Electrical thermal heating and piezoresistive characteristics of hybrid CuO–woven carbon fiber/vinyl ester composite laminates

The electric heating and piezoresistive characteristics of CuO–woven carbon fiber (CuO–WCF) composite laminates were experimentally evaluated. Hybrid CuO–WCF composites were fabricated via a two-step seed-mediated hydrothermal method. The interlaminar interface between two plies of hybrid CuO–WCF/vinyl ester composite laminae was influenced by interlocked fiber–fiber cross-linking structures with CuO NRs and acted as electric heating and resistance elements. The contribution of CuO NRs (10–110 mM) to the interlaminar interface was determined by measuring the temperature profile, in order to investigate the electrical resistive heating behavior. At higher concentration of CuO NRs growth in the interlaminar region applied by 3 A, the average temperature reached to 83.55 °C at the interface area 50 × 50 mm² and the heating efficiency was 0.133 W/°C owing to radiation and convection given by 10.5 W (3 A, 3.5 V). To investigate the piezoresistive response, the through-thickness gauge factor was observed at 0.312 during Joule heating applied by 2 A, compared with 0.639 at an ambient air temperature for CuO 110 mM concentration. The morphology and crystallinity of CuO NRs were investigated using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analyses, respectively. The temperature dependence of hybrid CuO–WCF composite laminates’ storage moduli were analyzed using a dynamic mechanical analyzer. These characterizations showed that the interlaminar interface, combined with the high specific surface area of CuO NRs, provided the electron traps for electrical conduction around multiple WCF junctions and adjacent cross-linked laminae.     

氧化石墨烯改性碳纤维/环氧树脂复合材料的湿热性能及微观形貌

采用湿法预浸技术和模压工艺制备了氧化石墨烯(GO)改性碳纤维/环氧树脂(CF/EP)复合材料,研究了 GO在室温干态及湿热处理后对CF/EP复合材料动态热力学性能和层间剪切性能的影响,并通过微观形貌分析了复合材料的改性机制.结果表明,当GO添加量分别为0.5％和0.8％时,GO-CF/EP复合材料的玻璃化转变温度(Tg...     

Fatigue behaviour of glass fibre reinforced epoxy composites enhanced with nanoparticles

Nanoparticle reinforcement of the matrix in laminates has been recently explored to improve mechanical properties, particularly the interlaminar strength. This study analyses the fatigue behaviour of nanoclay and multiwalled carbon nanotubes enhanced glass/epoxy laminates. The matrix used was the epoxy resin Biresin® CR120, combined with the hardener CH120-3. Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) 98% and organo-montmorillonite Nanomer I30 E nanoclay were used. Composites plates were manufactured by moulding in vacuum. Fatigue tests were performed under constant amplitude, both under tension–tension and three points bending loadings. The fatigue results show that composites with small amounts of nanoparticles addition into the matrix have bending fatigue strength similar to the obtained for the neat glass fibre reinforced epoxy matrix composite. On the contrary, for higher percentages of nanoclays or carbon nanotubes addition the fatigue strength tend to decrease caused by poor nanoparticles dispersion and formation of agglomerates. Tensile fatigue strength is only marginally affected by the addition of small amount of particles. The fatigue ratio in tension–tension loading increases with the addition of nanoclays and multi-walled carbon nanotubes, suggesting that both nanoparticles can act as barriers to fatigue crack propagation.     

纳米氧化石墨烯/聚丁二酸丁二醇酯复合材料的制备与性能

以天然石墨为原料,利用改进的HUMMERS'法制备了氧化石墨烯(GO);采用原位复合方式制备了纳米氧化石墨烯/聚丁二酸丁二醇酯(GO/PBS)复合材料,并对其性能进行了研究。结果表明:适量GO的加入能更有效地加快GO/PBS复合材料的结晶速度;GO的加入,提高了GO/PBS复合材料的力学性能和酶降解速率;随着GO添加量的增加,复合材料晶体尺寸减小,GO起到了成核剂的作用。     

Enhanced mechanical properties of multiscale carbon fiber/epoxy composites by fiber surface treatment with graphene oxide/polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane

Graphene oxide (GO) and polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) grafted carbon fiber (CF) was demonstrated to reinforce the mechanical properties of fiber composites. Such a fiber composite was prepared by grafting POSS onto the CF surface using GO as the linkage. The presence of GO linkage and POSS could significantly enhance both the area and wettability of fiber surface, leading to an increase in the interfacial strength between fibers and resin. Compared with the desized CF composites, the grafted CF composites fabricated by compression molding method exhibited 53.05% enhancement in the interlaminar shear strength. The changed surface morphology, surface composition and surface energy were supposed to be related with the interfacial performance of unidirectional composites, as revealed by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscope, dynamic contact angle test and X-ray photoelectron microscopy charaterizations.     

