Processing parameters for filament winding thick-section PEEK/carbon fiber composites

The consolidation pressure and winding speed for thermoplastic filament winding were studied. Thermoplastic composite parts were manufactured from tape prepreg (APC-2); powder-coated, semi-consolidated towpreg; and commingled fiber towpreg. The material used was carbon fiber (AS-4) (60 vol%) in a PEEK matrix. The parts made were open-ended cylinders of the three materials, 177.8-mm ID, 228.6 mm long, 17 plies thick with a 0° lay-up angle; and rings, 50 plies of APC-2 thick, 6.35 mm wide (one strip wide), 177.8-mm ID, and a lay-up of 0°. Their quality was determined by surface finish and void percentage. The tubes made from APC-2 appeared to have the best quality of the three prepregs. For the rings, the speed of lay-down had a significant effect (at a 99% confidence level) on both the final width of the parts and on the percentage of voids. The pressure of the roller had a significant effect on the final widths at a 99% confidence level, but a significant effect on the percentage of voids at only a 95% confidence level.     

Ultrasonic welding of PEEK graphite APC-2 composites

The ultrasonic welding process is modeled using a five part model that includes mechanics and vibration of the parts, viscoelastic heating, heat transfer, flow and wetting, and intermolecular diffusion. The model predicts that melting and flow occur in steps, which has been confirmed by experiments. The model also indicates the possibility of monitoring joint quality by measuring the dynamic mechanical impedance of the parts during welding, which has also been verified experimentally by indirectly monitoring the magnitude of the impedance. via measurements of both the power and the acceleration of the base. When the melt fronts of the energy directors meet, at the end of welding, the dynamic impedance of the composites' interface is shown to rise rapidly. This raises the possibility of developing closed loop control procedures for the ultrasonic welding of thermoplastic composites. Ultrasonic welding of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) graphite APC-2 composites produced joints with excellent strengths.     

Crystallization of poly(etheretherketone) (PEEK) in carbon fiber composites

The tendency of carbon fiber to nucleate the zation of poly(etherettterlcetone) (PEEK) has been evaluated by DSC and other techniques. As the carbon fiber content was increased, the supercooling necessary for PEEK crystallization decreased. The repeated melting (at 396°C) of the same PEEK sample results in a decrease of the number of nuclei for crystallization. At equivalent thermal histories, PEEK with carbon fiber was found to have a higher nucleation density than PEEK itself. The surface of carbon fibers and nuclei in the PEEK matrix compete for crystallization growth. As the holding time in melt was increased, the number of matrix spherulites formed on cooling decreased, hence a more pronounced transcrystalline region was developed. Correspondingly, the composites preheated in the melt for 100 min showed about two times the transverse tensile strength and strain-to-failure of those preheated for only 30 min. Corresponding fracture surface produced in tension showed that the former samples had a greater matrix adhesion to the carbon fiber than the latter. A strong interfacial bond is thus developed by crystallization on carbon fiber surface. Destroying nuclei in the PEEK matrix by long preheating enhances crystallization on the carbon fiber.     

Improvement of carbon fiber/PEEK hybrid fabric composites using plasma treatment

A carbon fiber (CF)/polyetheretherketone (PEEK) composite was manufactured using hybrid fabrics composed of CF and PEEK fiber. The fiber/matrix interface was modified by low temperature oxygen plasma treatment. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR) were used to relate the roughness and the functionality of the CF surface with the interfacial adhesion strength of the CF/PEEK composite. Scanning electron micrographs showed that plasma treatment increased the roughness of the CF surface up to 3 min of plasma treatment time; and prolonged treatment resulted in overall smoothing. XPS results confirmed that increasing treatment time marginally increased surface functionality: treatment for more than 5 min decreased the surface functionality by removing the active site of the CF surface. In addition, flexural strength and interlaminarshear strength (ILSS) of the CF/PEEK composite were measured. Their maximum values were observed at 3 min of plasma treatment time as a result of surface roughening by plasma etching. The SEM results were correlated with mechanical properties of the CF/PEEK composite.     

