Wear resistance and friction coefficient of nano-SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> and ash-filled HDPE/lignocellulosic fiber composites

This work comparatively evaluates the effect of nano-SiO₂ (at 2 and 3 wt%), rice husk and bagasse ash (at 5 and 10 wt%) on the wear resistance and friction coefficient of HDPE (high-density polyethylene)/lignocellulosic fiber composites. Rice husk and bagasse fibers at 50% by weight contents were mixed with HDPE and 2% maleic anhydride-grafted polyethylene as compatibilizer. SEM images showed a fairly appropriate connection between the polymer matrix and fillers. We found that the fillers improve the wear resistance, and the effect of nano-SiO₂ is more pronounced. The rice husk ash showed a better performance compared to the bagasse ash, probably due to greater SiO₂ content measured by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. In contrast to nano-SiO₂, both ashes had a reducing effect on other mechanical strengths (Izod impact resistance, modulus of elasticity and modulus of rupture). All fillers remarkably increased the water absorption and thickness swelling. The water uptake of composites increased after wear.     

Product design with glass fiber reinforced polymer blends,with potential applications in recycling

This paper addresses the issue of compositional variation in multiphase, multi-component polymer mixtures equivalent to those found in commingled waste streams, such as those obtained from reclamation/recycling operations of post-consumer containers. By using virgin resins, the effects of variations in the composition of matrices containing high density polyethylene (HDPE) as the major phase on the properties of composites containing varying amounts of glass fiber and different adhesion promoters are studied. The results obtained on injection molded thin-section parts indicate that it is possible, through the addition of glass fibers and in the presence of suitable adhesion promoters, to obtain enhanced and reproducible properties with relatively little dependence on matrix composition. Preliminary structural and flow analyses were performed with commercial software on different types of plastic parts that could be eventually molded from actual mixed waste plastics suitably modified through glass reinforcement. Experimentally generated rheological and mechanical property data on HDPE based blends containing 20 wt% glass fibers and different adhesion promoters were used for the simulation. Issues concerned with injection molding and product performance of glass-fiber reinforced blends are discussed.     

钢纤维／聚合物复合材料性能研究

以HDPE和ABS为基体树脂，钢纤飨为填充材料制备了钢纤维／聚合物复合材料，研究了钢纤维含量和长径比对复合材料导电性能，力学性能和导热性能的影响，考察了重复加工次数与纤维长径比和复合材料性能的关系。     

Catalytic grafting: A new technique for polymer/fiber composites. II. Plasma treated UHMPE fibers/polyethylene composites

In this paper, the catalytic grafting technique for preparation of polymer/fiber composites is extended to plasma treated ultra-high modulus polyethylene (UHMPE) fiber/high density polyethylene (HDPE) system. The OH groups introduced on the UHMPE fiber surface by oxygen plasma treatment were used to chemically anchor Ziegler-Natta catalyst which then was followed by ethylene polymerization on the fiber surface. The morphology and interfacial behavior, as well as the mechanical properties, of the HDPE composites reinforced by catalytic grafted or ungrafted UHMPE fibers were investigated by SEM, DSC, polarized light optical microscopy, and tensile testing. The experimental results show that the polyethylene grafted on the fibers acted as a transition layer between the reinforcing UHMPE fibers and a commercial HDPE matrix. The interfacial adhesion was also significantly improved. Compared with the composite reinforced by ungrafted UHMPE fibers, the composite reinforced by catalytic grafted UHMPE fibers exhibits much better mechanical properties.     

Mechanical properties of glass fiber/organic fiber mixed–mat reinforced thermoplastic composites

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of different types of fibers on the mechanical properties of hybrid composite materials. Long and short glass fibers (GF) and different types of organic fibers, viz. aramid fiber, DuPont Kevlar‐49 (KF), liquid crystalline polymer (LCP), and vinylon (VF) in hybrid composites, were used to reinforced the high density polyethylene (HDPE) matrix. The long fiber hybrid composites were prepared in a “fiber separating and flying machine,” while the short fiber hybrid composites were prepared in an “elastic extruder.” The total amount of fibers used in both long and short fiber hybrid composites was fixed at 20 vol%. The influence of fiber content, length, and mixing ratio on mechanical properties, such as tensile, bending, Izod and high rate impact strength, as well as viscoelastic propertics in the solid state, was studied. Fracture surfaces of the materials were also examined using a scanning electron microscopy.     