Comparison of the mechanical and physical properties of a carbon fibre epoxy composite manufactured by resin transfer moulding using conventional and microwave heating

Microwave processing holds great potential for improving current composite manufacturing techniques, substantially reducing cure cycle times, energy requirements and operational costs. In this paper, microwave heating was incorporated into the resin transfer moulding technique. Through the use of microwave heating, a 50% cure cycle time reduction was achieved. The mechanical and physical properties of the produced carbon fibre/epoxy composites were compared to those manufactured by conventional resin transfer moulding. Mechanical testing showed similar values of flexural moduli and flexural strength for the two types of composites after normalisation of the corresponding data to a common fibre volume fraction. A 9% increase of the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) was observed for the microwave cured composites. This enhancement in ILSS is attributed to a lowering of resin viscosity in the initial stage of the curing process, which was also confirmed via scanning electron microscopy by means of improved fibre wetting and less fibre pull-out. Furthermore, both types of composites yielded minimal void content (<2%). Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis revealed comparable glass transition temperatures for composites produced by both methods. A 15 °C shift in the position of the β-transition peak was observed between thermally and microwave cured composites, suggesting an alteration in the cross-linking path followed.     

Experimental investigation of carbon fiber reinforced poly(phenylene sulfide) composites prepared using a double-belt press

The high-performance carbon fiber reinforced poly(phenylene sulfide) composites were continuously fabricated using thermoplastic prepregs in a double-belt press. The effects of process velocity on the composite consolidation quality and mechanical properties were investigated. It is found that the tensile and interlaminar shear properties of composites prepared using the double-belt press are comparable to that of compression-molded composites when the process velocity is no more than 0.20 m·min⁻¹. The composite fracture morphologies also show different failure mechanisms between different samples and indicate that the interfacial adhesion strength may play a vital role in the mechanical properties of CF/PPS composites. Furthermore, experimental results show that the heating time above 330 °C should be over 440 s and the void content should be lower than 2.38% in order to obtain high performance CF/PPS composites.     

Reinforcing polyamide 1212 with graphene oxide via a two-step melt compounding process

In this study, graphene oxide (GO) was synthesized from graphite powders via Hummers’ method. Polyamide 1212 (PA1212)/GO composites were prepared via a two-step melt compounding process. First, GO concentrates were prepared via solution coagulation. In this method, a GO solution was mixed with an ethanol-soluble polyamide solution. The resulting product was melt-compounded with a PA1212 matrix. This method enabled GO nanosheets to be well-dispersed in a PA1212 matrix. GO, which functioned as a nucleation template, exhibited heterogeneous nucleation effect in the PA1212 matrix because of its large specific surface area. The mechanical properties of the oriented PA1212/GO composites improved efficiently compared with those of pure PA1212. Crystal orientation degree and crystallinity in the composites increased slightly when GO was added after drawing. The composites’ reinforcing effect was mainly attributed to GO nanosheet alignment. These nanonsheets functioned as the nuclei to reinforce the entire oriented crystals.     

Multiple healing effect of thermally activated self-healing composites based on Diels–Alder reaction

Self-healing composites using a thermally mendable polymer, bis-maleimide tetrafuran (2MEP4F), based on Diels–Alder reaction and electrical resistive heating were fabricated using a vacuum assisted injection molding method. Delaminations were induced using short span three point bending on composite coupons. The induced damage and permanent deformation of the composite coupons were observed using X-ray micro-tomography. The same procedure was repeated to confirm multiple healings after electrical resistive heating and healing efficiency of the samples was determined. The permanent deformations and induced delaminations were repaired after the heating process, which is due to both healing and shape memory effects. The multiple healing ability and shape memory effect of the fabricated composite combined with electrical resistive heating realizes a noble self-healing composite.     

Effect of a multiscale reinforcement by carbon fiber surface treatment with graphene oxide/carbon nanotubes on the mechanical properties of reinforced carbon/carbon composites

An effective carbon fiber/graphene oxide/carbon nanotubes (CF-GO-CNTs) multiscale reinforcement was prepared by co-grafting carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene oxide (GO) onto the carbon fiber surface. The effects of surface modification on the properties of carbon fiber (CF) and the resulting composites was investigated systematically. The GO and CNTs were chemically grafted on the carbon fiber surface as a uniform coating, which could significantly increase the polar functional groups and surface energy of carbon fiber. In addition, the GO and CNTs co-grafted on the carbon fiber surface could improve interlaminar shear strength of the resulting composites by 48.12% and the interfacial shear strength of the resulting composites by 83.39%. The presence of GO and CNTs could significantly enhance both the area and wettability of fiber surface, leading to great increase in the mechanical properties of GO/CNTs/carbon fiber reinforced composites.     

