X-ray diffraction studies of poly(aryl ether ether ketone) fibers with different degrees of crystallinity and orientation

A selection of commercially available poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibers with different degrees of molecular alignment and crystallinity have been investigated utilizing a wide range of techniques including optical microscopy, infrared spectroscopy together with thermal and wide-angle X-ray diffraction techniques. Annealing experiments showed increased molecular alignment and crystallinity as shown by the increased values of birefringence and melting enthalpies. Crystallinity values determined from thermal analysis, density, unpolarized infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction are compared and discussed in terms of the inherent capabilities and limitations of each measurement technique. The birefringence and refractive index values obtained from optical microscopy are found to decrease with increasing wavelength of light used in the experiments. The wide-angle X-ray diffraction analysis shows that the samples with relatively low orientation possess oriented non-crystalline array of chains whereas those with high molecular orientation possess well defined and oriented crystalline array of chains along the fiber axis direction. X-ray analysis showed increasing crystallite size trend with increasing molecular orientation. SEM images showed micro-cracks on low oriented fiber surfaces becoming smooth on highly oriented fiber surfaces. Excellent bending characteristics were observed with knotted fibers implying relatively easy fabric formation.     

An in depth study of crystallinity, crystallite size and orientation measurements of a selection of poly(ethylene terephthalate)fibers

A selection of commercially available poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibers with different degrees of molecular alignment and crystallinity have been investigated utilizing a wide range of techniques including optical microscopy, infrared spectroscopy together with thermal and wide-angle X-ray diffraction techniques. Annealing experiments showed increased molecular alignment and crystallinity as shown by the increased values of birefringence and melting enthalpies. Crystallinity values determined from thermal analysis, density, unpolarized infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction are compared and discussed in terms of the inherent capabilities and limitations of each measurement technique. The birefringence and refractive index values obtained from optical microscopy are found to decrease with increasing wavelength of light used in the experiments. The wide-angle X-ray diffraction analysis shows that the samples with relatively low orientation possess oriented non-crystalline array of chains whereas those with high molecular orientation possess well defined and oriented crystalline array of chains along the fiber axis direction. X-ray analysis showed increasing crystallite size trend with increasing molecular orientation. SEM images showed micro-cracks on low oriented fiber surfaces becoming smooth on highly oriented fiber surfaces. Excellent bending characteristics were observed with knotted fibers implying relatively easy fabric formation.     

Influence of temperature on the bending properties and failure mechanism of 3D needle-punched carbon/epoxy composites

This paper presents the three-point bending properties of 3D needle-punched composites with two fiber architectures at room and elevated temperatures. The influences of temperature and fiber architectures on the load/deflection curves, bending strength and bending stiffness are analyzed. Macro-Fracture morphology and SEM micrographs are examined to understand the damage and failure mechanism. The results show that the bending properties of plain structure needle-punched composites are superior to those with non-woven structure. Meanwhile, the bending properties of composites decrease significantly with the increase of testing temperature. Moreover, the damage and failure patterns of composites vary with fiber architecture and testing temperatures. For the plain structure, 90 ° and 0 ° fiber bundles can bear the load together. At room temperature, the composite shows brittle fracture feature and exhibits local damage with matrix cracking, breakage and tearing of the fibers. While at a higher temperature, the composite shows less fracture and becomes more softened and plastic. It damages with matrix cracking, falling off and plastic deformation, fiber layer/web delaminating, and interface debonding.     

Compatibilizing effects of polypropylene-g-itaconic acid on the polypropylene composites

We prepared long carbon fiber (LCF)-reinforced thermoplastic composites using a compatibilizer of itaconic acid grafted polypropylene (PP-g-IA). We confirmed the structure of PP-g-IA and investigated the compatibilizing effects of PPg- IA on LCF/polypropylene composites. The tensile strength, tensile moduli, flexural strength, and flexural moduli of the composites increased with increasing PP-g-IA content in the thermoplastic composites. Using single pull-out analyzing system, we found PP-g-IA improved interfacial strength between the carbon fiber and PP matrix. The thermal properties of the composites were measured by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). We could observe that LCF enhanced the mechanical properties and thermal decomposition temperature of the polypropylene (PP) composites, compared with neat PP. The fractured surfaces of PP/PP-g-IA/LCF composites showed that PP-g-IA was effective for improving the interfacial adhesion between LCF and PP matrix.     

