Vibration joining of fiber‐reinforced thermosets

Adhesive bonding is known to be particularly suitable for thermoset composites with continuous fiber reinforcement as it does not interrupt the fibers because of drilled holes. The frequently used two‐part adhesives often require long curing times for the chemical reaction. At the Institute of Polymer Technology (LKT), a vibration‐assisted hot melt bonding technique (vibration joining) was developed, which offers short cycle times and represents a modification of hot melt bonding, using the machine technology from vibration welding. It is suitable to join thermoplastics with thermoset materials or thermosets using a thermoplastic interlayer, by taking advantage of short cycle time and good lap shear strength, compared to bonding with reactive adhesives. Polym Compos 2009 POLYM. COMPOS., 31:1205–1212, 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Ceramic molds suitable for rapid forming of CFRP composites via microwave irradiation

Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) composites have been considered quite eminent structural materials. For more extensive applications, however, more rapid forming methods of the CFRP composites are required. As for CFRP composites with thermoplastic matrices, microwave heating and pressing with ceramic molds should be promising. In the present work, zirconia molds with varied thermal conductivity were employed to give a desired shape to the CFRP composites heated with microwave irradiation. Experimental results showed that use of the zirconia molds with smaller thermal conductivity results in shorter necessary time for the forming process. Mechanism of the notable change in the heating efficiency is discussed as well.     

A review of the research and advances in electromagnetic joining of fiber‐reinforced thermoplastic composites

The demand for polymer composites in structural and nonstructural applications has expanded rapidly due to their lightweight, high strength, and stiffness characteristics. Joining of polymer composite is not an easy task as inadequate joint strength leads to failure of a structure due to stress concentration. The following are the three basic methods available for joining of thermoplastic composites: adhesive joining, mechanical fastening, and fusion bonding. Electromagnetic joining is a class of fusion bonding where electromagnetic force is used for generation of heat. Electromagnetic joining has gained new interest among the research fraternity with the development of thermoplastic composites. This type of joining or welding technique offers many advantages over other joining techniques. This joining technique can be used for assembly as well as repairing of thermoplastic polymer‐based composites parts. The main aim of this article is to review the different electromagnetic joining methods for thermoplastic composites and present the recent developments in this area. The electromagnetic joining methods such as induction welding, microwave welding, and resistance welding have been comprehensively discussed in the context of their applicability for joining of thermoplastic polymer‐based composites. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 59:1965–1985, 2019. © 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Surface modification of PEEK by UV irradiation for direct co-curing with carbon fibre reinforced epoxy prepregs

Adding a layer of thermoplastic resin on the surface of thermoset composites enables welding as a possible joining method for thermoset composites. Adhesion at the thermoset/thermoplastic interface was achieved by direct co-curing of an UV irradiation treated PEEK film with aerospace grade carbon/epoxy prepregs. The effectiveness of UV irradiation for surface modification of PEEK was characterized using Fourier-Transformed InfraRed (FTIR) spectroscopy and contact angle measurement. The adhesion quality at the thermoset/thermoplastic interface was evaluated using a double cantilever beam test and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). UV treatment was found to effectively modify the chemical structure of PEEK surface and improve the wettability, which enables the development of a thermoset/thermoplastic interface by direct co-curing.     

High temperature resistant insulated hybrid yarns for carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites

With the increased use of carbon fiber reinforced composites (CFRC), the demand for the integration of insulated conductive wire/yarns in CFRC is increasing for additional function integrations such as sensoric, actoric, signal transfer, heating, etc. Between thermoset and thermoplastic matrix composites, the integration of insulated conductive materials is comparatively difficult due to the requirements of higher temperature and pressure during the consolidation of thermoplastic composites. Therefore, the need for insulating material able to withstand higher temperature for the use in thermoplastic CFRC is also high. Using DREF friction spinning technique, it is possible to manufacture yarns with a core‐sheath structure in which, as the core conductive wire/yarns and as the sheath different fiber formed materials can be used for the insulation of the core. In this study, the aspects of using different short/staple fibers such as polyester, Glass and Kynol as the sheath and the usable temperature range are revealed. Furthermore, the insulation property of such fibers after the application of different temperatures has been reported. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 1179‐1184, 2013     

热固性树脂微波固化研究进展

综述了近年来热固性树脂及其复合材料的微波固化研究进展,重点讨论了热固性树脂微波固化与加热固化的比较,热固性树脂微波固化工艺,颗粒、纤维增强树脂基复合材料的微波固化研究。研究发现微波固化和热固化在本质上是相同的,然而,微波极大地加速了固化进程,对体系性能无损害;加入无机、金属填料以及纤维可以改变体系介电性能,控制微波工艺对材料进行精加工。最后介绍了微波热效应原理,并展望了微波热固化技术发展与应用。     

