Hybrid Polymer Matrix Composites Research Articles

Studies on Mechanical and Tribological Behaviour of Natural and Synthetic Based Hybrid Polymer Matrix Composites

Studies on Mechanical and Tribological Behaviour of Natural and Synthetic Based Hybrid Polymer Matrix Composites

Tribological properties optimization of nylon6 composites filled with SiC and Mica

Nylon is expanding tremendously on a global scale. This paper deals with the optimization of wear behaviour of nylon-6 hybrid polymer matrix composites. The composites were prepared with Nylon 6 as the matrix and SiC and Mica as the reinforcements. Twin screw extruder and injection moulding was used to fabricate the composites. Experiments were conducted on Pin on Disc apparatus. Reinforcement %, Sliding distance, Sliding speed and Load are the parameters used for the study. Experiments were designed using Taguchi and optimization was performed using Grey Relational Analysis.L9 orthogonal array was used. It was observed that 7.5 wt% of Mica, Load 5 N, 500 m sliding distance and 6 m/s Sliding speed were the optimum process parameter settings. Using SEM micrographs, the wear mechanisms of the worn discs were examined. Additionally, it was noted that some abrasive wear and very little adhesive wear had occurred on the Nylon 6 composites.

Experimental investigation on mechanical properties and water absorption capacity of novel polyester-wool-glass fibre-reinforced hybrid polymer matrix composites

Experimental investigation on mechanical properties and water absorption capacity of novel polyester-wool-glass fibre-reinforced hybrid polymer matrix composites

Influence of addition of Al2O3 and SiC on tensile and flexural characteristics of epoxy/glass fiber hybrid polymer composite

In today's world, hybrid polymer matrix composite is an extremely important component in manufacturing automobiles, aircraft, and sporting goods. This research paper describes the development of epoxy-based hybrid polymer composites (HPC) through a hand-lay technique. Hybrid polymer composite consists of Epoxy resin, E-glass fiber as reinforced materials, and Al2O3/SiC as filler material. The fabrication of a hybrid polymer composite with an equal proportion of Al2O3/SiC during which epoxy resin and hardener are mixed in 10:1 proportion. The tensile and flexural strength were investigated in this study. Experiment findings show that composite with four wt.% of Al2O3/SiC has optimum tensile and flexural behavior. It has an ultimate tensile strength of 170.84 MPa and flexural strength of 162.56 MPa, which is desirable in applications where epoxy-based composites are typically utilized, such as in tennis and badminton rackets.

Study of the Mechanical Properties of Bamboo and Glass Fiber Reinforced Hybrid Polymer Matrix Composites

Study of the Mechanical Properties of Bamboo and Glass Fiber Reinforced Hybrid Polymer Matrix Composites

Experimental investigation of mechanical properties of bamboo/carbon fiber reinforced hybrid polymer matrix composites

Natural fiber composites are gaining popularity in various fields such as aerospace, automotive, and interior design due to their biodegradability, cost-effectiveness, and wide availability. Hybrid composites, which utilize both natural and synthetic fibers as reinforcement, are becoming more prevalent due to the desirable properties of each. Natural fibers possess strong damping properties and are biodegradable, while synthetic fibers have good elastic modulus. This research aimed to investigate the mechanical properties of bamboo and carbon fiber reinforced hybrid composites through tensile, flexural, and Izod tests. Hybrid composites exhibited 74.53% higher tensile strengths, 41.47% higher flexural strengths, and 182.24% higher impact strength than bamboo fiber reinforced composites. Carbon fiber reinforced composites had superior mechanical properties compared to hybrid and bamboo fiber reinforced composites, especially in terms of tensile and flexural characteristics. The study concludes that combining natural and synthetic fibers leads to composite materials with acceptable mechanical performance.