Photoluminescence electrospun membranes of poly(aryl ether)s with hydrophobicity

Photoluminescence electrospun fibers were prepared from poly(aryl ether)s solutions. The porosity and wrinkle fibers could be observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effect of solution properties on fiber surface morphologies was studied. Meanwhile, the rough fiber surfaces could make the electrospun membranes possess water repellency. The contact angles of electrospun membranes for water were around 140°. The emission spectra of these membranes indicated that the fibers exhibited multi-color including sapphire blue, olive green and rose red. It could provide a proposal for improving flexible optoelectronic devices based on electrospun membranes of conjugated polymers.     

Confocal microscopy measurement of the fiber orientation in short fiber reinforced plastics

To determine three-dimensional fiber orientation states in injection-molded short fiber composites a CLSM (Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope) is used. Since the CLSM optically sections the composites, more than two cross-sections either on or below the surface of the composite can be obtained. Three dimensional fiber orientation states can be determined with geometric parameters of fibers on two parallel cross-sections. For experiment, carbon fiber reinforced polystyrene is examined by the CLSM. Geometric parameters of fibers are measured by image analysis. In order to compactly describe fiber orientation states, orientation tensors are used. Orientation tensors are determined at different positions of the prepared specimen. Three dimensional orientation states are obtained without the difficulty in determining the out-of-plane angles by utilizing images on two parallel planes acquired by the CLSM. Orientation states are different at different positions and show the shell-core structure along the thickness of the specimen.     

Three dimensional fiber orientation distribution in two dimensional flows

The orientation of a fiber suspended in planar or axi-symmetric flow was solved. Direct relation between the single fiber orientation and the orientation distribution was found. It gives a simple way to solve the fiber orientation distribution problem. It is found that the fiber orientation distribution does not depend on the magnitude of the velocity gradient of the flow, but depends on the relative magnitude of the velocity gradient components. In 2D flows, initially random 3D oriented fibers show great probability to align with a specific direction in the flow plane. The fiber orientation distribution evolutions in various 2D flows were also presented in an intuitional way. It provides thorough understanding about the fiber orientation in 2D flows, and functions as a benchmark to those approximations.     

Effect of PTMEG on the mechanical and flame retardance behaviour of novolac phenolic based CFRP

The objective of this work was to study the effect of addition of Poly tetramethylene ether glycol (PTMEG) on the mechanical and flame retardance behaviour of novolac phenolic/carbon fiber composites (NPCC). The miscibility of PTMEG and novolac phenolic resin was studied using DSC. Both modified and unmodified novolac phenolic resins were characterised for chemical structure using FTIR. The 8 wt% PTMEG/NPCC yielded 39 % increase in impact strength compared to that of unmodified NPCC. Void content of the composites were measured. Both NPCC and PTMEG blended NPCC were tested for tensile strength (UTS), flexural strength (FS), inter laminar shear strength (ILSS) and impact strength. Also morphological studies were carried out using SEM. The UTS, FS, ILSS and impact strength of the modified NPCC showed better results at 8 wt% of PTMEG without any compromise on the flame retardancy. The fracture surface examination showed good adhesion between the fiber and the matrix in the modified NPCC.     

Effect of Ni-coated short carbon fibers on the mechanical and electrical properties of epoxy composites

Ni-coated short carbon fibers (Ni-SCFs) were prepared using an electrodeposition method. Short carbon fiber (SCF) reinforced epoxy composites were prepared by changing the fiber content (0.1–0.7 wt%). To investigate the effect of Ni-coated short carbon fibers on the mechanical and electrical properties of the composites, we prepared two kinds of reinforcements: the short carbon fibers treated by 400 °C (400 °C treated SCFs) and Ni-SCFs. Fracture characteristics of the composites revealed the Ni coatings and the epoxy matrix had a better interface, so that the results of tensile and bending strength were better in epoxy/Ni-SCFs composites than those in epoxy/400 °C treated SCFs composites. The 400 °C treated SCFs decreased the electrical resistivity of the epoxy composites, compared to the pure epoxy. However the epoxy/Ni-SCFs composites had lower electrical resistivity than epoxy/400 °C treated SCFs with the same fiber content.     

