The mechanical properties of oxyfluorinated hybrids of glass fibre and polypropylene fibre

The mechanical properties of a low-cost system comprising orthophthalic polyester resin reinforced with hybrids of glass and polypropylene fibres were investigated. The fibres were oxyfluorinated to overcome the poor surface adhesion properties of polypropylene. Interlaminar shear tests, Izod-type impact tests and tensile tests were considered. It would be expected that increasing polypropylene fibre content corresponds with a decrease in mechanical properties due to the poor properties of polypropylene. Oxyfluorinated laminates containing approximately 25% and 50% polypropylene in the warp direction were, however, found to exhibit significant improvements in interlaminar shear strength, in peak shear stress under impact loading as well as in impact resistance over untreated glass fibre laminates. Scanning electron microscope images show that the reason for this improvement is that the interfacial bond between the polypropylene fibres and the resin is strengthened to such an extent that failure occurs within the polypropylene fibres rather than at the interface.     

The effect of carbon nanotube orientation and content on the mechanical properties of polypropylene based composites

Finite element method (FEM) is used to predict the tensile and compressive stress–strain curves of single wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites. The numerical simulations, using shell and tetrahedron elements, are first carried out to investigate the effect of SWCNT orientation on the mechanical properties of the nano-composites. Second, the Grunfest–Young constitutive equation is selected to determine the effect of strain rate and solve the finite element program to analyze the mechanical behavior of the nano-composites. Third, the effect of SWCNT volume fraction is studied. In all cases, the shear and normal stresses distribution along the nanotube axis are investigated and compared with the macroscopic tensile or compressive stresses on the composites. At the same time, the stresses of the interface between SWCNT and the matrix along the loading direction are analyzed. Finally, the effects of SWCNT orientation, content and strain rate on the strength of the nano-composites are studied. From the results obtained, it was shown that strain rate can substantially affect the tensile and shear stresses of the composites, but do not significantly influence the initial tensile or compressive elastic moduli. This is especially the case for SWCNT orientation angles less than 30° and volume fractions higher than 0.74%.     

The influence of fibre length and concentration on the properties of glass fibre reinforced polypropylene: 5. Injection moulded long and short fibre PP

We present results of a step by step comparison of the mechanical performance of injection moulded ‘long’ (LF-PP) and ‘short’ (SF-PP) glass fibre-polypropylene compounds. The study allows direct comparison of the mechanical performance of long and short fibre systems in the same resin at the same fibre diameter, and the effect of fibre diameter in short fibre compounds. Furthermore, the comparison of these three systems has been made over the 0–40 wt% fibre content range. At the same fibre diameter and fibre content LF-PP gives significant improvements in room temperature tensile and flexural strength, notched and unnotched impact resistance. The improvement in impact resistance is higher still at lower test temperature. LF-PP also gives increasingly higher modulus over SF-PP as the strain is increased. The effect of lowering the fibre diameter in SF-PP has been shown to increase both strength and unnotched impact, but not to the levels obtained with LF-PP at higher fibre diameter. Notched impact and modulus of SF-PP were relatively unaffected by reduction of the fibre diameter. The relative mechanical data are shown to conform well to available models. The results are discussed in terms of the relevant micro-mechanical parameters of these materials.     

Investigation the effect of cellulose on the structure and properties of polypropylene fibres

The modification of polypropylene fibre during their production is usually performed with the aim to improve some end-use properties of final polypropylene textiles. The most common procedure for the modification of polypropylene fibres involves adding additives in the form of masterbaches, which are incorporated into polymer by physical means during fibre formation. The presented work is focused on the investigation the effect of natural organic additive cellulose on the preparation, morphology and the thermal properties of polypropylene fibres. The series of modified pre-oriented and drawn polypropylene fibres with different content of cellulose from 0 wt. % to 3 wt. % were prepared via the classical discontinuous process of melt spinning and drawing. The non-isothermal crystallization and melting behaviour of pre-oriented and drawn polypropylene fibres were analysed by differential scanning calorimetry tests under nitrogen atmosphere. The surface morphology of polypropylene fibres and cross-sectional shapes were examined by scanning electron microscopy. The obtained experimental results were compared with reference polypropylene fibres prepared under the same technological conditions.     

