Abstract
Fiber-reinforced epoxy materials have the advantages of light weight, high strength and designability, which are widely used in high-technology fields. In this paper, triangular poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) fibers prepared by melt spinning were used for the first time in reinforcing and toughening epoxy resins. Based on intermolecular complexation and plasticization, the triangular PVA fibers were successfully prepared via melt spinning and hot drawing. The thermal properties, crystallinity, morphology and mechanical properties of the triangular fibers with different draw ratios were characterized by DSC, FTIR, XRD, SEM and tensile testing. The results show that the comprehensive performance of the triangular fibers increased with the increase in the draw ratio. The tensile strength of triangular fibers increased from 0.3 to 4.22 cN/dtex. Then, the triangular PVA fiber and circular PVA fiber-reinforced and toughened epoxy materials were prepared, respectively. The mechanical properties of triangular PVA fiber/epoxy composites were higher than that of circular fiber-reinforced and toughened epoxy materials. Furthermore, the single-fiber pull-out test was used to analyze the interface capability of fibers and epoxy. The pull-out force of the circular fiber was 1.24 N, while that of the triangular fiber was 2.64 N. The specific surface area of the triangular PVA fiber was larger than that of the circular PVA fiber, which better made its contact with epoxy and was not easily pulled out. Experiments prove that triangular PVA fiber is an ideal material for strengthening and toughening epoxy resin.
Highlights
Over the last few years, there has been an increase in the use of fiber-reinforced epoxy resins in many areas because of their superior mechanical and physical properties, such as high specific strength and specific stiffness [1]
The results show that the hybrid-fiber-reinforced epoxy composites exhibited better mechanical properties than the individual samples
As a result of the strong hydrogen bonding existing among PVA chains, the melting temperature of PVA was very close to its decomposition temperature, and the melt spinning of PVA was still challenged
Summary
Over the last few years, there has been an increase in the use of fiber-reinforced epoxy resins in many areas because of their superior mechanical and physical properties, such as high specific strength and specific stiffness [1]. Cross-woven fiber glass mats for potential use as low-cost, high-strength, lightweight materials for safety/sports goggles, motorcycle helmets or window armor applications, which outperformed traditional glass-fiber-reinforced epoxy composites in properties while still providing transparency. (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is a polar polymer material with multi-hydroxyl groups, which endow PVA fibers with many good properties, such as high tensile strength, excellent abrasion resistance, anti-alkaline resistance and good adhesive properties with epoxy resin [10,11,12]. PVA fabrics were first used to strengthen and toughen epoxy resin through compression molding, which provided a new type of fiber for reinforcing composites
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