Mechanical and thermal properties of glass bead–filled nylon‐6

The mechanical and thermal properties of glass bead–filled nylon‐6 were studied by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), tensile testing, Izod impact, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) tests. DMA results showed that the incorporation of glass beads could lead to a substantial increase of the glass‐transition temperature (T_g) of the blend, indicating that there existed strong interaction between glass beads and the nylon‐6 matrix. Results of further calculation revealed that the average interaction between glass beads and the nylon‐6 matrix deceased with increasing glass bead content as a result of the coalescence of glass beads. This conclusion was supported by SEM observations. Impact testing revealed that the notch Izod impact strength of nylon‐6/glass bead blends substantially decreased with increasing glass bead content. Moreover, static tensile measurements implied that the Young's modulus of the nylon‐6/glass bead blends increased considerably, whereas the tensile strength clearly decreased with increasing glass bead content. Finally, TGA and DSC measurements indicated that the thermal stability of the blend was obviously improved by incorporation of glass beads, whereas the melting behavior of the nylon‐6 remained relatively unchanged with increasing glass bead content. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 94: 1885–1890, 2004     

Impact fracture behavior of PP/EPDM/glass bead ternary composites

The effects of glass bead filler content and surface treatment of the glass with a silane coupling agent on the room temperature impact fracture behavior of polypropylene (PP)/ethylene‐propylene‐diene monomer copolymer (EPDM)/glass bead(GB) ternary composites were determined. The volume fraction of EPDM was kept constant at 10%. The impact fracture energy and impact strength of the composites increased with increasing volume fraction of glass beads (?_g). Surface pretreatment of the glass beads had an insignificant effect on the impact behavior. For a fixed filler content, the best impact strength was achieved when untreated glass beads and a maleic anhydride modified EPDM were used. The impact strength exhibited a maximum value at ?_g=15%. Morphology/impact property relationships and an explanation of the toughening mechanisms were developed by comparing the impact properties with scanning electron micrographs of fracture surfaces.     

Tensile properties and damage behaviors of glass‐bead‐filled modified polyphenylene oxide under large strain

Based on Continuum Damage Mechanics (CDM), a damage model for glass‐bead‐filled modified polyphenylene oxide (GB/PPO) has been proposed to describe its damage behavior at various levels of tensile strain by considering the reduction of effective loading area. Hence, an equation for prediction of effective elastic modulus of the damaged GB/PPO composites in terms of the three principal true strains was derived. The tensile properties and damage behaviors of the GB/PPO composites with different volume percentages of glass beads were investigated using standard tensile tests and load‐unload tests, respectively. The addition of glass beads increases Young's modulus of PPO but has a weakening effect on its tensile strength. A maximum value of tensile work to break and tensile strain at break was found when 5 vol% of glass beads with a mean diameter of 11 μm was blended with PPO. These results were justified through microscopic examination of the fracture surfaces of the tensile specimens by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). In‐situ observations of the strain damage processes were made through the SEM equipped with a tensile stage to determine the strain at fully debonding of glass beads. The volumetric strain of GB/PPO composites increases because of microcavitation during strain damage. In general, the prediction for the effective elastic modulus of the damaged GB/PPO composites at different true strains is slightly higher than the experimental results. The damage evolution rates after fully debonding of glass beads from the matrix are close to those predicted by the proposed damage model.     

Impact characterization of a carbon fiber‐epoxy laminate using a nonconservative model

The study of polymer and composite behavior under high strain rates is of fundamental relevance to determine the material suitability for a selected application. However, the impact phenomenon is a very complicated event, mainly due to the short duration, large deformation, and high stresses developed in the sample. In this work, we have performed impact tests over a carbon fiber reinforced epoxy using low‐energy in the striker. A nonconservative and nonlineal spring‐dashpot series model has been proposed to reproduce the material behavior. The model considers simultaneously both flexural and indentation phenomena accounting for energy losses by means of the restitution coefficient. Using this model, an excellent fit between the predicted and the experimental force‐time trace has been obtained below the composite failure point, which was recognized by a separation of both mentioned curves. As the epoxy‐fiber laminate has a very low viscoelasticity, the high strain rate Young's modulus obtained from the model was compared with that extracted from a conventional three point bending test, finding a very good match between the values. The study of the dashpot coefficients allows concluding that the dominant mechanism is the composite flexion, while the indentation effects contribution takes on importance at low impact velocities. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 97: 2256–2263, 2005     