Crystallization and fiber/matrix interaction during the molding of PEEK/carbon composites

The objective of this work was to investigate the effects of molding conditions (molding temperature, residence time at melt temperature, and cooling rate) on the crystallization behavior and the fiber/matrix interaction in PEEK/carbon composites made from both prepreg and commingled forms. In order to investigate the crystallization behavior of the PEEK matrix, the molding process was simulated by differential scanning calorimetric analysis, DSC. The results show that the prepreg and commingled systems do not have the same matrix morphology; prepreg tape was found to be at its maximum of crystallinity, whereas the commingled system was found to be only partially crystalline. The results show that processing must be carried out at a temperature sufficiently high to destroy the previous thermal history of the PEEK matrix; this is an essential requirement to produce efficient fiber/matrix adhesion in the commingled fabric system. Optical microscopic observations also suggest that matrix morphology near the fibers is dependent on the melting conditions; a well-defined transcrystalline structure at the interface is observed only when the melt temperature is sufficiently high. However, the high temperature of molding can easily result in degradation of the PEEK matrix such as chain scission and crosslinking reactions. Thermal degradation of the matrix during processing is found to affect the crystallization behavior of the composites, the fiber/matrix adhesion, and the matrix properties. This effect is more important in the case of a commingled system containing sized carbon fibers because the sizing agent decomposes in the molding temperature range of PEEK/carbon composites. This produces a decrease of the matrix crystallinity and an elimination of the nucleating ability of the carbon fibers. A transition between cohesive and adhesive fracture is observed when the cooling rate increases from 30°C/min to 71°C/min for the composite made from the commingled fabric. This critical cooling rate is found to closely correspond to a change in the mechanism of crystallization of the PEEK matrix.     

The influence of crystallinity on interfacial properties of carbon and SiC two‐fiber/polyetheretherketone (PEEK) composites

The influence of the degree of crystallinity on interfacial properties in carbon and SiC two‐fiber reinforced poly(etheretherketone) (PEEK) composites was investigated by the two‐fiber fragmentation test. This method provides a direct comparison of the same matrix conditions. The tensile strength of the PEEK matrix and the interfacial shear strength (IFSS) of carbon or SiC fiber/PEEK exhibited the maximum values at around 30% crystallinity, and then showed a decline. The tensile modulus increased continuously with an increase in the degree of crystallinity. Spherulite sizes in the PEEK matrix became larger as the cooling time from the crystallization temperature increased. Transcrystallinity of carbon fiber/PEEK was developed easily and more densely than with SiC fiber/PEEK. This might have occurred because the unit cell dimensions of the crystallite in the fiber axis direction on the carbon surface was more suitable for making nucleation sites. The IFSS of carbon fiber/PEEK was significantly higher than that of SiC fiber/PEEK because it formed transcrystallinity of IFSS more favorably.     

Development and characterization of PEEK/carbon nanotube composites

New poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) based composites have been fabricated by the incorporation of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) using melt processing. Their structure, morphology, thermal and mechanical properties have been investigated. Scanning electron microscopy observations demonstrated a more uniform distribution of the CNTs for samples prepared following a processing route based on polymer ball milling and CNT dispersion in ethanol media. Thermogravimetric analysis indicated a remarkable improvement in the thermal stability of the matrix by the incorporation of SWCNTs. Differential scanning calorimetry showed a decrease in the crystallization temperature with increasing SWCNT content, whilst no significant changes were observed in the melting of the composites. The crystallite size determined by X-ray diffraction decreased at high SWCNT loading, which is attributed to the spatial limitations on crystal growth by confinement within the CNT network. Dynamic mechanical analysis revealed an increase in the storage moduli, hence in the rigidity of the systems, with increasing SWCNT content. Their addition shifts the glass transition peak to higher temperatures due to the restriction in chain mobility imposed by the CNTs. Higher thermal stability and mechanical strength were found for composites with improved dispersion of the SWCNTs.     

