interesting coincidence of the dependencies of conductivity and elongation at break on the filler content was found. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 82: 1903–1906, 2001     

Mechanical properties of epoxy composites with low content of diamond particles

Diamond‐epoxy composites reinforced with low content of submicron diamond powder 0.1, 0.4, 0.7, and 1.0 wt % were synthesized. As received diamond powder was acid treated to purify and functionalize diamond particles. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy was utilized to study the moieties attached to the diamond particles. The trace elemental analysis of impurities in diamond powder before and after acid treatment was performed using ion beam techniques. The mechanical properties of the epoxy matrix were enhanced with the addition of purified and functionalized diamond powder. The Dynamical mechanical analysis results revealed that storage modulus of the prepared composites has been increased by ～ 100% with diamond loading of 0.7 wt %. The Vickers's hardness of the diamond‐epoxy composite was ～ 39% higher than that of pure epoxy for the loading of 1.0 wt % diamond powder. Mechanisms responsible for the enhancement of the mechanical properties are discussed. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Mechanical and thermal properties of polypropylene/modified basalt fabric composites

Basalt fabric (BF) was first treated with silane coupling agent KH550, modified basalt fabric (MBF) was obtained. Then MBF were molded with polypropylene (PP) matrix, and polypropylene/modified basalt fabrics (PP/MBF) composites were obtained. The influence of concentration and treating time of KH550 on MBF were characterized by hydrophilicity and lipophilicity. The tensile strength and morphology of basalt fabric were tested by single filament strength tester and scanning electron microscopy. The mechanical properties of composites were measured with electronic universal testing machine and impact testing machine, and the thermal properties were tested by thermogravimetric analysis and dynamic mechanical analysis. The results showed that the lipophilicity of MBF is improved significantly by KH550 while the tensile is nearly damaged. The mechanical properties of composites are larger than that of pure PP, among which the impact property was improved the most, showing 194.12% enhancement. The thermal stability and dynamic viscoelasticity were better than pure PP; furthermore, the concentration of KH550 virtually had no effect on the thermal stability. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42504.     

Synthesis and characterization of unsaturated polyester/carborundum composites

Two unsaturated polyesters, one based on phthalic anhydride PE_P and the other based on isophthalic acid PE_I, were synthesized. The chemical structure of the two polyesters was characterized by IR and ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The effect of styrene concentration on the curing of polyesters was also studied. It has been found that the percent of polyester/styrene (70/30 wt %) gave the highest percent of curing. Different concentrations of carborundum (0–70 wt %) were used to prepare polyester composites. A comparative study was done on the properties of the two prepared polyesters PE_P and PE_I and their composites in term of their thermal, mechanical, electrical, and physical properties. The results indicate that the polyester based on isophthalic acid (PE_I) and its composites gave higher compressive strength values and lower water absorption than those based on phthalic anhydride (PE_P). The presence of carborundum improved the thermal stability than the cured polyesters and electrical properties. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

不饱和聚酯型人造大理石的力学性能

简述了不饱和聚酯(UPR)型人造大理石的制备工艺。研究了质量比为4∶1的Al(OH)3/Ca(OH)2复合填料用量对不饱和聚酯型人造大理石力学性能的影响,对制得的人造大理石的耐腐蚀性进行了测试,采用光学显微镜观察了试样腐蚀前后的表面形貌。结果表明,在复合填料与UPR质量比为1.86∶1时,弯曲强度、压缩强度达到最大,分别为55.88 MPa和96.04 MPa。甲苯对人造石的腐蚀作用最大,氢氧化钠次之,硫酸腐蚀作用较小,腐蚀介质主要对不饱和树脂聚合物产生腐蚀,从而导致人造石力学性能降低。