Interfacial adsorption and crystallization of polycarbonate in carbon fiber composites

A polycarbonate (PC)/carbon fiber (CF) composite system has been examined with regard to interfacial adsorption and crystallization by altering times and temperatures of annealing. Times up to 180 min and temperatures of 245, 275, and 300°C have been investigated. Tranverse tensile, tranverse toughness, and scanning electron microscopy results on unidirectional, continuous-fiber composites indicate improved fiber/matrix adhesion at longer times and higher temperatures of annealing. Improvements in transverse toughness and transverse tensile strength of a factor of two is achieved. The data indicate that primarily adsorption rather than secondary interfacial crystallization is the likely mechanism for increased adhension. Isothermal transverse toughness values have been found to fit well to a Langmuir-type expression. The temperature dependence of adsorption as measured by transverse toughness is described well by an Arrhenius equation. The dependence of transverse toughness on PC molecular weights from M_w = 26,600 to 39,800 was found to be large, with higher molecular weights adsorbing more effectively.     

Thermoelastic behavior of carbon fiber/polycarbonate model composites

Model composites of polycarbonate (PC) containing single, multiple and chopped carbon fibers (CF) with and without and epoxy sizing were prepared by hot pressing. The thermoelastic behavior of model CF/PC composites was characterized by stretching calorimetry at room temperature. For small strains ? (i.e., ? ≈ 0.01) the specific mechanical work, specific heat effects and specific internal energy changes ΔU were completely reversible in stretching/contraction cycles and quantitatively obeyed the standard relationships for elastic solids. Young's moduli E and ΔU were significantly higher, whereas the linear thermal expansivities α_L were lower for model CF/PC composites compared to those for the neat PC. Smaller values of the above parameters for composites reinforced with sized CF suggested weaker CF/PC interfacial interactions. Current theoretical models of thermoelastic properties of composite materials suggest the existence of unusually stiff, highly oriented PC structures in fairly thick boundary layers around CF. The onset of inelastic deformation, as well as mechanical failure in CF/PC model composites at significantly smaller strains compared to the neat PC were tentatively explained by the yield and subsequent plastic flow of the matrix polymer initiated by heat effects of fiber fragmentation processes, and by higher concentration of microvoids generated in fiber fragmentation/debonding events, respectively.     

The effect of heat treatment on the strength and toughness of carbon fiber/silicon carbide composites with different pyrolytic carbon interphase thicknesses

The effect of heat treatment on the strength and toughness of carbon fiber/silicon carbide composites (C/SiC) with different pyrolytic carbon (PyC) interphase thicknesses was investigated. It was found that as the heat treatment temperature (HTT) increases to 1900 °C, the strength and toughness of a low strength specimen (LSS, thin PyC ≈40 nm) increase by as much as 43.2% and 274.0%, while those of a high strength specimen (HSS, thick PyC ≈140 nm) show decreases of 25.1% and 14.8%, respectively. The elastic moduli of both LSS and HSS monotonically decreased with increasing HTT while the failure strains always became larger regardless of the initial interfacial bonding strengths (IBS). The mechanisms involved in the heat treatment of the C/SiCs were identified as (I) partial graphitization of the PyC that weakens the IBS, and (II) production of defects such as matrix cracks/delamination, interfacial debonding and fiber fracture/pull-out that lead to thermal residual stress relaxation. Thus heat treatment improves the strength and toughness of LSS with a relatively high IBS, but has a negative impact on both properties of HSS with a moderate IBS because the stress transfer efficiency onto the fibers is hindered by the too low IBS and the excessive stress relief.     

