Effect of UV and water spraying on the mechanical properties of flax fabric reinforced polymer composites used for civil engineering applications

The lack of data related to durability is one major challenge that needed to be addressed prior to the widespread acceptance of natural fibre reinforced polymer composites for engineering applications. In this work, the combined effect of ultraviolet (UV) radiation and water spraying on the mechanical properties of flax fabric reinforced epoxy composite was investigated to assess the durability performance of this composite used for civil engineering applications. Specimens fabricated by hand lay-up process were exposed in an accelerated weathering chamber for 1500 h. Tensile and three-point bending tests were performed to evaluate the mechanical properties. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to analyse the microstructures of the composites. In addition, the durability performance of flax/epoxy composite was compared with synthetic (glass and carbon) and hybrid fibre reinforced composites. The test results show that the tensile strength/modulus of the weathered composites decreased 29.9% and 34.9%, respectively. The flexural strength/modulus reduced 10.0% and 10.2%, respectively. SEM study confirmed the degradation in fibre/matrix interfacial bonding after exposure. Comparisons with other composites implies that flax fabric/epoxy composite has potential to be used for civil engineering applications when taking its structural and durability performance into account. Proper treatments to enhance its durability performance will make it more comparable to synthetic fibre reinforced composites when considering as construction building materials.     

Optimization of the mechanical performance of UD flax/epoxy composites by selection of fibres along the stem

In this study, we measure and compare the mass distribution, morphology and tensile properties of elementary flax fibres (Eden variety) along the stem. A significant improvement is found in the tensile properties of elementary fibres from the base to the middle of the stem, with the Young’s modulus and breaking stress being increased by 19.3% and 56.6%, respectively. UD thermoset composites were manufactured with fibres from the bottom, middle and top of the stem. The efficiency of the reinforcement is lowest with bottom fibres, which appear to be poorly individualized and have many cortical residues on their surface. Several scenarios are proposed to select the most suitable fibres according to the desired mechanical properties of the composite.     

Continuous-glass-fibre-reinforced polypropylene composites: I. Influence of maleic-anhydride-modified polypropylene on mechanical properties

This study investigates the influence of maleicanhydride-modified polypropylene (m-PP) on monotonic mechanical properties of continuous-glass-fibre-reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites. Maleicanhydride-modified polypropylene was added to the PP homopolymer to improve the adhesion between the matrix and the glass fibre. Three-point bending tests were performed on 0° and 90° unidirectional glass-fibre/PP laminates with various weight fractions of m-PP in the PP matrix. These tests showed an increase in both longitudinal and transverse flexural strength up to 10 wt% m-PP, whereas at higher weight fractions of m-PP a decrease in flexural strength was observed. No significant influence of m-PP on composite stiffness was observed. Additional mechanical tests on unidirectional glass/PP composites with 0 wt% and 10 wt% m-PP showed only a small increase in fibre-dominated properties such as longitudinal tensile strength and strain, whereas composite properties that are governed by the interphase, such as transverse, shear and compressive strength, showed significant increases as a result of matrix modification and an enhanced interaction between the glass fibres and the PP matrix.     

Effect of pectin and hemicellulose removal from hemp fibres on the mechanical properties of unidirectional hemp/epoxy composites

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of pectin and hemicellulose removal from hemp fibres on the mechanical properties of hemp fibre/epoxy composites. Pectin removal by EDTA and endo-polygalacturonase (EPG) removed epidermal and parenchyma cells from hemp fibres and improved fibre separation. Hemicellulose removal by NaOH further improved fibre surface cleanliness. Removal of epidermal and parenchyma cells combined with improved fibre separation decreased composite porosity factor. As a result, pectin removal increased composite stiffness and ultimate tensile strength (UTS). Hemicellulose removal increased composite stiffness, but decreased composite UTS due to removal of xyloglucans. In comparison of all fibre treatments, composites with 0.5% EDTA + 0.2% EPG treated fibres had the highest tensile strength of 327 MPa at fibre volume content of 50%. Composites with 0.5% EDTA + 0.2% EPG → 10% NaOH treated fibres had the highest stiffness of 43 GPa and the lowest porosity factor of 0.04.     

Mechanical properties of flax fibre/polypropylene composites. Influence of fibre/matrix modification and glass fibre hybridization

The effect of fibre treatments and matrix modification on mechanical properties of flax fibre bundle/polypropylene composites was investigated. Treatments using chemicals such as maleic anhydride, vinyltrimethoxy silane, maleic anhydride-polypropylene copolymer and also fibre alkalization were carried out in order to modify the interfacial bonding between fibre bundles and polymeric matrix. Composites were produced by employing two compounding ways: internal mixing and extrusion. Mechanical behaviour of both flax fibre bundle and hybrid glass/flax fibre bundle composites was studied. Fracture surfaces were investigated by scanning electron microscopy. Results suggest that matrix modification led to better mechanical performance than fibre surface modification. A relevant fact is that silanes or MA grafted onto PP matrix lead to mechanical properties of composites even better than those for MAPP modification, and close to those for glass fibre/PP.     

共混条件对功能化聚异丁烯-蒙脱土复合物改性聚丙烯性能的影响

制备了功能化聚异丁烯-蒙脱土复合物改性的聚丙烯复合材料。考察了活化剂、加工温度等因素对改性聚丙烯性能的影响。通过扫描电镜观察了蒙脱土在改性聚丙烯中的分散效果。实验结果表明,功能化聚异丁烯-蒙脱土复合物可以较好地分散在聚丙烯中,当其用量为4wt%、活化剂用量为蒙脱土的1wt%时,制备的聚异丁烯-蒙脱土/聚丙烯复合材料的模量为2280 MPa、冲击强度为63J/m,回缩率为0.5%,各项指标均好于未改性的聚丙烯树脂。分散在聚丙烯中的蒙脱土尺寸约为1μm。     

Novel manufacturing process for improving mechanical properties of flax/PP composites

Many attempts have been made in the recent past to improve the mechanical properties of flax/polypropylene (PP) thermoplastic composites. Most of these attempts have not been translated at industrial level due to additional chemical treatment process involved. In the present work, needle-punched nonwoven preforms which can be readily used for composite manufacturing was prepared. To improve the interfacial bonding of the composites, a new modified route for composite preparation is proposed. The modified processing strategy implemented to produce flax with polypropylene composite using compression molding machine. The nonwoven preforms were heated to elevated temperatures followed by quenching. The composite samples were then hot consolidated and their mechanical properties were studied and compared with the samples produced by the conventional method. 154, 75, 37, and 9.6% of improvement have been observed for peel strength, compressive strength, hardness, and impact strength, respectively. The reasons for the improvement are discussed in detail using various analytical tools.     

Effect of flax fibres individualisation on tensile failure of flax/epoxy unidirectional composite

The study of plant fibres composites is a widespread research topic; nevertheless, the reinforcement mechanism understanding of these materials must be still improved. The paper presents a study of the effect of the mechanical properties, the dispersion and the fibre/matrix interface property of elementary fibres on the tensile properties of unidirectional composites. Our work shows that the mechanical performances of unidirectional composites could be linked to those of the elementary fibres as well as to the composites microstructure. Flax fibres individualisation, linked to the homogeneity of the microstructure, is highly dependent on the fibre extraction process. The importance of the composites homogeneity has been confirmed by the Rosen model, which could be used thanks to interfacial shear strength measurements.     

甘蔗渣纤维增强聚丙烯复合材料的制备和力学性能

利用注射成型制备了甘蔗渣纤维增强聚丙烯复合材料, 分析了纤维质量分数、 注射成型条件以及添加物对复合材料力学性能的影响。结果表明, 随着纤维质量分数的增加, 材料的弯曲模量呈递增趋势。由于甘蔗渣纤维热降解的发生, 材料的力学性能随筒体温度的增加呈下降趋势。在模具温度90℃、 注射间隔时间30s、 不同的筒体温度185℃和165℃的成型条件下, 材料的弯曲性能和冲击强度分别呈现最大值。添加了马来酸酐改性聚丙烯后, 材料的弯曲强度和冲击强度得到了提高。      

Controlled retting of hemp fibres: Effect of hydrothermal pre-treatment and enzymatic retting on the mechanical properties of unidirectional hemp/epoxy composites

The objective of this work was to investigate the use of hydrothermal pre-treatment and enzymatic retting to remove non-cellulosic compounds and thus improve the mechanical properties of hemp fibre/epoxy composites. Hydrothermal pre-treatment at 100 kPa and 121 °C combined with enzymatic retting produced fibres with the highest ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 780 MPa. Compared to untreated fibres, this combined treatment exhibited a positive effect on the mechanical properties of hemp fibre/epoxy composites, resulting in high quality composites with low porosity factor (α_pf) of 0.08. Traditional field retting produced composites with the poorest mechanical properties and the highest α_pf of 0.16. Hydrothermal pretreatment at 100 kPa and subsequent enzymatic retting resulted in hemp fibre composites with the highest UTS of 325 MPa, and stiffness of 38 GPa with 50% fibre volume content, which was 31% and 41% higher, respectively, compared to field retted fibres.     

Effect of isotropic interlayers on the mechanical and thermal properties of carbon/carbon composites

Multilayer which consists of isotropic (ISO) interlayer and rough laminar (RL) and single RL structure carbon/carbon (C/C) composites have been prepared by isothermal chemical vapor infiltration at 5 and 1 kPa. Mechanical and thermal properties of both composites have also been studied. Experimental results indicate that ISO interlayer between fiber and matrix plays an important role on fracture behavior and strength of the composites. Comparing with single RL structure composites, the strength decrease of composites with ISO interlayers is about 28-40%. ISO interlayer is the main source of fracture due to its low density and micropores between crystallites. The low thermal conductivity of ISO interlayers also results in the thermal property degradation of obtained C/C composites. By reducing infiltration pressure, the ISO interlayers are substituted by compact RL matrix which improves the general properties of C/C composites.     

Highly aligned flax/polypropylene nonwoven preforms for thermoplastic composites

A major challenge for natural fibre composites is to achieve high mechanical performance at a competitive price. Composites constructed from unidirectional yarns and woven fabrics are known to perform significantly better than composites made from random nonwoven mats, but unidirectional yarns and fabrics are much more expensive to manufacture than random nonwoven mats. Here, we report on highly aligned natural fibre nonwoven mats that can be used as a replacement for unidirectional woven fabrics. A drawing operation is added to the conventional nonwoven process to improve fibre alignment in the nonwoven preforms and the final composites. The modified nonwoven manufacturing process is much simpler and cheaper than the unidirectional woven fabric process because of the elimination of expensive spinning and weaving operations. The composites fabricated from the highly aligned nonwoven mats showed similar mechanical strength as the composites made from unidirectional woven fabrics.     

功能化聚丙烯对纳米SiO2/聚丙烯复合材料性能的影响

以环氧功能化聚丙烯(PP-g-GMA)作为纳米SiO2/PP复合材料的增容剂,研究了PP-g-GMA对复合材料力学、结晶和流变性能的影响.研究结果表明,PP-g-GMA的加入使PP复合材料的拉伸强度、冲击强度提高;使PP的结晶峰温明显提高,使复合材料的储能模量和复合黏度均明显高于纯PP.     

苎麻布/聚丙烯复合材料的力学性能

利用聚丙烯及苎麻布作原料、马来酸酐接枝聚丙烯 (MAPP) 作界面增容剂, 采用模压工艺, 在175℃, 5、10、15及20 MPa四种压力下成型复合材料, 研究了MAPP质量分数、苎麻布质量分数及成型压力对复合材料力学性能的影响。复合材料的拉伸强度和弯曲强度在MAPP加入量为 3 %和 5 %时分别达最大值 46.72 MPa和 68. 43 MPa , 较无MAPP的复合材料的强度值分别提高 50. 95 %和 61. 81 %; 拉伸模量及弯曲模量因使用MAPP而增加, 但拉伸断裂伸长率却会下降。随着苎麻布质量分数增加, 复合材料拉伸强度、 拉伸模量、弯曲模量均逐渐增加; 苎麻布质量分数10 %、20 %的复合材料在较低的压力 (5、10 MPa) 下成型时 , 其拉伸强度和弯曲强度值相对更高, 当苎麻布质量分数超过20 %后, 成型压力对力学性能的影响无明显的规律。      

Role of micro/nano fillers on mechanical and tribological properties of polyamide66/polypropylene composites

The objectives of this research article is to evaluate the mechanical and tribological properties of polyamide66/polypropylene (PA66/PP) blend, graphite (Gr) filled PA66/PP, nanoclay (NC) filled PA66/PP and NC plus short carbon fiber (NC + SCF) filled PA66/PP composites. All composites were fabricated using a twin screw extruder followed by injection molding. The mechanical properties such as tensile, flexure, and impact strengths were investigated in accordance with ASTM standards. The friction and sliding wear behaviour was studied under dry sliding conditions against hard steel on a pin-on-disc apparatus. Scanning electron micrographs were used to analyze the fracture morphologies. From the experimental investigation, it was found that the presence of NC and SCF fillers improved the hardness of PA66/PP blend. Further, the study reveals that the tensile and flexural strength of NC + SCF filled PA66/PP was higher than that of PA66/PP blend. Inclusion of micro and nanofillers reduced the wear rate of PA66/PP blend. The wear loss of the composites increased with increasing sliding velocity. The lowest wear rate was observed for the blend with nanoclay and SCF fillers. The wear rates of the blends with micro/nanofillers vary from 30–81% and lower than that of PA66/PP blend. The wear resistance of the PA66/PP composites was found to be related to the stability of the transfer film on the counterface. The results have been supplemented with scanning electron micrographs to help understand the possible wear mechanisms.     

Factorial study of material and process parameters on the mechanical properties of extruded kenaf fibre/polypropylene composite sheets

Thin kenaf/polypropylene (PP) composite sheets were manufactured via extrusion. The effects of kenaf and maleated PP (MAPP) proportions, fibre length, PP melt flow index (MFI) and die temperature on tensile, flexural, in-plane and out-of-plane shear properties were analysed by conducting experiments through ‘design of experiments’ methodology. Higher kenaf content and lower die/barrel temperatures resulted in composite sheets with higher average mechanical properties in various modes of testing. Matrix MFI appeared to significantly affect all mechanical properties. It is interesting to note that the properties of the very short-fibre composites produced are comparable to those reinforced with longer discontinuous fibres and long-fibre mats.     

Effect of flame retardants on flame retardant,mechanical, and thermal properties of sisal fiber/polypropylene composites

A flame retardant efficiency of flame retardants; ammonium polyphosphate (APP), magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)₂), zinc borate (Zb), and combination of APP with Mg(OH)₂ and Zb in sisal fiber/polypropylene (PP) composites was investigated using a horizontal burning test and a vertical burning test. In addition, maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) was used as a compatibilizer to enhance the compatibility in the system; i.e. PP-fiber and PP-flame retardants. Thermal, mechanical, and morphological properties of the PP composites were also studied. Adding the flame retardants resulted in improved flame retardancy and thermal stability of the PP composites without deterioration of their mechanical properties. APP and combination of APP with Zb effectively enhanced flame retardancy of the PP composites. No synergistic effect was observed when APP was used in combination with Mg(OH)₂. SEM micrographs of PP composites revealed good distribution of flame retardants in PP matrix and good adhesion between sisal fiber and PP matrix.     

Effect of fiber arrangement on mechanical properties of short fiber reinforced composites

The present paper developed a three-dimensional (3D) “tension–shear chain” theoretical model to predict the mechanical properties of unidirectional short fiber reinforced composites, and especially to investigate the distribution effect of short fibers. The accuracy of its predictions on effective modulus, strength, failure strain and energy storage capacity of composites with different distributions of fibers are validated by simulations of finite element method (FEM). It is found that besides the volume fraction, shape, and orientation of the reinforcements, the distribution of fibers also plays a significant role in the mechanical properties of unidirectional composites. Two stiffness distribution factors and two strength distribution factors are identified to completely characterize this influence. It is also noted that stairwise staggering (including regular staggering), which is adopted by the nature, could achieve overall excellent performance. The proposed 3D tension–shear chain model may provide guidance to the design of short fiber reinforced composites.     

Effect of areal weight and chemical treatment on the mechanical properties of bidirectional flax fabrics reinforced composites

In this paper several bidirectional flax fibers, usually used to made curtains, were employed as reinforcement of an epoxy matrix. Four different laminates were made by a vacuum bagging process, with varying both the areal weight and the treatment of the fabric.     

树脂浸渍法对炭/炭复合材料力学性能的影响

将炭纤维坯体CVD增密至不同密度,再对其进行树脂浸渍。对自制样品与英国Dunlop公司和美国Ben dix公司产品的力学性能特征进行了对比分析。结果表明:自制样的抗压强度和抗弯强度远远高于国外样品,层间剪切强度也比国外样品高;自制样品在ρCVD不超过1.45g cm3的情况下,随样品中CVD炭含量的增加,样品的抗弯强度和层间剪切强度值都随之增大,抗弯模量在ρCVD为1.06g cm3时达到最大值。同时用扫描电镜(SEM)分析了这几组试样的弯曲与剪切断口,发现除纯浸渍的样品具有明显的脆性断裂特征外,其余材料都呈假塑性断裂,且强度较高,说明树脂由于炭化后产生的树脂炭与纤维粘结太强,不适合在样品增密的初始阶段作浸渍剂。