Effect of moisture absorption on the micromechanical behavior of carbon fiber/epoxy matrix composites

Carbon fiber/epoxy material in the form of a single fiber unidirectional composite was subjected to controlled humidity environments. Moisture uptake in polymer composites has significant effects on the mechanical properties of the matrix as well as on the final performance of the composite material. Diminishing of the mechanical properties of the matrix is attributed to a decrease of its glass transition temperature (T _g). The quality of the fiber–matrix interphase was assessed using the single fiber fragmentation test and the fiber-fragment length, considered as an indicator of interfacial quality. In order to measure the fiber fragment lengths and indentify failure mechanism at the interface optical observation and acoustic emission technique were used. The speed of propagation of an acoustic wave in the material was also determined. A comparison is made of interfacial shear strength values determined by acoustic emission and optical techniques. Excellent agreement between the two techniques was obtained. By means of a micromechanical model, it was possible to determine from the fragmentation lengths a measure of the interfacial shear strength between the fiber and the matrix. The role of moisture uptake swelling of the matrix on the residual stresses is considered to be important when considering the effect deterioration of interfacial shear properties. Both the contribution of the radial stresses and the mechanical component of fiber–matrix adhesion are seen to decrease rapidly for higher moisture contents in the matrix and/or interface.     

The Influence of Interface Structure and Composition on the Response of Single-Fiber SiC/Ti-6Al-4V Composites to Transverse Tension

The cruciform specimen geometry has recently been established to investigate the transverse tensile behavior of single-fiber or multiple-fiber titanium matrix composites; however, the results on only relatively few commercially-available fibers have been reported to date. The present study reports the transverse behavior of a range of SiC fibers prepared by different manufacturers and with different surface coatings. The mechanical response of the composite and the damage present at the interfacial region have been documented. In general, the stress–strain behavior was found to be sensitive to the chemical and structural nature of the fiber–matrix interfacial region. Fibers with carbon-rich coatings were found to have a range of interfacial strengths depending on the structure of the interface layers, while uncoated fiber interfaces have a high strength. This study demonstrates the value of the single-fiber transverse cruciform test for quantitatively comparing the behavior of various fibers and coatings, and shows that it can be useful for coating development studies.     

Influence of cold remote nitrogen oxygen plasma treatment on carbon fabric and its composites with specialty polymers

The parameters controlling performance of a fiber-reinforced polymer composite are type of matrix and fibers, their amount, aspect ratio, fiber orientation with respect to loading direction, fiber–matrix interface, and processing technique. In the case of carbon fiber reinforcement, fiber–matrix interface has always been a serious concern, because of chemical inertness of carbon fibers toward matrix and hence efforts are continued to enhance the fiber–matrix adhesion. A recent technique of cold remote nitrogen oxygen plasma was employed for surface treatment of carbon fabric (CF) to enhance its chemical reactivity and mechanical interaction toward matrix material. Untreated and plasma treated CF were used as bidirectional reinforcement for developing high performance composites with various specialty polymer matrices such as Polyetherimide, Polyethersulfone, and Polyetheretherketone. Treated CF reinforced composites showed appreciable improvement in most of the mechanical properties, which varied with type of plasma, its dozing and matrix used. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy confirmed improvement in O/C and N/C ratio indicating inclusion of Oxygen and Nitrogen on the surfaces of fibers due to plasma treatment, which was responsible for enhanced adhesion. Similarly, Fourier Transform Infrared–Attenuated Total Reflectance Spectroscopy indicated presence of ether, carboxylic, and carbonyl functional groups on the plasma-treated surface of fibers. Raman spectroscopy indicated slight distortion in graphitic structure of treated CF. Scanning Electron Microscopy also indicated changes in the topography of treated CF, indicating enhanced mechanical interlocking with matrix.     

Determination of interface properties from experiments on the fragmentation process in single-fiber composites

This paper attempts to quantify the fracture properties (strength and toughness) of the fiber–matrix interface in composites, using the fragmentation process and debonding growth for HI-Nicalon™ SiC single-fiber and T300 carbon single-fiber epoxy (Bisphenol-A type epoxy resin with triethylenetetramine (TETA) as curing agent) composite systems. This method is based on the numerical modeling for the microscopic damage and fragmentation process in single-fiber composite (SFC) tests, with a cohesive zone model (CZM). For the HI-Nicalon™ SiC single-fiber epoxy composite in which the major damage near a fiber break is interfacial debonding, interface properties were reasonably determined as (T_II,max, G_IIc) = (75 MPa, 200 J/m²). In contrast, for T300 carbon single-fiber epoxy composite, we could not determine unique interfacial properties, since the variation of the cohesive parameters hardly affects the microscopic damage process due to the transition to the damage pattern dominated by matrix cracking.     