Interfacial micromechanics and effect of moisture on fluorinated epoxy carbon fiber composites

Carbon fiber composites have witnessed an increased application in aerospace and other civil structures due to their excellent structural properties such as specific strength and stiffness. However, unlike other structural materials, carbon fiber composites have not been as widely studied. Hence, their increased application is also accompanied with a serious concern about their long‐term durability. Many of these applications are exposed to multiple environments such as moisture, temperature, and UV radiation. Composites based on conventional epoxies readily absorb moisture. However, recently synthesized fluorinated epoxies show reduced moisture absorption and hence potentially better long‐term durability. The aim of this project is to study the effect of moisture absorption on fluorinated‐epoxy‐based carbon fiber composites and their comparison with conventional epoxy carbon fiber‐based composites. Microbond tests are performed on fluorinated and nonfluorinated epoxy‐based single fiber samples before and after boiling water degradation. It is found that fluorinated epoxy‐based single fiber coupons showed relatively reduced degradation of interface when compared with the nonfluorinated epoxy single fiber coupons. POLYM. COMPOS., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Effect of aging on the compressive yielding of PAN-based carbon fiber/polycarbonate composites

The compressive yield behavior and the effect of aging in boiling water on the mechanical properties of polycarbonate composites reinforced with PAN-based carbon fibers were studied at different filler contents and over a range of strain rates. The Young's modulus, yield stress, and yield strain are reported as a function of aging time. Other mechanical parameters such as the activation energy and volume of the yielding process were determined through the Eyring theory. The increase of both Young's modulus and yield stress with aging in boiling water is explained by structural changes. The mechanical properties of the composite were correlated with the morphology and its glass transition temperature.     

Thermal and mechanical anisotropy in compression molded carbon fiber/resin composites

A 53% (vol.) chopped carbon fiber (2.5 cm long) in resin composite was molded under uniaxial extensional deformation conditions (for a charge draw ratio (DR) of 1, 2, 4, and 8) to produce flat panels 4 mm thick. Axial direction tensile strength increased by 42% from DR 1 to 2 and rose slightly at higher DR, while a slight increase occurred for the transverse direction values over the whole range. Axial direction thermal conductivity (t.c.) increased 32% from DR 1 to 2 then, decreased at DR 4 and DR 8, while normal t.c. showed a moderate decrease and transverse t.c. showed no definite trend. Measurements of the Hermanns fiber orientation function in the core of the samples showed a gradual increase from 0.3 to 0.45 (with respect to draw direction) while surface values ranged from about 0.08–0.15 over the range of DR. Results for a 30% (vol.) carbon fiber (6.5 mm long) composite showed similar trends. A flow analysis based on the power law model indicates that surface shear effects tend to rotate fibers in the surface region out of the plane of the panel. This limits the axial t.c. and tensile strength at high DR for the 30% composite, while the decrease in axial t.c. at high DR is caused by orientation of the 3rd phase (filler) for the 53% composite. Results show that the nondestructive nature of the t.c. measurements described allows an indirect measure of tensile strength for molded components in service. POLYM. COMPOS., 26:684–688, 2005. © 2005 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Effects of carbon fiber modification with multiwall CNT on the electrical conductivity and EMI shielding effectiveness of polycarbonate/carbon fiber/CNT composites

The effect of carbon fiber (CF) modification with multiwall carbon nanotube (CNT) on the electrical, mechanical, and rheological properties of the polycarbonate (PC)/CF/CNT composite was investigated. The CF and multiwall CNT (MWCNT) were treated with sulfuric acid and nitric acid (3:1 wt %) mixture, to modify the CF with the CNT. For the PC with acid-treated CNT (a-CNT) modified acid-treated CF (a-CF) (PC/a-CF/a-CNT) composite, the electrical conductivity, and the electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) showed the highest values, compared with those of the PC/a-CF and PC/a-CF/CNT composites. The EMI SE of the PC/a-CF (10 wt %)/a-CNT (0.5 wt %) composite was found to be 26 (dB at the frequency of 10.0 GHz, and the EMI SE was increased by 91.2%, compared to that of the PC/a-CF composite at the same amount of total filler content. Among the composites studied in this work, the PC/a-CF/a-CNT composite also showed the highest values of relative permittivity (ε_r) and dielectric loss factor. The above results suggest that the CF modification with the a-CNT significantly affected the electrical conductivity and EMI SE of the composite, and the hybrid fillers of the a-CNT and a-CF resulted in good electrical pathways in the PC/a-CF/a-CNT composite. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47302.     