Impregnation of glass fibres with polymethylmethacrylate using a powder-coating method

The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of a powder-coating method to impregnate glass fibres with polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) for dental purposes. The continuous unidirectional E-glass fibres, the surface of which had been treated with precured silane, were powder-coated with spherical PMMA particles. Before the powder-coated prepregs were used, the incorporated PMMA powder was dissolved with methylmethacrylate monomer. The degree of impregnation of the polymerized composite was determined with a scanning electron microscope. The results revealed that the mean degree of impregnation varied from 0.87 to 0.92, being lower in the heat-cured PMMA group (which simulated fabrication of a new denture), and higher in the autopolymerizing group (which simulated the repair of a fractured denture). The means between the two groups did not, however, differ significantly (p=0.249). The results suggest that, even though the method has some shortcomings in terms of dental laboratory technology, the powder-coating method can be used to fabricate or repair acrylic resin-based dentures.     

Continuous production of NbN on carbon fibres by magnetron sputtering

NbN films have been prepared continuously with dc reactive magnetron sputtering onto carbon fibre substrates. The apparatus is described and the most important results of the structural analysis together with superconductivity data are given.     

高温热处理对活性炭纤维微孔及表面性能的影响

研究了1173K高温改性处理对沥青基活性炭纤维吸附性能、孔径分布、微孔结构和表面化学的影响。低温(77K)N2吸附结果表明热处理后活性炭纤维比表面积略有下降，通过密度函数理论解析活性炭纤维全孔范围的孔分布得出活性炭纤维表面孔径大于1．0nm的微孔明显减少，微孔孔径更加集中于0．5nm～1．0nm，从而提高了活性炭纤维的碘吸附值。X射线衍射分析表明活性炭纤维是乱层石墨结构，热处理使活性炭纤维类石墨微晶碳层面的层间距下降，X光电子能谱分析表明热处理后活性炭纤维表面的含氧官能团C=O和COOH的含量变化不大，而呈碱性酚羟基C—OH含量的明显下降使活性炭纤维表面碱性降低。     

The role of a polyamide interphase on carbon fibres reinforcing an epoxy matrix

Carbon fibres were pretreated by means of an interfacial in-situ polyamidation technique resulting in a polyamide coating of the fibres. The procedure followed involved successive application to the carbon fibres of two immiscible solutions of hexamethylenediamine and adipoyl chloride. Previous work conducted in our laboratory on chrysotile/epoxy composites coated with Nylon 6,6 provided interesting results when the tensile performance was evaluated. This behaviour was attributed to the improved affinity between matrix and asbestos fibres as a result of the well-known compatibility between polyamide and the epoxy phase. In this study emphasis is given to the coating of long carbon fibres such as are used for the preparation of unidirectional carbon/epoxy composites. The mechanical properties of uniaxial laminates with varying fibre volume fractions and polyamide contents are then compared with those of uncoated carbon fibres.     

The effect of organic and inorganic fibres on the mechanical and thermal properties of aluminate activated geopolymers

The addition of fibres to a brittle matrix is a well-known method to improve the flexural strength. However, the success of the reinforcements is dependent on the interaction between the fibre and the matrix. This paper presents the mechanical and microstructural properties of PVA and basalt fibre reinforced geopolymers. Moreover low density and thermal resistant materials used as insulating panels are known be susceptible to damage due to their poor flexural strength. As such the thermal and fire resistance properties of foamed geopolymers containing fibre reinforcement were also investigated.The results highlight that the presence of PVA fibres greatly increased the flexural strength and the toughness of the geopolymer composite, while the presence of basalt fibres improved the flexural behaviour of the composite after high temperature exposure.     

The electro-structural behaviour of yarn-like carbon nanotube fibres immersed in organic liquids

Yarn-like carbon nanotube (CNT) fibres are a hierarchically-structured material with a variety of promising applications such as high performance composites, sensors and actuators, smart textiles, and energy storage and transmission. However, in order to fully realize these possibilities, a more detailed understanding of their interactions with the environment is required. In this work, we describe a simplified representation of the hierarchical structure of the fibres from which several mathematical models are constructed to explain electro-structural interactions of fibres with organic liquids. A balance between the elastic and surface energies of the CNT bundle network in different media allows the determination of the maximum lengths that open junctions can sustain before collapsing to minimize the surface energy. This characteristic length correlates well with the increase of fibre resistance upon immersion in organic liquids. We also study the effect of charge accumulation in open interbundle junctions and derive expressions to describe experimental data on the non-ohmic electrical behaviour of fibres immersed in polar liquids. Our analyses suggest that the non-ohmic behaviour is caused by progressively shorter junctions collapsing as the voltage is increased. Since our models are not based on any property unique to carbon nanotubes, they should also be useful to describe other hierarchical structures.     