Mechanical fastening of polymer composites

In structures composed of polymer materials and polymer matrix composite materials, components must be joined such that the overall structure retains its structural integrity while it is performing its intended function which can include both mechanical loads (static and dynamic) and environmental loads (temperature and humidity). The use of composite materials in complex structures almost always reduces the number of components in the structures compared to the use of metallic alloys for the same structure. Thus, using composite materials not only results in great savings in weight, but also through a reduced number of joining operations, results in significant savings In assembly, inspection, parts storage, and movement, resulting in increased reliability and lower cost. Yet joining is still required. Joining metallic structures is a mature technology involving riveting, bolting, welding, glueing, brazing, soldering, and other methods. However, for most polymer matrix composites only adhesive bonding and mechanical fastening can be utilized. Attention has been given recently, however, to localized welding of thermoplastic polymer matrix composites. Inherently, adhesive bonding is preferable to mechanical fastening because of the continuous connection, whereas in drilling holes for bolts or rivets, fiber or other reinforcements are cut, and large stress concentrations occur at each discrete fastener hole. However, in many structures, it is necessary to employ mechanical fasteners in order to remove components or to have access to the interior of the structure. Hence, both adhesive bonding and mechanical fastening are important in joining structural components of polymer or polymer matrix materials. The following is a review of much of the literature dealing with mechanical fastening of polymer matrix composite structures. Hopefully, it provides an overall introduction for detailed study of the referenced documents as well as others, and a catalyst for further research.     

Adhesive bonding of polymer composites

In structures composed of polymer matrix composite materials, components must be joined such that the overall structure retains its structural integrity while it is performing its, intended function which can include both mechanical loads (static and dynamic) and environmental loads (temperature and humidity). The use of composite materials in complex structures almost always reduces the number of components in the structures compared to the use of metallic alloys for the same structure. Thus, using composite materials not only results in great savings in weight, but also through a reduced number of joining operations, results in significant savings in assembly, inspection, parts storage, and movement, resulting in increased reliability and lower cost. Yet joining is still required. Joining metallic structures is a mature technology involving riveting, bolting, welding, glueing, brazing, soldering, and other methods. However, for most polymer matrix composites only adhesive bonding and mechanical fastening can be utilized. Attention has been given recently, however, to localized welding of thermoplastic polymer matrix composites, and this will be discussed briefly later. Inherently, adhesive bonding is preferable to mechanical fastening because of the continuous connection, whereas in drilling holes for bolts or rivets, fibers or other reinforcements are cut, and large stress concentrations occar at each discrete fastener hole. The following is a review of much of the literature dealing with adhesive bonding of polymer matrix composite structures. It is Intended not only to be a review, but also a background for detailed study of the referenced and other documents, and a catalyst for future research.     

A local theory of heating in cross-ply carbon fiber thermoplastic composites by magnetic induction

For joining and repair of continuous fiber thermoplastic composites, induction heating has been viewed a strong candidate. Induction heating employs an applied alternating magnetic field, which induces a rotational emf in a grid of conductive carbon fibers, which are then used to carry resulting currents. In continuous carbon fiber crossply composites the available paths for “eddy current” loops are along the network of conductive carbon fibers. For this to occur, an electrical transfer must take place between crossing fibers in adjacent plies. Tests involving variable thicknesses of interply neat film layers have been performed to provide insight into the mechanisms taking place. These tests indicate that the primary mechanism for heating in such laminates is dielectric losses in the polymeric region between fibers in adjacent planes that form the conductive loop. Therefore, heating is not uniform in such composites despite a uniform magnetic flux. Heating patterns were viewed using liquid crystal materials and E-type thermocouples. Several factors leading to nonhomogeneous thermal distributions have been considered, including current density effects, internal emf cancellation, and rotational field effects. Global and local considerations are addressed, a localized model is proposed, and the corresponding theory is developed qualifying the early results. Additional testing has supported the theory.     

Evaluation of mechanical properties of acrylated guar gum – unsaturated polyester composites

Guar gum (GG) and its derivatives are commonly used in aqueous solutions as rheology modifiers. The use of polysaccharides as fillers in thermoset polymer composites has as yet not received that attention attributed to other materials. In the present study GG and the effect of acrylation on its filler properties were evaluated. Unsaturated polyester composites were evaluated for their mechanical properties as well as solvent resistance and water absorption. It was observed that the acrylate derivatives with the highest degree of substitution resulted in composites with the best mechanical properties as well as increased toluene and water resistance. Thus, polysaccharides could be used as reinforcing fillers in thermoset composites.     