Thermal Residual Stress Distribution in Carbon Fiber/Novel Thermal Plastic Composite

Thermal residual stress is one of the major factors affecting composite mechanical performance. In this paper, a 3-D FEA technique was utilized to analyze the thermal residual stress distribution in Carbon fiber/PPESK composite. Parabolic failure criterion was used to predict composite potential failure zone. Results indicate that, thermal residual stress distributions in different parts of the composite are different. At composite free end zone, the maximum thermal residual stress is located at fiber surface; in composite inner zone, the maximum stress is located in the matrix; at composite defect zone, stress concentration is located at defect surface. Thermal residual stress at composite free end zone will lead to fiber–matrix interfacial de-bonding. Thermal residual stress concentration at composite defect zone will decrease composite mechanical performance.     

Fracture behavior of carbon nanotube/carbon microfiber hybrid polymer composites

Growing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the surface of fibers has the potential to modify fiber–matrix interfacial adhesion, enhance composite delamination resistance, and possibly improve toughness. In the present study, aligned CNTs were grown upon carbon fabric via chemical vapor deposition. Continuously monitored single-fiber composite fragmentation tests were performed on pristine and CNT-grafted fibers embedded in epoxy, and single-laminate compact-tension specimens were tested for fracture behavior. A significant increase (up to 20 %) was observed in the interfacial adhesion, at the cost of a decrease in the fiber tensile strength. As a result, the maximum load of the composite was decreased, but its residual load-bearing capacity more than doubled. The likely sources of these effects are discussed, as well as their implications.     

Modeling of evolving damage in high temperature polymer matrix composites subjected to thermal oxidation

This paper describes mechanism-based modeling of damage evolution in high temperature polymer matrix composites (HTPMC) under thermo-oxidative aging conditions. Specifically, a multi-scale model based on micro-mechanics analysis in conjunction with continuum damage mechanics (CDM) is developed to simulate the accelerated fiber–matrix debond growth in the longitudinal direction of a unidirectional HTPMC. Using this approach, one can relate the behavior of composites at the micro-level (representative volume element) to the macro-level (structural element) in a computationally tractable manner. Thermo-oxidative aging is simulated with diffusion-reaction model in which temperature, oxygen concentration, and weight loss effects are considered. For debond growth simulation, a model based on Darcy’s laws for oxygen permeation in the fiber–matrix interface is employed, that, when coupled with polymer shrinkage, provides a mechanism for permeation-controlled debond growth in HTPMC. Benchmark of model prediction with experimental observations of oxidation layer growth is presented, together with a laminate thermo-oxidative life prediction model based on CDM to demonstrate proof-of-concept.     

Effect of colloidal silica on the strength and energy absorption of glass fiber/epoxy interphases

Prior research has demonstrated that fiber-sizings can be designed to yield composite materials that simultaneously possess high energy absorption and structural properties. The improved mechanical properties resulted from control of the fiber surface chemistry and nano-scale topological features within the fiber–matrix interphase. The present study further explains the role of sizing chemistry and surface roughness on composite material performance. Model and commercial glass fiber epoxy specimens were fabricated using these fiber sizing systems resulting in interphase regions with varied surface topology and chemical functionality. Micromechanical measurements were performed using the microdroplet adhesion test method to quantify the fiber–matrix interfacial properties. Improvement in energy absorption and interfacial shear strength due to the presence of the nano-scale silica were quantified. Inspection of the failure modes revealed that the existence of colloidal silica promotes crack propagation along a more tortuous path within the interphase that results in progressive failure and contributes to increased energy dissipation.     

单纤维拔出方法表征CFRP界面强度的研究

提出了单根碳纤维从环氧树脂基体中拔出的一种简易方法，在国内首次实现了用该方法表征碳纤维增强树脂基复合材料（ＣＦＲＰ）界面粘合性能的技术。     

Micromechanics of piezoelectric composites with improved effective piezoelectric constant

This paper is concerned with the derivation of a micromechanics model of a new type of piezoelectric fiber reinforced composite (PFRC) materials. A continuum mechanics approach is employed to determine the effective properties of these composites. The piezoelectric fibers of these composites are considered to be electroded at the fiber–matrix interface such that the electric fields in the fiber and matrix become equal in the direction transverse to the fiber direction. The model has been verified with the existing models. The present model also predicts that the effective piezoelectric coefficient of these PFRC which accounts for the actuating capability in the fiber direction due to the applied field in the direction transverse to the fiber direction improves over the corresponding coefficient of the material of the piezoelectric fibers if the fiber volume fraction exceeds a critical fiber volume fraction.     