Influence of cenosphere on tribological properties of short carbon fiber reinforced PEEK composites

This investigation focuses on the effects of cenosphere fillers on tribological properties of carbon fiber reinforced PEEK composites. Dry sliding wear behavior of 15 wt % short carbon fiber (SCF) reinforced PEEK composites filled with 5, 10, 15, and 20 wt % cenosphere was reported in this study, pure PEEK and 15 wt % SCF reinforced PEEK composites were also prepared for comparative analysis. Friction and wear experiments were conducted on a ring-on-block apparatus under different loads (100–400 N). The experimental results showed that all the composites exhibited lower coefficient of friction and better wear resistance than the matrix resin under different load conditions. It is noted that 10 wt % of the cenosphere particles filled SCF reinforced PEEK composites show superior tribological properties when compared to the other composites in this study. The morphologies of the worn surface and the fracture surface were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and the transfer film was observed by optical microscope to understand the dominant wear mechanisms. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47245.     

Processing and structural optimization of PEEK composites

The objective of this experimental program was to understand how changes in processing conditions affect the morphology and ultimately, the performance of polyetheretherketone (PEEK)-based carbon fiber composites. Based on some initial differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) work, various molding and aging conditions were implemented on compression molded plaques made from PEEK APC-2 prepreg. These conditions included samples that were physically aged, annealed just below the melting point, slow cooled, prepared under low pressure, and under fast cooling. Using DSC, the crystallinity of plaques prepared according to the ICI procedure, low pressure, and physical aging conditions were found to be 31–33 percent, while the slow cooling and annealing conditions resulted in crystallinity of 42 percent, with slow cooling displaying a „shoulder”︁ on the primary melting endotherm. Optical and plasma etching/scanning electron microscopy on faster cooled plaques generally revealed a mixture of isolated and graphite fiber nucleated spherulites, while the slow-cooled condition revealed larger fiber nucleated spherulites exclusively. Fracture toughness and impact delamination as measured by ultrasonic C-scan indicates that slow cooling resulted in the lowest properties, while simultaneously resulting in the highest compression strength, all of which suggests reduced matrix toughness. The annealing condition, which allowed high crystallinity but in a matrix of smaller spherulites, resulted in properties intermediate between slow and fast cooling, suggesting that both spherulite size and degree of crystallinity are important in characterizing these materials. In contrast, physical aging resulted in no degradation in mechanical properties.     

PEEK/carbon fiber composites: Experimental evaluation of unidirectional laminates and theoretical prediction of their properties

Comparison of tensile characteristics (modulus, strength) measured for bought-in laminates and also laminates manufactured in-house with published data has proved the testing procedure to be sound and compression molding to give composites of good quality. In the theoretical domain, the micromechanical approach was used to predict engineering constants such as the longitudinal, transverse and shear moduli that characterize the laminate in its principal directions. For the off-axis loading, macro-mechanical abstraction was applied and the angular dependencies of the above composite parameters were further supplemented by those for the Poisson ratio and the ultimate strength. Regardless of the theoretical approach used, the error of the predictions relative to the experimental data does not exceed 10 percent.     

Aluminum/carbon fiber hybrid composites

An effective, economic way of using carbon fiber is to combine it with a resin and another material, either a fiber or a metal, to produce a hybrid structure. Some of the properties of a hybrid beam made by attaching carbon composite to either side of an aluminum channel section are described here. The structure has considerable potential in the orthotics field; the aluminum core assists in the forming of, for instance, orthoses (calipers), modifies the failure characteristics of the carbon fiber composite, and eases the problem of jointing and adjustment of finished articles. Difficulties can arise when combining carbon composites and metals because of differences in thermal expansion behavior. To alleviate these effects a urethane modified epoxide resin matrix, which has very good adhesive properties, was employed. The work covers measurements of strength and modulus, evaluation of the aluminum/aluminum bond strength, and the flexural fatigue performance.     