Nonlinear viscoelastic model for the prediction of double yielding in a linear low‐density polyethylene film

Tensile testing and tensile creep experiments for linear low‐density polyethylene in a thin‐film form were examined and analyzed in terms of a nonlinear viscoelastic model. The proposed model, based on two distinct thermally activated rate processes (Eyring models), was proved to describe the double‐yield‐point tensile behavior of the material tested. The required model parameters were evaluated from the corresponding creep‐strain curves, and this revealed the relationship between the main aspects of the inelastic behavior of polymers, that is, the monotonic loading and creep response. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 3519–3527, 2004     

Impact behavior of aramid fiber/glass fiber hybrid composites: The effect of stacking sequence

Aramid fiber/glass fiber hybrid composites were prepared to examine the effect of stacking sequence on the impact behavior of thin laminates. The effect of position of the aramid layer on the impact properties of hybrid composites was investigated using driven dart impact tester. The delamination area and fracture surface of hybrid composites were analyzed for correlation with impact energy. The addition of glass layer to aramid layer reduced the impact resistance of hybrid composite due to the restriction in the deformation of aramid layer. The position of aramid layer resulted in variations in the impact behavior of hybrid composites. When the aramid layer was at the impacted surface, the composite exhibited a higher impact energy. This was attributed to the fact that the flexible layer at the impacted surface in thin laminates can experience larger deformation. In three‐layer composites, the aramid fiber‐reinforced composite ( AAA ) exhibited the highest total impact energy due to high impact energy per delamination area (1EDA) in spite of low delamination area. Aramid fiber and glass fiber‐reinforced composites showed a different impact behavior according to the change of thickness. This was attributed to the difference in the energy absorption at interface between laminae.     

Crashworthiness of automotive composite material systems

The energy absorption capability of a composite material is important in developing improved human safety in an automotive crash. In passenger vehicles, the ability to absorb impact energy and be survivable for the occupant is called the crashworthiness of the structure. The crashworthiness in terms of the specific energy absorption (SEA) of a chopped carbon fiber (CCF) composite material system was compared with that of other fiber resin systems such as graphite/epoxy cross‐ply laminates (CP#1 and CP#2), a graphite/epoxy‐braided material system (O), and a glass‐reinforced continuous‐strand mat (CSM). The quantity of these material systems needed to ensure passenger safety in a midsize car traveling at various velocities was calculated and compared. The SEA of the chopped carbon fiber composite material was the highest compared to that of all the other composites investigated. It was calculated that only 4.27 kg of it would need to be placed at specific places in the car to ensure passenger safety in the event of a crash at 15.5 m/s (35 mph). This clearly led to an important practical conclusion that only a reasonable amount of this composite material is required to meet the necessary impact performance standard. The CCF composite tested at 5 mm/min crushing speed met both the criteria that need to be satisfied before a material is deemed highly crashworthy: A high magnitude of energy absorption and a safe allowable rate of this energy absorption. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 3218–3225, 2004     

Glass bead filled polystyrene composites: morphology and fracture

Summary The objectives of this work are to describe the fracture behaviour of a material model composed by polystyrene and different amounts of solid glass beads. Seven compositions with beads content ranging between 0 % and 40 % by weight, have been prepared. A morphology study has been carried out to examine the microstructure developed during injection moulding. Fracture parameters (K_IC, G_IC and J_IC) were calculated at high and low strain rate as a function of particle content. The maximum reinforcement was found at middle levels of glass beads (6%–15%wt). The composite fracture behaviour at low strain rate was always brittle although it was found that beads tend to stabilize its propagation. At high strain rate, the particle reinforcement effect is lower, however a small increment in K_IC and G_IC was found. Received: 17 July 2001/Revised version: 18 December 2001/ Accepted: 12 January 2002     

