Glass Fiber Mat Research Articles

Controllable preparation of graphene glass fiber fabric towards mass production and its application in self-adaptive thermal management

Direct synthesis of graphene on nonmetallic substrates via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) has become a frontier research realm targeting transfer-free applications of CVD graphene. However, the stable mass production of graphene with a favorable growth rate and quality remains a grand challenge. Herein, graphene glass fiber fabric (GGFF) was successfully developed through the controllable growth of graphene on non-catalytic glass fiber fabric, employing a synergistic binary-precursor CVD strategy to alleviate the dilemma between growth rate and quality. The binary precursors consisted of acetylene and acetone, where acetylene with high decomposition efficiency fed rapid graphene growth while oxygen-containing acetone was adopted for improving the layer uniformity and quality. Notably, the bifurcating introducing-confluent premixing (BI-CP) system was self-built for the controllable introduction of gas and liquid precursors, enabling the stable production of GGFF. GGFF features solar absorption and infrared emission properties, based on which the self-adaptive dual-mode thermal management film was developed. This film can automatically switch between heating and cooling modes by spontaneously perceiving the temperature, achieving excellent thermal management performances with heating and cooling power of ∼501.2 and ∼108.6 W m−2, respectively. These findings unlock a new strategy for the large-scale batch production of graphene materials and inspire advanced possibilities for further applications.

A High-gain omnidirectional conformal antenna on the aerial vehicle

Abstract A series-fed conformal microstrip antenna with the tail wing of a UAV(Unmanned Aerial Vehicle)is proposed and implemented in this paper. In the target frequency band, the antenna has a nice performance of omnidirectional radiation and high gain, which easily conforms with the tail wing structure, achieving good wind resistance characteristics and meeting the strict aerodynamic requirements of the UAV. The antenna radiator is etched onto a printed board with a dielectric constant of 2.2 and a size of 644mm×112mm×4mm. In addition, the radiator is fixed with PMI form and formed a tail shape with surrounding glass fiber cloth, which has strong rigidity as a whole and has passed the flight test. The test results show that the antenna achieves a gain of more than 4.2 dBi at 564-676 MHz, a gain of more than 5.6 dBi at 600-650 MHz, and a gain of less than 3dB at 564-676MHz. This proposed antenna has a reasonable structure and good performance, which is verified by engineering experiments and is suitable for harsh environment requirements. It is expected that this antenna has wide applications in high-speed UAV communication.

The Effect of Type of Reinforcement, Type of Glue and Reinforcement Place on Mechanical and Physical Properties of LVL

This study investigated the effect of the reinforcement type, glue type, and reinforcement placement on the mechanical and physical properties of LVL. In the study, the glues used were phenol- formaldehyde (FF), epoxy (EX), and polyurethane (PU), while reinforcement materials used were glass fiber, basalt, jute, and cotton fabric. The following three reinforcement combinations were applied: the first was on the bottom surface, the second was on the first adhesive line at the bottom, and the third was on both the bottom and the first adhesive line at the bottom. As part of the study, researchers manufactured 9-layer laminated veneer lumber (LVL) using alder veneers for the surface, and poplar veneers for the middle layers. They produced a total of 39 different combinations of LVL. The mechanical and physical properties of the produced samples were determined. According to the test results, bending strength (BS), modulus of elasticity (MOE), oven-dry specific gravity, and equilibrium moisture content of samples were higher with FF than with other glues. While the samples with EX glue provided the lowest values in water absorption and thickness swelling tests, glass fiber-reinforced samples provided the highest mechanical values. In addition, the samples having reinforcement on the bottom surface provided higher BS and MOE values.

Uniaxial compression behavior of glass fabric/epoxy composites sprayed with nano titanium dioxide

ABSTRACT In this study, we have tried to study the compression behaviour of composites by a different technique of spraying nano – TiO2 on glass fibre fabrics with vinyl resin as binder and epoxy resin as matrix. It was found that the air spraying method was effective in loading the nanoparticles onto the fabrics and improving their wetting properties with the resins. The experimental results showed that the compressive strength of the modified specimens was lower than that of the untreated ones, while their compressive strength was increased. On this basis, the fracture process of the material was observed using microscopy, and electron microscopy observations revealed that the degree of interfacial bonding between the material and the substrate was improved, while the bond strength demonstrated the strong toughening effect of nano – TiO2 on the substrate. Electron microscopy tests also showed that the composites modified by nano- TiO2 showed significant improvement in matrix fracture, fibre breakage and delamination. This study provides a theoretical basis for the study of the mechanical properties of composite materials used as supports under uniaxial compression.

Multispecies-coadsorption-induced rapid preparation of graphene glass fiber fabric and applications in flexible pressure sensor

Direct chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth of graphene on dielectric/insulating materials is a promising strategy for subsequent transfer-free applications of graphene. However, graphene growth on noncatalytic substrates is faced with thorny issues, especially the limited growth rate, which severely hinders mass production and practical applications. Herein, graphene glass fiber fabric (GGFF) is developed by graphene CVD growth on glass fiber fabric. Dichloromethane is applied as a carbon precursor to accelerate graphene growth, which has a low decomposition energy barrier, and more importantly, the produced high-electronegativity Cl radical can enhance adsorption of active carbon species by Cl–CH2 coadsorption and facilitate H detachment from graphene edges. Consequently, the growth rate is increased by ~3 orders of magnitude and carbon utilization by ~960-fold, compared with conventional methane precursor. The advantageous hierarchical conductive configuration of lightweight, flexible GGFF makes it an ultrasensitive pressure sensor for human motion and physiological monitoring, such as pulse and vocal signals.

Study on mechanical properties of E-glass mat reinforced basic magnesium sulfate cement thin-slab

To achieve sustainable development and reduce the carbon footprint in building material production, the E-glass fiber mat was impregnated with basic magnesium sulfate cement (BMSC) by lamination impregnation. This process reduces environmental pollution from cement preparation, increases fiber volume content, and enhances the mechanical properties of cementitious composite materials. The study examined axial tensile, four-point bending resistance, drop weight impact resistance and pendulum impact resistance of BMSC thin-slab reinforced with dispersed short glass fiber (SGF), short glass fiber mat (SGFM) and continuous glass fiber mat (CGFM) of varying gram weights. The results show that the mechanical properties of BMSC thin-slab reinforced with fiber mat are much higher than those of SGF reinforced thin-slab. The tensile strength of BMSC thin-slab reinforced with CGFM is higher than that of BMSC thin-slab reinforced with SGFM at the same gram weight, and the tensile strength increases as the weight of CGFM increases. Specifically, the axial tensile strength of BMSC thin-slab reinforced with 450 g of CGFM is nearly 8 times higher than that of SGF reinforced BMSC thin-slab. BMSC thin-slab reinforced with 450 g of CGFM has the maximum proportional limit load and bending strength. The impact strength and toughness indexes of BMSC thin-slab reinforced with CGFM are the highest, followed by SGFM reinforced BMSC thin-slab. The addition of 300 g CGFM significantly enhanced flexural toughness during the early stage of thin-slab cracking, while 450 g CGFM showed significant improvement in flexural toughness during the middle and late stages of cracking. When comparing thin-slabs with the same glass fiber volume ratio, those reinforced with 450 g CGFM exhibited the best impact resistance. SEM results indicated superior adhesion between 450 g CGFM and the cement matrix, as well as between adjacent CGFM layers, with fiber breakage being the main cause of specimen failure.

Generating Composite Material Maps from Numerical Simulation of Hailstone Impact

Over the lifetime of a wind turbine, the blades receive significant erosion to the leading edge caused by precipitation, leading to large losses in aerodynamic performance and therefore power output. It is therefore prudent to study the mechanics of the erosion process in order to predict and mitigate these losses. Whilst leading edge erosion due to raindrop impact has received much research attention in recent years, very little research has focussed the role of hailstone impact in erosion in wind turbine blades. This paper aims to use a computational simulation model to investigate and characterise the physics of the impact of a hailstone on a flat plate of composite glass fibre material typical of those used in the construction of wind turbine blades. This was achieved by modelling the ice projectile using a Single-Particle Hydrodynamic approach in the software package LS-DYNA. This simulation was used to determine how the impact response in the target plate was affected by various parameters of the impact scenario. Simulations were run using diameters of hailstone between 5 and 20 mm, impact speeds between 80 and 120 ms−1, and at angles of incidence between 90 and 0 degrees. The paper presents these observations in the form of “maps” of the material response at each angle of incidence. It was observed that whilst at low velocities, the material response varies linearly with diameter and velocity and at higher velocities, more complicated behaviour arises due to the interaction between the initial stress wave and the remainder of the impacting projectile.

Mobile-YOLO: An accurate and efficient three-stage cascaded network for online fiberglass fabric defect detection

The tolerance for different defects in the production process of fiberglass fabric varies. For acceptable defects, only relevant information needs to be recorded and printed, while for intolerable defects, the loom needs to be stopped promptly for handling. To address the issue of inefficient production of fiberglass fabric due to this situation, this paper proposes a task-modularized cascade network model for quality inspection of fiberglass fabric. The three stages cascaded detection network is composed of the improved MobilenetV3-small and the enhanced You Only Look Once v8 Nano (YOLOv8n). For MobilenetV3_small, the Squeeze- and-Excitation(SE) module in the Block layer with a 5 × 5 convolutional kernel is replaced with the Efficient Channel Attention (ECA) mechanism, enhancing channel information while making the model more lightweight. For YOLOv8n, a Global Attention Module (GAM) is added to the network, enhancing the ability to capture global information of input data, making the model more perceptual. Additionally, a Similarity Attention Module (SimAM) is added between the neck and head networks, enabling the network to better capture relevant information in the images, improving the quality of feature maps and enhancing network performance. Finally, a large number of defect images of fiberglass fabric were collected from an industrial site, and different datasets for the three stages were created. Numerous experiments were conducted, and when using all three stages for detection, the accuracy rate reaches 99.4%, with a parameter count of 16.8M and Frames Per Second (FPS) of 186. The cascade network has been successfully applied in the industrial field of fiberglass fabric and meets industrial production requirements.

Efficient and easily recyclable photocatalytic reduction of Se(IV) from wastewater using stable TiO2/BiOBr/cloth: Mechanism insight and machine learning modeling

Photocatalytic technology is extensively employed for the reductive removal of water contaminants; however, it contends with low catalytic efficiency and challenges in catalyst recovery. In this study, we propose integrating experimental procedures with artificial intelligence modeling to enhance the purification of Se(IV)-contaminated wastewater. We present an efficient, easily recyclable, and cost-effective strategy for photocatalyst fabrication. Specifically, we develop a novel method for Se(IV) removal by immobilizing TiO2/BiOBr onto glass fiber cloth surfaces using chitosan for Se(IV) reduction in aqueous solutions. The TiO2/BiOBr/cloth (TB-4/cloth) catalyst achieves a remarkable 99.2 % Se(IV) removal within 2 h under visible light and maintains excellent Se(IV) reduction photocatalytic activity (86.4 %) even after eight cycles, remaining easily reusable. Additionally, we develop two machine learning models, namely artificial neural network (ANN) and long short-term memory (LSTM), to validate the anticipated experimental outcomes. Both models exhibit high accuracy and predictive capability (R2 > 0.99, RMSE < 0.03). This study introduces a novel approach that combines experimentation with artificial intelligence modeling, paving the way for future advancements in Se(IV)-contaminated wastewater purification methods.

A pool construction using ramie fabric composite in eco-resin matrix: a cost of goods sold analysis (COGS)

One of the oldest and most traditional products made with resin and fiberglass is swimming pools; however, this product consumes large quantities of fiberglass mat and resin, both raw materials are based on non-renewable products and contribute significantly to carbon footprint and environmental damage. The increasing environmental concern has raised awareness in the industry and academia for the search of environmentally friendly materials. Natural fibers are attracting interest in engineering sectors due to specific advantages such as low density and cost, as well as renewability, biodegradability, recycling, and CO2 emission neutrality. In particular, the fiber extracted from the stem of the ramie plant is currently recognized as one of the strongest lignocellulosic fibers. In addition to natural fibers, eco-resins such as water-based acrylics have gained great attention from the industry due to their carbon footprint and environmentally friendly characteristics. The aim of this work is to calculate the cost of goods sold (COGS) for a pool constructed with composite ramie fabric in a water-based eco-resin matrix, for this purpose, a 1:30 scale prototype will be made, from which all manufacturing costs will be collected, then we will perform a mathematical extrapolation for comparison of values with products currently available in the market.

Numerical modeling of RC column reinforced by new strategy using fiberglass tape and cloth

This paper presents the results of finite element analysis (FE) to study the axial compression behavior of reinforced concrete columns wrapped with tapes and fiberglass cloths according to different techniques using ABAQUS software. In the beginning, columns are modeled as 3D solid elements with a concrete damage plasticity model (CDPM), as the columns in this study are considered to be low compressive strength reinforced concrete and the rebar as 3D mesh elements. And once assembled, the specimen is wrapped with tape and cloth in the form of three-dimensional shell elements. Then, in order to analyze the behavior of the ultimate loads, the deformation of the confinement material, and the distribution of deformations in the concrete, the controlled displacement method used to apply the uniaxial compression loads to the specimen. Finally, a new mixed confinement model between partial confinement and complete has been proposed using a database of the results of a numerical simulation for confined concrete by fiberglass tapes and cloths. And it was found that the confinement strategy proposed in this study is very effective for the behavior of the reinforced concrete column, as the stress decreases significantly with the expansion and widening of the confinement stiffness of concrete in the plastic phase which improves the axial stress resistance.

Mechanical Characterization of Hybrid Bagasse/Eggshell/E-glass Fiber-based Polyester Composite

Currently, numerous researchers, scientists, and industrialists are drawn towards utilizing natural fillers rather than synthetic ones because of their environmentally-friendly characteristics, lower density per unit volume and favorable mechanical attributes. Several studies have demonstrated that using organic filler in polyester matrix composites, instead of disposing of them in landfills, has various advantages. The current study focuses on the investigation of the mechanical characteristics of composite material made from a combination of bagasse, eggshell, and e-glass fibers exhibit characteristics such as strength under tension, strength under bending, resistance to indentation, and mass per unit volume. Different weight percentages of eggshell/bagasse were used to make the material using the hand lay-up technique (3wt%, 6wt%, 9wt%, and 12wt%), with 19wt% of glass fiber mixed in the resin. The use of inorganic fillers like calcium carbonate, a non-renewable mineral that may be expensive and environmentally hazardous to extract and process, is being reduced in favor of organic fillers like eggshell and bagasse, which are inexpensive and readily available. Specimens were generated by interposing fiber waste amidst chopped strand glass fiber mats, with variations in the bagasse, eggshell and polyester content, while keeping the amount of E-glass fiber constant. Afterward, the specimens were trimmed to the appropriate dimensions and subjected to analysis with a universal apparatus. The research showed that enhancing the quantity of bagasse/eggshell fiber within the hybrid composite resulted in an enhancement of its mechanical characteristics. The best reinforcement effect was observed in a hybrid composite with 6% bagasse/eggshell fiber.

Carbonyl iron/glass fiber cloth composites: Achieving multi-spectrum stealth in a wide temperature range

Multispectral camouflage in a wide temperature range is still a challenging issue owing to the incompatibility of stealth mechanisms corresponding to different spectra. Herein, we develop a flexible flaky carbonyl iron (FCI)/glass fiber (GF) cloth, using all-in-one design of microwave absorption and infrared (IR) stealth to eliminate the above contradictions. Due to micron-scale gaps and height differences on the surface of GF cloth modified with Fe3O4, FCI gains a special vertical structure, which not only induces multiple eddy centers in FCI to enhance magnetic loss but also reduces the microwave reflection area, achieving a synergistic improvement in attenuation and impedance characteristics. Therefore, FCI/GF cloth with a thickness of 2.0 mm obtains a maximum effective absorbing bandwidth of 5.82 GHz in a range of 25–400 °C. On the other hand, combination of FCI and GF cloth decreases IR emissivity while maintaining wonderful heat insulation performance, allowing objects over 250 °C to obtain promising thermal IR camouflage. The all-in-one design successfully breaks barriers faced by traditional hierarchical radar-IR compatible stealth materials such as strong reflection, great thickness, loss and impedance mismatch.

Suitability of AA 7075 and Glass Fiber Materials for Aerospace Applications

The primary thing considered while designing an aircraft is to find the right proportion of the vehicle weight and payload. Spars, ribs, and stringers are the main structural components of the aircraft wing. In this paper, the rib is designed using the CATIA solid modelling software with different geometrical optimization and is then analyzed in ANSYS. Aluminium Alloy 7075 and Glass fiber were the materials considered during the analysis. Modal, Structural and Fatigue analysis were performed on the object to determine the natural frequencies, stresses developed, and max. number of cycles a material can withstand respectively.

Economic Analysis of Potential Offshore Aquaculture Practice to Enhance Diversification of Blue Economy in Nigeria

The oil and gas industry has long dominated Nigeria’s blue economic growth. However, a new frontier that can play sustainable economic growth in the maritime industry and therefore national economic leverage is offshore aquaculture. Hence, this paper aims to provide relevant information on the economic analysis of the potential offshore aquaculture practice to enhance the diversification of the blue economy in Nigeria using secondary data. Sensitivity analysis considering input variations of up to 45% is also performed to take care of the unforeseen. Offshore aquaculture in this paper refers to fish production in the Open Ocean using large cages/nets. Ten (10) fish cages of 37500-fish capacity per cage were hypothetically designed with fiberglass materials and installed in Escravos offshore. A mortality of 30% was used with the current prices of other required investments. The analysis recorded a breakeven period of 2 years and NPV value of over one trillion Naira in 9 years indicating massive profitability comparable to the oil and gas industry! Sensitivity analysis identified mortality/loss of fish and falling prices of fish as events that could adversely affect the investment. It is suggested that the investment should be done with experienced professionals in fishery, offshore engineering, and cost control.

Fabrication and Mechanical Testing of Glass Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Matrix Composites Modified with Powdered Metallic Fillers

Composite materials made up of polymer matrix reinforced with synthetic fibers have gained popularity of late owing to their enhanced mechanical properties. However, very little work is reported to date on metals being used as filler material. Research gaps were obtained pertaining to the use of metallic fillers in synthetic fiber reinforced polymer composites. This paper demonstrates an attempt to fabricate composites made of Epoxy polymer matrix and E-glass fiber reinforcement with Mild Steel in its powdered form as fillers. Composites are prepared in varying weight percentages of the filler in the order of 2 wt. %, 4 wt. % and 6 wt. %. Hand layup method is employed for fabricating these composites which are later subjected to compression. Further, the samples are machined according to ASTM D3039 standard for tensile test and ASTM D256 standard for Izod impact test. Hardness test is also performed using a Shore D Durometer and these properties are compared with the unfilled samples. The results indicated that the weight percentage of the filler clearly influenced the mechanical properties of the developed composites. This study also revealed that the hardness and tensile strength of these composites improved with the incorporation of fillers up to 2 wt. % whereas, the impact strength improved up to 4 wt. %. Thereafter, there was a decline in their impact and tensile properties. However, hardness marginally increased beyond 4 wt. %. This area is open for research with regard to their usability under tribological, high temperature or magnetic conditions.

Overcoming the Incompatibility Between Electrical Conductivity and Electromagnetic Transmissivity: A Graphene Glass Fiber Fabric Design Strategy.

Conventional conductive materials such as metals are crucial functional components of conductive systems in diverse electronic instruments. However, their severe intrinsic impedance mismatch with air dielectric causes strong reflection of incident electromagnetic waves, and the resulting low electromagnetic transmissivity typically interferes with surrounding electromagnetic signal communications in modern multifunction-integrated instruments. Herein, graphene glass fiber fabric (GGFF) that merges intrinsic electrical and electromagnetic properties of graphene with dielectric attributes and highly porous macrostructure of glass fiber fabric (GFF) is innovatively developed. Using a novel decoupling chemical vapor deposition growth strategy, high-quality and layer-limited graphene is prepared on noncatalytic nonmetallic GFF in a controlled manner; this is pivotal to realizing GGFF with the desired compatibility among high conductivity, low electromagnetic reflectivity, and high electromagnetic transmissivity. At the same sheet resistance over a wide range of values (250-3000 Ω·sq-1), the GGFF exhibits significantly lower electromagnetic reflectivity (by 0.42-0.51) and higher transmissivity (by 0.27-0.62) than those of its metal-based conductive counterpart (CuGFF). The material design strategy reported herein provides a constructive solution to eliminate the incompatibility between electrical conductivity and electromagnetic transmissivity faced by conventional conductive materials, spotlighting the applicability of GGFF in electric heating scenarios in radar, antenna, and stealth systems.

The investigation of flame-retardant fiber mats for high performance composites: flame retardancy and structure performance

The flame-retardant performance of carbon fiber reinforced composites serves as a critical metric for structural stability. Nonetheless, the prevalent methodologies for improving the flame retardancy of composites struggle to reconcile the dual objectives of flame retardancy and mechanical robustness, due in part to the constraints imposed by the conventional additive-based approach on the material interface. This study introduced a novel method involving a glass fiber mat, which was augmented with a polyurethane-based treatment integrated with flame-retardant substances, in particular ammonium polyphosphate and nickel hydroxide. This fiber mat was strategically applied to the composite surface, conferring both flame retardancy and enhanced structural resilience. The structure performance and flame retardancy of composites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and the cone calorimeter test. Experimental comparisons with nontreated controls indicated that the innovative composites exhibited a reduction in total heat release and total smoke production by 13.7% and 18.8%, respectively. Concurrently, a notable enhancement in mechanical properties was observed, with increases of 20.9% and 23.1% for tensile and flexural strength. This well-balanced performance is attributable to the structure design, with toughened glass fiber mats to protect the composite surfaces from structural failure, and flame-retardant agent composition for combustion resistance and smoke suppression. Consequently, the proposed integrative flame-retardant structural design, enriched with specific flame-retardant treatments, offers a promising avenue for fabricating high-performance composite materials with potential utility in the aviation and aerospace sectors.

Investigation of the Durability and Performance of Gears Made of Glass Fiber, Carbon and Bronze-Reinforced Polytetrafluoroethylene Matrix Composite Material

Polymer gears are often used in power transmission due to their numerous advantages. Heat accumulates on polymer gears during operation. Over time, this accumulated heat leads to damage; and shortens the service life of the gears. To prevent this, various fillers are added to the polymer materials. These fillers help to dissipate the heat generated on the gears. In this study, 25% glass fibers, 35% carbon powder, and 60% bronze particles were added to the polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) matrix to determine the wear behavior of gears. The properties of the matrix and the filler mainly influence the wear behavior of PTFE composites. The study showed that all composite gears with filler have better wear resistance than pure PTFE gears due to their better thermal stability. After the tests, it was found that the gears made of PTFE + 35% carbon additive had about 12 times better wear rates than those made of pure PTFE. Based on the average temperature values of the experiment, it was found that the mass temperature of gears made of 35% carbon-doped PTFE is about 38-39% lower than that of pure PTFE. This study contributes to the standard studies on heat build-up, thermal damage, and wear of gears made of polymers with different fillers and ratios.

Experimental Investigation of TR-UHPC Composites and Flexural Behavior of TR-UHPC Composite Slab

In this investigation, the effects of different fabrics with 0.20% carbon fiber textile (CFT), 0.21% glass fiber textile (GFT), and 0.25% basalt fiber textile (BFT) on the properties of TR-UHPC were investigated by axial tensile tests. A bending test of the BFT-UHPC pavement slab was carried out. In terms of axial tensile performance, the fiber textiles ranked in the following sequence: CFT, BFT, and GFT. Additionally, the corresponding increases in the initial cracking strength and ultimate tensile strength were 18.0% and 21.9% for the CFT, 12.0% and 16.0% for the BFT, and only 9.1% and 8.0% for the GFT, respectively. Increasing the textile reinforcement ratio of the BFT from 0.25% to 0.50% improved the cracking stress and peak stress of the specimen by 12.0% and 15.9%, respectively. Moreover, the ultimate strain of the 0.50%-BFT reinforcing case was 1.4 times that of the 0.25%-BFT reinforcing case and 2.6 times that of the unreinforced specimen in terms of ductility. The results of the stacking test on the BFT reinforced UHPC pedestrian slab indicate that the mid-span deflection of the test slab under normal use load is 0.775 mm, which is only 19.8% of the deflection limit. Additionally, the test slab remained in the elastic stage without any cracking. The BFT effectively enhanced the toughness of the UHPC thin slab after cracking. It is expected to be applied as a novel structure to bridge pedestrian slabs, bridge decks, and other thin UHPC members, thereby improving the durability and mechanical properties of bridge structures.