Processing-microstructure-property relationship in conductive polymer nanocomposites

The processing-microstructure-property relationship in conductive polymer nanocomposites was investigated. Nanocomposites of vapor grown carbon nanofiber (VGCNF)/high density polyethylene (HDPE) with different levels of nanofiber dispersion were formulated by changing the nanocomposites’ compounding temperature. Direct (SEM and optical microscopy) and indirect methods (linear viscoelastic properties) were used to characterize the dispersion of nanofiller. VGCNF aspect ratio before and after mixing was measured. Increasing processing temperature was found to increase the nanofiller agglomeration and reduce the breakage of nanofiller because of the decrease in the mixing shear stress and energy. The electrical and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding properties of the VGCNF/HDPE nanocomposites decreased with increase in processing temperature from 180 °C to 220 °C because the increase in the agglomeration of VGCNF was more significant than the preservation of the VGCNF aspect ratio. This finding does not mean that the increase in processing temperature will always lead to decrease in the electrical conductivity and EMI shielding properties for all polymer composites. For some composites, it is possible to preserve the filler aspect ratio enough so that the increase in agglomeration is less of a factor.     

Evaluation of wood fiber composites based on a novel simultaneous defibration and compounding process

The distinctive length and morphology characteristics of thermomechanical produced wood fibers make it a promising candidate for the utilization in polymer composites. However, due to the low bulk density of these fibers, the feeding into the compounding process (i.e., extruders) is quite challenging. In this study, a novel simultaneous defibration and compounding process are conducted in order to solve the feed‐in problem of thermomechanical fibers. A disc‐refiner was used to defibrate wood chips to fibers and compound the fibers with neat polymer granulates in one process step. After the process, the material showed typically thermomechanical fibers with chopped polymer particles which were inseparably attached to the fiber. The observed mechanical properties of the composites were slightly lower than some literature values. With field emission scanning electron microscopy and X‐ray microtomography analysis, voids and a polymer enriched surface were found influencing the composites performance. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 45859.     

Tensile properties of carbon filled liquid crystal polymer composites

Electrically and thermally conductive resins can be produced by adding carbon fillers. Mechanical properties such as tensile modulus, ultimate tensile strength, and strain at ultimate tensile strength are vital to the composite performance in fuel cell bipolar plate applications. This research focused on performing compounding runs followed by injection molding and tensile testing of carbon filled Vectra A950RX liquid crystal polymer composites. The four carbon fillers investigated included an electrically conductive carbon black, thermocarb synthetic graphite particles, and two carbon fibers (Fortafil 243 and Panex 30). For each different filler type, resins were produced and tested that contained varying amounts of these single carbon fillers. The carbon fiber samples exhibited superior tensile properties, with a large increase in tensile modulus over the base polymer, and very low drop in the ultimate tensile strength as the filler volume fraction was increased. The strain at the ultimate tensile strength was least affected by the addition of the Panex carbon fiber but was significantly affected by the Fortafil carbon fiber. In general, composites containing synthetic graphite did not perform as well as carbon fiber composites. Carbon black composites exhibited poor tensile properties. POLYM. COMPOS., 29:15–21, 2008. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Interfacial,dynamic mechanical,and thermal fiber reinforced behavior of MAPE treated sisal fiber reinforced HDPE composites

The present article summarizes an experimental study on the mechanical and dynamic mechanical behavior of sisal fiber reinforced HDPE composites. Variations in mechanical strength, storage modulus (E′), loss modulus (E″), and damping parameter (tan δ) with the addition of fibers and coupling agents were investigated. It was observed that the tensile, flexural, and impact strengths increased with the increase in fiber loading up to 30%, above which there was a significant deterioration in the mechanical strength. Further, the composites treated with MAPE showed improved properties in comparison with the untreated composites. Dynamic mechanical analysis data also showed an increase in the storage modulus of the treated composites The tan δ spectra presented a strong influence of fiber content and coupling agent on the α and γ relaxation process of HDPE. The thermal behavior of the composites was evaluated from TGA/DTG thermograms. The fiber–matrix morphology in the treated composites was confirmed by SEM analysis of the tensile fractured specimens. FTIR spectra of the treated and untreated composites were also studied, to ascertain the existence of type of interfacial bonds. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 3306–3315, 2006     