Manufacturing and physical properties of all-polyamide composites

Based on the difference in melting points between polyamide 66 (PA66) fiber and polyamide 6 (PA6) matrix, all-polyamide composites were fabricated under various processing conditions. In these all-polyamide composites, the reinforcement and matrix share the same molecular structure unit (–CONH–(CH₂)₅–). Because of the chemical similarity of the two components, good bonding at the fiber/matrix interface could be expected. Effects of processing temperature and cooling rate on the structure and physical properties of composites were investigated by SEM, DMA, DSC analyses, and static tensile test. Fiber/matrix interface strength benefited from elevated processing temperature. The static tensile results showed that the maximum of tensile strength was observed in the processing temperature range of 225–245 °C. At different cooling rates, crystallization temperature of PA6 in the composites was increased compared to the pure PA6 because of the nucleation effect of PA66 fiber surface to the PA6 matrix. A study of the matrix microstructure in a single fiber-polymer composite gave proof of the transcrystalline growth at the fiber–matrix interface, the reason behind which was the similar chemical compositions and lattice structures between PA6 and PA66.     

Effect of carbon nanotubes on the interfacial shear strength of T650 carbon fiber in an epoxy matrix

The interfacial shear strength of carbon nanotube coated carbon fibers in epoxy was studied using the single-fiber composite fragmentation test. The carbon fibers were coated with carbon nanotubes (CNT) on the fiber surface using thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The CVD process was adjusted to produce two CNT morphologies for the study: radially aligned and randomly oriented. The purpose of the CNT coating was to potentially produce a multifunctional structural composite. Results of the single-fiber fragmentation tests indicate an improvement in interfacial shear strength with the addition of a nanotube coating. This improvement can most likely be attributed to an increase in the interphase yield strength as well as an improvement in interfacial adhesion due to the presence of the nanotubes.     

单纤维界面强度光弹性实验和理论研究

利用光弹性实验和有限元计算两种方法对单丝拔出复合材料模型的界面剪应力进行了研究。从计算和实验两个方面证明,当在纤维自由端施加一轴向拉力后,在单丝与基体界面的埋入端附近将出现剪应力的最大值。然后,沿着单丝的埋入方向,剪应力迅速降低,在界面区的中间趋于最小值,并且基本稳定不变。由此证明,单丝增强复合材料中界面的应力传递主要集中在单丝的埋入端附近,并且在这一区域最先达到危险应力,发生界面的脱胶破坏,引起整个试件的失效。     

Influence of annealing duration on the erosive wear behavior of polyphenylenesulphide composites

The influence of annealing duration on the erosive wear behavior of short glass fiber (40% w/w) and CaCO₃ mineral particulate (25% w/w)–short glass fiber (40% w/w) (total: 65% w/w) reinforced PPS composites has been characterized under various experimental conditions by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and erosion measurements. The erosive wear of the composites have been evaluated at different impingement angles (30, 45, 60, and 90°) and at four different annealing periods (30, 60, 90, and 120 min). Increase in the total crystallization causes an improvement in the erosive wear properties of the samples. Annealing time controls the morphology by influencing the degree of crystallinity in the matrix and in the fiber–matrix interface. This formation restricts fiber–matrix debonding. There is no linear proportionality between annealing time and relative degree of crystallization. The results indicate that PPS composites show maximum in wear versus impact angle relation at 60° confirming their semi-ductile failure behavior. The morphologies of eroded surface are examined by the scanning electron microscope.     

Micromechanics of fibrous composites subjected to combined shear and thermal loading using a truly meshless method

In this study, a micromechanical model is presented to study the combined normal, shear and thermal loading of unidirectional (UD) fiber reinforced composites. An appropriate truly meshless method based on the integral form of equilibrium equations is also developed. This meshless method formulated for the generalized plane strain assumption and employed for solution of the governing partial differential equations of the problem. The solution domain includes a representative volume element (RVE) consists of a fiber surrounded by corresponding matrix in a square array arrangement. A direct interpolation method is employed to enforce the appropriate periodic boundary conditions for the combined thermal, transverse shear and normal loading. The fully bonded fiber–matrix interface condition is considered and the displacement continuity and traction reciprocity are imposed to the fiber–matrix interface. Predictions show excellent agreement with the available experimental, analytical and finite element studies. Comparison of the CPU time between presented method and the conventional meshless local Petrov–Galerkin (MLPG) shows significant reduction of the computational time. The results of this study also revealed that the presented model could provide highly accurate predictions with relatively small number of nodes and less computational time without the complexity of mesh generation.     