Improving the thermal and mechanical properties of polysulfone by incorporation of graphene oxide

Nanocomposites of polysulfone (PSF)-graphene oxide (GO) were prepared by classical phase inversion method. The structural and surface features and the mechanical and thermal performances of the prepared materials were investigated in detail. TEM and X-ray diffraction analysis indicated a good compatibility and excellent dispersability with PSF matrix for the low GO content (0.25, 0.5 and 1 wt.%) composites. It was observed that GO dispersion was reasonably homogeneous for the composite with 2 wt.% GO. The mechanical properties of the prepared materials were found to be greatly enhanced by the addition of GO for some compositions. The thermogravimetrical investigation demonstrated considerable improvements in thermal stability for the composite with low GO content. This novel material offers a feasible candidate for practical membrane application.     

Hybrid multi-scale epoxy composite made of conventional carbon fiber fabrics with interlaminar regions containing electrospun carbon nanofiber mats

Herein we report the development and evaluation of hybrid multi-scale epoxy composite made of conventional carbon fiber fabrics with interlaminar regions containing mats of electrospun carbon nanofibers (ECNs). The results indicated that (1) the interlaminar shear strength and flexural properties of hybrid multi-scale composite were substantially higher than those of control/comparison composite without ECNs; in particular, the interlaminar shear strength was higher by ∼86%; and (2) the electrical conductivities in both in-plane and out-of-plane directions were enhanced through incorporation of ECNs, while the enhancement of out-of-plane conductivity (∼150%) was much larger than that of in-plane conductivity (∼20%). To validate the data reduction procedure, a new shear stress formula was formulated for composite laminates, which took into account the effect of layup and inter-layers. The study suggested that ECNs could be utilized for the development of high-performance composites, particularly with the improved out-of-plan properties (e.g., interlaminar shear strength).     

Mechanical characterization of hierarchical carbon fiber/nanofiber composite laminates

Susceptibility to matrix driven failure is one of the major weaknesses of continuous-fiber composites. In this study, helical-ribbon carbon nanofibers (CNF) were dispersed in the matrix phase of a continuous carbon fiber-reinforced composite. Along with an unreinforced control, the resulting hierarchical composites were tested to failure in several modes of quasi-static testing designed to assess matrix-dominated mechanical properties and fracture characteristics. Results indicated CNF addition offered simultaneous increases in tensile stiffness, strength and toughness while also enhancing both compressive and flexural strengths. Short-beam strength testing resulted in no apparent improvement while the fracture energy required for the onset of mode I interlaminar delamination was enhanced by 35%. Extrinsic toughening mechanisms, e.g., intralaminar fiber bridging and trans-ply cracking, significantly affected steady-state crack propagation values. Scanning electron microscopy of delaminated fracture surfaces revealed improved primary fiber–matrix adhesion and indications of CNF-induced matrix toughening.     

Electrospun nanofibre toughened carbon/epoxy composites: Effects of polyetherketone cardo (PEK-C) nanofibre diameter and interlayer thickness

Polyetherketone cardo (PEK-C) nanofibres were produced by an electrospinning technique and directly deposited on carbon fabric to improve the interlaminar fracture toughness of carbon/epoxy composites. The influences of nanofibre diameter and interlayer thickness on the Mode I delamination fracture toughness, flexure property and thermal mechanical properties of the resultant composites were examined. Considerably enhanced interlaminar fracture toughness has been achieved by interleaving PEK-C nanofibres with the weight loading as low as 0.4% (based on weight of the composite). Finer nanofibres result in more stable crack propagation and better mechanical performance under flexure loading. Composites modified by finer nanofibres maintained the glass transition temperature (T_g) of the cured resin. Increasing nanofibre interlayer thickness improved the fracture toughness but compromised the flexure performance. The T_g of the cured resin deteriorated after the thickness increased to a certain extent.     

Synergistic reinforcement effect of aramid nonwoven fabrics and PVDF on mechanical and damping properties of bismaleimide matrix composites

A new type of structural damping composite was prepared by interleaving aramid nonwoven fabrics (ANF) modified with semi-crystalline polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) between carbon-fibre-reinforced bismaleimide (BMI) laminae. The co-cured composite exhibited an increase of 108% and 2.72% in loss factor and flexural modulus, respectively, compared with the original carbon-fibre-reinforced BMI composite. The damping behaviour of the co-cured composites was experimentally investigated using the single cantilever beam test and dynamic mechanical analysis. Furthermore, the composite interlaminar shear strength and flexural strength and modulus were also investigated. The results indicated that the composite interleaved with ANF/PVDF possessed higher flexural modulus and loss factor than the composites interleaved with ANF or PVDF films alone as a result of synergistic reinforcement of ANF and PVDF. Finally, the reinforcement mechanism of ANF/PVDF was investigated by analyzing the composite microstructure and the dynamical mechanical properties of ANF, PVDF, and ANF/PVDF interlayers.     

Synthesis and characterization of CuO nanoparticles from liquid ammonia

A new type of CuO nanoparticles were synthesized in liquid ammonia in the presence of sodium metal. First, Cu nanoparticles were obtained by reducing copper nitrate with the alkali metal in liquid ammonia, then, CuO nanoparticles were formed in the ambient conditions. The morphology and structure of as-prepared CuO nanoparticles were characterized by TEM and XRD, and the reason of aggregation of CuO nanoparticles was supposed.     

Role of matrix modification on interlaminar shear strength of glass fibre/epoxy composites

Interlaminar shear properties of fibre reinforced polymer composites are important in many structural applications. Matrix modification is an effective way to improve the composite interlaminar shear properties. In this paper, diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-F/diethyl toluene diamine system is used as the starting epoxy matrix. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and reactive aliphatic diluent named n-butyl glycidyl ether (BGE) are employed to modify the epoxy matrix. Unmodified and modified epoxy resins are used for fabricating glass fibre reinforced composites by a hot-press process. The interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of the glass fibre reinforced composites is investigated and the results indicate that introduction of MWCNT and BGE obviously enhances the ILSS. In particular, the simultaneous addition of 0.5 wt.% MWCNTs and 10 phr BGE leads to the 25.4% increase in the ILSS for the glass fibre reinforced composite. The fracture surfaces of the fibre reinforced composites are examined by scanning electron microscopy and the micrographs are employed to explain the ILSS results.     

模压工艺对玻璃纤维增强聚丙烯复合材料层合板力学性能的影响

利用热模压工艺制备玻璃纤维增强聚丙烯（GF/PP）复合材料层合板,通过差示扫描量热（DSC）法试验分析,确定相变参数,运用ANSYS有限元分析,将复合材料热力学参数与温度的非线性关系定义到材料特性中,研究模压成型过程中温度场变化情况,为模压成型工艺制度的确立提供理论指导和依据。以压缩强度、层间剪切强度和冲击韧性作为力学性能评价指标,采用响应曲面法探讨和分析制备工艺对GF/PP复合材料层合板力学性能的影响,得到最优模压工艺制备参数,获得最高复合材料层合板力学性能,为GF/PP复合材料自动铺放奠定铺放工艺基础。试验结果表明:模压加热工艺参数对复合材料层合板力学性能的影响度（从大到小）依次为:热压温度、热压时间、热压压力。较优的模压加热工艺参数为:热压温度228℃、热压时间6 min、热压压力1.1 MPa,在此工艺条件下制备的GF/PP复合材料层合板,层间剪切强度为31.12 MPa,压缩强度为100.96 MPa,冲击韧性为2.27 kJ/cm2。      

Improved cryogenic interlaminar shear strength of glass fabric/epoxy composites by graphene oxide

The cryogenic interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) at cryogenic temperature (77 K) of glass fabric (GF)/epoxy composites is investigated as a function of the graphene oxide (GO) weight fraction from 0.05 to 0.50 wt% relative to epoxy. For the purpose of comparison, the ILSS of the GF/epoxy composites is also examined at room temperature (RT, 298 K). The results show that the cryogenic ILSS is greatly improved by about 32.1% and the RT ILSS is enhanced by about 32.7% by the GO addition at an appropriate content of 0.3 wt% relative to epoxy. In addition, the ILSS of the composite at 77 K is much higher than that at RT due to the relatively strong interfacial GF/epoxy adhesion at 77 K compared to the RT case.     

A new method of reinforcing graphene nanoplatelets in glass/epoxy composites

This research aims to develop a method for the amalgamation of graphene nanoplatelets in glass/epoxy composites. The poor interface bonding between the fiber and matrix is critical and hinders the full performance of the composites. Glass fabric and epoxy were used as reinforcement and matrix in the composite, respectively. Graphene nanoplatelets were utilized as an additional nano-materials filler for the composites. Glass/graphene/epoxy and glass/epoxy composites were fabricated via vacuum infusion molding. The new method of applying graphene nanoplatelets as secondary reinforcement in the composite was developed based on proper functionalization in the sonication process. The physical, tensile, flexural, and short beam interlaminar properties of fabricated composites were examined to analyze the method's effectiveness. The results showed that density decreased by around 5 %; however, thickness increased by around 34 % after introducing graphene nanoplatelets into the composites. The tensile strength and modulus of the composites declined by approximately 19 %, on the other hand, flexural strength and modulus increased by around 63.3 % and 8.3 %, respectively, after the addition of graphene nanoplatelets into the composites. Moreover, interlaminar shear strength of the composite was enhanced by approximately 50 %.