Wood‐fiber/high‐density‐polyethylene composites: Compounding process

The compounding process directly influenced the compounding quality of wood–polymer blends and finally affected the interfacial bonding strength and flexural modulus of the resultant composites. With 50 wt % wood fiber, the optimum compounding parameters for the wood‐fiber/high‐density‐polyethylene blends at 60 rpm were a temperature of 180°C and a mixing time of 10 min for the one‐step process with a rotor mixer. The optimum compounding conditions at 90 rpm were a temperature of 165°C and a mixing time of 10 min. Therefore, a short compounding time, appropriate mixing temperatures, and a moderate rotation speed improved the compounding quality of the modified blends and the dynamic mechanical properties of the resultant composites. The melt torque and blend temperature followed a polynomial relationship with the loading ratio of the wood fiber. The highest melt torque and blend temperature were obtained with 50% wood fiber. The coupling treatment was effective for improving the compatibility and adhesion at the interface. The two‐step process was better than the one‐step process because the coupling agents were more evenly distributed at the interface with the two‐step process. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 2570–2578, 2004     

Effect of compounding on the properties of short fiber reinforced injection moldable thermoplastic composites

The mechanical properties of short-fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites depend on the degree of interfacial bond strength between the fibers and polymer matrix. This interfacial bond strength can be increased by appropriate coupling agents. This study shows, for example, that an amino silane coupling agent improves the bond strength of nylon-aluminum fiber composites, but not polycarbonate-aluminum fiber composites. For cases where appropriate coupling agents are not available it is important to maintain as high a fiber aspect ratio as possible in a molded part. This study shows that a single screw compounder does less damage to glass or carbon fibers than a twin screw compounder under similar processing conditions when the polymer is in the form of pellets. When the polymer is supplied as a powder, satisfactory dry blends can be produced and the twin screw compounder does less damage to the fibers. In both cases, however, fibers initially 6 mm long are reduced to an average length less than 0.5 mm. The greatest degree of fiber size retention was observed when extrusion coated fiber pellets were used in the injection molding machine. The relationship between a fiber's tensile strength and the interfacial shear strength between a fiber and matrix yields a critical fiber aspect ratio below which the maximum reinforcing capability of the fibers are not being utilized. For the polymers investigated in this program, the critical aspect ratio for carbon fibers was found to be between 16 and 25 to 1. The polymers investigated include flame-retardant grades of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and poly(phenylene oxide)/polystyrene blend, nylon 6/6 and poly(phenylene sulfide).     

Anisotropy in mechanical and dynamic properties of composites based on carbon fiber filled thermoplastic elastomeric blends of natural rubber and high density polyethylene

The effects of short carbon fibers on static and dynamic properties of thermoplastic elastomeric blends of natural rubber (NR) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) have been studied. Both mechanical and dynamic properties are dependent on fiber concentration. The fiber aspect ratio ranges from 20 to 30. Adhesion between fiber and matrix is evident from the SEM photomicrographs of the failed composites and from variation of relative damping properties. Fiber orientation occurring during processing causes anisotropy in the physical properties. In composites with longitudinally oriented fibers, tensile failure occurs by both fiber pullout and breakage, while in composites with transversely oriented fibers, matrix failure dominates. The incorporation of fibers into the matrix lowers the tan δ_max value, but no change in glass transition temperature is observed.     

Study of the flexural modulus of natural fiber/polypropylene composites by injection molding

Effect of fiber compression on flexural modulus of the natural fiber composites was examined. The kenaf, bagasse, and polypropylene were mixed into pellets, and composites were fabricated by injection molding. To predict flexural modulus of the composites, the Young's modulus of kenaf and bagasse fiber were measured. Using the obtained Young's modulus, the flexural modulus of the composites was predicted by Cox's model that incorporates the effect of fiber compression. It was found that those fibers with high Young's modulus were more compressed than that with low Young's modulus. Moreover, the distribution of fiber length and orientation in the composites were also investigated. To calculate the orientation factor for the prediction model, the distribution function of fiber orientation was determined to a triangular function. The flexural modulus of the composites increased with increase of volume fraction. The predicted values were in good agreement with the experimental values. Furthermore, it was revealed by SEM that the porous structure of the natural fibers was compressed. The fiber compression ratio (3.6) in bagasse was higher than that in kenaf (1.4) due to the difference in porous structure. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 911–917, 2006     