Measurement of stress relaxation in broken fibers embedded in epoxy using Raman spectroscopy

Raman spectroscopy was used to study the stress relaxation in broken fibers in a unidirectional composite. A single-fiber model composite consisting of a high modulus PAN-based carbon fiber and an epoxy resin matrix was loaded incrementally until the fiber got broken.Then the stress profile in the broken fiber was monitored under constant overall strain for 1000 hours by determining fiber stress through the stress dependence of the 2700 cm–1 Raman band peak position. Three experiments were done at different overall strains.It was observed that the stress profile in each broken fiber changed only a little even after 1000 hours whereas matrix normal stress in the fiber direction relaxed to about a quarter of the initial value in about 200 hours. It is shown that this result does not support linear viscoelastic solutions based on perfect bonding at interface since the present experiments had interfacial debonding and matrix shear yielding around fiber breaks.     

Effects of fiber blending and diamines on wheat gluten materials reinforced with hemp fiber

Wheat gluten (WG) is a promising base material for production of “green” plastics, although reinforcement is needed in more demanding applications. Hemp fiber is a promising reinforcement source but difficulties exist in obtaining desired properties with a WG-based matrix. This study aimed at improving fiber dispersion and fiber–matrix interactions using a high speed blender and a diamine as a cross-linker. Samples were manufactured using compression molding, two types of blenders and addition of diamine. Mechanical properties were assessed with tensile testing. Tensile-fractured surfaces were examined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Protein polymerization and fiber–protein matrix interactions were examined using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The results showed that a higher-speed grinding yielded a more even distribution of fibers and a more polymerized protein structure compared to a lower-speed grinding. However, these improvements did not result in increased strength, stiffness, and extensibility for the higher-speed grinding. The strength was increased when the grinding was combined with addition of a diamine (Jeffamine^? EDR-176). HPLC, SEM, and CLSM, indicated that diamine added samples showed a more “plastic” appearance together with a stiffer and stronger structure with less cracking compared to samples without diamine. The use of the diamine also led to an increased polymerization of the proteins, although no effect on the fiber–protein matrix interactions was observed using microscopical techniques. Thus, for future successful use of hemp fibers to reinforce gluten materials, an appropriate method to increase the fiber–protein matrix interaction is needed.     

碳/铝复合材料的冲击性能研究

研究了碳/铝复合材料在不同的界面结合状态下的冲击性能。用真空热处理的方法和室温至450℃温度范围内热循环的方法改变界面的结合状态。发现界面结合增强,冲击能量下降,界面结合松驰,冲击能量提高。用扫描电镜观察了试样的冲击断口的形貌,发现基体变形、纤维拨出、基体和纤维脱粘、脱粘造成的界面摩擦等是冲击能量吸收的几种方式。      

Development and morphological characterization of wood pulp reinforced biocomposite fibers

Biocomposite fiber has been developed from wood pulp and polypropylene (PP) by an extrusion process and the generated biocomposite fibers were characterized to understand the nature of interaction between wood pulp reinforcement and PP matrix. The use of maleated polypropylene (MAPP) as a compatibilizer was investigated in relation to the fiber microstructure. Fiber length analysis showed that most of the fiber lengths lie within the range of 0.2–1.0 mm. Changes in absorption peaks were observed in Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of biocomposite fibers as compared to the virgin wood pulp, which indicated possible chemical linkages between the fiber and polymer matrix. SEM study was carried out to observe fiber–matrix adhesion at the interface within the composite and MAPP treatment was found to be effective in increasing reinforcing fibers–matrix compatibility. X-ray computed tomography was conducted to understand the internal architecture of the biocomposite fiber and the results showed that with incorporation of additional wood pulp content, the fiber becomes more aligned along length axis possibly due to compression and die geometry of the extruder.     

硅溶胶改性碳纤维对碳纤维/环氧树脂复合材料界面性能影响

以硅烷偶联剂和正硅酸乙酯(TEOS)为前躯体, 以固体酸-对甲苯磺酸为催化剂制备硅溶胶, 利用硅溶胶对碳纤维进行表面改性后, 以环氧树脂为基体, 制备碳纤维增强环氧树脂复合材料。利用SEM、 TEM、 万能试验机、 偏光显微镜等对表面改性前后的碳纤维形态、 力学性能及碳纤维/环氧树脂复合材料的界面性能进行表征, 研究了硅溶胶改性碳纤维对其复合材料界面性能影响。结果表明, 硅溶胶处理碳纤维后, 在碳纤维表面原位生成具有膜-粒结构的表面层, 改性后碳纤维的强度由2.41 GPa提高到3.00 GPa, 界面性能也得到了明显改善, 界面剪切强度(IFSS)提高了51.41%。