Injection molded noil hemp fiber composites: Interfacial shear strength,fiber strength,and aspect ratio

Noil hemp fiber‐reinforced polypropylene composites were fabricated using intermixer and injection molding machines. X‐ray microtomography and Weibull statistical methods were employed to characterize the aspect ratio distributions of noil hemp fibers in the polypropylene matrices. The influence of fiber content (0–40 wt%) and compatibilizer addition (5 wt%) on IFSS (interfacial shear strengths) was evaluated by means of the modified Bowyer and Bader model. The evaluated IFSSs decreased from 9.7 to 7.2 MPa as the fiber content increased from 10 to 40 wt%. Also, the outcomes indicated increases to IFSSs for the maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP)‐coupled composites than uncoupled ones. They were used to predict theoretical tensile strength of the composites. A good agreement has been found between the theoretical and the experimental tensile strengths of composites indicating that the developed model has excellent capability to predict the tensile strength of noil hemp fiber reinforced polypropylene composites. Ultimately, the influences of interfacial shear strength; fiber strength and fiber aspect ratio were investigated using the developed model to predict composite tensile strengths. POLYM. COMPOS., 213–220, 2016. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Electrical conductivity modeling of carbon black/polycarbonate,carbon nanotube/polycarbonate,and exfoliated graphite nanoplatelet/polycarbonate composites

Adding conductive carbon fillers to electrically insulating thermoplastic polymers increases the resulting composite's electrical conductivity, which would enable them to be used in electrostatic dissipative and semiconductive applications. In this study, varying amounts of carbon black (CB: 2 to 10 wt %), multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNT: 0.5 to 8 wt %), or exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets (GNP: 2 to 15 wt %) were added to polycarbonate (PC) and the resulting composites were tested for electrical conductivity (EC = 1/electrical resistivity). The percolation threshold was ～ 1.2 vol % CNT, ～ 2.4 vol % CB, and ～ 4.6 vol % GNP. In addition, three EC models (Mamunya, additive, and general effective media) were developed for the CB/PC, CNT/PC, and GNP/PC composites. The general effective media (GEM) model showed the best agreement with the experimental results over the entire range of filler concentrations (above and below the percolation threshold) for all three composite systems. In addition, the GEM model can be easily adapted for composites containing combinations of different conductive fillers. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Tensile modulus modeling of carbon black/polycarbonate,carbon nanotube/polycarbonate,and exfoliated graphite nanoplatelet/polycarbonate composites

Conductive fillers are often added to thermoplastic polymers to increase the resulting composite's electrical conductivity (EC) which would enable them to be used in electrostatic dissipative and semiconductive applications. The resulting composite also exhibits increased tensile modulus. The filler aspect ratio plays an important role in modeling composite EC, and tensile modulus. It is difficult to measure the filler aspect ratio after the manufacturing process (often extrusion followed by injection molding) in the composite, especially when nanomaterials are used. The EC percolation threshold is a function of the filler aspect ratio; hence, knowledge of this percolation threshold provides a means to extract the filler aspect ratio. In this study, the percolation threshold of the composite was determined from EC measurements and modeling, which in turn was used to determine the filler aspect ratio for tensile modulus modeling. Per the authors' knowledge, this approach has not been previously reported in the open literature. The fillers; carbon black (CB: 2–10 wt %), multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNT: 0.5–8 wt %), or exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets (GNP: 2–12 wt %); were added to polycarbonate (PC) and the resulting composites were tested for EC and tensile modulus. With the filler aspect ratio determined from EC values for CNT/PC and GNP/PC composites, the three‐dimensional randomly oriented fiber Halpin‐Tsai model accurately estimates the tensile modulus for the CNT/PC composites and the Nielsen model predicts the tensile modulus well for the CB/PC and GNP/PC composites. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Formation of a carbon fiber/polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane/carbon nanotube hybrid reinforcement and its effect on the interfacial properties of carbon fiber/epoxy composites