Thermal conductivity and thermal expansion behavior of pseudo-unidirectional and 2-directional quasi-carbon fiber/phenolic composites

In the present paper, a variety of fiber reinforcements, for instance, stabilized OXI-PAN fibers, quasi-carbon fibers, commercial carbon fibers, and their woven fabric forms, have been utilized to fabricate pseudo-unidirectional (pseudo-UD) and 2-directional (2D) phenolic matrix composites using a compression molding method. Prior to fabricating quasi-carbon fiber/phenolic (QC/P) composites, stabilized OXI-PAN fibers and fabrics were heat-treated under low temperature carbonization processes to prepare quasi-carbon fibers and fabrics. The thermal conductivity and thermal expansion/contraction behavior of QC/P composites have been investigated and compared with those of carbon fiber/phenolic (C/P) and stabilized fiber/phenolic composites. Also, the chemical compositions of the fibers used have been characterized. The results suggest that use of proper quasi-carbonization process may control effectively not only the chemical compositions of resulting quasi-carbon fibers but also the thermal conductivity and thermal expansion behavior of quasi-carbon fibers/phenolic composites in the intermediate range between stabilized PAN fiber- and carbon fiber-reinforced phenolic composites.     

Effect of fiber length on mechanical behavior of coir fiber reinforced epoxy composites

Fiber reinforced polymer composites have played a dominant role for a long time in a variety of applications for their high specific strength and modulus. The fiber which serves as a reinforcement in reinforced plastics may be synthetic or natural. To this end, an investigation has been carried out to make use of coir, a natural fiber abundantly available in India. Natural fibers are not only strong and lightweight but also relatively very cheap. The present work describes the development and characterization of a new set of natural fiber based polymer composites consisting of coconut coir as reinforcement and epoxy resin as matrix material. The developed composites are characterized with respect to their mechanical characteristics. Experiments are carried out to study the effect of fiber length on mechanical behavior of these epoxy based polymer composites. Finally, the scanning electron microscope (SEM) of fractured surfaces has been done to study their surface morphology.     

Stretching Deformation Mechanism of Polyacrylonitrile-based Carbon Fiber Structure at High Temperatures

In a high-temperature environment, polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fiber (PAN-CF) can be deformed by stretching, where the stretching deformation ability of PAN-CF is enhanced with the increase of the temperature. Further, the hightemperature stretching deformation of PAN-CF directly affects the control of the carbon crystalline orientation. Based on the techniques of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and in situ tension testing, the variation regularity and the intrinsic mechanism of high-temperature stretching deformation ability of PAN-CF obtained at different preparation temperatures were systematically studied in a high-temperature environment. The results indicated that the essence of PAN-CF high-temperature deformation was the relative motion of the carbon crystallite. Further, the main structural parameters that affected the high-temperature stretching deformation ability of PAN-CF were the degree of cross-linking between the carbon crystallites, the orientation angle(OA) of the carbon crystallite and the nitrogen content. When the testing temperature was lower than the preparation temperature, only physical structure changes were observed in the PAN-CF. For the PAN-CF tested undergoing physical structure changes, as the degree of cross-linking between the crystallites and the orientation angle decreased, the slipping of crystallites became easier. In the same environment, as the stretching tension decreased, the stretching deformation ability improved. When PAN-CF was tested under temperatures higher than the preparation temperature, the microcrystalline cross-linking in the PAN-CF was prone to fracture and slipping, and the high-temperature stretching deformation ability was enhanced. Also, for PAN-CF of lower preparation temperatures in PAN-CF containing no nitrogen (i.e., <0.15 wt%), the cross-linkages increased and the structures were more unstable, inducing an increase in the fracture of weak bonds and a reduction of the stretching tension. For nitrogen-containing PAN-CF, the removal of nitrogen led to severe shrinkage in the graphite layer and interlayer, and the fiber tension was thus increased, causing the high-temperature stretching deformation ability of the PAN-CF with less nitrogen content to be improved.     

Matrix modification with silane coupling agent for carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composites

To improve interfacial adhesion between carbon fiber and epoxy resin, the epoxy matrix is modified with N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropylmethyldimethoxysilane (YDH602) and N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (YDH792), respectively. And the effect of matrix modification on the mechanical performance of carbon/epoxy composites is investigated in terms of tensile, flexural and interlaminar properties. The flexural properties indicate that the optimum concentration of silane coupling agents YDH602 and YDH792 for the matrix modification is approximately 0.5 wt% of the epoxy resin system, and the mechanical properties of the YDH792-modified epoxy composites is better than that of the YDH602-modified epoxy composites at the same concentration. Compared to unmodified epoxy composite, the incorporation of 0.5 wt% YDH792 results in an increase of 4, 44 and 42 % in tensile, flexural and interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) values of the carbon/epoxy composite, respectively, while the corresponding enhancement of tensile and flexural modulus is 3 and 15 %. These improvements in mechanical properties can be considered to be an indication of better fiber/matrix interfacial adhesion as confirmed by SEM micrographs of the fracture surface after interlaminar shear testing. The viscosity of the modified epoxy resin system can be reduced by incorporation of silane coupling agent YDH792, which is beneficial for fiber impregnation or wetting during liquid composite molding process.     

Three-dimensional fiber orientation of fiber suspensions flowing through a rotating curved expansion duct

A complete three-dimensional Jeffery equation is solved through both analytical and numerical method to obtain the orientation evolution of a single fiber rotating in a shear flow. The orientation evolutions of a single fiber under different conditions are given. A more complete model for the simulation of fiber orientation is presented and combined with the Runge-Kutta algorithm to obtain the evolution of fiber orientation in the fiber suspensions through a rotating curved expansion duct. The numerical results show that the evolution of fiber orientation along the duct in different cross-sections is quite different. The fiber orientations change drastically in the vicinity of the inlet and then change slowly along the flow direction. The inlet velocity has little effect on the evolution of fiber orientation, but a great effect on the trajectory of the fiber. The effect of the initial fiber orientation on the evolution of fiber orientation is contrary to that of inlet velocity. The effect of rotation rate on the evolution of fiber orientation is much smaller than that of inlet velocity. Near the concave wall region the smaller the fiber aspect ratio is, the more drastically the fibers swing. The fibers near the centerline and the convex wall region do not show a swing. Studying such complex flow will beneficially contribute to reach a better understanding of flow properties in many important manufacturing processes to make composites.     

Potential of using polyester reinforced coconut fiber composites derived from recycling polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste

Unsaturated polyester resin synthesized from glycolyzed product of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste was used as a matrix to form coconut fiber/polyester composites. PET wastes were recycled through glycolysis and polyesterification reaction to produce a formulation for unsaturated polyester resin (UPR). FTIR spectra of glycolyzed product and prepared resin revealed that cross-links between unsaturated polyester chain and styrene monomer occurred at the saturated sites which resulted in the forming of cross linking network. To improve the adhesion between coconut fiber and polyester resin, various concentrations of alkali, silane and silane on alkalized fiber were applied and the optimum concentration of treatments was determined. The influence of water uptake on the sorption characteristics of composites was studied via immersion in distilled water at room temperature. Surface treatment of coconut fiber caused a significant increase in the tensile properties with the optimum treatment is 0.5 % silane on the 5 % alkalized coconut fiber/polyester composites. It was also observed that the treated fiber composites showed lower water absorption properties in comparison to those of untreated fiber composites. This observation was well supported by the SEM investigations of the fracture surfaces. From the study, it was concluded that polyester reinforced coconut fiber composites derived from recycling polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste may have the potential application in the fields of construction and automotive interior substrates.     

Mechanical properties of denim fabric reinforced poly(lactic acid)

Denim, a twilled cotton fabric, was used to enhance the mechanical and thermal properties of poly(lactic acid) (PLA). The denim fabric reinforced composites with different numbers of denim layers were fabricated by using a hand layup method. The impact, tensile, and dynamic mechanical properties of the composites were observed with increasing denim layers to examine the reinforcing effect of denim fabrics. Numerical analysis was carried out to model the elastic modulus of the composite by using a commercial software. Three-dimensional geometry of the denim fabric reinforced PLA composite was generated through a CAD program, and the elastic modulus was calculated by applying uniform deformation on one surface. The impact strength, tensile strength, and thermal properties of the composites were improved by piling denim fabrics. The denim fabric reinforced composites exhibited outstanding impact strength due to the retarded crack propagation as well as large energy dissipation. The 3 layer denim reinforced composite showed best results among all specimens, and its impact strength, tensile strength, and tensile modulus were measured to be 82 J/m, 75.76 MPa, and 4.65 GPa, respectively. The PLA/denim composites have good mechanical properties and can substitute traditional composites such as glass fiber or carbon fiber reinforced composites.     

Surface treatments of jute fabric: The influence of surface characteristics on jute fabrics and mechanical properties of jute/polyester composites

In this study, jute fabrics were modified by alkali, micro-emulsion silicon (MS) and fluorocarbon based agents (FA) in order to enhance the interfacial adhesion between the polyester matrix and the jute fiber. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and contact angle measurements were used to characterize fiber surfaces. The effects of various surface treatments on the mechanical and morphological of jute/polyester composites were also studied. All surface treatments were shown to improve the tensile, flexural strengths and interlaminar shear strengths of the composites. Moreover, the maximum improvement in the mechanical properties was obtained for the FA treated jute/polyester composites. SEM micrographs of the tensile fracture surface of jute/unsaturated polyester composites also exhibited improvement of interfacial and interlaminar shear strengths by the alkali, MS and FA treatments of jute fibers.     

Green composites. II. Environment-friendly, biodegradable composites using ramie fibers and soy protein concentrate (SPC) resin

Fully biodegradable and environment-friendly green composite specimens were made using ramie fibers and soy protein concentrate (SPC) resin. SPC was used as continuous phase resin in green composites. The SPC resin was plasticized with glycerin. Precuring and curing processes for the resin were optimized to obtain required mechanical properties. Unidirectional green composites were prepared by combining 65 % (on weight basis) ramie fibers and SPC resin. The tensile strength and Young’s modulus of these composites were significantly higher compared to those of pure SPC resin. Tensile and flexural properties of the composite in the longitudinal direction were moderate and found to be significantly higher than those of three common wood varieties. In the transverse direction, however, their properties were comparable with those of wood specimens. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrographs of the tensile fracture surfaces of the green composite indicated good interfacial bonding between ramie fibers and SPC resin. Theoretical values for tensile strength and Young’s modulus, calculated using simple rule of mixture were higher than the experimentally obtained values. The main reasons for this discrepancy are loss of fiber alignment, voids and fiber compression due to resin shrinking during curing.     

Scalable preparation of multiscale carbon nanotube/glass fiber reinforcements and their application in polymer composites

The introduction of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into conventional fiber to construct a hierarchical structure in polymer composites has attracted great interest owing to their merits of performance improvement and multiple functionalities. However, there is a challenge for realizing the scalable preparation of the multi-scale CNT-glass fiber (CNTGF) reinforcements in practical application. In this work, we present a simple and continuous method of the mass production of multiscale CNT-glass fiber (CNT-GF) reinforcements. Scanning electron microscopy and thermo gravimetric analysis indicated ~1.0 wt% CNTs were highly dispersed on the whole fiber surface through a facile surfactant-assisted process. Such hybrid CNT-GF fillers were found to effectively enhance the stiffness, strength and impact resistance of polypropylene polymer. Increased storage modulus, glass transition temperature and crystallization temperature of the composites filled with the CNT-GF fillers were also observed in the differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis compared with the composites containing the pristine GF fillers. Fracture surface analysis revealed enhanced interfacial quality between CNT-GF and matrix, which is likely responsible for improved performance of the hierarchical polymer composites.     

Mechanical enhancement of UHMWPE fibers by coating with carbon nanoparticles

Fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) is composed of reinforced fibers and matrix resin, and has high specific strength and low-density materials. Because of the orientation of the fibers within them, FRPs are prone to buckling damage when under compression along the axial direction of the fiber, especially flexible organic ones. The compressive performance of FRP is largely dependent on fiber properties. the buckling load of FRP will increase with the increasing of fiber’s. In this study, we developed a way to improve the compressive and bending strength of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and vapor-grown carbon fibers (VGCFs) were coated on the surface of UHMWPE fibers by pyrrole vapor deposition. The transverse compressive strength and bending strength of single UHMWPE fibers were determined by microcompression and single fiber bending measurements, respectively. The experiment result showed that coating UHMWPE fibers with CNTs and VGCFs increased both their transverse compressive strength and bending strength. It is excepted that the improved fiber would applied in FRP for better compressive performance.