Fabrication and mechanical properties of fine-tungsten-dispersed alumina-based composites

The mechanical properties and microstructure of fine-tungsten-dispersed alumina-based composites, which were fabricated by hot pressing a mixture of fine α-Al2O3 and W powders, have been investigated. Small W particles of approximately 140 nm average size were located within the Al2O3 matrix grains. The mechanical properties were influenced by the metal content and sintering conditions. When the appropriate W content and sintering condition were selected (typically 5–10 vol% W and sintered at 1400°C), the fracture strength was enhanced compared with that of monolithic Al2O3. The metal content dependence of Young's modulus and the Vickers hardness did not obey the rule of mixtures. This may be attributed to the presence of localized residual stress caused by the incorporation of fine W dispersion into Al2O3. On the other hand, high-temperature (1600°C) sintering caused degradation in the properties of the composites due to the grain growth and chemical reaction of W dispersion, which was revealed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. The relations between fabrication condition and mechanical properties are discussed. This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Quasi-static and dynamic mechanical responses of hybrid laminated composites based on high-density flexible polyurethane foam

Hybrid laminated composites were fabricated based on high-density flexible polyurethane foam and reinforced with inter/intra-ply hybrid laminates. Transient responses of hybrid composites under quasi-static and dynamic loadings with various thicknesses and expansion factors were comparatively investigated. Experimental results revealed that foam cell collapse and hybrid laminates rupture were dominant mechanisms of energy absorption. Interlaminar stress and composite tensile strength determined the compressive potential energy and double-peak behavior. Quasi-static bursting and puncture resistances exhibited totally different relationships to various constructions and expansion factors. Energy dissipation capacity is influenced more significantly by the constant rate of transverse (CRT) puncture than dynamic puncture process. CRT puncture resistance is superior to the corresponding dynamic puncture resistance for all constructions. The hybrid laminated composites contributes to eliminate more than 95% of the incident force in the drop weight impact test. Compared with non-laminated panel, the hybrid laminated composites exhibited higher resistance to static and dynamic loadings.     

Flexural properties and dynamic mechanical properties of glass fibre-epoxy composites

The viscoelastic behaviour of glass fibre (GF)-epoxy composites was studied by flexural tests and dynamic mechanical measurements. In relation, the influence of surface treatment of GF on viscoelastic behaviour was also examined. Using the results of flexural tests under a variety of constant temperature and strain rate, master curves of flexural strength () and flexural strain () were obtained for matrix epoxy and GF composites. The magnitudes of the master curves were different between matrix epoxy and GF composites. The fracture mode was influenced by temperature, strain rate, and G F surface treatment. The magnitude of storage modulus and effectiveness of adhesion at the GF-matrix interface were also influenced by GF surface treatment. Relationship between the results of flexural strain and loss modulus were considered for GF composites.     

Fabrication of magnesium based composites reinforced with carbon nanotubes having superior mechanical properties

Magnesium (Mg) composite reinforced with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) having superior mechanical properties was fabricated using both pure Mg and AZ61 Mg alloy matrix in this study. The composites were produced via powder metallurgy route containing wet process using isopropyl alcohol (IPA) based zwitterionic surfactant solution with unbundled CNTs. The produced composites were evaluated with tensile test and Vickers hardness test and analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD). As a result, only with AZ61 Mg alloy matrix, tensile strength of the composite was improved. In situ formed Al₂MgC₂ compounds at the interface between Mg matrix and CNTs effectively reinforced the interfacial bonding and enabled tensile loading transfer from the Mg matrix to nanotubes. Furthermore, it was clarified that the microstructures and grain orientations of the composite matrix were not significantly influenced by CNT addition.     

甘蔗渣纤维增强聚丙烯复合材料的制备和力学性能

利用注射成型制备了甘蔗渣纤维增强聚丙烯复合材料, 分析了纤维质量分数、 注射成型条件以及添加物对复合材料力学性能的影响。结果表明, 随着纤维质量分数的增加, 材料的弯曲模量呈递增趋势。由于甘蔗渣纤维热降解的发生, 材料的力学性能随筒体温度的增加呈下降趋势。在模具温度90℃、 注射间隔时间30s、 不同的筒体温度185℃和165℃的成型条件下, 材料的弯曲性能和冲击强度分别呈现最大值。添加了马来酸酐改性聚丙烯后, 材料的弯曲强度和冲击强度得到了提高。      

Fabrication and mechanical properties of steel–steel composites

Metal matrix composites based on a low carbon steel matrix reinforced with high carbon steel wires have been fabricated by a combined cold and hot rolling process. Both continuously and discontinuously aligned composites have been produced. A subsequent heat treatment allowed the formation of martenisitc, bainitic or pearlitic wires in a ferrite predominantly matrix. The optimum wire microstructure giving a composite with high strength and reasonable ductility was found to be bainitic — martensitic wires were found to contain microcracks that gave poor composite strengths and ductilities. The discontinuous wire composites produced similar strengths to the continuous composites only when they were deformed to give a wire aspect ratio greater than 20. The strengths of both types of composites showed a good fit to the rule of mixtures as the volume fraction of fibers was increased.     

Fabrication,characterization and mechanical properties of SiC-whisker-reinforced Y-TZP composites

The microstructure and mechanical properties of hot-pressed yttria-stablized tetragonal zirconia polycrystals (Y-TZP) reinforced with up to 30 vol % SiC whiskers were investigated. The homogeneously dispersed and fully dense SiC whisker/Y-TZP composites were fabricated by wet-mixing the constitutents and uniaxially hot-pressing the resulting powder. The grain size of the matrix depended on the whisker volume fraction and the hot-pressing temperature. The significant increase of fracture toughness of about MPa m^1/2 at 10 Vol % SiC and a small increase in strength were achieved by uniformly dispersing the whiskers in the Y-TZP matrix. Fracture surfaces revealed evidence of toughening by the mechanisms of crack deflection, pullout, and crack bridging by the whiskers and also a phase transformation of ZrO₂. The observed increase in the fracture toughness of Y-TZP due to the addition of SiC whiskers was correlated with existing models of toughening mechanisms. Good agreement was achieved between the theoretical predictions and the experimental toughness values, obtained from the Y-TZP/SiC_w composites.     

连续长玻璃纤维/聚氨酯复合材料的制备与力学性能

以三羟基聚醚多元醇（PPG）、二苯基甲烷二异氰酸酯（MDI）作为软段和硬段,玻璃纤维（GF）为增强体,采用预聚体法制备自交联型GF/聚氨酯（PU）复合材料。借助旋转式黏度计、DMA、SEM、XRD和万能力学试验机等分析检测手段,研究了PU预聚体聚合温度、适用期、物相及GF含量等因素对GF/PU复合材料力学性能的影响。结果表明:PU预聚体聚合温度为50℃,GF含量为55wt%时,GF/PU复合材料综合性能最优,拉伸强度、弯曲强度和冲击韧性分别为794 MPa、846 MPa和228 kJ/m2,动态力学性能损耗因子（tanδ）峰值为0.59。      

Hybridization effect on the mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties of curaua composites

This study aims to evaluate the performance of curaua/glass hybrid composites focusing on mechanical and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Composites with distinct glass/curaua fiber loading ratios were studied. Flexural strength and modulus, impact strength and Barcol hardness increased for higher glass fiber content. The same was found for storage and loss modulus. The activation energy of the relaxation process in the glass transition region showed a maximum for the all-glass composite, corroborating with the results of concentration of elastic chains (υ_e). Cole-Cole plots were obtained and found to follow the same trend regardless of the glass content, whereas peak height and peak width at half-height were maximum for the all-glass composite.     

Fabrication and mechanical properties of aramid/nylon plain knitted composites

The presence of fibre/matrix interfaces strongly influences the overall mechanical properties of composites. In order to produce fully recyclable fiber reinforced composites with improved adhesion properties, polyethylene and polypropylene materials were previously used as single-polymer composite materials. In this paper, another breed of single-polymer composite material has been defined as the ‘one-unity’ composite. Polyamide materials were chosen and combined with aramid fibre in an attempt to achieve better interfacial bonding. Weft-knitting technique was used to produce textile reinforcements for aramid/nylon composite processing. Aramid/epoxy knitted composites were also fabricated to compare them with aramid/nylon thermoplastic composites. Mechanical properties of aramid/nylon and aramid/epoxy composites and their relationships to the fibre/matrix interfacial adhesion and interactions have been investigated. With the increase in processing time, tensile modulus and strength of aramid/nylon composites have increased and decreased, respectively. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopic observations clearly indicated that longer molding time has resulted in stronger adhesion property between fiber and matrix. Aramid/nylon knitted composites have revealed comparable strength property in the course direction, albeit they have inferior tensile strength in the wale direction when compared to that in aramid/epoxy composites. In aramid/nylon knitted composites, while tensile modulus exhibited an increasing trend, there were clear drops in tensile strengths with longer molding time. This indicates that there could be an optimum molding condition at which maximum tensile properties can be obtained. Aramid/nylon knitted composites exhibited relatively better interfacial bonding properties than Aramid/epoxy composites, which suffered fibre/matrix debonding.     

Static and dynamic mechanical properties of Arundo Donax fillers-epoxy composites

Aim of this work is to investigate the feasibility of using a natural and inexpensive filler obtained by grinding the culms of Arundo Donax as reinforcement of epoxy resins. The effect of the content and size of Arundo Donax fillers on static and dynamic mechanical properties was evaluated showing that the composites exhibit higher tensile moduli, comparable flexural moduli and lower strength properties in comparison to the neat resin. Moreover, changes in the storage and the loss moduli only above the glass transition temperature (i.e. in the rubbery region) were found while neither significant shifts of tan δ peaks to higher temperatures nor reductions in the peak height of the composites were also observed. To better understand the influence of Arundo Donax filler on the morphology of the composites, the analysis of the fractured surfaces using a scanning electron microscope and the assessment of void content were carried out. The results of this study shown that a new natural filler may be considered as possible reinforcement of epoxy composites useful in semi-structural applications.     

Fabrication and mechanical properties of well-dispersed multiwalled carbon nanotubes/epoxy composites

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)/epoxy nanocomposites were fabricated by using ultrasonication and the cast molding method. In this process, MWCNTs modified by mixed acids were well dispersed and highly loaded in an epoxy matrix. The effects of MWCNTs addition and surface modification on the mechanical performances and fracture morphologies of composites were investigated. It was found that the tensile strength improved with the increase of MWCNTs addition, and when the content of MWCNTs loading reached 8 wt.%, the tensile strength reached the highest value of 69.7 MPa. In addition, the fracture strain also enhanced distinctly, implying that MWCNTs loading not only elevated the tensile strength of the epoxy matrix, but also increased the fracture toughness. Nevertheless, the elastic modulus reduced with the increase of MWCNTs loading. The reasons for the mechanical property changes are discussed.     

Fabrication of toughened Cf/SiC whisker composites and their mechanical properties

In this paper, dense short carbon fiber reinforced silicon carbide matrix composites had been fabricated by hot-pressed (HP) sintering using Al₂O₃ and La₂O₃ as sintering additives. The results showed that the combination of Al₂O₃ and La₂O₃ system was effective to promote densification of short cut carbon fiber reinforced silicon carbide composites (Cf/SiC). The whisker structure of silicon carbide was formed during the annealed treatment at 2023 K for 1 h. However, it was noted that this structure was not observed in the as-received HP material. The mechanism of forming whisker structure was not clear, but this kind of whisker structure was helpful to improve mechanical properties. The combination of grain bridging, crack deflection and whisker debonding would improve the fracture toughness of the Cf/SiC composites.     

Effect of compatibilization on mechanical and thermal properties of polypropylene–soy flour composites

A new biobased composite was developed by adding soy flour (SF) to polypropylene (PP). This composite shows an enhanced tensile strength and modulus but decrease in elongation at break. The compatibilizer (coupling agent) appears to have a synergistic effect on tensile strength. The presence of the compatibilizer improves the dispersion of SF in the PP matrix. The addition of glycerol plasticizer to the composite improves the processability resulting in improved performance, as compared to composites without glycerol plasticizer. The optimal compatibilizer content appears to be 6%.     

Processing and mechanical characterization of lightweight polyurethane composites

A simple procedure was established to fabricate polyurethane-cenosphere particulate composite materials. Composites having four different volume fractions of cenospheres (hollow ceramic microspheres) ranging from 10 to 40% in increments of 10% were prepared and their mechanical properties were evaluated. A predictive model to estimate the fracture toughness of the composite was developed. The dynamic constitutive behavior of the composite in compression was investigated using the split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) technique in conjunction with high-speed photography. The results of the material characterization indicated that addition of cenospheres decreased the density of the composite. The quasi-static stiffness, both in tension and compression, and the quasi-static fracture toughness of the composite increased with addition of cenospheres. The high strain rate constitutive behavior of 100% polyurethane showed monotonic stiffening whereas the composite at higher cenosphere volume fractions (40%) exhibited a stiffening-softening-stiffening behavior. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) studies were also carried out to determine the failure mechanisms of the composite.     

Structural,thermal, mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties of cenosphere filled polypropylene composites

Polypropylene (PP)/cenosphere based composites were fabricated and characterized for their structural/morphological and mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural, impact and dynamic mechanical properties such as storage and loss moduli as a function of temperature. The morphological attributes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) while the thermal characterizations were done by conducting differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA). The morphological investigations have revealed a uniformly distributed/dispersed state of the cenosphere in the bulk PP matrix of the composites. The WAXD/DSC studies have revealed a decrease in crystallinity of the composites with increase in cenosphere content. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) revealed an enhancement in the energy dissipation ability of the composite with 10 wt.% of cenosphere and an increase in the storage modulus up to ∼30% in the composites relative to the soft PP-phase. The tensile modulus increased up to ∼43% accompanied by a nominal decrease in tensile strength while the strain at break remained largely unaffected. The impact strength of the composites marginally reduced compared to PP indicating a low-cost material-concept with maximized stiffness–toughness combination. The theoretical modeling of the tensile data revealed appreciable extent of phase-adhesion despite the cenospheres lack any surface modification indicating better extent of mechanical interlocking and surface-compatibility between polymer and filler. Fractured surface morphology indicated that the failure mode of the composites undergoes a switch-over from matrix-controlled shear deformation to filler-controlled quasi-brittle modes above a cenosphere loading of 10 wt.% in the composites.     

Chemical functionalization of graphene oxide for improving mechanical and thermal properties of polyurethane composites

Graphene oxide (GO) was chemically functionalized to prepare polyurethane (PU) composites with improved mechanical and thermal properties. In order to achieve a well exfoliated and stable GO suspension in an organic solvent (dimethylformamide, DMF), 4, 4′-methylenebis(phenyl isocyanate) and polycaprolactone diol, which were the two monomers for synthesizing PU, were selectively used to functionalize GO. The obtained functionalized GO (FGO) could form homogeneous dispersions in DMF solvent and the PU matrix, as well as provide a good compatibility with the PU matrix. The most efficient improvement of mechanical properties was achieved when 0.4 wt.% FGO was added into the PU matrix, showing increases in the tensile stress, elongation at break and toughness by 34.2%, 27.6%, and 64.5%, respectively, compared with those of PU. Regarding the thermal stability, PU filled with 1 wt.% FGO showed the largest extent of improvement with T_2% and T_50% (the temperatures at which 2% and 50% weight-loss happened) 16 °C and 21 °C higher than those of PU, respectively. The significant improvement in both mechanical properties and thermal stability of FGO/PU composites should be attributed to the homogeneous dispersion of FGO in the PU matrix and strong interfacial interaction between them.     

Water sorption and mechanical properties of acrylic based composites

Four commercial bisphenol-glycidilmethacrylate based composites used mainly for dental applications have been investigated. Differential thermal analysis performed on samples aged in water for different times indicated a small residual monomer reactivity which disappeared after ageing. A further crosslinking reaction facilitated by water plasticization and a monomer loss could be the main reasons for such 8 phenomenon. The embrittlement of these materials with ageing time has been detected from flexural mechanical properties. Water sorption/desorption experiments have been performed on G!! the materials studied at different temperatures. The decrease of diffusion coefficients with increasing water content together with the microscopic analysis of the fracture surfaces demonstrated good filler/matrix adhesion for all the four composites. The decrease of water diffusion coefficients with time for Miradapt, Silar and Adaptic has been explained on the base of the presence in the polymeric networks of different density regions due to inhomogeneous polymerization. This hypothesis is also in line with the Miradapt, Silar and Adaptic hysteresis phenomena observed in the sorption/desorption cycles.     

Fabrication of textured Ti_2AlC lamellar composites with improved mechanical properties

Textured Ti_2AlC lamellar composites have been successfully fabricated by a new method in the present work. The composites exhibit high compressive strength of ca 2 GPa, fracture toughness of 8.5 MPa m1/2(//c-axis), flexural strength of 735 MPa(//c-axis) and high hardness of 7.9 GPa(//c-axis). The strengthening mechanisms were discussed. The sintering and densification process was investigated and crystal orientation and microstructure were studied by electron backscattered diffraction techniques. The synthesis temperature is reduced to 1200?C by using high surface-to-volume ratio Ti_2AlC nano flakes. The Lotgering orientation factor of Ti_2 AlC and Ti_3 AlC_2{00 l} planes in the textured top surface reaches 0.74 and 0.49, respectively. This new route may shed light on resolving the difficulties encountered in large scale fabrication of textured MAX phases.