Barcol Hardness Research Articles

Ultraviolet cross‐linked ultra‐high molecular weight polyethylene fiber laminate: Preparation and mechanism analysis for its excellent mechanical properties

AbstractThe development of high‐performance ultra‐high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fiber laminate is of great significance in the field of bulletproof materials. However, due to the poor heat resistance of UHMWPE fibers, it is challenging to achieve exceptional mechanical properties in laminates prepared via hot‐pressing. In this study, we employ a self‐made ultraviolet (UV) cross‐linked fully drawn yarn of UHMWPE (UVFDY), which exhibits excellent heat resistance, to prepare a UVFDY/unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) laminate through hot‐pressing. The laminate possesses outstanding mechanical properties, which includes high Barcol hardness (~40 HBa), high tensile strength (~800 MPa), and high storage modulus (~13.7 GPa at 25°C), surpassing those of most conventional UHMWPE fiber laminates. Its remarkable mechanical properties are primarily attributed to the highly cross‐linked networks of cured UPR and the stable structures (gel content ~89%, crystallinity ~81.5%, orientation ~93%, and smoother fiber surface) of UVFDY during hot‐pressing. This work not only provides valuable insights into the preparation of high‐performance UHMWPE fiber laminates but also promotes applications for the self‐made UV cross‐linked UHMWPE fiber.Highlights Novel laminate possesses high Barcol hardness. The tensile strength and storage modulus of novel laminate are excellent. UV irradiated fiber with high structural stability during hot‐pressing.

Effect of novel aluminium titanate on mechanical, thermal and ablation performance behavior of carbon fiber reinforced phenolic resin composites

AbstractThermal Protection Systems (TPS) protect re‐entry space vehicles from the harsh heating they encounter when hypersonically flying through a planet or the earth's atmosphere. Carbon fiber‐reinforced phenolic resin composites were widely used for the thermal barrier structure of aerospace re‐entry vehicles. A Novel Aluminium Titanate (Al2TiO5/AT) micro powder‐modified Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) based Carbon Fiber Fabric‐Resorcinol Phenol Formaldehyde Resin (C‐PR) (AT‐C‐PR) composites are well prepared to meet the requirements of TPS. The AT may act as an insulating layer and anti‐ablative material due to its excellent thermal shock resistance in TPS. To understand the effectiveness of AT content on density, barcol hardness, interfacial interactions, thermal conductivity, and thermal stability, the C‐PR composites were produced with and without loading of AT with various weight percentages, namely 0 wt% (C‐PR), 1,3, and 5 wt% (AT‐C‐PR) by hot compression molding method. The microstructural and elemental change of the composites were analyzed by microscopic and spectroscopic studies. Results suggested that the Interlaminar Shear Strength (ILSS) of the composites was increased by about 14% at 1 wt% of AT loading. Mass, Linear Ablation Rates (MAR, LAR), and back‐face temperature of C‐PR and AT‐C‐PR composites were decreased to 0.15128 g/s, 0.01233 mm/s, and 405°C, respectively by loading of AT up to 1 wt%. The thermally ablated composites were also evaluated for their crystallographic phase changes. The work provided an effective way to improve the thermo‐mechanical and ablation performance characteristics of the AT‐C‐PR composites that can be potentially used in TPS of re‐entry vehicles.Highlights This investigation utilized innovative Al2TiO5/Aluminium Titanate (AT) ceramic powder as a filler in reinforcing Phenolic Resin (PR) with PAN‐based Carbon Fiber (C). It examined the impact of various loadings of AT in C‐PR composites (AT‐C‐PR) on their physical, mechanical, thermal, and anti‐ablation properties. The AT‐C‐PR composites exhibit reduced density, lower thermal conductivity, and enhanced ILSS (31 MPa) compared to the C‐PR composites. Optimal ablation resistance and thermal stability were achieved with a loading of 1 wt% AT (Mass Ablation Rate: 0.15128 g/s and Linear Ablation Rate: 0.01233 mm/s) compared to the C‐PR composites. Microstructural and elemental analysis of the composites were conducted using microscopy and energy‐dispersive spectroscopy, revealing the presence of oxides and carbides on the ablated surface. The phase transition and alterations in microstructure, coupled with the oxidation of AT, have enhanced the ablation resistance and reduced the back face temperature of different weight percentages of AT‐C‐PR composites, such as 1 wt% AT (413°C), compared to the C‐PR composites (704°C).

Engineering properties of hybrid polymer composites produced with different unsaturated polyesters and hybrid epoxy

In this study, the mechanical properties of hybrid polymer composites produced with different unsaturated polyesters and hybrid epoxy resins are investigated. The composites were produced by blending unsaturated polyester resins (i.e., orthophthalic, isophthalic, and terephthalic) and bisphenol-A-based epoxy-vinyl ester resin to produce single, binary and ternary blends. In doing this, a total of 14 different combinations were produced. The results show that the binary and ternary polymer blends tend to improve almost all the tested properties of the polymer composites. Further, the fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results confirmed that the reason for enahcned properties is due to better crosslinking and longer chains of polymers produced in binary and ternary mixtures. The absence of peaks determining the styrene polymerization character for all mixtures also demonstrates that the polymerization reaction takes place in all mixtures. It is also believed that the binary and ternary resin mixtures have developed higher energy absorption compared to single resin composites. All of the mentioned has been achieved while the gelation temperatures of the hybrid resin mixtures were not changed significantly and they began gelation at the expected temperature values. In addition to the gelation, peak exotherm temperatures, and barcol hardness values demonstrated that all mixtures achieved sufficient curing. The result of this study is significant and point to the great potential of producing high performance polymer composites through the use of binary or ternary resin mixtures.

Mechanical behavior of epoxy resin with graphite additive subjected to water absorption

Abstract Epoxy resin-based composites find extensive applications across various industries due to their unique mechanical properties. They are commonly used in gas and petrochemical industries for pipes and fittings in transmission lines. The primary objective of this study is to investigate changes in the mechanical properties of epoxy resin-based composites under different environmental moisture conditions. To achieve this, epoxy resin with varying weight percentages of graphite additive (0, 5, 10, 15, and 25 wt%) was used. The water absorption characteristics of the specimens were assessed by immersing samples in potable water (PW), distilled water (DW), a 10 vol% alkaline solution (NaCl), and a 10 vol% acidic solution (HCl), following ASTM standards. Both dry and wet samples were examined for various mechanical strengths. The results indicate that, for all weight percentages of graphite additive, water absorption follows the increasing order: NaCl < PW < DW < HCl, as compared to the blank resin case. In terms of mechanical testing, increasing the weight percentage of graphite additive resulted in a 24 % decrease in Barcol hardness and a 39 % decrease in impact strength, while the hot deflection temperature (HDT) increased for 5 wt% and showed no significant effects for the other cases.

Exploring the use of natural fiber-reinforced polymer composites in electronic circuit boards

Sustainable banana fiber has become potential alternative reinforcement materials instead of synthetic fibers for the development of the polymer composites. These natural fiber-reinforced polymer composites can be utilized for numerous applications. The current study aims to fabricate the epoxy/banana fiber composites under varying fraction of banana fibers. Compression molding process was employed to fabricate the composites since it is frequently used for production of large-scale composite parts like automotive components. Various weight percentages of banana fiber (50%, 60%, 70%, and 80% by weight) and epoxy (50%, 40%, 30%, and 20% by weight) were utilized for the development of the composites. Results revealed that the combination of the epoxy (40 wt. %)/banana fiber (60%) has the higher tensile strength of 22.67 MPa, flexural strength of 39.56 MPa, impact strength of 2.97 kJ/m2, and Barcol hardness of 35.24 among the various combinations of the epoxy and banana fiber composites. This work highlights the viability of sustainable materials within the materials engineering field, promoting the development of eco-friendly alternatives in composite fabrication.

Effect of Ghatti gum content on mechanical properties of epoxy composite using multicriteria optimization techniques

In the recent years particles-based composites are more attractive due to many of the applications. The reinforcing of particles, micro or nano powders enhanced the properties by crosslinking with polymers. The partial based polymer composites are playing a major role in enhancing the strength of pure resins. In many of common particle reinforcements materials are fly ash, Nano clay, silica powders etc… these are more predominately used to enhance the properties of the pure resin and even with fiber reinforced composites. This paper focuses on the effect of microns size natural powder reinforcement in synthetic resin to evaluate the tensile, flexural, impact and hardness properties behavior of composites. The Gum Ghatti which is obtained from the plant and processed to obtain the powder. The 5, 10, 15 and 20 % of gum Ghatti natural powders are reinforced in Araldite LY 556 (Bisphinol-A-Diglycidyl-ether) epoxy resin to observe the mechanical strength and interfacial adhesion strength between matrixes with reinforcement materials. These composites are post-cured at 80℃ for three hours to improve the residual stresses. The 10% natural particular reinforcement exhibits better tensile and flexural properties as compared to other compositions. However, Barcol hardness number of 15 percentage of reinforcements shows better. These mechanical properties are further analyzed using MCDM techniques to identify best weight fraction. The Preference Selection Index (PSI), Multiobjective Optimization on The Basis of Ratio Analysis (MOORA), Combinative Distance-based Assessment (COMDAS), VIekriterijumsko KOmpromisno Rangiranje (VIKOR), Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) methods are used and observed that 10% gum Ghatti exhibited better mechanical properties.

Fabrication and Comparative Properties of Sustainable Epoxy Methacrylate of Bisphenol-C-Jute/Treated Jute- Natural Fibers Sandwich Composites: Part-1

Epoxy methacrylate of bisphenol-C-jute/treated jute and their sandwich composites of white coir, brown coir, wild almond, bamboo, betel nut, and palmyra were prepared by a compression molding technique under 5MPa pressure and at room temperature for three h. The neat sample showed almost double tensile strength than its jute composite, while it is comparable for treated jute. The composites revealed substantially improved flexural strength compared to neat. The neat, jute/treated jute and their sandwich composites indicated good impact strength, pretty good Barcol hardness, and fairly good electric strength. The neat sample showed excellent volume resistivity, while jute/treated jute and their sandwich composites revealed reasonably good volume resistivity. The composites showed high water ingress tendency, excellent hydrolytic stability, and different diffusivity in different environments at 30oC. Water ingress trend was observed the same for all the composites in different environments, and it is H2SO4 > HCl >NaOH >H2O>NaCl. The sandwich composites may find their applications as low-cost housing and insulating materials and also for marine vessels.

Study of self-healing capability of composite material with phase changing paraffin wax and graphene

The main aim of this research work was to conduct an experimental study of self-healing capability of the composite material by using phase changing material. The phase changing material utilized was “paraffin wax” for healing the material made up of the carbon fiber and epoxy. Three combinations of carbon fiber reinforced epoxy with phase changing materials were prepared i.e., plain carbon fiber epoxy without any phase changing material, carbon fiber epoxy with paraffin wax and carbon fiber epoxy with paraffin wax nano graphene. The fabrication of the carbon fiber composite material inside the capsulation has been done by keeping the 3d model. To identify the structural properties of the material some tests were done i.e., the tensile test and flexural test at normal room temperature and pressure. Damage was produced at the center of each specimen with the help of a Barcol hardness test machine. The Specimens were tested without indentation damage, immediately after indentation damage and after 48 hours of producing damage.

Contrasting role of carbon nanofillers in electrical conduction and mechanical strength of epoxy composites: an investigation

Role of hybrid carbon fillers at electrical percolation of polymers is well established but its influence of mechanical strength is not well understood. At percolation, electrical conductivity of 0.22 S/m is achieved with 2 wt.% of multiwalled carbon nanotube and 3 wt.% of graphene nanoplatelets, but the tensile strength is observed to decrease at percolation. The tensile strength of the composites at 25 °C varies from 544.52 to 751.46 MPa with strain ranging from 5 to 6%. The composite with 2 wt.% of graphene and multiwalled carbon nanotube reveals 38% increase over the unfilled epoxy composite at 25 °C but at electrical percolation the increase is by 19%. Tensile modulus improves with individual carbon fillers but decreases with hybrid fillers. The flexural strength of the composite with 2 wt.% of the carbon fillers at 25 °C is highest at 1541.58 MPa and the flexural modulus is 65.36 GPa, but reduces to 1411.2 MPa and 59.84 GPa at electrical percolation. The Barcol Hardness of composites shows minimal reduction, and the density of the composites is observed to change minimally with incorporation of the carbon nanofillers. Study emphasizes the precise estimation of electrical percolation with good balance of electrical and mechanical properties.

Effect of PEEK Particles on Physiomechanical Behavior of Carbon/Epoxy Composite

The inherently brittle nature and the susceptibility to impact damage hinder the use of carbon/epoxy composite in some areas. In this study, poly ether ether ketone (PEEK) microparticles were incorporated to increase the resistance to delamination and interlaminar fracture toughness. A hand lay-up technique followed by compression molding was used to fabricate composite. The influence of PEEK particles was evaluated by tensile, flexural, short beam shear (SBS), compression, and Charpy impact test. The Barcol hardness, density, fiber volume fraction, and void content were also determined. According to the result, a maximum improvement in the tensile and flexural strength was observed for 2% incorporation of PEEK particles. However, there is downturn found in the flexural modulus. Moreover, a notable increment in the matrix-dominated properties (short beam shear, compression, and Charpy impact strength) was found with the addition of the PEEK particles.

Production of Bamboo Fibre Reinforced Epoxy Hybrid Composite with Nano SiO2 Particles

This paper focus on the process of fiber reinforced composites a significant portion of the paper emphasis the use ofdifferent machine, basic concept introduced in this paper of molding method and pouring of epoxy, hardener and nano silicamixture with hand lay-up technique. This study aims to develop fibre-reinforced epoxy hybrid composites by using handlay-up method. In this work different material used are Epoxy LY556, Hardner HY951, SiO2 nano particle (Particle size60-70nm) and 90 degree bidirectionl wooven bamboo fibre. Sample designated are as A10 ( One layer Babboo fibre,0% SiO2) , A12 (2%SiO2), A14 (4%SiO2),B20 (Two-layer bamboo fibre,0% SiO2), B22(2%SiO2), B24(4%SiO2), C30(three layer bamboo fibre, 0% SiO2),C32(2%SiO2) and C34(4%SiO2). Samples were prepared by handlayup method. Theeffect of various weight percent of SiO2on mechanical property were investigated. The maximum value of tensile strengthwas found for sample C32, higher value of flexural strength was found for sample C32, higher value of izod impact test wasfor sample C32 and maximum value of barcol hardness was for sample B22.

Effect of Particle Size and Composition of Marble Quarry Waste on the Properties of Artificial Marble

The purpose of this study was to characterize and investigate the performance of local marble quarry waste to assess its use as filler in producing artificial marble. Marble waste was obtained from marble quarry located in Simpang Pulai, Ipoh and sieved into two different sizes; < 2mm as coarse particle and < 250 μm as fine particle. The artificial marble was prepared under vacuum condition and the composition of fine and coarse particles were modified between 40-70% (wt.) and 0-30% (wt.), respectively. The artificial marble was evaluated their performance by water absorption, flexural strength, compression strength, and Barcol hardness properties. It was found that artificial marble prepared with 60% (wt.) of fine particle and 10% (wt.) of coarse particle showed the best overall properties leading to a lowest water absorption and good flexural and compression strength. However, modification of marble waste content in the composition of artificial marble showed insignificant influence on Barcol hardness properties.

Durability evaluation of pultruded GFRP bay window structures

An all-GFRP bay window for residential buildings is developed for energy conservation, low carbon, and comfortable life. The durability performance and design of GFRP bay window in an outdoor environment are investigated experimentally. Relevant studies were first reviewed, and the reported findings were found to significantly vary and could not be directly adopted. To investigate the durability of a GFRP material used in an outdoor environment, four aging tests were conducted, namely, water immersion, wet-dry cycle, freeze-thaw cycle and ultraviolet radiation tests. Visual inspection and scanning electron microscopy were used to evaluate the aging effects on the material. In addition, the weight, Barcol hardness, and tensile and flexural properties of the aged GFRP material were measured after the aging tests. Water immersion had the greatest effect on the mechanical properties of the GFRP material, while the freeze–thaw cycle had a negligible influence. Furthermore, to assist in the design of an all-GFRP bay window with a service life of 50 years, a design method was proposed based on the experimental results obtained in this work. This method is the first to directly support the practical design of the long-term behavior of GFRP structures in China and has great potential to be widely adopted in the future.

Assessment of impact and hardness property of natural fiber and glass fiber hybrid polymer composite

The mechanical properties of natural fiber composite materials are lower than synthetic fiber composite material. Therefore, hybride composite was made to improve Jute (J) and Bamboo (B) mechanical properties with synthetic Glass (G) fiber. The effect of the mechanical property of natural fiber composite material due to water diffusion is also evaluated. [GJB]s, [GBJ]s, and [JBG]s Hybride composite were fabricated with hand lay-up method and evaluate hardness and impact property. The result revealed that impact property of [GBJ]s is 87 kJ/m2, where [GJB]s has a high Barcol hardness number (33BHN)

Synthesis and Applications of Polyacrylate based Water White Clear Polymeric Material Fortified with Carbon Nanotubes for Durable

Acrylates are esters of acrylic acid formed by the reaction of acrylic acid with alcohols. These acrylic esters were produced by polymerization of combination with different acrylic monomers to produce the materials with enhanced characteristics for coating applications. The acrylate-based polymers were prepared by varying the nature and ratios of the monomers. Moreover, the properties of the polymeric materials were further improved by compositing with the nano-fillers i.e. carbon nanotubes. Further, the materials were coated on different surfaces to evaluate the coating characteristics by standard analytical procedures. Composition and morphology of the materials were characterized by different spectroscopic techniques. Polyacrylate based polymers were synthesized by step growth polymerization using different types of monomers moieties (5 different types of acrylic monomer along with one functional monomer and an aromatic monomers) to enhance coating properties and to enhance dispersion of carbon nanotubes. Characterization was done by FTIR (Fourier Transform Infra-Red) and UV-Vis spectroscopy. Study of polymeric coating was done on different surfaces by different techniques like Barcol Hardness, Gloss Test, Salt Spray Test, Cross Hatch Test and Mandrel Dent Measurement as given in standard ASTM methods. The results revealed better adhesion, crack resistance, and abrasion resistance. The graphical abstract is given below as Fig-1.

Investigation of hardness &amp; tribology behavior of Epoxy and Sio2 composite: An experimental study

In the ebb and flow research, an exhaustive trial study has been performed to investigate the properties of Epoxy grid mixture composite fortified by SIO 2 . The blending cycle was finished by Homogenizer to accomplish predictable dispersing of the filler particles into the grid. Tribological, Mechanical tests, for example, nail to ring wear test and Barcol hardness test were directed to assess the wear execution and hardness of Epoxy mixture composite. Exploratory examinations were done on a few Specimens of epoxy composite by changing the weight rates of the graphite filler from 1 to 5 at various weight %of SIO 2 and furthermore the outcomes were analyzed among themselves for various weight % tests. The mechanical and Tribological qualities, for example, hardness and wear pace of epoxy mixture composite material can be obviously enchased by the presentation of SIO 2 particles .

Influence of lignite fly ash on the structural and mechanical properties of banana fiber containing epoxy polymer matrix composite

The present work deals with the influence of lignite fly ash (LFA) on the physical properties of polymer matrix composite (PMC). The study was conducted on different compositions of PMC which were prepared using epoxy polymer (EP) amalgamated with LFA and banana fiber (BF) by hand layup process. The different compositions were prepared in the combination of (80-x)EP-20BF-xLFA (where x = 0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10wt%). LFA was added in increasing amounts ranging from 2.5 to 10%, and the physical properties were evaluated. An increase in mechanical properties such as tensile strength, compressive strength, flexural strength and EPBF hardness was observed after the addition of LFA. The observed tensile, flexural strengths and Barcol hardness for the sample containing 5wt% of LFA contained to 53.280 MPa, 37.756 MPa and 13.66, respectively, were showed its better mechanical strength than all other samples. The observed scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed the minimal voids and fiber pullouts were observed during the addition 5% of LFA contained. Collectively, from the results, it can be deduced that PMC with 5% LFA has better mechanical strength than all the other prepared PMC samples.

Influence of Dolomite and Granite Waste Content on The Properties of Artificial Marble

The main objective of this work is to characterize and investigate the effect of mineral dolomite and granite waste content on the physical and mechanical properties of artificial marble. Five different samples of artificial marble were prepared with different proportions of fillers. In this study, granite waste is used a filler by substitute the dolomite content from 10 wt% to 40 wt%. Test specimens were evaluated for water absorption analysis, flexural, compression and Barcol hardness properties. It is found that the optimum 10 wt% of granite waste in the composition has increase the flexural and compression strength and reduces the water absorption rate, while the substitution of granite waste does not change significantly the Barcol hardness properties.

Effect of fiber orientation on the mechanical properties of multi layers laminate nanocomposites

The effect of fiberglass type and adding a very small amount of Nano filler in the resin on mechanical and thermal properties of multilayers laminate composite has been studied. The results show clearly that laminate composites can be achieved by controlling the fiberglass type and by dispersing nanoparticles in the resin. Using continues fiber glass helps to increase the impact strength by 17 %–24% compared with samples with random fiberglass. The barcol hardness of continues fiberglass composite is 7% higher than random fiberglass composite. The results of this study show that using small amount form Nano filler in the resin could produce a laminate composite with excellent thermal and mechanical properties.

Characterization and evaluation of dolomite and kaolin as filler on the properties of poly art marble

This research work is to characterize and evaluate local dolomite and kaolin as filler on the physical and mechanical properties in producing poly art marble. In the marble preparation, the origin size of dolomite particle used is 1.60–3.00 mm, while kaolin was sieved with a sieve opening size of 150 µm. Poly art marble was prepared by two different base ratio of filler to the resin which are 70:30 (Series 1) and 75:25 (Series 2) by wt.%. The mixture of filler, resin and hardener were well mixed using a planetary mixer and cast into a mold for setting. In this study, an effect of dolomite and kaolin filler loading is being studied. Test specimens were evaluated for water absorption test, flexural, compression and Barcol hardness properties. It is found that there are no distinctive changes of value of the properties between Series 1 and Series 2. An addition of kaolin by 10% (wt.) in the composition of poly art marble has reduced the water absorption rate and increase the flexural and compression strength.