微波固化热固性树脂研究最新进展

综述近年来热固性树脂及其复合材料的微波固化最新研究进展,介绍微波热效应原理,重点讨论热固性树脂微波固化与加热固化的不同、热固性树脂微波固化工艺及颗粒增强热固性树脂基复合材料的微波固化。并指出目前微波固化研究中的不足及今后的发展方向。     

Characterisation of thermoplastic matrix composites using variable frequency microwave

Abstract

In most industrial microwave processing operations, the frequency of the microwave energy launched into the waveguide or cavity containing the sample is fixed. This brings with it inherent heating uniformity problems. This paper describes a new technique for microwave processing, known as variable frequency microwave (VFM) processing, which alleviates the problems brought about by fixed frequency microwave processing. In VFM processing, microwave energy over a range of frequencies is transmitted into the cavity in a short time, e.g. 20 μs. It is therefore necessary to determine the best frequency range for processing a material. The best range frequency for microwave processing of five different thermoplastic matrix composites using the VFM facilities has been determined. The optimum frequency band for microwave processing of these five materials was in the range 8–12 GHz. This data enables bonding of the materials using microwave energy under the most favourable conditions.     

Development of a completely recyclable glass fiber-reinforced epoxy thermoset composite

Stimulated by the growing demand for more sustainable polymer systems, experiments were performed to develop completely recyclable epoxy-based thermoset composite materials involving the separation, recovery, and complete reuse of both components of the composite, the resin and the fibers. In this study, a possibility to design such composites by incorporation of reversible chemistry for dedicated repair and recycling is demonstrated. Relying on Diels–Alder (DA) adducts located on the cross-links between the polymeric chains, uncross-linking the thermoset via the reverse DA reactions becomes possible. The network breaks up at elevated temperatures in shorter segments, which can be solubilized in solvents like acetic acid, butan-1-ol, or toluene. Specific processes for each of these solvents were developed to recover the resin and fibers with virtually unchanged properties. Both components were used in a second manufacturing step to produce recycled composites which display properties comparable with the original composites.     

Influence of environmental conditioning on the shear behavior of poly(phenylene sulfide)/glass fiber composites

Advanced thermoplastic composites are an alternative because of their ease of processing and storage. Poly(phenylene sulfide) (PPS) stands out among these materials because of its structural characteristics; for instance, it provides size, shape, and thermal stability, low moisture absorption, excellent chemical resistance, and good mechanical properties, including flexure, strength, and shear properties, compared to thermoset composites. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of environmental conditioning on the shear strength behavior of PPS/glass fiber composites. For this reason, first, some samples were treated to UV‐light exposure in a chamber. Other samples were immersed in seawater and hygrothermal baths simultaneously. They were tested with the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) and Iosipescu shear test methods. The shear values obtained for the treated samples were compared against the dry sample values. For all samples tested with the ILSS and Iosipescu methods, the results indicate that the PPS/glass fiber composites presented a decrease in shear strength after they were submitted to hygrothermal and seawater solution conditioning. The moisture absorption was not uniform throughout the material, and wet conditioning induced strong matrix plasticization, which reduced the shear strength values of the laminates. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

先进树脂基复合材料高压微波固化工艺实验研究

先进树脂基复合材料在航空航天领域应用广泛,采用高效率、低能耗的微波固化工艺以获得令人满意的固化质量的构件,已逐渐引起学者们的关注。将高压引入树脂基复合材料的固化过程中,通过缺陷分析、显微金相、力学性能检测等手段,对先进树脂基复合材料的高压微波固化质量进行实验研究。结果表明,高压微波固化能有效实现树脂基复合材料的固化,与传统热压罐工艺相比,高压微波固化工艺可获得低孔隙、少缺陷、纤维/树脂界面结合较好的固化质量,拉伸强度提高4.82%,层间剪切强度提高10.32%。研究结果为复合材料高压微波固化技术的推广与应用提供了实验数据支撑。     

Evaluation of fiber surfaces treatment and sizing on the shear and transverse tensile strengths of carbon fiber-reinforced thermoset and thermoplastic matrix composites