Natural fiber suspensions in thermoplastic polymers. I. Analysis of fiber damage during processing

The final properties of the composites materials are strongly dependent on the residual aspect ratio, orientation, and distribution of the fibers, which are determined by the processing conditions. Present work is a systematic study of the influence of natural fiber concentration on its damage during all the steps involved in the composite compounding. The system under study is cellulose fiber‐reinforced polypropylene. The fiber geometrical parameters—length, diameter, and aspect ratio—are measured, and their statistical distributions are assessed for different concentrations. It is found that the higher the fiber concentration, the lower the fiber damage. These results evidence a difference in behavior between the damage of flexible natural fiber and rigid ones. The results are analyzed in terms of fiber concentration regimes, fiber–fiber interaction, flexibility, and entanglements. Two competitive mechanisms of the fiber interaction are proposed for explaining the fiber damage behavior during the flow of the flexible natural fiber suspensions. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 2501–2506, 2007     

Evaluation of multiwalled carbon nanotubes as reinforcement for natural fiber‐based composites

This paper presents the effects of multi‐walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) as reinforcing agent on some properties of natural fiber/polypropylene composites. In the sample preparation, MWCNT contents and fiber types (bagasse stalk and poplar) were used as variable parameters. The composites with different MWCNT contents were fabricated by melt compounding in a twin‐screw extruder and then by injection molding. The mass ratio of the wood flour to polymer was 40/60 (w/w). The mechanical properties of composites in terms of tensile, flexural, and Izod impact strength were evaluated. The morphology of the specimens was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. Based on the findings of this study, it appears that mechanical properties reached the maximum when 2.5 wt% MWCNT were used. However, addition of 3.5 wt% MWCNT could not enhance the mechanical properties considerably. TEM micrographs showed that at high level of MWCNT loading (3.5 wt%) increased population of MWCNT leads to agglomeration and stress transfer gets blocked. The mechanical properties of composites filled with poplar fibers were generally greater than bagasse stalk composites. POLYM. COMPOS., 37:3269–3274, 2016. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers     

The physical and mechanical properties of polymer composites filled with Fe‐powder

In this study, the effect of Fe powder on the physical and mechanical properties of high density polyethylene (HDPE) was investigated experimentally. HDPE and HDPE containing 5, 10, and 15 vol % Fe metal–polymer composites were prepared with a twin screw extruder and injection molding. After this, fracture surface, the modulus of elasticity, yield and tensile strength, % elongation, Izod impact strength (notched), hardness (Shore D), Vicat softening point, heat deflection temperature (HDT), melt flow index (MFI), and melting temperature (T_m) were determined, for each sample. When the physical and mechanical properties of the composites were compared with the results of unfilled HDPE, it was found that the yield and tensile strength, % elongation, and Izod impact strength of HDPE decreased with the vol % of Fe. As compared with the tensile strength and % elongation of unfilled HDPE, tensile strength and % elongation of 15 vol % Fe filled HDPE were lower, about 17.40% and 94.75% respectively. On the other hand, addition of Fe into HDPE increased the modulus of elasticity, hardness, Vicat softening, MFI, and HDT values, such that 15 vol % Fe increased the modulus of elasticity to about 48%. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2006     

Characterization of the interphase in carbon fiber/polymer composites using a nanoscale dynamic mechanical imaging technique

The interphase of fiber reinforced polymer composites is a narrow region around the fiber, and the mechanical performance of a composite strongly depends on the properties of the interphase. The interphase of carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites (CFRPs) is difficult to quantitatively characterize because of its nanometer dimension. To solve this problem, we present a nanomechanical imaging technique for mapping the dynamic mechanical property around the interphase region in CFRPs, and for providing nanoscale information of the interfacial dimension. The experimental results show that this method can determine the width and topography of the interphase with nanoscale lateral resolution, based on the storage modulus profile on the cross section of the composite. The average interphase thicknesses of a T300 carbon fiber/epoxy resin composite and a T700 carbon fiber/bismaleimide resin composite are 118 nm and 163 nm, respectively, and the size of interphase is uneven in width and “river-like”, which is consistent with the surface topography of the carbon fibers. Furthermore, the effect of water-aging on the interphase of the T300/epoxy composite was analyzed using the in situ imaging technique. An increase in the interphase width and interface debonding were revealed, implying a degradation in the interphase region.     

Polymerization compounding of HDPE/Kevlar composites. I. Morphology and mechanical properties

The aim of this work is to perform the polymerization compounding to improve the properties of Kevlar/PE composites. The approach consists in involving the surface of a reinforcement in a polymerization process of a polymer to be used either as a matrix in the final composite or as a special surface treatment to enhance solid/polymer interface properties in the composite. The polymerization compounding process is illustrated here with the polyaramid fibers as reinforcements and polyethylene as a matrix. The number of active sites on the fiber surface, initially insufficient to anchor the catalyst, were increased by a hydrolysis reaction prior to the polymerization. The anchored catalyst was subsequently used to conduct the Ziegler–Natta polymerization reaction of ethylene. The modified fibers were incorporated into the polyethylene resin to produce composites at fiber concentrations as high as 15 wt%. The morphology of the fibers and the composites was tested using electron microscopy. Finally, the mechanical properties of the composites (in impact and tensile tests) were measured to characterize the properties of model composites. Polym. Compos. 27:129–137, 2006. © 2006 Society of Plastics Engineers.     

Effect of the various coupling agents on the mechanical and physical properties of thermoplastic‐bagasse fiber composites

Various types of bonding agents have been tried with blends of bagasse fibers and some thermoplastics such as low‐density polyethylene (LDPE), high‐density polyethylene (HDPE), polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). These bonding agents are, namely, pentaerythritol tetracrylate (PETA), 1,6 hexandiol diacrylate (HDA), and dicumyl peroxide (DCP). In addition, a traditional coupling agents 3‐aminopropyltrimethoxy silane (AMPS) and di‐aminopropyltrimetoxy silane (DAMPS) were included for comparison. Electron beam (EB) irradiation is applied only for LDPE and HDPE at 40 and 10 kGy, respectively, before mixing with bagasse fibers. The data obtained reveal that incorporation of bonding agents remarkably increases the mechanical properties for all samples under investigation; the maximum improvement is observed in LDPE followed by HDPE, PP, PS, and PVC composites. Also, the physical properties enhanced but not at the same degree as mechanical properties. Among the tested bonding agents, it was found that PETA, DCP followed by DAMPS have highest efficiency in LDPE, whereas in case of HDPE, EB radiation was higher than PETA followed by DCP. PETA was superior in case of PS composites. Furthermore, PETA and HDA experienced higher efficiency than DAMPS and AMPS in case of PP and PVC composites. Comparison between the properties of thermoplastic composites and medium density fiberboard (MDF) reveals that most of the properties of thermoplastics composites are better than MDF. However, modulus of rupture of MDF was found to be slightly higher than thermoplastics except for PVC composite. POLYM. COMPOS., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Morphological and physicomechanical analysis of high‐density polyethylene filled with Salago fiber

The environmental issues associated with the mass discarding of waste plastics in the Philippines have significantly raised for the past decade. However, this country is a home to many natural fibers which necessitates the development of ecofriendly materials to diminish the environmental footprint of polymers. High‐density polyethylene (HDPE) was filled with floured untreated and 5 wt % alkaline‐treated Salago fiber via melt compounding. The physical and mechanical characteristics of both types of composites were measured and compared. The composite filled with 30 wt % untreated fiber became very brittle, showing tensile strength and impact resistance of 15.8 MPa and 4.9 kJ/m², respectively. Alkaline treatment improved the mechanical properties of untreated composites, but not above the value of virgin HDPE. Nevertheless, the flexural strength of treated composites exceeded that of the virgin HDPE. Untreated composites absorbed water twice as the treated ones. Finally, morphological and fractography inspection on tensile and flexural test specimens showed improvement made by treatment on the interfacial adhesion between fiber and thermoplastic, corroborating the results from mechanical properties test. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46479.