Mechanical properties and morphologies of PP/mPE/filler composites

Because of the poor impact behavior of polypropylene (PP) at low temperatures, the blending of PP with metallocene‐polymerized polyethylene (mPE) elastomers was investigated in this study. However, a reduced modulus of the overall blend was inevitable because of the addition to elastomers. To obtain a balance of the properties, we introduced rigid inorganic fillers to PP/mPE blends. The performance of the composites was characterized with tensile and Charpy notched impact tests, and the fracture morphology was examined with scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the effects of fillers in a brittle matrix and in a ductile matrix were quantitatively different. For PP/mPE/filler ternary composites, the dependence of Young's modulus and yield strength on CaCO₃ content was not significant compared with that of PP/filler binary composites, whereas the elongation at break and tensile toughness at room temperature for PP/mPE/filler systems were more improved. The impact strength of the PP/mPE blends filled with untreated glass beads and CaCO₃ at a low temperature was lowered because of the weak interfacial bond. However, the values of the impact strength of the PP/mPE/filler composites at a low temperature remained at a high level compared with that of pure PP. In particular, a PP/mPE blend filled with surface‐treated kaolin had a higher low‐temperature impact toughness than the unfilled blend. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 3029–3035, 2002; DOI 10.1002/app.2333     

Poly(propylene)/poly(ethylene terephthalate‐co‐isophthalate) blends and glass bead filled composites: Microstructure and thermomechanical properties

Blends of poly(propylene) (PP) and poly(ethylene terephthalate‐co‐isophthalate) (co‐PET) (95/5) with and without compatibilizing agent (maleic anhydride PP), as well as composites of these blends with glass beads (50 wt%) with and without silane coupling agent surface‐treatment, were prepared and studied on a basis of the material microstructure and thermomechanical properties. Infrared and Raman spectroscopy, as well as transmission electron microscopy, displayed evidence of MAPP compatibilizing action for the blend. Differential scanning calorimetry showed a remarkable effect of nucleation rate increase exerted by co‐PET on the PP crystallization. Moreover, glass beads were found to increase the PP nucleation rate slightly. PP crystallinity hardly varied with the composition. Wide angle X‐ray diffraction allowed determination of differences in the orientation of the poly(propylene) b‐axis, with more homogeneous orientations in the presence of both co‐PET and glass beads. MAPP promoted the PP b‐axis orientation. Differences in PP α′ relaxation could be analyzed through dynamic‐mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 94: 1841–1852, 2004     

Formulation of a physically motivated specific breakage rate parameter for ball milling via the discrete element method

A physically based specific breakage rate parameter of the population balance model for batch dry‐milling is formulated, which explicitly accounts for the impact energy distribution calculated by the discrete element method (DEM). Preliminary DEM simulations of particle impact tests were first performed, which concluded that dissipation energy should be used in contrast to collision energy to accurately define the impact energy distribution. Subsequently, DEM simulations of the motion of spheres representing silica glass beads in a ball mill were performed to determine the specific breakage rate parameter, which was in good agreement with those found experimentally. An analysis of the impact energy distribution, which was only possible within context of the physically motivated specific breakage rate parameter, emphasized the importance of accounting for a threshold impact energy. Without proper assessment of the impact energy distribution, DEM simulations may lead to an erroneous evaluation of milling experiments. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 60: 2404–2415, 2014     

The influence of velocity on the impact strength of glass reinforced polypropylene

The influence of impact velocity, between 1 and 8.7 meters per second (m/s) (2.2 to 19.5 mph), on the impact behavior of polypropylene, reinforced with 20 volume percent continuous glass fibers, was investigated in a 3-point bend test at 21 °C. The ratio of specimen span to thickness, which has a profound effect on the observed results, was varied between 5.3 and 26. An attempt to apply simple beam theory for the analysis of the initial specimen response to the high loading rate was successful, except for the lower than expected values of shear modulus. The stress to break and the tensile and shear moduli were found to increase along with velocity. The dependence of impact energy on velocity was observed to be affected by the span to thickness ratio: a positive dependency was observed at low ratios and none at high ratios. This is different from the negative dependency reported for polypropylene reinforced with short fibers, and is attributed to the influence of the continuous glass fibers on the impact behavior of the composite.     