Polyamide coating on carbon fibres and potential application in carbon/kevlar/epoxy hybrid composites

Hybrid unidirectional composite materials, consisting of alternately laminated layers of Kevlar-49 fibres and carbon fibres in an epoxy resin, have been studied. Before embedding, the carbon fibres were coated with a Nylon 6,6 film by an interfacial in-situ polymerization technique. Emphasis is given to the mechanical properties of the hybrid composites based on coated carbon, with those based on uncoated carbon, for various values of partial volume fraction of the carbon fibres, V_cf, polyamide content deposited on the carbon fibres, C_N, and total fibre (Kevlar + carbon) volume fraction, V_f.     

MoO3-氧化碳纳米管改性玻璃纤维/环氧树脂复合材料的摩擦磨损性能

为改善玻璃纤维/环氧树脂(GF/EP)复合材料的耐摩擦磨损性能,采用真空抽滤法制备柔性MoO₃纳米带-氧化碳纳米管膜(m-MoO₃-OCNTs),并结合真空辅助树脂转移模塑(VARTM)工艺制备m-MoO₃-OCNTs改性GF/EP (m-MoO₃-OCNTs-(GF/EP))复合材料。结果表明,m-MoO₃-OCNTs显著提高了GF/EP复合材料的导热系数和自润滑性能,在干摩擦测试条件下,可在m-MoO₃-OCNTs-(GF/EP)复合材料与对偶面之间形成有效传递摩擦热的高质量连续转移膜;与GF/EP复合材料相比,m-MoO₃-OCNTs-(GF/EP)复合材料的耐摩擦磨损磨性能提高了约4倍。     

Thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity analyses of low-density polyethylene composites reinforced with sisal, glass and intimately mixed sisal/glass fibres

The thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of sisal-reinforced polyethylene (SRP), glass-reinforced polyethylene (GRP) and sisal/glass hybrid fibre-reinforced polyethylene (GSRP) has been evaluated at cryogenic to high temperature (120–350 K). It has been observed that the variation of thermal conductivity with temperature is almost the same for LDPE and SRP containing perpendicularly oriented sisal fibres. The difference between the values of thermal conductivity shown by LDPE and GRP is greater than that of SRP and LDPE. The enhanced thermal conductivity of glass fibre is due to the presence of Fe²⁺ ions in the glass fibres. The linear variation in thermal conductivity with fibre loading is explained with the help of a model suggested by Agari. The difference between the thermal conductivity properties in directions parallel and perpendicular to the applied flux is a maximum for SRP owing to the anisotropic nature of sisal fibre. The difference is marginal for GRP on account of its isotropic nature. The position of GSRP is found to be intermediate. It can been observed that the variation of thermal diffusivity with temperature is just opposite to that of thermal conductivity. This may be due to a reduction in the mean free path of phonons. An empirical equation is derived to explain the variation in thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity with temperature.     

Preparation and mechanical properties of carbon nanotube grafted glass fabric/epoxy multi-scale composites

In the present paper, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were chemically grafted onto surfaces of the amino silane treated glass fabric by a novel chemical route for the first time to create 3D network on the glass fibers. The chemical bonding process was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The glass fabric/CNT/epoxy multi-scale composite laminates were fabricated with the CNT grafted fabrics using vacuum assisted resin infusion molding. Tensile tests were conducted on fabricated multi-scale composites, indicating the grafting CNTs on glass fabric resulted a decrease (11%) in ultimate tensile strength while toughness of the multi-scale composite laminates were increased up to 57%. Flexural tests revealed that the multi-scale composite laminates prepared with CNT grafted glass fabric represent recovering after first load fall. The interfacial reinforcing mechanisms were discussed based on fracture morphologies of the multi-scale composites.     

Chemical vapor deposition of titanium nitride on carbon fibres as a protective layer in metal matrix composites

The significance of carbon fibres for reinforcing metals has increased in the last years, because of their excellent mechanical properties. However, to avoid the weakening reaction during MMC fabrication between the fibre and the liquid metal, a protective coating has to be applied. Continuous carbon fibre roving with 6000 filaments were coated with TiN by thermal induced chemical vapour deposition (CVD) using a gas mixture of TiCl₄, N₂ and H₂ as a precursor. The deposition process in the reactor was simulated by a modified Phoenics-CVD software program using a 2D-axisymmetric model. Carbon fibres reinforced magnesium matrix composites are fabricated by a pressure infiltration casting process. The mechanical properties of the MMCs can be used to demonstrate the efficacy of the coated fibre approach. The rule of mixture is realized to 98% for the coated fibre, and only 48% for the uncoated system. The infiltration pressure during the processing of composites was lowered from 10 to 1 MPa for the TiN coated system.     

Comparative study of strain rate effects on mechanical properties of glass fibre-reinforced thermoset matrix composite

The tensile dynamic behaviour of glass fibre-reinforced phenolic and polyester resins has been determined in order to find the influence of strain rate on the mechanical properties of composite materials produced by the resin transfer moulding (RTM) and pultrusion processes. Data and experimental test systems from the literature are analysed. A new specimen design is created and validated using drop-weight dynamic tests. The dynamic elastic modulus and strength tend to increase in an important ratio for the majority of the materials studied. The shear modulus measured with off-axis and ±45° coupons produces different effects as a function of strain rate. The influence of the reinforcement structure is emphasized and shown to be effective.     

熔融纺丝方法制备纳米碳管/聚丙烯复合纤维及其拉伸性能

采用传统的熔融纺丝技术大量制备了定向性良好的纳米碳管／聚丙烯复合纤维。扫描电镜观察证实了纳米碳管在纤维里的定向性以及分散性都得到了较大的改善。通过拉伸实验测试了纳米碳管／聚丙烯复合纤维的力学性能，采用weibull统计分析发现纳米碳管的添加显著提高了复合纤维的拉伸强度，当添加纳米碳管的质量分数达到3％时，纤维强度最高，达到61MPa，超过聚丙烯纤维强度120％。复合纤维拉伸断口的形貌特征也证实了纳米碳管添加对复合纤维拉伸性能影响存在临界现象。     

Compatibilizing effect of acrylic acid modified polypropylene on the morphology and permeability properties of polypropylene/organoclay nanocomposites

This work dealt with the morphology and permeability properties of polypropylene/organoclay nanocomposites prepared using an acrylic acid grafted polypropylene (PP-g-AA) as compatibilizing agent. Two PP-g-AA containing the same acrylic acid content (6 wt.%) and having different molar masses were tested. The o-MMT content was 0, 1 or 5 wt.% and the PP-g-AA/o–MMT mass ratio was 0/1, 1/1, 2/1 or 5/1. Results of wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that without the PP-g-AA, the o-MMT was dispersed in the PP/o-MMT in a micrometer scale, similar to a conventional microcomposite. With the PP-g-AA, the o-MMT was much better dispersed and its interlayers were intercalated and partly exfoliated by the polymer chains. CO₂ permeability values decreased for all samples with the incorporation of the organoclay. The compatibilized samples showed a more significant reduction in CO₂ permeability, up to 50% when compared to the neat PP. In general, the PP-g-AA acted satisfactorily in compatibilizing PP/organoclay nanocomposites. Moreover, samples prepared with the compatibilizer/organoclay ratio of 5/1 had better barrier properties.     

The effect of fibre sizing on fibres and bundle strength in hybrid glass carbon fibre composites

Tests have been carried out on single carbon fibres supplied in the sized and unsized conditions, as well as impregnated tows and tows in a glass–carbon fibre hybrid composite of the same fibre. The results were analysed using a Weibull distribution for the strengths of the reinforcing fibres and composites. The tensile strength of the single fibres appeared to be unaffected by the sizing of the filaments. In the case of the impregnated tows, an increase in characteristic strength of 7% was observed for the unsized fibres. The strength of the impregnated tows in hybrid composites was seen to be 15% higher than those tested in air. This can be attributed to the “hybrid effect”. This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.