The effect of heat treatment temperature and time on the microstructure and mechanical properties of PAN-based carbon fibers

The influence of heat treatment temperature from 1400 to 2840 °C and time from 1.2 to 12.0 min on the structure and mechanical properties of polyacrylonitrile carbon fibers was studied. It was observed that the Young’s modulus increased with increasing temperature and time, but the tensile strength exhibited different variation trends with the different processing methods. For a fixed time of 1.2 min, the strength dropped from 4.6 GPa at 1400 °C to 2.6 GPa at 2840 °C, (~43.5 %) as opposed to a 63.9 % increase in Young’s modulus. However, when the treatment time was increased to 6.0 min at 2500 °C, the tensile strength decreased only by 1.9 %, from 3.71 to 3.64 GPa, versus a nearly 20.0 % increase in Young’s modulus. The same situation was found for treatment at 2000 and 2700 °C. Raman spectroscopy and uniform stress model analysis show that the degree of covalent cross-linking between the graphene planes decreased as temperature increased, while it remained almost constant as treatment time was increased. It is believed that during heat treatment of a carbon fiber, the cross-linking collapses at the beginning but the crystalline size keeps growing with prolonging time, so the tensile strength decreases little with further heat treatment while tensile modulus keeps increasing.     

Interfacial strength and debonding mechanism between aerogel-spun carbon nanotube yarn and polyphenylene sulfide

The interfacial bonding properties between the carbon nano-tubes yarn and polyphenylene sulfide are investigated using the micro-bond test. Carbon nano-tubes yarn fabricated by floating catalyst chemical vapor deposition with a high Poisson’s ratio of 3.5, and high-performance thermoplastic resin polyphenylene sulfide are used as matrix. In order to improve the tensile strength of the yarn so as to get sufficient data points for the micro-bond test for interfacial bonding strength, a pretreatment that combines drafting and dichloromethane shrinking processes is applied. The pretreated carbon nano-tubes yarn shows a 23% increase in tensile strength (from 117 to 144 MPa) and a 260% increase in initial Young’s modulus (from 0.8 to 3.2 GPa). The effective interfacial shear strength is calculated to be 13.1 MPa and analyzed based on fracture mechanism of a mixed failure mode.     

The Effect of Shear Mixing Speed and Time on the Mechanical Properties of GNP/Epoxy Composites

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of shear mixing speed and time on the mechanical properties of graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) composites. Shear mixing is cited in the literature as one method of making a good dispersion of nanofillers in a polymer that breaks down agglomerates into smaller particles and in the case of GNP can exfoliate layers of graphene. In this paper 0.1 to 5 wt% GNP was mixed with epoxy at different speeds and for different lengths of time. The composites were then cured and the tensile strength and Young’s modulus was measured. Optical microscopy was performed to examine the dispersion of the GNP in the epoxy. The results show that the shear mixing speed and time affect the size of agglomerates, which has an impact on the mechanical properties of the composite. At 3000 rpm and 2 h of mixing the average size of agglomerate was 26.3 μm (30 % reduction compared to that of 1000 rpm and 1 h duration), the tensile strength of epoxy was not affected by the addition of GNP, while a 12 % increase was recorded for the Young’s modulus. It is also found that functionalisation of the surface of the GNP improves the bond formed between the GNP and the resin that enhances its mechanical properties with no effect on the size of the agglomerates. Acetone was used to improve the GNP dispersion and found that shear mixing 5 wt% of GNP with acetone increases the Young’s modulus up to 3.02 from 2.6 GPa for the neat epoxy, an almost 14 % rise.     

Natural and man-made cellulose fibre-reinforced poly(lactic acid) (PLA) composites: An overview about mechanical characteristics and application areas

The paper describes the production and the mechanical characteristics of composites made completely of renewable raw materials. Composites of different kinds of natural fibres like cotton, hemp, kenaf and man-made cellulose fibres (Lyocell) with various characteristics were processed with a fibre mass proportion of 40% and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) by compression moulding. Additionally, composites were made of fibre mixtures (hemp/kenaf, hemp/Lyocell). The composites were tested for tensile strength, elongation at break, Young’s modulus and Charpy impact strength. Their characteristics varied markedly depending on the characteristics of the raw fibres and fibre bundles and fibre mixtures used. While kenaf and hemp/PLA composites showed very high tensile strength and Young’s modulus values, cotton/PLA showed good impact characteristics. Lyocell/PLA composites combined both, high tensile strength and Young’s modulus with high impact strength. Thus, the composites could be applied in various fields, each meeting different requirements.     

聚氯乙烯/氧化石墨烯薄膜的力学性能和热稳定性能

通过溶液共混法制备了氧化石墨烯(GO)分散均匀的聚氯乙烯(PVC)/GO纳米复合薄膜,研究了薄膜的力学性能和热稳定性能。结果表明,微量GO能大幅度提高PVC的模量和拉伸强度,且保持较高的断裂伸长率。在PVC中添加质量分数为0.12%的GO,PVC的拉伸强度提高63%,杨氏模量提高20%;添加量为0.60%时,PVC的拉伸强度提高125%,杨氏模量提高126%.添加GO还能提高PVC的起始分解温度、最大分解温度以及PVC的成碳量。GO片层具有较高的强度和模量、GO在高分子基体内的均匀分散、GO和PVC之间较强的相互作用、GO与PVC的层状结构,是其力学性能提高的主要原因.     

Interfacial stress distribution between bovine dentine and resin composite in dentine bonding systems

In finite element stress analysis, the principal interfacial stress at a tensile bond strength of 10 MPa during tensile loading was estimated for the resin composite/dentine material including the bonding area with elastic moduli of 0.03, 0.3, 3.0 and 12.0 GPa assumed in this study. Interfacial stress along the resin composite/bonding area interface or bonding area/dentine interface increased with increasing elastic modulus. The interfacial stress distributed non-uniformly and locally at the most sensitive sites, that is, the edge of the resin composite/bonding area interface with the lowest elastic modulus (0.03 GPa) and the edge of bonding area/dentine interfaces with other elastic modulus values (0.3, 3.0 and 12.0 GPa). The maximum value of interfacial stress increased linearly with increasing elastic modulus of bonding area from 0.03 to 12.0 GPa. This study showed that the distribution of interfacial stress was highly non-uniform along the interfaces of the bonded areas in dentinal adhesives.     

Fabrication and mechanical characterization of continuous carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic using a preform by three-dimensional printing and via hot-press molding

A new 3D printer equipped novel nozzle structure for continuous carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastics (C-CFRTP) was developed and the suitable printing conditions were studied. C-CFRTP filament and additional matrix resin were supplied independently using each extruder, which is useful for variety printing and precise form control in 3D printing. To measure the mechanical properties, specimens for tensile strength testing were fabricated using C-CFRTP filament (Vf:50%) without additional matrix resin. The experimental results indicate that the tensile strength and Young’s modulus were approximately 700 MPa and 53 GPa, respectively. The recrystallization effect through annealing after 3D printing yielded no drastic improvement. The mechanical properties were considerably improved by a hot-press treatment after 3D printing. The tensile strength and Young’s modulus increased to approximately 1400 MPa and approximately 90 GPa, respectively. These results suggest that one of the useful applications of C-CFRTP 3D printing technology is preforming of small parts in industrial products.     

Vetiver–polypropylene composites: Physical and mechanical properties

Injection molded vetiver–polypropylene (PP) composites at various ratios of vetiver content and vetiver length were prepared. When compared to PP, vetiver–PP composites exhibited higher tensile strength and Young’s modulus but lower elongation at break and impact strength. An increase in vetiver content led to an increase in viscosity, heat distortion temperature, crystallization temperature, and Young’s modulus of the composites. On the other hand, the decomposition temperature, tensile strength, elongation at break, and impact strength decreased with increasing vetiver content. The chemical treatment of the vetiver grass improved the mechanical properties of the composites.     

Tuning the mechanical properties of glass fiber-reinforced bismaleimide–triazine resin composites by constructing a flexible bridge at the interface

Abstract

We demonstrate a new method that can simultaneously improve the strength and toughness of the glass fiber-reinforced bismaleimide–triazine (BT) resin composites by using polyethylene glycol (PEG) to construct a flexible bridge at the interface. The mechanical properties, including the elongation, ultimate tensile stress, Young’s modulus, toughness and dynamical mechanical properties were studied as a function of the length of PEG molecular chain. It was found that the PEG molecule acts as a bridge to link BT resin and glass fiber through covalent and non-covalent bondings, respectively, resulting in improved interfacial bonding. The incorporation of PEG produces an increase in elongation, ultimate tensile stress and toughness. The Young’s modulus and T_g were slightly reduced when the length of the PEG molecular chain was high. The elongation of the PEG-modified glass fiber-reinforced composites containing 5 wt% PEG-8000 increased by 67.1%, the ultimate tensile stress by 17.9% and the toughness by 78.2% compared to the unmodified one. This approach provides an efficient way to develop substrate material with improved strength and toughness for integrated circuit packaging applications.     

功能化MWCNTs网格/环氧树脂复合材料的制备及性能

采用正压过滤法制备了多壁碳纳米管（MWCNTs）网格（巴基纸）,并采用真空辅助RTM工艺制备了MWCNTs网格/环氧树脂复合材料。通过SEM、FTIR、拉伸测试等对MWCNTs网格的微观形貌和性能进行了表征,并研究了MWCNTs网格/环氧复合材料的拉伸性。结果表明,所制备的功能化MWCNTs网格比较均匀,拉伸强度在22~32 MPa之间,拉伸模量约为1 GPa,相比未功能化处理的MWCNTs网格,强度最大提高了约167%。功能化MWCNTs网格/环氧树脂复合材料的拉伸强度和拉伸模量可达到152 MPa和6.48 GPa,相比空白环氧树脂提高了约1倍以上,拉伸试样断面SEM表明,环氧树脂对功能化MWCNTs网格的浸润效果良好,界面结合紧密,有效地提高了复合材料的力学性能。     

Influence of alkali treatment on the interfacial and physico-mechanical properties of industrial hemp fibre reinforced polylactic acid composites

The focus of this work was to produce short (random and aligned) and long (aligned) industrial hemp fibre reinforced polylactic acid (PLA) composites by compression moulding. Fibres were treated with alkali to improve bonding with PLA. The percentage crystallinity of PLA in composites was found to be higher than that for neat PLA and increased with alkali treatment of fibres which is believed to be due to the nucleating ability of the fibres. Interfacial shear strength (IFSS) results demonstrated that interfacial bonding was also increased by alkali treatment of fibres which also lead to improved composite mechanical properties. The best overall properties were achieved with 30 wt.% long aligned alkali treated fibre/PLA composites produced by film stacking technique leading to a tensile strength of 82.9 MPa, Young’s modulus of 10.9 GPa, flexural strength of 142.5 MPa, flexural modulus of 6.5 GPa, impact strength of 9 kJ/m², and a fracture toughness of 3 MPa m^1/2.     

Engineering graphene mechanical systems

We report a method to introduce direct bonding between graphene platelets that enables the transformation of a multilayer chemically modified graphene (CMG) film from a "paper mache-like" structure into a stiff, high strength material. On the basis of chemical/defect manipulation and recrystallization, this technique allows wide-range engineering of mechanical properties (stiffness, strength, density, and built-in stress) in ultrathin CMG films. A dramatic increase in the Young's modulus (up to 800 GPa) and enhanced strength (sustainable stress ≥1 GPa) due to cross-linking, in combination with high tensile stress, produced high-performance (quality factor of 31?000 at room temperature) radio frequency nanomechanical resonators. The ability to fine-tune intraplatelet mechanical properties through chemical modification and to locally activate direct carbon-carbon bonding within carbon-based nanomaterials will transform these systems into true "materials-by-design" for nanomechanics.     

铜/钢爆炸焊接头界面组织及力学性能研究

为了揭示铜/钢爆炸焊接的结合机理,采用光学显微镜(OM)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和纳米压痕仪等对T2纯铜/Q245钢爆炸焊接头结合界面组织和微力学性能进行了分析.结果表明:T2纯铜/Q245钢爆炸复合板结合界面呈现较规则的正弦波形,界面结合良好,界面处原子发生强烈扩散,形成了过饱和铜钢固溶体;界面不同区域固溶体微力学性能不同,纳米硬度在2.02~3.08 GPa,弹性模量在129.6~172.1 GPa;由界面弹性模量分布云图可知,固溶体层连续分布在界面上,由于界面原子扩散程度不同,部分区域的固溶体层厚度很薄,在光镜下很难识别,而在波峰处固溶体则比较明显.固溶体的弹性模量均比铜基体的大,其原子键合强度强于铜基体原子,在一定程度上增强了界面的结合强度,从而使界面的结合强度高于铜基体;爆炸焊接头的拉剪试验断裂位置均位于铜侧,也证实了界面结合强度高于铜基体的强度。     

Stress distribution in a segmented coating film on metal fibre under tensile loading

When a coating film on a metal fibre or wire is brittle, it exhibits multiple-fracture under loading. In order to describe the exerted tensile stress on the segments of a coating film as a function of the distance from the end of the segments and as a function of applied stress, a new approximate calculation method is presented, assuming that the interfacial bonding strength is high enough and no interfacial debonding occurs. Using the present calculation method, effects of geometrical factors such as fibre diameter, thickness of coating film and length of segment as well as those of mechanical factors such as Young's modulus, shear modulus and the yield stress of the fibre and the coating film on the exerted tensile stress on the segments and also on the exerted shear stress at the interface are described in a quantitative manner.     

The synthesis of graphene nanoribbon and its reinforcing effect on poly (vinyl alcohol)

The graphene nanoribbon was prepared from the carbon nanotubes using the chemical approach, and was used for preparing the poly (vinyl alcohol) nanocomposites. It was discovered that the prepared graphene nanoribbon contained a lot of oxygen groups. Due to the presence of these oxygen groups, the nanoribbon could homogeneously disperse in both water and poly (vinly alcohol) matrix. It was also found that there were strong interactions between the graphene nanoribbon and the poly (vinyl alcohol) through hydrogen bonding. The interactions gave rise to the thermal stability of the host polymer. Furthermore, the presence of the nanofiller also resulted in a significant improvement of the mechanical performance of the prepared nanocomposites. The tensile strength and the Young’s modulus of the nanocomposite loaded with 2.0 wt% graphene nanoribbon increased by 85.7% and 65.2% respectively. The overall results indicate that the graphene nanoribbon is suitable for preparing high-performance polymer composites.     

Fabrication of advanced “green” composites using potassium hydroxide (KOH) treated liquid crystalline (LC) cellulose fibers

Advanced green composites having excellent strength and stiffness were fabricated using liquid crystalline (LC) cellulose fibers and soy protein isolate (SPI) resin. Further, LC cellulose fibers were treated with potassium hydroxide (KOH) to improve their tensile strength and Young’s modulus by increase the crystallinity of cellulose. The improvements were significant when the treatment was carried out while keeping the fibers under tension. The Young’s modulus (stiffness) of the LC cellulose fibers increased by about 33 % from 47.8 to 63.7 GPa and the strength increased by about 18 % from 1483 MPa to 1749 MPa. X-ray diffraction (XRD) study of the LC cellulose fibers showed over 50 % increase in crystallinity after the KOH treatment. The mechanical properties of the LC cellulose fiber-reinforced composites were also high and improved further when the KOH treated fibers were used. With 65 % fiber volume it should be possible to obtain composites with strength above 1020 MPa and modulus of over 37 GPa, making them truly advanced green composites that could be used for structural applications.     

Effect of fiber surface modification on the mechanical and water absorption characteristics of sisal/polyester composites fabricated by resin transfer molding

Sisal fibers were subjected to various chemical and physical modifications such as mercerization, heating at 100 °C, permanganate treatment, benzoylation and silanization to improve the interfacial bonding with matrix. Composites were prepared by these fibers as reinforcement, using resin transfer molding (RTM). The mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural and impact strength were examined. Mercerized fiber-reinforced composites showed 36% of increase in tensile strength and 53% in Young’s modulus while the permanganate treated fiber-reinforced composites performed 25% increase in flexural strength. However, in the case of impact strength, the treatment has been found to cause a reduction. The water absorption study of these composites at different temperature revealed that it is less for the treated fiber-reinforced composites at all temperatures compared to the untreated one. SEM studies have been used to complement the results emanated from the evaluation of mechanical properties.     

Highly enhanced mechanical properties in Cu matrix composites reinforced with graphene decorated metallic nanoparticles

This study investigated the preparation and mechanical performance of graphene/metal composites using Ni nanoparticles decorated graphene nanoplatelets (Ni-GPLs) as a reinforcing component in Cu matrix (Ni-GPL/Cu). Ni-GPLs consisting of well-dispersed Ni nanoparticles strongly attached on GPLs were successfully synthesized by chemically reducing Ni ions on the surface of GPLs. The Ni-GPL/Cu composites with only 0.8 vol% Ni-GPLs exhibited a significant improvement in ultimate tensile strength (UTS), being 42 % higher than that of monolithic Cu. The significant strength enhancement is attributed to the unique structure of Ni-GPLs, which was expected to generate a good dispersion and strong GPL–Cu interfacial bonding. The UTS of 0.8 vol% GPL/Cu composites was even lower than that of the monolithic Cu due to the GPL aggregates. The obtained results indicated that Ni-GPLs are novel and effective reinforcing components for greatly improving the mechanical properties of the graphene/metal composites.     

Structural biocomposites from flax – Part II: The use of PEG and PVA as interfacial compatibilising agents

Flax fibre, pre-treated in a 2-step process with a chelating agent for calcium followed by a commercial pectinolytic enzyme preparation, was modified with either PVA (poly(vinyl acetate)) or PEG (poly(ethylene glycol)). After treatment the fibres were found to have undergone surface and bulk chemical changes, identified through near infra-red spectroscopy (NIR) and differential thermo gravimetry (DTG). Changes to the linear density of the fibre were also found to have occurred. Modification with PVA and PEG did not result in any change in the fibre Young’s modulus, but did result in a loss in tensile strength of about 15%, accompanied by an increase in the coefficient of variation from around 10% to 25%, indicating structural change to the fibre. When used as reinforcement in an epoxy matrix composite, an increase in the composite’s Young’s modulus from ≈4.5 GPa to 5.5 GPa was observed, accompanied by a reduction in tensile strength, strain to failure and work-of-fracture. It is believed that the PVA and PEG modify the interfacial behaviour in these systems, improving fibre and matrix adhesion.     

Tensile properties of thermally exposed aluminium borate whisker reinforced 6061 aluminium alloy composite

Abstract

The effect of thermal exposure on the tensile properties of aluminium borate whisker reinforced 6061 aluminium alloy composite was studied. The interfacial reaction was investigated by TEM and the mechanical properties were studied using tensile tests. The results indicated that the interfacial reaction had an influence on the mechanical properties of the composite, so that the maxima of Young’s modulus and ultimate tensile strength of the composite after exposure at 500°C for 10 h were obtained for the optimum degree of interfacial reaction. The yield strength, however, was not only affected by the interfacial state but also by many other factors.