Experimental study of the melt fracture behavior of filled high‐density polyethylene melts

In this work, the melt fracture behavior of microfilled polymer melts based on a high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) was investigated by means of a capillary rheometer, which operated at constant piston velocity. The microfilled melts examined had the same filler content (10 vol%), but differed for the type of filler (glass beads, discontinuous glass fibers, and talc). The results demonstrated that the presence of rigid fillers influences the melt fracture behavior of the filled melts in a way that is dependent on the type of filler dispersed in the HDPE melt. Opposite effects were induced by lamellar particles of talc and by glass fillers (either beads or fibers): the former promoted flow stability, whereas the latter fostered the occurrence of instabilities of “stick‐slip” type. The effects induced by the presence of the glass fillers on the oscillating flow that takes place when “stick‐slip” instabilities occur were also analyzed and discussed. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 54:364–377, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Effect of liquid addition on the bulk and flow properties of fine and coarse glass beads

The effect of water on the packing and flow properties of fine and coarse particles was experimentally investigated. Four different particle sizes of glass beads, from 5 to 275 μm, were studied with increasing water weight‐percentages. Using a FT4 Powder Rheometer, changes in bulk properties were collected as a function of water content and particle size. The results show that water content plays a significant role on the packing and flow of the particles. Small amounts of water created porous aggregates due to liquid bridging. Greater amounts of water resulted in the filling of the void‐spaces. This was indicated by an increase in basic flow energy, density, and pressure drop, with a decrease in porosity. A greater understanding of bulk properties of wetted material is useful to develop standard systems that can be used to examine the behavior of more complex situations, and implement changes to improve materials handling and processing. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 648–658, 2016     

Effect of rigid particle size on the toughness of filled polypropylene

The role of rigid particle size in the deformation and fracture behavior of filled semicrystalline polymer was investigated with systems based on polypropylene (PP) and model rigid fillers [glass beads, Al(OH)₃]. The regularities of the influence of particle content and size on the microdeformation mechanisms and fracture toughness of the composites at low and high loading rates were found. The existence of the optimal particle size for fixed filler content promoting both maximum ultimate elongation of the composite at the tensile and maximum toughness at impact test was shown. The decrease of the toughening effect with both decreasing and increasing particle size regarding the optimal one was explained by dual role of particle size, correspondingly as either “adhesive” or “geometric” factors of fracture. The adhesive factor is due by the increase of debonding stress with the particle size decrease and the voiding difficulty resulting in the restriction of plastic flow. The geometric factor consists in the dramatic decrease of the composite strength at break if the void size exceeds the critical size of defect (for a given matrix) at which the crack initiation occurs. The analysis of the filled polymer toughness dependencies upon the particle size revealed that a capacity of rigid particles for the energy dissipation at the high loading rate depends on two factors: (i) ability of the dispersed particles to detach from matrix and to initiate the matrix local shear yielding at the vicinity of the voids and (ii) the size of the voids forming. Based on the findings it was concluded that the optimal minimal rigid particle size for the polymer toughening should answer the two main requirements: (i) to be smaller than the size of defect dangerous for polymer fracture and (ii) to have low debonding stress (essentially lower compared to the polymer matrix yield stress). © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 94: 1917–1926, 2004     

A constitutive model for non‐linear behavior of SMC accounting for linear viscoelasticity and micro‐damage

An approach for modeling sheet molding compound (SMC) composites as viscoelastic damageable material is presented. Continuum damage mechanics theory by Chow and Wang (Int. J. Fract., 33, 3 (1987)) was used in combination with linear viscoelasticity. The model was applied to a modern SMC composite material containing both hollow glass spheres for low density and toughening additive for improved impact resistance. Tensile tests and uniaxial creep test were employed to build the constitutive model. Validation was done by comparing test data with simulations of uniaxial creep on material with different degrees of damage. The model has good accuracy at moderate damage levels under controlled time‐dependent crack propagation. Tensile testing at two different fixed strain rates was simulated using quasi‐elastic method to calculate relaxation modulus. The model predicts the stress‐strain curve with good accuracy until the region is close to failure, where new mechanisms not accounted for are taking place. Finally, a simulation of a cyclic tensile test with increasing maximum strain per cycle was performed, and since both damage and viscoelasticity are included in the model, the slope change, accumulation of residual strain, and hysteresis in the stress‐strain, loading‐unloading curve are predicted. POLYM. COMPOS., 26:84–97, 2005. © 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Effects of styrene oligomers and polymers on the suspension polymerization behavior and properties of expandable polystyrene