A carbon fiber/polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane/carbon nanotube (CF–POSS–CNT) hybrid reinforcement was prepared by grafting CNTs onto the carbon fiber surface using octaglycidyldimethylsilyl POSS as the linkage in an attempt to improve the interfacial properties between carbon fibers and an epoxy matrix. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, dynamic contact angle analysis and single fiber tensile testing were performed to characterize the hybrid reinforcements. Interlaminar shear strength (ILSS), impact toughness, dynamic mechanical analysis and force modulation atomic force microscopy were carried out to investigate the interfacial properties of the composites. Experimental results show that POSS and CNTs are grafted uniformly on the fiber surface and significantly increase the fiber surface roughness. The polar functional groups and surface energy of carbon fibers are obviously increased after the modification. Single fiber tensile testing results demonstrate that the functionalization does not lead to any discernable decrease in the fiber tensile strength. Mechanical property test results indicate the ILSS and impact toughness are enhanced. The storage modulus and service temperature increase by 11 GPa and 17 °C, respectively. POSS and CNTs effectively enhance the interfacial adhesion of the composites by improving resin wettability, increasing chemical bonding and mechanical interlocking.     

Effect of graphene oxide on the interlaminar fracture toughness of carbon fiber/epoxy composites

Graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles were introduced in the interlaminar region of carbon fiber–epoxy composites by dispersing it in a thermoplastic polymer carrier such as polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). Mode‐I fracture toughness (G_IC) was investigated using double cantilever beam testing to evaluate the effect of the GO on the delamination behavior of the composite. The GO content was varied from 0% to 7% by weight as a function of the PVP content. Improvement of ～100% in the Mode I fracture toughness (G_IC) was observed compared to composites with no GO. The optimum amount of nanoparticles for improving the interlaminar fracture toughness was found to be ～0.007% by weight of the composite. The increase in the value of flexural strength value was also observed. Scanning electron microscopy of fracture surfaces, X‐ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy, and reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectra, as well as Raman spectroscopy results, are presented to support the conclusions. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 59:1199–1208 2019. © 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Effect of fiber misorientation on the tensile strength of compression molded continuous fiber composites

Resin cross-flow during compression molding of unidirectional sheet molding compound composites, such as CSMC and XMC, may cause severe misorientation of the continuous fibers in the outer layers. The extent of fiber misorientation depends on the type of molding compound, the length of cross-flow, and the location of the charge in the mold. The tensile strength is reduced in the direction of cross-flow with decreasing mold surface coverage. However, since severe fiber misorientation is generally restricted to the outer layers, increasing the number of plies improves the tensile strength to the level observed with little or no misorientation.     

Interfacial shear strength of C/C composites

Fiber-bundle push-out, single-fiber push-in, and single-fiber push-out tests were conducted in order to examine the applicability of these methods for determining the interfacial shear strength of carbon-carbon composites. The fiber-bundle push-out test resulted mostly in fractures along the fiber/matrix interface but created a small amount of fractures in the matrix. Hence, the evaluated strength was regarded as an approximate value. In order to precisely evaluate the interfacial strength, push-in and push-out tests for a single fiber were performed using a micro-Vickers indentation tester. In these tests, the load has to be placed within a target fiber, and the indentation should not extend to the matrix. This condition restricted the load that could be applied to a carbon fiber. Within this limit, a single carbon fiber could not be pushed-in. For the sake of load reduction, single-fiber push-out tests were conducted using thin specimens. The thickness appropriate for a single-fiber push-out specimen was estimated based on the interfacial shear strength obtained by the bundle push-out tests. Below this thickness, single-fiber push-out tests could be successfully performed.     

Influence of matrix molecular weight and processing conditions on the interfacial adhesion in bisphenol-A polycarbonate/carbon fiber composites

The adhesion of bisphenol-A polycarbonate, an amorphous thermoplastic, to carbon fiber was studied by varying both the intrinsic and the extrinsic properties such as the molecular weight, processing conditions, and test temperature. It was seen that processing methods and conditions had a significant effect on adhesion as measured by the interfacial shear strength. Commercial grade Lexan 141 solvent deposited onto carbon fibers showed poor adhesion when processed below the glass transition temperature and reached a limiting value at a higher temperature. Melt consolidated pure polycarbonate specimens showed increases in adhesion both with increasing processing temperature and with time. Pure polycarbonate having a molecular weight above the critical molecular weight exhibited a higher adhesion at different processing conditions, while for polycarbonate below the critical molecular weight adhesion was poor and unaffected by the processing temperature. Increases in temperature lowered the adhesion as a result of the dependence of adhesion on the matrix modulus, which decreases with increasing temperature.     

