Glass Fiber Layers Research Articles

Modulated Zn Deposition by Glass Fiber Interlayers for Enhanced Cycling Stability of Zn–Br Redox Flow Batteries

The zinc bromine redox flow battery (ZBB) is one of the most promising candidates for next-generation energy storage systems due to its low cost, inflammability, and high power and energy densities. However, dendritic Zn growth, which intensifies at higher current densities and larger deposition capacities, practically hinders the high-current and high-capacity operation of ZBBs. Herein, we demonstrate that a non-conductive, highly porous, and zincophilic glass fiber (GF) layer on top of a carbon felt electrode notably suppresses dendritic Zn growth. The ZBB with the GF layer successfully operates for more than 4000 cycles at 80 mA cm–2 and 20 mA h cm–2, in contrast to the cell failure outcome at the 45th cycle for a GF-free ZBB. Electrochemical analysis and simulations suggest that the surface polar groups of the GF facilitate Zn ion transport and matrix-guided Zn deposition. A GF layer decorated with negatively charged polymer achieves highly superior uniform Zn deposition and remarkable cycling stability at 200 mA cm–2 and 50 mA h cm–2, verifying the validity of this approach.

Investigation on Thrust and Torque Generation During Drilling of Hybrid Laminates Composite with Different Stacking Sequences Using Multiobjective Optimization Module

This paper highlights the reinforcement of two different fibers in the manufacturing of hybrid laminate composites. The feasibility of glass and carbon fiber-based hybrid composites is proposed for various high performances due to their versatile mechanical properties. However, anisotropic and non-homogeneity nature creates several machining challenges for manufacturers. It can be regulated through the selection of proper cutting conditions during the machining test. The effect of process constraints like spindle speed (rpm), feed rate (mm/min), and stacking sequences ([Formula: see text] was evaluated for the optimum value of thrust force and Torque during the drilling test. The cost-effective method of hand layup has been used to fabricate the composites. Four different hybrid composites were developed using different layers of carbon fiber and glass fiber layers. The outcomes of variables on machining performances were analyzed by variation of feed rate and speed to acquire the precise holes in the different configurations. The application potential of the proposed composites is evaluated through the machining (drilling) efficiency. The optimal condition for the drilling procedure was investigated using the multiobjective optimization-Grey relation analysis (MOO-GRA) approach. The findings of the confirmatory test show the feasibility of the MOO-GRA module in a machining environment for online and offline quality control.

Experimental Study on Fabrication and Comparison of Mechanical Properties of Plain Weave Copper Mesh Embedded Hybrid Composite with E-Glass Fiber Reinforced Epoxy GFRP Composite

This paper presents the experimental study on on GFRP (Glass-Fiber Reinforced Plastic) composite which is fiberglass reinforced with epoxy matrix and find its mechanical properties that can be compared with other hybrid composite which include plain weave copper strips mesh in between the layers of fiberglass in GFRP composite. Both type of composites are made using hand layup technique i.e., placing of chopped fiberglass sheet and then epoxy resin layer by layer, after filling of epoxy and fiberglass at 20% fiber loading which is measured by digital scale, then a pressure is also applied on this sandwich. After 24 hours it is ready to be demolded and after 48 hrs. samples was cuts as per ASTM standards then testing was done on both GFRP and Hybrid composites to find their Mechanical & Physical Properties. Results shows improvement as we introduce plain weave copper strips mesh in between the GFRP laminate to make it hybrid.

Wear Resistance of the Glass-Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composite with the Addition of Quartz Filler.

The paper presents the results of investigations on the glass fiber reinforced composite for the floor panels with quartz powder additions of different percentages in terms of wear resistance, friction coefficient, hardness, and strength. The wear resistance was assessed using the specific wear work parameter determined by the novel tribotester with friction band. It was found that an increase in quartz powder addition to the tested polymer composite does not enhance its mechanical increasingly properties. From the wear tests it can be concluded that only the composite with four layers of glass fibers and 6 wt.% of the quartz powder exhibited improvement of the wear resistance, but its shear strength was lower than that of the two layer specimens with similar powder proportions. On the other hand, the highest friction coefficient’s, which is microhardness HV05, shear strength and impact strength were attained for the composite with two layers of glass fibers and 3 wt.% of the quartz powder. Among four layer samples, very close results were obtained for the samples with 10% of powder and insignificantly lower strength were observed for the samples with no powder added. The results revealed that there is no clear trend for the effect of silica filler percentage on the composite performance, which indicates the need for individual purpose-dependent decision making in the design of the glass fiber reinforced composites with quartz powder filler.

A new composite column of FRP-steel-FRP clad tube filled with seawater sea-sand coral aggregate concrete: Concept and compressive behavior

A new composite column of FRP-steel-FRP clad tube (FSFCT) filled with seawater sea-sand coral aggregate concrete (SSCAC) was proposed. The FSFCT is composed of three layers: inner layer of glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) tube, middle layer of carbon steel tube and outer layer of GFRP tube. This novel change allows the FSFCT not only to be filled with SSCAC instead of ordinary concrete but also to be widely used in harsh marine environment. A series of SSCAC filled FSFCT column specimens were prepared to investigate the compressive behavior of the new composite column considering the effects of different thicknesses of inner GFRP tube, middle carbon steel tube and outer GFRP tube. The test results showed that the load-strain curve of SSCAC filled FSFCT column under axial compression had obvious four section characteristics. Compared with steel tube thickness, the effects of outer GFRP tube thickness on the compressive behavior of SSCAC filled FSFCT column were more significant. The ultimate compressive capacity of SSCAC filled FSFCT column was increased by 66.5–131.9% in comparison with SSCAC filled carbon steel tube column with the same steel tube thickness. The confinement effect of outer GFRP tube was much better than that of inner GFRP tube.

Structural Behavior Of Simple Supported Two Layers Reinforced Concrete (Normal strength concrete & Mortar with 3-Dimension glass fiber), Beams

This paper represents an experimental investigation of the layered concrete beam. It contains studying the possibility of using the mortar intervention with layers of glass fibre at the tension zone in a loaded supported concrete beam. To produce a beam with less weight than the beam with all Normal concrete and detecting the effect of this replacement on beam properties. A rectangular beams section (150*200*1000)mm cast with NSC (normal strength concrete) at compression zone and mortar with layers of 3D glass fibre used as a part of the tension zone. The produced beams are layered beams with a lighter weight than the homogenous RC beam. Three deferent levels of the replaced layers (1/3,1/2, and 2/3 of the beam thickness) were studied, all beams were tested under Two point load till failure.The maximum load capacity result shows an apparent lowering in the load capacity of the beam, but as the lightweight layer increases, this lowering in the load capacity becomes less. for (1/3,1/2 and 2/3) of the beam thickness replace with mortar and 3D textile fibre, the lowering percentage of failure load compare with the homogenous reinforced concrete beam are (33.04%, 27.18%, and 19.73%), and the lowering in weight is (5.45%%, 9.07%, and 12..92%)for the same sequence, respectively.Stiffness, ductility and toughness of all beams are tested. An apparent lowering in the stiffness value of the layered beams is recorded with the reference ones. At the same time, it shows an increase in the toughness and toughness value.

Mechanical properties of an aluminium-carbon fiber composite for aircraft wing spar applications

Objective: The aim of this article is to solve the problem of wing spar flexibility of an aluminium drone aircraft. A 200 × 30 [mm × mm] aluminium sample weighing 32 g was collected corresponding to a density of 0.53 g/cm3, a bending load of 0.77 [kN] and a deflection of 45.54 mm. The goal is to increase flexion resistance and lightness. Methods: The following procedure was used to prepare the composite: a mold made up of two glass plates 250 mm long and 50 mm wide, gel-coated to prevent sticking. The mold was placed in a bag using vacuum bag technology by means of a refrigerator compressor. The bag was then heated at 80 °C for seven hours to prepare composites of acceptable quality and viscosity avoiding air bubbles and ensuring desired thickness. The first sample was prepared by inserting aluminium powder between four layers of glass fiber. In the second sample, the inserted layer was replaced by date pit powder. The third sample was prepared by placing four layers of glass fiber and two layers of carbon fiber in the lower layer and the upper layer. It was observed that aluminium powder inclusion resulted in better mechanical properties in comparison to date pit powder. Findings: However, the mechanical characteristics of the third sample were much better than those of the other samples. Based on these observations, the first and third samples were mixed to make the fourth sample in which four layers of glass fiber between each layer were used, placing the aluminium powder plus two layers of carbon fiber in the lower and upper layers with the aim of achieving the desired mechanical properties. The latter sample exhibited high strength and better curvature, high rigidity and corrosion resistance with the possibility of creating structures that are more integrated. These properties make the aluminium powder –carbon fiber based composite suitable for a drone aircraft wing spar. The obtained composite material prepared from glass fiber, aluminium powder, carbon fiber composed of four layers of glass fiber and aluminium powder between each layer and carbon fiber in the bottom layer and top layer exhibited has high strength, better bending, high stiffness and corrosion resistance with the possibility of creating more integrated structures. The prepared sample may outstand aluminium -based aircraft wing spar. Keywords Wing spar, bending, composite materials, aluminium­carbon fiber

Retrofitting of Reinforced Concrete Beams Using a Fiberglass Jacketing System

Building collapse that occurred mostly caused by structure failure in containment earthquake load. Factors that lead to the failure of the beam, among others is beam planning that does not calculate ductility or restraint, resulting decline of beams performance. One way to improve beam strength and ductility are to retrofit the beam by wrapping beams using fiberglass. Research aims to discover the increase amount of bending load capacity from concrete beam that has been retrofitted using jacketing fiberglass. Experimental testing was carried out on beam specimens with a cross section size of 150x200 mm and a length of 1400 mm. Three beam specimens were subjected to bending loads with a three point loading system, with different levels of damage, namely BL1 with collapse at level-1, BL2 at level-2, and BL0 at level-5 as a comparison. Then the BL1 and BL2 were retrofitted by being coated with 2 layers of fiberglass which were glued using epoxy resin. Beams BL-1 and BL-2 are then subjected to a bending test again until they reach level-5 collapse. The test results showed that retrofitted beams were able to increase flexural strength, BL-1 increased 115.15% from the original load and BL-2 increased 52.27% from the original load.

Improvement Effect of Reticular Glass Fibers on the Mechanical Properties of Tailings Sand with the Lenticle (Layered Sandy Soil)

Glass fiber is a kind of polymer, which can effectively improve the mechanical properties of sand. However, the improvement effect of glass fibers with a reticular structure is different from that of ordinary fibers. At the same time, the sandy soil structure is diversified and part of the soil is layered, such as the lenticle in tailings dam, which often forms layered sandy soil with nearby tailings sand. The existence of the lenticle has adverse effects on the stability of the tailings dam. In order to study the reinforcement effects of reticular glass fibers on tailing sand with the lenticle (layered sand), a series of triaxial shear tests were carried out on the tailings sand by changing the layers of reticular glass fibers and the position of reinforcement. The results demonstrated the following five main points: (1) the shear strength of the tailings with the lenticle is significantly lower than the shear strength of the tailings fine sand, and the influence of the lenticle on the shear strength of the tailings is mainly concentrated on the cohesion. (2) When the reticular fiber is added to the tailings with the lenticle, the cohesion of the sample increases nonlinearly with the increase of the number of fiber layers, while the internal friction angle is basically unchanged. (3) The improvement effect of the reticular fiber on the shear strength of the sample varies with the position of the reinforcement, which is represented as the interface > tailings fine sand > lenticle. (4) Only when the axial strain develops to a certain extent, the reinforcement of the reticular fibers is reflected. (5) The reinforcement effects of reticulated fibers are determined by the interaction of forces at the interface between fibers and sand. The research results can not only provide a scientific basis for the construction of reinforced tailings dam, but also play a guiding role in disaster prevention and mitigation work of reinforced slopes with a weak zone, and even provide the reference for the reinforcement research of layered structures.

Hygrothermal aging effects on the mechanical properties of 3D printed composites with different stacking sequence of continuous glass fiber layers

The present work studied the effects of hygrothermal aging on the flexure behaviors of 3D printed composites reinforced with continuous glass fibers. Composites filled with different stacking sequence of continuous glass fiber layers were prepared. Printed laminated composites were subjected to the hygrothermal environment for up to 30 days. Moisture absorption processes and the corresponded microstructure changes were monitored along with the flexural responses of specimens. Multi-scale morphological investigation was applied to reveal the underlying deformation and failure mechanisms of the specimens under flexion with the consideration of different staking sequence of continuous glass fiber layers. The results showed that the evolution of mechanical properties induced by hygrothermal aging was influenced by the competition of different mechanisms. Polyamide matrix crystallization and the elimination of partial residual stress provided the strengthening effect, while the loss of intralayer and interlayer bonding as well as breakage of glass fiber and matrix weakened the mechanical properties of printed composites. The flexural behaviors of composites with separated distribution of continuous glass fiber layers exhibited higher hygrothermal stability in the early stage of aging. However, this advantage weakened with increasing aging time due to gradual delamination between glass fiber layer and matrix layer.

Rupture of an Industrial GFRP Composite Mitered Elbow Pipe.

This paper examines the immature rupture of glass fiber reinforced plastic composite (GFRP) mitered elbow pipes. The GFRP composite mitered elbow pipe’s lifespan was twenty-five years; however, the pipes in question experienced immature failures, resulting in the reduction of their lifetimes to seven, nine, and ten years, respectively. The GFRP cooling water mitered elbow pipe’s service conditions operate at a pressure of up to 7 bar and temperatures between 15–36 °C. The root cause of failure was determined using visual inspection, analytical, microstructural, mechanical characterizations, and chemical analysis. The initial visualization inspection revealed an improper joint between the composite overwrapped and the straight pipe sections. Mechanical properties along the axial, hoop and 45° from the axial direction were obtained. The results from the analytical analysis indicated that the elbow might withstand the operating pressure depending on the quality factor, which was confirmed to be low due to the elbow joint’s improper fabrication process. As evidence of this, the numerical analyses’ results indicated that the safety factor in withstanding the operating pressure of 5 bar is dropped down in the radial region where the thickness is reduced to simulate the failure zone. This study’s findings recommend that thickness of less than 15 mm be reinforced using overwrapped composites. It is recommended for future installations that the fabrication process be appropriately monitored and controlled and avoids using 45°/−45° fiber orientation and multiple layers of chopped strand mat glass fiber.

Mechanical characterization of glass and jute fiber-based hybrid composites fabricated through compression molding technique

Natural fibers, especially jute fibers, have gained interest in recent decades due to their attractive mechanical properties, high cellulose percentage, low cost, biodegradability, and easy availability. In the present study, flexural and drop weight impact behavior for different weight percentages of glass and jute fiber reinforced epoxy composites are studied experimentally according to ASTM standards. The hybrid composites were prepared through the compression molding technique. Numerical simulations were performed to investigate the predictive flexural response. The leading cause of error between experimental and numerical results is the manufacturing process and the reinforcement’s woven nature. On the other hand, the impact strength was studied through drop weight testing at fixed 10 J energy. It is found that damage area decreases with increasing jute percentage in glass/jute hybrid composites, showing that jute fiber contributes more towards the composites’ impact strength than glass fiber. Therefore, jute fiber can replace glass fiber in the glass/jute hybrid composite as a natural and eco-friendly constituent. The microscopic study reveals that the outer glass fiber layer helps minimize the stress distribution of jute fiber. A significant drawback of compression molding is the epoxy affluent areas in the composite.

Mass Transfer in a Layer of Aluminized Glass-Fiber Material in the Treatment of Chrome-Containing Wastewater

It is possible to use column-type devices with the loading of composite material - thin glass fibres partially coated with an aluminium layer (AGFM) to purify low-concentrated wastewater on plating plant containing chromium compounds. The main physical characteristics of this material are given. For the mass transfer research, current-potential curves obtained by reducing the chromium forms Cr(VI) to trivalent on a thin copper yarn placed in a layer of aluminum-removed fiberglass were studied. Dependence of effective mass-transfer coefficient on solution flow rate is obtained. Taking into account the ionic strength of the solution, the diffusion coefficient of the reducing anion Cr(VI) was calculated, which allowed to move to the criterion equations of the form Nu = f (Pr, Re). Coefficients are found in the criteria mass-transfer equation at different degrees of filling of the filter volume with a AGFM material.

Mechanical behavior and damage degree of hybrid glass/carbon composites at low temperature

AbstractHybrid composite samples with different carbon and glass fiber layers arrangement were produced by resin transfer molding (RTM) in an attempt to disclose the effects of low temperature on their flexural and low velocity impact behavior. Flexural tests were carried out at T = −50°C and the failure modes were examined, while impact tests, always at T = −50°C, were performed at penetration and at indentation in the range from 10 J to 30 J. The damage extension was accurately evaluated by ultrasonic non‐destructive testing. The results were then compared with the room temperature ones obtained in a previous paper to highlight the influence of the temperature. The compression after impact tests were carried out at room temperature for samples previously impacted at both room and low temperature to assess the damage tolerance of the different hybrid configurations. Stacking sequence was found to govern both the flexural and impact behavior of laminates. At low temperature, the flexural strength and modulus values improved over the corresponding room temperature values irrespective of the stacking sequence, while an easier damage propagation and less residual strength were detected in dynamic loading.

Assessment of MQXF Quench Heater Insulation Strength and Test of Modified Design

The HL-LHC interaction region magnet triplets (Q1, Q2, and Q3) will be composed of superconducting Nb <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sub> Sn quadrupoles. The MQXF quadrupole protection system is based on CLIQ (Coupling-Loss Induced Quench system) and outer layer quench heaters. This paper reports a summary of quench heaters to coil high voltage tests performed on MQXF short and long coils in air after fabrication, and in air and He gas after magnet training. Breakdown voltage values demonstrate good margin with respect to the Electrical design criteria for the HL-LHC inner triplet magnets. A modification in the quench heater installation- with an extra layer of fiber glass between the coil and the quench heater trace- has been proposed and tested in a mirror magnet to further increase electrical margins. Results demonstrated improvements of high voltage margin at the expense of a clear increase of hot spot temperature. The baseline heater to coil insulation was assessed to be able to guarantee safe operation for the Nb <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sub> Sn quadrupole magnets for the interaction regions of HL-LHC.

Effect of incorporating aluminum wire mesh on the notched and un-notched strengths of glass fiber/epoxy composites

The fiber/metal composite technology consolidates the usefulness of metallic materials and fiber reinforced matrix systems. Glass laminate aluminum reinforced epoxy is a hybrid composite containing alternative thin layer of Aluminum (Al) plies and fiber reinforced epoxy. However, the low adhesion between Al thin layer and epoxy limits their application. In this work, we used Al wire meshes to toughen the neat E-glass fiber/epoxy composite. Un-notched and notched tensile and flexural tests were conducted to study the effect of incorporating Al wire meshes at different locations within the specimen thickness instead of the glass fiber plies on the mechanical properties of the produced materials. The results indicated that, incorporating Al mesh as a replacement of glass fibers could tailor the laminates strength, ductility and toughness. As the number of Al mesh layers increased, the specific tensile and flexural strengths decreased. The through-the-thickness position and orientation of Al mesh layer significantly affected the properties of the produced hybrid laminates. The presence of Al mesh at the outer layers highly reduced the tensile and flexural strengths. However, it improved the tensile and flexural strains and reaching an improvement of 54% and 117%, respectively. The energy absorption ability under tensile and flexural tests was highly improved with the addition of Al mesh layers reaching a maximum improvement of 210% and 166%, respectively. The mode I fracture toughness characterized by notched bending test was improved by 25.7% for samples with Al mesh layer replacing the third and sixth glass fiber layers.

Hybridization Effect on Crashworthiness Parameters of Natural Composite

The use of metallic materials in automotive industry leads to increasing fuel consumption and cost, so trends are starting to use lighter and cheaper materials. In automotive applications, fibers are used in composites because they are stronger, stiffer, and lighter than bulk materials, and they can achieve higher energy absorbing compared to metallic materials. The purpose of this work is to study the potential utilization of natural fibers in the crash energy absorbing applications. The experimental procedures (the principle of a combination of manual layup and vacuum bladder technique) were applied to search the influence of utilizing jute fiber mat on crashworthiness parameters of composite materials with other kinds of fibers such as woven glass fiber reinforced epoxy composites. The study involved corrugated composite tubes with three layers of jute and hybrid glass-jute/epoxy material have been tested in uniaxial quasi-static crush conditions at the speed 10 mm/min. The results exhibit that the tube of jute fiber was somewhat lower than synthetic fibers, but the substitution of one layer of jute fiber with one layer of glass fiber resulted in an improvement in the crashworthiness parameters. As hybrid jute-glass was used, the best result was obtained, where energy absorption and specific energy absorption are improved by 17.75% and 25.122%, respectively.

Naphthalimide‐Based Dyes as Photoinitiators under Visible Light Irradiation and their Applications: Photocomposite Synthesis, 3D printing and Polymerization in Water

AbstractIn this work, six new fluorescent dyes derived from the naphthalimide scaffold (Napht1–Napht6) were synthesized and used as high‐performance photoinitiating systems (PISs) in two and three‐component systems (combined with iodonium salt (Iod) and/or an electron donor amine (such as N‐phenylglycine[NPG])) for the radical photopolymerization of acrylate and methacrylate monomers under visible light using a light‐emitting diode at 405 nm. Markedly, these dyes were never synthesized before. In fact, these PISs showed high initiation efficiency with both demonstrating high final reactive function conversions and high polymerization rates. A further interest of our study is to determine the effect of the different substituents (chromophoric group) on the naphthalimide function, concerning the efficiency of initiation of the free radical polymerization. In order to improve the mechanical properties of the obtained polymers, these derivatives were also tested for the photopolymerization of a blend of acrylate/epoxy monomers (TA/EPOX); these latter properties were characterized by traction tests. To demonstrate the initiation efficiency of these dyes, several methods and characterization techniques were used, including steady state photolysis, real‐time Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, emission spectroscopy as well as cyclic voltammetry. In our study, these naphthalimides were used for the synthesis of photocomposites (one and multiple layers of glass fibres) using a UV@395 nm (4 W/cm2) conveyor, as well as in the preparation of 3D printed polymers. Markedly, one of the naphthalimide derivatives (Napht‐4) can be used as a new high‐performance water soluble photoinitiator for photopolymerization in water and hydrogel synthesis.

Characterization and Buckling Investigation of Composite Materials to be used in the Prosthetic Pylon Manufacturing

A prosthetic pylon is a part of an artificial lower limb, which is a very interesting area of biomedical engineering today. The research aims to show the hung innovations and developments of new suggested composite material, to modify the prosthetic pylon (which is generally made of lightweight metal such as aluminum, titanium, stainless steel, or an alloy of these), extends its life and increase the comfort of its user. Vacuum bagging technique was used to manufacture the samples which consist of constant perlon layers and a different number of composite material (Carbon or Glass) fiber layers as reinforcement materials at (0°/90°) orientation relative to the applied load and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) as a resin. The work included two major parts; theoretical and experimental tests for the real case. The theoretical and experimental results showed that the modulus of elasticity, tensile strength, and critical buckling load increase with the increasing the number of composite fiber layers. The percentage of increase in modulus of elasticity, tensile strength and critical buckling load for the specimen with three carbon layers and perlon layers in PMMA matrix was compared with three glass layers and perlon layers in PMMA matrix specimen and it was (12.5%, 5% & 17%) respectively, at (0°/90°) fibers orientation relative to the applied force. Validation of the results is conducted by comparing with results in other literature, a good agreement between them was found.

On axial compressive behavior of steel fiber reinforced concrete confined by FRP

In this study, the co-effects of steel fibers and FRP confinement on the concrete behavior under the axial compression load are investigated. Thus, the experimental tests were conducted on 18 steel fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC) specimens confined by FRP. Moreover, 24 existing experimental test results of FRP-confined specimens tested under axial compression are gathered to compile a reliable database for developing a mathematical model. In the conducted experimental tests, the concrete strength was varied as 26 MPa and 32.5 MPa and the steel fiber content was varied as 0.0%, 1.5%, and 3%. The specimens were confined with one and two layers of glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) sheet. The experimental test results show that simultaneously using the steel fibers and FRP confinement in concrete not only significantly increases the peak strength and ultimate strain of concrete but also solves the issue of sudden failure in the FRP-confined concrete. The simulations confirm that the results of the proposed model are in good agreement with those of experimental tests.