Synthesis and Characterization of Hybrid Polymer Composite: An Experimental Approach

Hybrid Polymer composites have recently emerged as one of the most important fields for researchers owing to their weight reduction benefits, corrosion resistance, design flexibility, manufacturing developments, multidiscipline applications, and sustainability. There are many types of hybrid polymer composites, one of which is made up of combining natural polymers and synthetic polymers and the other which is made up of combining natural-natural polymers. Hybrid composites also consist of nanocomposites, molecular composites, nanomaterials, and mesoscopic materials. In present study, hybrid polymer matrix composites reinforced with copper particulate were prepared using polycarbonate (PC), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), and polycarbonate plus ABS. Injection moulding process employed to synthesize the hybrid polymer composite. Tensile strength, electrical conductivity and thermal expansion coefficient were measured as per the ASTM D638, ASTM D 257 and ASTM D 696, respectively. 50% Copper + 50% Polycarbonate outperform other combinations in terms of tensile strength, electrical conductivity, and coefficient of thermal expansion. In addition, scanning electron microscopy was also used to understand the homogenous mixture of hybrid polymer composites.

An experimental study on two body abrasive wear behavior of natural fiber reinforced hybrid polymer matrix composites using Taguchi analysis

In earlier days the synthetic fibre composite material was considerably used for the secondary structures of automobile and aircrafts. But by knowing the performance at critical and elevated conditions natural fiber reinforced polymer matrix composites have been receiving considerable attention as the attribute for synthetic fiber reinforced composites for its functional efficiency, tailorable properties and strength to weight ratio. In the present study, abrasive wear behavior of natural fibre reinforced hybrid polymer matrix composite was carried out using pin-on-disc wear testing rig for abaca, basalt and hybrid abaca- basalt fibre reinforced epoxy using L9 orthogonal array. The tests were carried out on silicon carbide paper with a grit size of 320 µm with varying parameters of Load, Speed, and Time. From the obtained results, it is concluded that the optimal parameters for minimum weight loss is observed at load 10 N, speed 200 rpm and time of 10 min for basalt fibre reinforced epoxy composite and the maximum weight loss is observed for abaca fibre reinforced epoxy composite at load 30 N, 300 rpm and time of 20 min. The results also reveal that the material composition is the most influencing factor affecting the weight loss of the specimen followed by load, time and speed for the adopted testing conditions.

Effect of stacking sequence and silicon carbide nanoparticles on properties of carbon/glass/Kevlar fiber reinforced hybrid polymer composites

AbstractSynthetic fibers as reinforcement in composites are inevitable in today's composite industry due to its exceptional mechanical properties. The objective of this paper is to investigate the effect of stacking sequence of carbon, glass and Kevlar bidirectional (0°/90°) woven mat synthetic fibers reinforced in epoxy matrix composite with silicon carbide (SiC) nanoparticles as filler material on mechanical and visco‐elastic behavior of developed novel hybrid polymer matrix composites (HPMCs). Vacuum bag infusion method is adopted to manufacture the composite specimens by stacking carbon, glass and Kevlar fibers alternatively with six layers and six different stacking sequences and tested as per ASTM standards. Tensile, flexural, impact and hardness test is conducted to identify the composite specimen with maximum mechanical characteristics. The maximum tensile and flexural strength of 398.178 and 671.25 MPa respectively is seen for the composite with strong fibers such as carbon and glass stacked away from the neutral axis. Also, the scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of tensile and flexural failure specimen revealed the failure mechanisms of developed composite specimens. Moreover, the dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) revealed the visco‐elastic behavior of developed composites with glass transition temperature (Tg) at 115°C. This study emphasizes the influence of stacking sequence on thermo‐mechanical properties of the developed HPMC specimens and explores its potential for diverse applications.

STUDY OF THE PHYSICAL, MECHANICAL, CHEMICAL AND THERMAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PHENOLIC RESIN-STEEL SLAG REINFORCED COMPOSITES

This study investigated the characteristics of non-asbestos brake pads in hybrid-polymer matrix composites. Steel slag, silica, calcium tri-oxocarbonate IV and graphite in varied weight percentages were added to the molten phenolic resin to develop the composites. The microstructural examination was carried out on the samples using a scanning electron microscope. The composites’ physical, mechanical, chemical and thermal properties were evaluated at room temperature. The results obtained were compared with a commercial brake pad. The microstructure revealed a fair distribution of the particles in the resin matrix. The control sample exhibited the lowest wear rate of 0.6 and 0.8 g/Nm at loads of 7.5 and 10 N, respectively. This implies better wear resistance characteristics than the other samples. The samples exhibited appreciably high coefcient of friction of 0.410, 0.413, 0.440 and 0.40 for samples A, B, C and D, respectively, which is within the acceptable limit (0.3 – 0.6) for the brake pad. Sample A exhibited the highest compressive strength of 7.78 MPa, which is followed by samples C (3.04 MPa) and D (1.52 MPa). The results indicate that the compressibility of samples decreased with increasing steel slag and phenolic resin content. Sample D, which exhibited a lower wear rate (1 g/Nm) and coefcient of friction (0.40) than samples A, B, and C, exhibited the lowest water absorption rate. The specifc gravity of the samples produced ranges between 2.45 and 2.61, which compare well with the commercial brake pad. Sample A was produced with the lowest proportion of steel slag and phenolic resin and exhibited the lowest acetone extraction. Samples A and B exhibited better thermal stability – an indication of good resistance to thermal decomposition. The thermal conductivity of the samples ranges between 134 and 193 W/mK, which is quite high compared to the standard and decreased signifcantly with an increase in temperature.
 Keywords: Hybrid polymer composites, steel slag, wear rate, coefcient of friction, compressive strength, thermal stability.

INVESTIGATION OF MECHANICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF (EPOXY-RESOLE BLEND) MATRIX HYBRID COMPOSITE

This research aims to investigate the impact of fibre reinforcement on the mechanical properties of hybrid polymer matrix composites. The samples made of a hybrid polymer composite were made from the reaction of two polymers, 90% epoxy resin and 10% Resole resin, and were reinforced with two types of reinforcements. The reinforcement used for the current research was carbon and Kevlar fibers. The fibers were in plain weave and were added in volumetric fractions. This research assessed mechanical characteristics like tensile strength, hardness, and impact strength in two cases: one for epoxy/Resole blend only and the other for a hybrid composite material. The addition of fibre reinforcement improves the mechanical properties of the epoxy. Kevlar fiber provides the best mechanical properties for the epoxy/Resole blend when reinforced with two layers of kevlar fibers.

Mechanical property analysis of nanocarbon particles/glass fiber reinforced hybrid epoxy composites using RSM

This work aimed at the development of epoxy-based hybrid polymer matrix composites using a hand layup with clamp loading technique. Epoxy reinforced with glass fiber (stranded mat) and nanocarbon particles at different weight fractions were developed. Investigation on impact strength and flexural strength were studied and compared using response surface methodology (RSM). It is found that the percentage of reinforcement has a significant influence in the case of both flexural and impact strength. Hybrid composite with both glass fiber and carbon nanoparticles exhibited higher flexural and impact strength.

Experimental Investigations on Dry Sliding Wear Behavior of Kevlar and Natural Fiber-Reinforced Hybrid Composites through an RSM-GRA Hybrid Approach.

The present work aimed to investigate the dry sliding wear behaviors of hybrid polymer matrix composites made up of Kevlar, bamboo, palm, and Aloe vera as reinforcement materials of varying stacking sequences, along with epoxy as the matrix material. Three combinations of composite laminates with different stacking sequences such as AB, BC, and CA were fabricated by a vacuum-assisted compression molding process. The influence of composite laminates fabricated through various stacking sequences and dry sliding wear test variables such as load, sliding distance, and sliding velocity on the specific wear rate and co-efficient of friction were investigated. Experiments were designed and statistical validation was performed through response surface methodology-based D-optimal design and analysis of variance. The optimization was performed using grey relational analysis (GRA) to identify the optimal parameters to enhance the wear resistance of hybrid polymer composites under dry sliding conditions. The optimal parameters, such as composite combinations of CA, a load of 5 N, a sliding velocity of 3 m/s, and a sliding distance of 1500 m, were obtained. Furthermore, the morphologies of worn-out surfaces were investigated using SEM analysis.

A review on recent development on polymeric hybrid composite and analysis of their enhanced mechanical performance

The polymer-based hybrid composite's aim to permeate several sectors is inescapable. Among other purposes, the hybrid polymer matrix composite was aimed for cars and utility components. The type of reinforcement and its selection shape the composite's nature. Researchers are currently concentrating on employing natural fibres to reinforce hybrid polymer composites and increase natural fibre mechanical properties. As stated in this study, natural fibres are replacing conventional fibres like glass, aramid, carbon and others to improve quality. Vehicles, aircraft, military, packaging utility products, construction, and so on have proved that natural fibres are a viable alternative to synthetic fibres. These polymer-based hybrid composites have considerable limitations. It tried to sum up everything. Adding high strength-to-weight natural fibres to polymer composites increases mechanical properties.

Influence of Compression Molding Process Parameters in Mechanical and Tribological Behavior of Hybrid Polymer Matrix Composites

In recent days, natural fibers are extremely influential in numerous applications such as automobile body building, boat construction, civil structure, and packing goods. Intensification of the properties of natural fibers is achieved by blending different natural fibers with resin in a proper mixing ratio. This investigation aims to synthesize a hybrid polymer matrix composite with the use of natural fibers of flax and loops of hemp in the epoxy matrix. The synthesized composites were characterized in terms of tribological and mechanical properties. The Taguchi L16 orthogonal array is employed in the preparation of composite samples as well as analysis and optimization of the synthesis parameters. The optimization of compression molding process parameters has enhanced the results of this investigation. The parameters chosen are percentage of reinforcement (20%, 30%, 40%, and 50%), molding temperature (150 °C, 160 °C, 170 °C, and 180 °C), molding pressure (1 MPa, 2 MPa, 3 MPa, and 4 MPa), and curing time (20 min, 25 min, 30 min, and 35 min). From the analysis, it was observed that the percentage of reinforcement is contributing more to altering the fatigue strength, and the curing time is influenced in the impact and wear analysis.

Investigations on effectiveness of transfer layer on specific wear rate and coefficient of friction during dry sliding of hybrid polymer matrix composites

AbstractThe formation of transfer layer especially in polymer‐based composites is unavoidable and essential to investigate the effectiveness of transfer layer under working conditions as it decides the material removal between mating parts. The main aim of the present work is to analyze the performance of transfer layer on specific wear rate (SWR) and coefficient of friction (COF) during dry sliding of hexagonal boron nitride (h‐BN)/prosopis juliflora (PJ) reinforced polymer matrix composite. The mechanical test results exhibited that 136.4%, 145.7%, and 106.2% improvement in hardness, tensile and flexural properties of the hybrid composites compared to pure epoxy. Pin on disc wear test results showed that 15 wt% of h‐BN and 5 wt% of PJ reinforced hybrid composite produced better wear performance of minimum COF as 0.0912 and SWR as 0.0000151 mm3/Nm. ANOVA analysis results showed that load is major contributing parameter on COF and SWR and their percentage of contribution as 25.40% and 79.38% respectively. Worn surface analysis revealed that the reason behind transfer layer formation and its effectiveness under sliding conditions. The major wear mechanisms are identified as micro cutting and micro plowing followed by matrix crack, fiber debonding, and fiber pull out.

Vibrational behaviour and mechanical properties of hybrid polymer matrix composites reinforced with natural fibres: A review

Recent developments in technologies have amplified the practice of non-renewable resources namely natural fibres through manufacture. Composite reinforced with natural fibres toughens in a more symbolic way and extensively related in polymer composite materials. Further, the plant fibres are used widely in polymer composites is due to its little cost and noteworthy properties. The composite reinforced with natural fibres makes lighter compared to synthetic fibres. This yielded the substantial requirement for natural fibre composites in industrialized sector for a secure atmosphere. The proper deployment of composite structures is a critical issue and particularly the vibration is the key factor in the assessment of structural properties. The review focuses on hybrid polymer composite reinforced with various kinds of natural fibres and their associated mechanical properties. Also, it outlines the applications pertaining to vibrational behaviour characteristics.

Ultrasonic inspection of hybrid polymer matrix composites

Polymer-matrix composite (PMC) materials used for a wide variety of engineering applications are often manufactured as hybrid carbon- and glass-fibre-reinforced laminates to exploit the respective properties of each material. From the exterior, hybrid PMCs are visually deceptively similar to monolithic laminates, but just as their mechanical, electrical and thermal properties differ, so their acoustic properties vary due to hybridisation. In this article, the mechanical and structural properties of hybrid PMC laminates pertinent to acoustic measurements and that affect sound propagation, such as: material density, stiffness, and laminate layup sequence, and their influence on ultrasonic defect detection, are explained via a detailed analysis of the ultrasonic waveforms, experimental inspection data, and analytical modelling.

Internal structure influence on the impact strength and dynamic fracture toughness of hybrid polymer matrix composites with integrated elastomer interlayers

The strength and impact resistance of hybrid polymer matrix composites (HPMCs) made of PMCs and elastomer layers (ELs) are significantly influenced by internal structure and manufacturing technology. The paper proposes integration of two ELs, evenly spaced in relation to neutral axis, in three cross-section configurations. Elastomer layers (Kraibon, Kraiburg Company) were integrated between the layers of carbon epoxy prepreg (EP121-C20-45). Corresponding pure PMCs without two ELs were used as reference material. Description of dynamic response of the HPMCs under low velocity impact is the aim of the paper.3-point bending (3-PB) tests were performed for the HPMCs using the drop tower Instron Ceast 9350 to assess transverse impact bending strength for out-of-plane loading and dynamic fracture toughness KId for in-plane loading. The maximum forces required to initiate fracture processes and the total absorbed energy up to the samples failure were estimated.Application of integrated ELs in HPMCs significantly changed their dynamic material characteristics at low velocity impact, i.e. led to the increase of the absorbed energy about 41% for transverse impact bending and about 168% for in-plane loading in comparison to the PMC.

Effects of nano-sized silica particles on the off-axis creep performance of unidirectional fiber-reinforced polymer hybrid composites

A multi-step homogenization approach is presented to predict the off-axis creep response of hybrid polymer matrix composites (HPMCs) reinforced with unidirectional carbon fibers and silica nanoparticles. The first step deals with evaluating the viscoelastic properties of silica nanoparticle-polymer nanocomposite using the Mori-Tanaka micromechanical model. Two essential features affecting the behavior, including silica nanoparticle agglomeration and interphase region generated due to the interaction between the nanoparticle and polymer are taken into account. In the second step, the off-axis viscoelastic behavior of HPMCs is extracted from the homogenized nanocomposite and carbon fiber properties using a unit cell-based micromechanical model. Some comparative studies between the predictions and available experiment are directed to verify the homogenization process. All the model predictions are in good agreement with the experimental data. The results indicate that with increasing the fiber off-axis angle from 0° to 90°, the presence of silica nanoparticles leads to a reduction in the HPMC creep compliance. Also, the proposed multi-step homogenization approach is applied to investigate the effects of volume fraction, size and agglomeration degree of silica nanoparticles; thickness and material properties of the interphase region; and off-axis angle and volume fraction of the carbon fiber on the HPMC creep response.