The effect of carbon nanotubes on the damage development in carbon fiber/epoxy composites

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the initiation and development of damage in a woven carbon fiber/epoxy composite under quasi-static tensile loading. The composite is produced using resin transfer moulding and contains 0.25 wt.% of CNTs in the matrix. The results in the fiber direction report no improvement of the Young’s modulus and a slight improvement of the strength and strain-to-failure. The most important result of the study is a notion that CNTs have a hindering effect on the formation of transverse cracks. The conclusion is drawn from a combined analysis of the acoustic emission measurements (reporting a pronounced shift of all damage development thresholds towards higher strains by more than 30%) and X-ray/SEM observations (revealing a lower crack density in the CNT modified composite). The same analysis also indicates that the mechanism of energy dissipation through transverse microcracking is partially replaced by another mechanism that promotes (distributed) damage through fiber debonding.     

Effect of hygrothermal conditioning on compressive strength after impact in carbon fiber/epoxy composites

Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers have been widely applied in structural parts and components in several sectors, in addition to being constantly used in environments with the presence of humidity and high temperatures, which can affect their density, hardness, and rigidity. In this work, the influence of hydrothermal conditioning on carbon fiber (CF)/epoxy composites was investigated using three types of epoxy resin and two different CF fabric reinforcements, that is, plain weave and eight harness satin (8HS) arrangements. The CF/epoxy composites were subjected to compression after impact (CAI) test by 28 and 40 J energy and then exposed to hydrothermal conditioning for 8 weeks. After the CAI tests, the visual analysis of all composites presented microbuckling mechanisms. The composites tested with 40 J energy absorbed only 2% more moisture compared with the other composites, nonimpacted, and tested with 28 J, indicating that the impact damage did not cause delamination between the layers of the composites, which could facilitate the absorption of water. All composites analyzed showed resistance to CAI even after exposure to humidity, with decreases ranging from 2.8% to 23.8% about the unconditioned specimens. The decrease in CAI also shows the influence of the type of epoxy matrix and the arrangement of the CF in fabrics.     

薄型碳纤维织物预浸料及其复合材料研究

采用国产1k T300级薄型碳纤维织物和中温固化高性能树脂制备预浸料。测试了该预浸料及其复合材料性能,并与国产3k T300级碳纤维织物预浸料及其复合材料性能进行对比。研究结果表明:国产1k T300级薄型碳纤维织物的复合材料性能与国产3k T300级碳纤维织物的复合材料性能相当;该薄型碳纤维织物复合材料的树脂体系是改性增韧环氧树脂,韧性好,适用于轻质夹层结构复合材料,具有较高滚筒剥离强度;同时,该轻质复合材料耐热性好,玻璃化转变温度能达到200℃。     

Effect of polyurethane sizing agent on interface properties of carbon fiber reinforced polycarbonate composites

This work is aimed at investigating how molecule structure of polyurethanes (PUs) as sizing agents influence the interface properties of carbon fiber (CF) reinforced polycarbonate (PC) composites. Effects of four PUs as sizing agents for CF on the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of CF reinforced PC composites are investigated. It is found that the three PUs except PC–PU as sizing agents on oxidized CF (OCF) made the ILSS of their reinforced PC composites increase up to 62.9 MPa by more than 24.8%. The chemical interaction between PU sizing agents and CF are attributed to high reactivity of isocyanate, but carbonate groups on PC–PU may have a chain unzipping reaction due to active groups on the surface of OCF. The chemical interaction between PU sizing agents and PC are attributed to transesterification. As a result, PUs containing isocyanate or polyester groups are ideal sizing agents for CF reinforced PC composites. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47982.