Evaluation of interlaminar-toughened poly(etherlmide)-modified epoxy/carbon fiber composites

Amorphous poly(ether imide) has been used as interlaminar toughening particulate agent in laminated carbon fiber/epoxy composites. Mode I and Mode II delamination fracture toughness was characterized using the double cantilever beam (DCB) and end-notched flexure (ENF) specimens. The delamination surface was examined using a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to investigate relationships between the morphology and properties. The results revealed that the PEI-modified composites exhibited a significantly increased fracture toughness, which increased with the PEI content. G_IC was improved from 165 to 540 J/m² (at 1 mm/min crosshead speed). G_IIC was improved more significantly from 290 to 1300 J/m². It is believed that these values could be further improved if the processing cycle were to be optimized.     

Crystallization kinetics of poly(phenylene sulfide) (PPS) and PPS/carbon fiber composites

The evolution of crystallinity of neat PPS and of the carbon fiber reinforced polymer under different processing conditions is studied. Crystallization from the amorphous state at low temperatures (cold crystallization), crystallization from the melt during cooling, and crystal melting processes are analyzed using calorimetric techniques under both isothermal and nonisothermal conditions. Cold and melt crystallization kinetics are described using an Avrami equation and an Arrhenius expression for the temperature dependence of the kinetic constant. Also, the melting kinetics of the, reinforced and of the unreinforced polymer are studied in this work. The effect of carbon fibers on the crystallization kinetics of PPS is analyzed, and a comparison of the crystallization behavior of PPS and other semicrystalline thermoplastic matrices, such as poly(etheretherketone) (PEEK), is presented.     

Annealing effects on the crystallinity of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and its carbon fiber composite

The degree of crystallinity of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) has been measured using both the density gradient technique (DGT) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The difference in results between the methods was shown to depend on crystallization taking place during the heating scan in the DSC. By freezing the sample at different stages of the DSC thermogram and measuring its crystallinity in the density gradient column, the existence of induced crystallization for PEEK was established. Though this induced crystallization is not visible in the DSC thermogram, it must be taken into account when comparing the degree of crystallinity measured by the two methods. The induced crystallization was in turn interpreted as a result of an increase in crystal perfection that is also commonly observed during the initial stages of the annealing process. Accordingly, the effect of annealing on the crystallinity was also investigated. DSC scans on annealed samples exhibited a small endothermic peak at approximately 10°C above the annealing temperature. This peak was observed in both neat PEEK and its carbon fiber-reinforced composite. Annealed PEEK shows, therefore, two melting transitions, a low one which depends on the annealing temperature and a high one which is independent of annealing temperature conditions. Collectively, the results of this study demonstrate that processing conditions and morphological features must be considered in characterizing semicrystalline-based matrix polymers for high performance composites.     

PPS/recycled PEEK/ carbon nanotube composites: Structure,properties and compatibility

Blends of poly(phenylene sulfide) (PPS) and recycled poly(ether ether ketone) (r‐PEEK) were prepared using a twin‐screw extruder. The carbon nanotube (CNT) added to the blends not only improved the compatibility of the two polymers, but also affected the morphology of the immiscible PPS/r‐PEEK blends. R‐PEEK always forms the dispersed phase and PPS the continuous phase in such blends. In the composite, CNT particles were observed in the PPS phase, mostly distributes in the interface between PPS and PEEK. The results show that r‐PEEK improves the impact and tensile strength of PPS, but does not provide nucleation effect on PPS. However, CNT improved the flexural modulus of PPS/r‐PEEK blends and promoted the crystallization of r‐PEEK rather than that of PPS. The prepared PPS/r‐PEEK blends provided larger electrical conductivity than neat polymers. Adding 20 wt % CNT to blend resulted in composite with the minimum volume resistivity, a reduction of four orders of magnitude, compared with that of the neat blend. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42497.     

Processing and properties of solution impregnated carbon fiber reinforced polyethersulfone composites

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites are attractive because of their high stiffness and strength‐to‐weight ratios. In order to fully utilize the stiffness and strength of the reinforcement fiber, it is necessary to bring the polymer matrix and the reinforcement fiber together with homogeneous wetting. In this paper, a solution processing technique and the mechanical properties of carbon fiber reinforced polyethersulfone composites were investigated. The polymer was dissolved in cyclopentanone and fed onto a continuous carbon fiber tow using a drum winder. The solution‐processed composite prepregs were then layed up and compression molded into unidirectional composite panels for evaluation. The composite samples showed uniform fiber distribution and reasonably good wetting. The longitudinal flexural modulus was as high as 137 GPa, and longitudinal flexural strength 1400 MPa. In addition, the effects of polymer grade and processing conditions on the mechanical properties of the composites were discussed. It is suggested that the transverse properties and interlaminar fracture toughness could benefit from higher polymer matrix molecular weight. A careful design in the spatial distribution of the molecular weight would be necessary for practical applications.     

Fatigue behavior of quasi-isotropic carbon fiber/PEEK laminates under tension-tension loading

Fatigue behavior of carbon fiber reinforced poly(etheretherketone)(PEEK) laminates was investigated. The static tensile measurement, tension-tension fatigue loading tests, and residual tensile strength measurement of the [0/45/90/-45]_2s AS-4/PEEK laminates were performed at various levels of stress amplitudes. The influences of stress amplitude on the fatigue life and the residual tensile strength were investigated. The experimental results for fatigue life and residual tensile strength under different stress amplitudes are analyzed by the median rank method. The S-N curves at various survival probabilities are also presented by the pooled Weibull distribution function. Furthermore, a residual strength degradation model is used to predict the residual strength for the composites subjected to a number of fatigue cycles and to simulate the effects of the stress amplitude on the fatigue life. The agreement between experiment and theory is good.     

Fibers from polypropylene/nano carbon fiber composites

Fibers from polypropylene and polypropylene/vapor grown nano carbon fiber composite have been spun using conventional melt spinning equipment. At 5 wt% nano carbon fiber loading, modulus and compressive strength of polypropylene increased by 50 and 100%, respectively, and the nano carbon fibers exhibited good dispersion in the polypropylene matrix as observed by scanning electron microscopy.     

Mechanical behavior of angle-ply PEEK/carbon fiber laminates: Theory/experiment correlation

Regular symmetrical laminates of the {+α/−α/+α/−} sym. type were manufactured and tested using established methods. Tensile characteristics—elastic modulus and the ultimate stress/strain characteristics—were determined in the form of angular dependences on the ply-angle α. The same mechanical properties were also simulated adopting a reported theoretical model. The correlation between the experimental and the predicted values shows an excellent agreement for the laminate stiffness. On the other hand, the fit for the ultimate properties was unsatisfactory except under conditions of linear, elastic response encountered for α→ O and 90°. Generally, a qualitative correlation has been obtained for the ultimate strength, but no relation has been established for the ultimate strain. A mechanism of fiber reorientation during loading, i.e. closing of the ply angle with the increasing strain has been found to be responsible for exceptionally non-linear stress-strain response in the range 30<α<60°. Coupon width and strain rate have both been found to have little effect on the ultimate properties.     

Structure and properties of UHMWPE fiber/carbon fiber hybrid composites

Ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fiber/carbon fiber hybrid composites were prepared by inner‐laminar and interlaminar hybrid way. The mechanical properties, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and morphologies of the composites were investigated and compared with each other. The results show that the hybrid way was the major factor to affect mechanical and thermal properties of hybrid composites. The resultant properties of inner‐laminar hybrid composite were better than that of interlaminar hybrid composite. The bending strength, compressive strength, and interlaminar shear strength of hybrid composites increased with an increase in carbon fiber content. The impact strength of inner‐laminar hybrid composite was the largest (423.3 kJ/m²) for the UHMWPE fiber content at 43 wt % to carbon fiber. The results show that the storage modulus (E′), dissipation factor (tan δ), and loss modulus (E″) of the inner‐laminar hybrid composite shift toward high temperature remarkably. The results also indicate that the high‐performance composite with high strength and heat resistance may be prepared by fibers' hybrid. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 1880–1884, 2006