Styrene oligomers are formed by a free‐radical mechanism during the thermal polymerization of styrene in storage. The effects of these compounds on the preparation of expandable polystyrene (EPS) were investigated with respect to suspension polymerization behavior and the properties of the impregnated polystyrene beads produced. Styrene dimers and trimers up to concentrations of 0.2 wt % did not affect the stability of the suspension during the polymerization and impregnation stages. Besides differentiated effects on the particle size distributions of the polymers and on the polymerization rate, no chain‐transfer activity of the oligomers was observed, and this confirmed the assignment of chain transfer to the Diels–Alder dimer in the literature. The investigation of the foaming behavior of the pentane‐impregnated EPS beads indicated a significant reduction of the prefoaming density caused by styrene dimers and trimers. This behavior resulted from a decrease in the glass‐transition temperatures of these polymers. The effects of high‐molecular‐weight polystyrene, formed in addition to oligomers during storage by the thermal polymerization of styrene, on the polymerization behavior and polymer properties of EPS were also investigated. The results showed a significant impact on the suspension stability that was dependent on the concentration of the high‐molecular‐weight polystyrene. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

A new damage index for the indentation depth evaluation of composites under low velocity impact loads

The effectiveness of a new empirical model, aiming to predict the indentation depth resulting in a composite laminate from a hemispherical tup impacting it at low velocity, is here proposed. With this simple model including only the diameter of the impactor and the ratio between the impact energy and the perforation one, a material‐independent parameter characterising the indentation depth is identified. Several samples with different thicknesses, impacted by various impactor tips, are tested for estimating this parameter. To reach the above mentioned scopes, low velocity impact tests were carried out on two different composite systems with different stacking sequences, thicknesses and fiber volume fractions: (a) glass/epoxy prepreg; (b) graphite/epoxy prepreg. The samples were simply supported on steel plates or clamped and they were struck at the center by hemispherical steel noses having 16 and 19.8 mm diameters. After impact, indentation was measured according to EN 6038 standard. The CFRP indentation data were drawn from a database: about 200 test records, generated by various researchers were individuated. The advantages of the new model are that the effect of the tup diameter is explicitly accounted for. Furthermore, a single material constant has to be experimentally determined and it can be assumed as an index for the indentation sensitivity, on the basis of which different materials can be ranked. The constant was found similar for GFRP and CFRP laminates denoting independence of constraint conditions, laminate type or laminae orientation and stacking sequence. POLYM. COMPOS., 34:2061–2066, 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Modeling of visco‐hyperelastic behavior of transversely isotropic functionally graded rubbers

In this article, visco‐hyperelastic constitutive model is developed to describe the rate‐dependent behavior of transversely isotropic functionally graded rubber‐like materials at finite deformations. Zener model that consists of Maxwell element parallel to a hyperelastic equilibrium spring is used in this article. Steady state response is described by equilibrium hyperelastic spring and rate‐dependence behavior is modeled by Maxwell element that consists of a hyperelastic intermediate spring and a nonlinear viscous damper. Modified and reinforced neo‐Hookean strain energy function is proposed for the two hyperelastic springs. The mechanical properties and material constants of strain energy function are graded along the axial direction based on exponential function. A history‐integral method has been used to develop a constitutive equation for modeling the behavior of the model. The applied history integral method is based on the Kaye‐BKZ theory. The material constant parameters appeared in the formulation have been determined with the aid of available uniaxial tensile experimental tests for a specific material and the results are compared to experimental results. It is then concluded that, the proposed constitutive equation is quite proficient in forecasting the behavior of rubber‐like materials in different deformation and wide ranges of strain rate. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 56:342–347, 2016. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Determination of pressure drop for concentrated suspension in a capillary flow

The rheological behavior of concentrated suspension melts in a capillary die is investigated. Particle migration and wall slip are two major factors affecting the flow behavior. A numerical model is proposed to describe the coupling effect of particle migration and wall slip in a capillary tube flow, incorporating a power‐law model for binder viscosity and a concentrated suspension viscosity model proposed by Krieger. Wall slip of a non‐Newtonian concentrated suspension is characterized by a modified Mooney method for which the conventional Mooney method is not applicable. We characterized the flow behavior of a concentrated suspension of a non‐Newtonian binder, EVA 460 (ethylene vinyl acetate), mixed with spherical glass beads of 40% by volume. Predicted results were compared with experimental observations, with good agreement. POLYM. COMPOS., 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers