Long jute fiber‐reinforced polypropylene composite: Effects of jute fiber bundle and glass fiber hybridization

Two types of long jute fiber pellet consisting of twisted‐jute yarn (LFT‐JF/PP) and untwisted‐jute yarn (UT‐JF/PP) pellets are used to prepare jute fiber–reinforced polypropylene (JF/PP) composites. The mechanical properties of both long fiber composites are compared with that of re‐pelletized pellet (RP‐JF/PP) of LFT‐JF/PP pellet, which is re‐compounded by extrusion compounding. High stiffness and high impact strength of JF/PP composites are as a result of using long fiber. However, the longer fiber bundle consequently affects the distribution of jute fiber. The incorporation of 10 wt % glass fibers is found to improve mechanical properties of JF/PP composites. Increasing mechanical properties of hybrid composites is dependent on the type of JF/PP pellets, which directly affect the fiber length and fiber orientation of glass fiber within hybrid composites. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41819.     

Short glass fiber reinforced ABS and ABS/PA6 composites: Processing and characterization

In this study acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene (ABS) terpolymer was reinforced with 3‐aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APS)‐treated short glass fibers (SGFs). The effects of SGF concentration and extrusion process conditions, such as the screw speed and barrel temperature profile, on the mechanical properties of the composites were examined. Increasing the SGF concentration in the ABS matrix from 10 wt% to 30 wt% resulted in improved tensile strength, tensile modulus and flexural modulus, but drastically lowered the strain‐at‐break and the impact strength. The average fiber length decreased when the concentration of glass fibers increased. The increase in screw speed decreased the average fiber length, and therefore the tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural modulus, and impact strength were affected negatively and the strain‐at‐break was affected positively. The increase in extrusion temperature decreased the fiber length degradation, and therefore the tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural modulus, and impact strength increased. At higher temperatures the ABS matrix degraded and the mechanical strength of the composites decreased. To obtain a strong interaction at the interface, polyamide‐6 (PA6) at varying concentrations was introduced into the ABS/30 wt% SGF composite. The incorporation and increasing amount of PA6 in the composites broadened the fiber length distribution (FLD) owing to the low melt viscosity of PA6. Tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural modulus, and impact strength values increased with an increase in the PA6 content of the ABS/PA6/SGF systems due to the improved adhesion at the interface, which was confirmed by the ratio of tensile strength to flexural strength as an adhesion parameter. These results were also supported by scanning electron micrographs of the ABS/PA6/SGF composites, which exhibited an improved adhesion between the SGFs and the ABS/PA6 matrix. POLYM. COMPOS. 26:745–755, 2005. © 2005 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Fabrication of long glass fiber reinforced polyacetal composites: Mechanical performance,microstructures, and isothermal crystallization kinetics

A thermoplastic pultrusion was carried out to prepare the long fiber reinforced thermoplastic (LFT) composites based on polyacetal (POM) matrix on the custom‐designed pultrusion equipment. The investigation on mechanical performance revealed that the POM‐based LFT composites achieved much higher tensile, flexural, and impact strength than the short glass fiber reinforced ones at the same fiber loadings. Such a promising reinforcement effect is attributed to the feature that the residual fiber length in the injection‐molded LFT products is greatly superior to that in short fiber reinforced ones. This takes full advantage of the strength of the reinforcing fiber itself. The scanning electronic microscopy demonstrated that the fiber fracture and fiber pull‐out concurred on the tensile and impact fracture surfaces, and the former preceded the latter. The isothermal crystallization kinetics of the POM‐based LFT composites was also intensively studied, and the results indicated that the crystallinity of POM domain was enhanced by the heterogeneous nucleation of glass fiber, but the crystallization rate was postponed due to the interspace restriction toward crystalline growth caused by long glass fiber. These kinetic parameters provided information on the processing conditions of POM‐based LFT composites for the injection and compression molding. POLYM. COMPOS., 36:1826–1839, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

High-dose,intermediate-temperature neutron irradiation effects on silicon carbide composites with varied fiber/matrix interfaces

SiC/SiC composites are promising structural candidate materials for various nuclear applications over the wide temperature range of 300–1000 °C. Accordingly, irradiation tolerance over this wide temperature range needs to be understood to ensure the performance of these composites. In this study, neutron irradiation effects on dimensional stability and mechanical properties to high doses (11–44 dpa) at intermediate irradiation temperatures (?600 °C) were evaluated for Hi-Nicalon Type-S or Tyranno-SA3 fiber–reinforced SiC matrix composites produced by chemical vapor infiltration. The influence of various fiber/matrix interfaces, such as a 50–120 nm thick pyrolytic carbon (PyC) monolayer interphase and 70–130 nm thick PyC with a subsequent PyC (?20 nm)/SiC (?100 nm) multilayer, was evaluated and compared with the previous results for a thin-layer PyC (?20 nm)/SiC (?100 nm) multilayer interphase. Four-point flexural tests were conducted to evaluate post-irradiation strength, and SEM and TEM were used to investigate microstructure. Regardless of the fiber type, monolayer composites showed considerable reduction of flexural properties after irradiation to 11–12 dpa at 450–500 °C; and neither type showed the deterioration identified at the same dose level at higher temperatures (>750 °C) in a previous study. After further irradiation to 44 dpa at 590–640 °C, the degradation was enhanced compared with conventional multilayer composites with a PyC thickness of ?20 nm. Multilayer composites have shown comparatively good strength retention for irradiation to ?40 dpa, with moderate mechanical property degradation beginning at 70–100 dpa. Irradiation-induced debonding at the F/M interface was found to be the major cause of deterioration of various composites.     

Regenerated cellulose fibers as impact modifier in long jute fiber reinforced polypropylene composites: Effect on mechanical properties,morphology, and fiber breakage

Polypropylene/jute fiber (PP‐J) composites with various concentrations of viscose fibers (VF) as impact modifiers and maleated polypropylene (MAPP) as a compatibilizer have been studied. The composite materials were manufactured using direct long fiber thermoplastic (D‐LFT) extrusion and compression molding. The effect of fiber length, after the extrusion process, on composites mechanical performance and toughness was investigated. The results showed that the incorporation of soft and tough VF on the PP‐J improved the energy absorption of the composites. The higher impact strength was found with the addition of 10 wt % of the impact modifier, but the increased concentration of the impact modifier affected the tensile and flexural properties negatively. Similarly, HDT values were reduced with addition of viscose fibers whereas the addition of 2 wt % of maleated polypropylene significantly improved the overall composite properties. The microscopic analysis clearly demonstrated longer fiber pullouts on the optimized impact modified composite. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41301.     

Mechanical properties of injection molded long fiber polypropylene composites,Part 1: Tensile and flexural properties

Innovative polymers and composites are broadening the range of applications and commercial production of thermoplastics. Long fiber‐reinforced thermoplastics have received much attention due to their processability by conventional technologies. This study describes the development of long fiber reinforced polypropylene (LFPP) composites and the effect of fiber length and compatibilizer content on their mechanical properties. LFPP pellets of different sizes were prepared by extrusion process using a specially designed radial impregnation die and these pellets were injection molded to develop LFPP composites. Maleic‐anhydride grafted polypropylene (MA‐g‐PP) was chosen as a compatibilizer and its content was optimized by determining the interfacial properties through fiber pullout test. Critical fiber length was calculated using interfacial shear strength. Fiber length distributions were analyzed using profile projector and image analyzer software system. Fiber aspect ratio of more than 100 was achieved after injection molding. The results of the tensile and flexural properties of injection molded long glass fiber reinforced polypropylene with a glass fiber volume fraction of 0.18 are presented. It was found that the differences in pellet sizes improve the mechanical properties by 3–8%. Efforts are made to theoretically predict the tensile strength and modulus using the Kelly‐Tyson and Halpin‐Tsai model, respectively. POLYM. COMPOS., 28:259–266, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastic Engineers     

Study on mechanical properties of powder impregnated glass fiber reinforced poly(phenylene sulphide) by injection molding at various temperatures

The prepreg of continuous glass fiber reinforced poly(phenylene sulphide) (PPS) was prepared using the powder impregnation technique and cut into the pellets, in which the length of glass fibers was the same as the pellets. After injection molding, the mechanical properties were tested and the effects of the pellet length, fiber content, and thermal treatment on the mechanical properties at different temperatures were studied. It is found that the tensile strength and flexural strength of 6‐mm pellet sample are slightly higher than that of 3‐ and 12‐mm pellet samples. The tensile strength, flexural strength, and modulus decrease significantly with increasing the temperature. The notched Izod impact strength at 85ºC is higher than both at 25ºC and 205ºC. At 205ºC, the glass fiber reinforced PPS composites can still keep better mechanical properties. When the fiber content ranges from 0 to 50%, the mechanical properties increase with increasing the fiber contents at different temperatures, except the notched Izod impact strength do not further increase at 145 and 205ºC with raising the fiber content from 40 to 50%. Thermal treatment could improve the mechanical properties of the composites at higher serving temperature. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

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).     

Pultruded fiber reinforced thermoplastic poly(methyl methacrylate) composites. Part II: Mechanical and thermal properties

A novel process has been developed to manufacture poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) pultruded parts. The mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties, environmental effects, postformability of pultruded composites and properties of various fiber (glass, carbon and Kevlar 49 aramid fiber) reinforced PMMA composites have been studied. Results show that the mechanical and thermal properties (i.e. tensile strength, flexural strength and modulus, impact strength and HDT) increase with fiber content. Kevlar fiber/PMMA composites possess the highest impact strength and HDT, while carbon fiber/PMMA composites show the highest tensile strength, tensile and flexural modulus, and glass fiber/PMMA composites show the highest flexural strength. Experimental tensile strengths of all composites except carbon fiber/PMMA composites follow the rule of mixtures. The deviation of carbon fiber/PMMA composite is due to the fiber breakage during processing. Pultruded glass fiber reinforced PMMA composites exhibit good weather resistance. They can be postformed by thermoforming, and mechanical properties can be improved by postforming. The dynamic shear storage modulus (G′) of pultruded glass fiber reinforced PMMA composites increased with decreasing pulling rate, and G′ was higher than that of pultruded Nylon 6 and polyester composites.     

Physical,mechanical, and water absorption behavior of coir/glass fiber reinforced epoxy based hybrid composites

Fiber reinforced polymer composites has been used in a variety of application because of their many advantages such as relatively low cost of production, easy to fabricate, and superior strength compare to neat polymer resins. Reinforcement in polymer is either synthetic or natural. Synthetic fiber such as glass, carbon, etc. has high specific strength but their fields of application are limited due to higher cost of production. Recently there is an increase interest in natural composites which are made by reinforcement of natural fiber. In this connection, an investigation has been carried out to make better utilization of coconut coir fiber for making value added products. The objective of the present research work is to study the physical, mechanical, and water absorption behavior of coir/glass fiber reinforced epoxy based hybrid composites. The effect of fiber loading and length on mechanical properties like tensile strength, flexural strength, and hardness of composites is studied. The experimental results reveal that the maximum strength properties is observed for the composite with 10 wt% fiber loading at 15 mm length. The maximum flexural strength of 63 MPa is observed for composites with 10 wt% fiber loading at 15 mm fiber length. Similarly, the maximum hardness value of 21.3 Hv is obtained for composites with 10 wt% fiber loading at 20 mm fiber length. Also, the surface morphology of fractured surfaces after tensile testing is examined using scanning electron microscope (SEM). POLYM. COMPOS., 35:925–930, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Effect of fiber type on mechanical properties of short carbon fiber reinforced B4C composites

In order to enhance the mechanical properties of B₄C without density increase, the short carbon fibers M40, M55J and T700 reinforced B₄C ceramic composites were fabricated by hot-pressing process. The addition of the carbon fibers accelerates the densification of the B₄C, decreases their densities, and improves their strength and toughness. The enhancement effects of the three kinds of carbon fibers were studied by investigating the density, Vickers hardness and the mechanical properties such as flexural strength, flexural modulus and fracture toughness of the composites. The fiber type has a great influence on the mechanical properties and enhancement of the short carbon fiber reinforced B₄C composites. The flexible carbon fiber with high strength and low modulus such as T700 is appropriate to reinforce the B₄C matrix ceramic composites.     

Compatibilizer Assistant SCF/ABS Composites with Improved Mechanical Properties Prepared by Fused Deposition Modeling

A random terpolymer copolymer of styrene, acrylonitrile and glycidyl methacrylate (SAG) was used as compatibilizer to improve the interfacial adhesion of short carbon fiber (SCF)/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) composites. Effects of SAG on the structural and mechanical properties of fused deposition modeling (FDM) printed composites were investigated. The results showed the addition of SAG could effectively improve the interfacial adhesion between SCF and ABS matrix, whereas slightly decrease average length of SCF and degrade the adhesion quality among deposited filaments. As a result, the tensile and flexural properties of FDM printed composites initially increased and then decreased with the SAG content.     

Processing and properties of solution impregnated carbon fiber reinforced polyethersulfone composites

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites are attractive because of their high stiffness and strength‐to‐weight ratios. In order to fully utilize the stiffness and strength of the reinforcement fiber, it is necessary to bring the polymer matrix and the reinforcement fiber together with homogeneous wetting. In this paper, a solution processing technique and the mechanical properties of carbon fiber reinforced polyethersulfone composites were investigated. The polymer was dissolved in cyclopentanone and fed onto a continuous carbon fiber tow using a drum winder. The solution‐processed composite prepregs were then layed up and compression molded into unidirectional composite panels for evaluation. The composite samples showed uniform fiber distribution and reasonably good wetting. The longitudinal flexural modulus was as high as 137 GPa, and longitudinal flexural strength 1400 MPa. In addition, the effects of polymer grade and processing conditions on the mechanical properties of the composites were discussed. It is suggested that the transverse properties and interlaminar fracture toughness could benefit from higher polymer matrix molecular weight. A careful design in the spatial distribution of the molecular weight would be necessary for practical applications.     

Electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness and mechanical sliding behavior for electroless nickel/phosphorous–poly(tetrafluoroethylene) codeposition on carbon fiber/acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene composites

Poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) powders were mounted on an electroless nickel/phosphorous (Ni/P) film on the surface of a carbon fiber by an electroless codeposition method. This type of carbon fiber filler, denoted FENCF, was then compounded with acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) for use in electromagnetic interference shielding. For the suspension of the PTFE powders, a surfactant was used. Although the adhesion between the electroless Ni/P–PTFE films and the fiber was reduced, the PTFE powders on the surface of FENCF reduced the torque values when compounded into the ABS matrix because of a self‐lubricating effect. The two‐step FENCF composites exhibited particularly significant advantages. The torque values for the two‐step FENCF/ABS composites were about one‐half of those for carbon fiber/ABS composites in compounding processes; in addition, the former had an average mean fiber length almost 2.5 times that of the latter. The multiyield phenomena in stress–strain curves of FENCF/ABS composites implied that the PTFE powders mounted on Ni/P films slid during stress–strain action. The electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness of FENCF/ABS composites did not decrease significantly even though the PTFE powders formed a discontinuous phase on the electroless Ni/P films. The mechanical properties of FENCF composites were enhanced because of the larger fiber length. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 85: 1661–1668, 2002     

Effects of wheat straw fiber content and characteristics,and coupling agent concentration on the mechanical properties of wheat straw fiber‐polypropylene composites

Wheat straw fiber‐polypropylene (PP) composites were prepared to investigate the effects of wheat straw fiber content (10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 wt %), fiber size (9, 28, and 35 mesh), and maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) concentration (1, 2, 5, and 10 wt %) on the static and dynamic mechanical properties of the wheat straw fiber‐PP composites in this study. The tensile modulus and strength of the composites increased linearly with increasing wheat straw fiber content up to 40%, whereas the elongation at break decreased dramatically to 3.78%. Compared with the composites made of the longer wheat straw fiber, the composites made of the fines (>35 mesh) had a slightly higher tensile strength of 31.2 MPa and tensile elongation of 5.39% at break. With increasing MAPP concentration, the composites showed an increase in tensile strength, and the highest tensile strength of 34.0 MPa occurred when the MAPP concentration reached 10 wt %. As wheat straw fiber content increased from 0 to 40%, the flexural modulus of the composites increased gradually from 1335 to 3437 MPa. The MAPP concentration and wheat straw fiber size distribution had no appreciable effect on the static flexural modulus of the composites. The storage flexural modulus of the composites increased with increasing wheat straw fiber content. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation on the fracture surface of the composites indicated that a high wheat straw fiber content (>30 wt %) resulted in fiber agglomeration and a reduction in interfacial bonding strength. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Mechanical and high velocity impact performance of a hybrid long carbon/glass fiber/polypropylene thermoplastic composite

This research explores mechanical and high velocity impact response of hybrid long carbon/glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene thermoplastic composites (HLFT) with different fiber lengths. The work examines three hybrid long fiber thermoplastic composites, i.e., 5, 10 and 20 mm. The HLFTs were prepared by a combination of extrusion and pultrusion processes and using a cross-head die. Tensile and Izod impact tests were carried out to evaluate the mechanical performance of each HLFT compound. A gas gun with a spherical projectile was used to conduct high velocity impact tests at three velocities of 144, 205 and 240 m/s. The results showed that internal mixing operation caused extensive reduction in fiber length of all three LFT lengths. Tensile strength, modulus and Izod impact test results were the indications of higher values with increase in HLFT length. Comparison of these results for the HLFT with that of corresponding glass/PP LFTs, adopted from earlier work by Shayan Asenjan et al. (J Compos Mater 53:353–360, 2019), showed better performance of HLFT. The high velocity impact results showed a steady higher impact performance with the increase in HFLT fiber length for all impact velocities tested. Comparison of HLFT high velocity impact performance revealed better results for all impact velocities tested with that of the corresponding glass/PP LFT composite.     