The mechanical performance of advanced composite materials depends to a large extent on the adhesion between the fiber and matrix. This is especially true for maximizing the strength of unidirectional composites in off-axis directions. The materials of interest in this study were PAN-based carbon fibers (XA and A4) used in combination with a thermoset (EPON 828 epoxy) and a thermoplastic (liquid crystal poymer) matrix. The effect of surface treatment and sizing were evaluated by measuring the short-beam shear (SBS) and transverse flexural (TF) tensile strengths of unidirectional composites. Results indicated that fiber surface treatment improves the shear and trasverse tensile strengths for both thermosetting and thermoplastic matrix/carbon fiber-reinforced unidirectional composites. A small additional improvement in strengths was observed as the result of sizing treated fibers for the epoxy composites. Scanning electron microscope photomicrographs were used to determine the location of composite failure, relative to the fiber-matrix interface. Finally, the epoxy composites SBS and TF strengths appear to be limited to the maximum transeverse tensile strength of the epoxy matrix, while the thermoplastic composite SBS and TF strengths are limited by the LCP matrix shear and transverse tensile strengths, respectively.     

Bonding adhesive joints with radio-frequency dielectric heating

The feasibility of using radio-frequency (RF) dielectric heating to cure thermoset adhesives has been evaluated. Thermoset and thermoplastic polymer panels have been bonded to steel using conventional one-and two-part epoxy and two-part urethane adhesives. Process cycle times for adhesive cure using RF heating were about 20 to 60 seconds, compared with about 20 to 30 minutes for the same materials using conventional oven-cure methods. Thermoset substrates bonded included glass fibre-reinforced composite panels based on sheet moulding compound (SMC) and resin transfer moulding styrene-vinylester (RTM). Thermoplastics such as polycarbonate, polyarylate, Noryl, ABS and polymethylmethacrylate were also successfully bonded. RF bonding experiments were performed by preparing and testing lap-shear joints as well as by joining a large test structure with a 25 mm x 1.25 m bondline. Bonding of painted steel to SMC composite, SMC to SMC and steel to RTM composite were also accomplished using the RF dielectric heating process.     

In situ polymerization of thermoplastic composites based on cyclic oligomers

The high melt viscosity of thermoplastics is the main issue when producing continuously reinforced thermoplastic composites. For this reason, production methods for thermoplastic and thermoset composites differ substantially. Lowering the viscosity of thermoplastics to a value below 1 Pa.s enables the use of thermoset production methods such as resin transfer molding (RTM). In order to achieve these low viscosities, a low viscous mixture of prepolymers and catalyst can be infused into a mold where the polymerization reaction takes place. Only a limited number of polymerization reactions are compatible with a closed mold process. These polymerization reactions proceed rapidly compared to the curing reaction of thermosets used in RTM. Therefore, the processing window is narrow, and managing the processing parameters is crucial. This paper describes the production and properties of a glass fiber reinforced polyester produced from cyclic oligoesters. POLYM. COMPOS., 26:60–65, 2005. © 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Synthesis,chemical resistance,and water absorption of bamboo fiber reinforced epoxy composites

Natural fiber reinforced polymer composites are being increasingly used in the civil infrastructure. They have tremendous applicability to bridge systems ranging from use in seismic retrofit and strengthening of existing structural components, either in all composite form, or in conjunction with conventional construction materials. Natural fibers are not only strong and lightweight but also relatively inexpensive. Among the various natural fibers, bamboo finds widespread use in housing construction around the world, and is considered as a promising housing material. In this article, bamboo fiber reinforced epoxy composite has been synthesized by hand lay up technique. Effect of fiber content on chemical resistance and water absorption of composites has been studied to find the industrial suitability of the composites. Scanning electron micrographs of composites were used for a qualitative evaluation of the interfacial properties of bamboo/epoxy composites. These results indicate that bamboo can be used as a potential reinforcing material for making low load bearing thermoplastic composites. POLYM. COMPOS., 141–145, 2016. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Two-Dimensional thermal analysis of resistance welded thermoplastic composites

A transient two-dimensional thermal model for resistance welding of thermoplastic composites is presented. A parametric study is conducted that yields insight into the welding process enabling some critical process and material parameters to be identified. Time to melt is predicted by the model and is successfully compared to experimental observations. Local heating and meltthrough can also be explained by the transient thermal model in agreement with experimental observations. Mode I fracture toughness of unidirectional graphite reinforced poly(etheretherketone) resistance welded double cantilever beam specimens are conducted under various process conditions. Experimental results indicate that under optimum process conditions, the interlaminar fracture toughness of the bulk compression-molded thermoplastic composite material can be achieved using resistance heating as a joining technique.