Preparation and mechanical performance of ductile Csf/Al2O3-BN composites,Part 1: Effects of fiber length and sintering temperature

Since its invention, alumina ceramics have been extensively investigated for potential various applications. However, their intrinsic brittle nature is still an insurmountable obstacle when they are applied as structural components. This paper provides a simple routs to prepare ductile alumina based composites with the addition of chopped carbon fiber (C_sf/Al₂O₃-BN). Effects of fiber length and sintering temperature on the microstructure, phase composition, mechanical properties together with fracture behavior were systematically investigated. The results showed that composites with mixed fiber lengths of 12 mm and 1 mm exhibited homogeneous microstructure and striking enhancement in mechanical performances compared with composites with other fiber length. With the increase in sintering temperature from 1500 °C to 1650 °C, interfacial bonding strength increased and interface state converted from mechanical interlocking at 1500 °C into chemical bonding at 1650 °C. Chemical reaction in the composites degraded carbon fiber properties, which resulted in the decrease in mechanical performance of the composites.     

SiC fiber reinforced geopolymer composites,part 1: Short SiC fiber

In this paper, short SiC fiber (SiC_sf) reinforced geopolymer composites (SiC_sf/geopolymer) were prepared and effects of fiber contents and lengths on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the composites were investigated. In-situ crack growth was carried out to study the fracture behavior and toughening mechanism of the composites. The results showed that SiC_sf/geopolymer composite developed weak interfacial bonding state through mechanical interlocking rather than chemical interfacial reaction. The presence of SiC_sf not only enhanced both flexural strength and work of fracture, but also prevented the catastrophic failure as seen in neat geopolymer. When fiber content was 2.0 vol% with length of 5 mm, the composite obtained the highest flexural strength and work of fracture, which were 5.6 and 63 times as high as those of neat geopolymer, respectively. In-situ crack growth together with fractographs showed that toughening mechanisms of the composite included formation and propagation of microcracks, crack deflection, fiber debonding and significant pulling-out.     

Mechanical properties and foaming behavior of cellulose fiber reinforced high‐density polyethylene composites

This article investigates the effects of fiber length and maleated polymers on the mechanical properties and foaming behavior of cellulose fiber reinforced high‐density polyethylene composites. The results from the mechanical tests suggested that long fibers provided higher flexural and impact properties than short fibers. In addition, the maleated high‐density polyethylene increased flexural strength significantly, while the maleated thermoplastic elastormers increased notched Izod impact strength dramatically. On the other hand, the results from the extrusion foaming indicated that the composites with long and short fibers demonstrated similar cell morphology, i.e., a similar average cell size and cell size distribution. However, the addition of maleated high‐density polyethylene caused an increase of the average cell size and cell size distribution in the composites. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2009. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Hybrid effect on mechanical properties of M40‐T300 carbon fiber reinforced Bisphenol A Dicyanate ester composites

Interply and intraply hybrid composites based on Bisphenol A Dicyanate ester (BADCy), high strength carbon fibers T300, and high modulus carbon fibers M40 were prepared by monofilament dip‐winding and press molding technique. The tensile, flexural, interlaminar shear properties and SEM analysis of the hybrid composites with different fiber content and fiber arrangement were investigated. The results indicated that the mechanical properties of intraply hybrid composites were mainly determined by fiber volume contents. When the ratio of fiber volume content was close to 1:1, the intraply hybrid composites possessed lowest tensile and flexural strength. The mechanical properties of interply hybrid composite mainly depended on the fiber arrangement, instead of the fiber volume contents. The hybrid composites using T300 fiber layout as outside layer possessed high flexural strength and low flexural modulus, which was close to that of T300/BADCy composites. The hybrid composites ([(M40)_x/(T300)_y]_S) using M40 fiber layout as outside layer and T300 fibers in the mid‐plane had high flexural modulus and interlaminar shear strength. POLYM. COMPOS., 2010. © 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers