Lightweight Composite Materials Research Articles

Extraction and Characterization of Nano Fibers from Cotton Fibers and Its Composite

ABSTRACT In this paper, an extraction and characterization of nano fibrils has been performed to understand the behavior of cotton fibers. Basically, fibers are used to form some light weight composite materials and they provide strength to matrix, but a natural fiber contains number of bio-properties which are not necessary to build up a composite material. So, here a quality method is required to extract those properties from it. Many researches had been performed over the extraction method of unnecessary properties from natural fibers. Cellulose is the only property of natural fibers which helps to increase the tensile strength of natural fibers. To extract the cellulose from the cotton, natural fibers undergo some chemical treatments such as alkali treatment, bleaching, and acidic treatment. After the extraction of cellulose, fiber undergoes various testing for the morphological and thermal behavior of extracted fibers. These tested fibers were used to make composite. Validation and designing of composite had been done by using ANSYS. After development of composite using epoxy as a matrix, these composites went under some non-destructive and destructive testing.

Effect of moisture absorption on the thermo-mechanical properties of carbon/epoxy composites with SiC reinforcement

ABSTRACT Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites have many applications in civil engineering, aircraft industry and in many other areas. They are lightweight composite materials with outstanding mechanical properties. In this study, the testing specimens were made from the carbon fabrics impregnated with epoxy resin which had been reinforced with the silicon carbide (SiC) microparticles or SiC microfibers. The four-layered composite samples were fabricated by means of hot compression and curing of epoxy resin. The thermal, tensile and impact properties of the untreated specimens were compared with the ones that underwent the water absorption in duration of 72 hours, followed by desorption. The treated specimens containing the SiC particles and SiC microfibers demonstrated 3.4% and 8.8% of the reduction in the tensile energy absorption, correspondingly, compared to their untreated counterparts. Opposed to this trend of results, the tensile energy absorption value of the treated carbon/epoxy specimens, experienced an increase of 84.4% compared to the dry carbon/epoxy specimens. The additional test results showed that the water treated carbon/epoxy composites went into a certain decline in their thermal, tensile and impact properties. The obtained results provide some significant pieces of information for the future practical use of the presented composites.

Cellulosic Microfiber Extraction from Ecofriendly Bahunia Racemosa and Its Characterization

ABSTRACT Recent demand of eco-friendly advanced materials for automotive components motivated to develop natural fiber-reinforced composites due to their extraordinary properties with minimum weight at low cost. The reinforcement of microcellulosic extracted from lignocellulosic materials can enhance the mechanical properties with astonishing the biodegradability quality in the polymer-based composites. Bahunia racemosa (BR) fibers were chosen to extract cellulose microfibers through chemo-mechanical method and the chemical compositions at different stages are determined by using ASTM standards. The average diameter of the extracted cellulose micro Bahunia racemosa fibers (CMBRF) found as 10 μm. The microfiber composites are fabricated at different weight fractions such as 20, 30, 40 and 50 by compression molding method. Surface properties of the produced fibers and fabricated composite structures are analyzed through microscopic techniques. The influence of reinforcement effect on the mechanical properties of fabricated composite structures is analyzed through standard testing methods. The composites reinforced with 40 wt% of cellulose microfibers exhibited highest enhancement about the tensile strength and young modulus of 80.25 and 40%, respectively. The proposed composites can be used to make various low cost, light weight composite materials for industrial and construction industries.

Comparative evaluation of areca/carbon/basalt fiber reinforced epoxy/bio epoxy based hybrid composites

AbstractThe use of renewable resources to reduce environmental effects can provide a long‐term platform. The natural fiber is an excellent renewable resource for developing lightweight composite materials. The present work is the development of hybrid areca/carbon/basalt reinforced epoxy/bio epoxy composites and the investigation of their mechanical, thermal, and water absorption behavior. Four layered areca–carbon, areca–basalt, and areca fiber reinforced epoxy/bio epoxy composites were fabricated with three different varying stacking sequences with epoxy and bio epoxy composites with a hand layup method. The Mechanical properties like tensile, flexural, and impact behavior were evaluated and compared between the synthetic and bio epoxy resin. Also, the thermal, water absorption, and morphological studies of all composites were studied, and results showed that out of all the composites the carbon—areca fiber reinforced composites showed better mechanical properties and SEM analysis exemplified the better bonding between areca, carbon, and basalt fabrics. The prepared laminates can be used for developing some commercial medium‐load structural applications.

High-Performance Properties of an Aerospace Epoxy Resin Loaded with Carbon Nanofibers and Glycidyl Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane

This paper proposes a new multifunctional flame retardant carbon nanofiber/glycidyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (GPOSS) epoxy formulation specially designed for lightweight composite materials capable of fulfilling the ever-changing demands of the future aerospace industry. The multifunctional resin was designed to satisfy structural and functional requirements. In particular, this paper explores the advantages deriving from the combined use of GPOSS and CNFs (short carbon nanofibers) to obtain multifunctional resins. The multifunctional material was prepared by incorporating in the epoxy matrix heat-treated carbon nanofibers (CNFs) at the percentage of 0.5 wt% and GPOSS compound at 5 wt% in order to increase the mechanical performance, electrical conductivity, thermal stability and flame resistance property of the resulting nanocomposite. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) shows that the values of the Storage Modulus (S.M.) of the resin alone and the resin containing solubilized GPOSS nanocages are almost similar in a wide range of temperatures (from 30 °C to 165 °C). The presence of CNFs, in the percentage of 0.5 wt%, determines an enhancement in the S.M. of 700 MPa from −30 °C to 180 °C with respect to the resin matrix and the resin/GPOSS systems. Hence, a value higher than 2700 MPa is detected from 30 °C to 110 °C. Furthermore, the electrical conductivity of the sample containing both GPOSS and CNFs reaches the value of 1.35 × 10−1 S/m, which is a very satisfying value to contrast the electrical insulating property of the epoxy systems. For the first time, TUNA tests have been performed on the formulation where the advantages of GPOSS and CNFs are combined. TUNA investigation highlights an electrically conductive network well distributed in the sample. The ignition time of the multifunctional nanocomposite is higher than that of the sample containing GPOSS alone of about 35%.

Evaluation of Interfacial Shear Strength Healing Efficiency between Dynamic Covalent Bond-Based Epoxy and Functionalized Fiberglass

Extending the service life of light-weight composite materials used in structural applications has drawn extensive research interests in recent years. One promising solution is the incorporation of self-healing polymers as the matrix component to enable the intrinsic repair of structural damage, thus allowing the composite structure to maintain its mechanical performance and expand its useful life. One of the primary failure mechanisms in composites is interfacial failure, and this research seeks to develop a methodology that enables reformation of covalent crosslinks at the interface to recover material strength. The approach developed here focuses on the evaluation of interfacial shear strength (IFSS) of a composite material system consisting of a self-healing matrix formed by bisphenol-F diglycidyl ether mixed with 4-aminophenyl disulfide (4-AFD) and fiberglass. Interfacial damage is repaired through thermal stimulus that cleaves the dynamic covalent disulfide bonds in the 4-AFD constituent of the matrix followed by bond reformation to return material strength. The extent of interfacial healing was characterized through repeated microdroplet testing and was measured to be 61.7 and 39.7% for once- and twice-healed microdroplets, respectively, thus demonstrating the potential of the chosen composite system to not only exhibit matrix healing, as reported in most studies, on self-healing composites but also at the fiber–matrix interface. The surface chemistry of the glass fibers was modified through silane coupling agents 3-(glycidoxypropyl)trimethoxysilane and bis(triethoxysilylpropyl)tetrasulfide (Si-69) functionalization, and their subsequent effects on the IFSS and healing efficiency of the fiber–matrix system were investigated. The Si-69-functionalized fiberglass exhibited an enhancement in IFSS of 31.5% due to the improved fiber–matrix chemical interactions because of the increase in surface functional group concentrations. Therefore, this work demonstrates the interfacial healing potential of 4-AFD-based polymer matrices when incorporated in glass fiber composites and highlights the promising effects of surface functionalization for simultaneously improving IFSS and maintaining interfacial healing efficiency.

Assessment of Critical Resource Use in Aircraft Manufacturing

The global aircraft fleet has been expanding worldwide, leading to a high demand for primary resources. Simultaneously, recycling initiatives for decommissioned aircraft are still incipient. Following circular economy principles, the aims of this paper are to identify potentially critical resources used and related environmental impacts, to derive recommendations regarding recycling, and to analyze the influence of increasing utilization of lightweight composite materials in aircraft manufacturing. It was identified that the engine is the structure containing resources with the highest scarcity, with tantalum dominating seven of the eleven analyzed impact categories. Aluminum, titanium, and nickel were shown to lead to the highest environmental impacts. Hotspots in the criticality and environmental assessment often occur due to alloying resources with a low mass share. It was shown that aluminum and steel alloy recycling should be prioritized. A higher lightweight composite material share in the aircraft increases impacts in the categories climate change and fossil resource depletion by 12% and 20%, respectively, whereas the impact of the category acidification, political stability, and demand growth decreases by 16%, 35%, and 60%, respectively.

Metal/Carbon-Fiber Hybrid Composites—Damage Evolution and Monitoring of Isothermal Fatigue at Low and Elevated Temperatures

Carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRPs) are the standard lightweight composite material for structural applications in aviation. The addition of metallic fibers to CFRPs to form metal/carbon-fiber hybrid composites (MCFRPs) has been shown to improve the elastic and plastic properties and to enable a non-destructive method for structural health monitoring over the material’s service life. In this paper, the results from the fatigue experiments on these hybrid composites at −55, 25 and 120 °C are discussed. Multidirectional CFRP and MCFRP laminates, fabricated using the autoclave method, were tested and compared under different fatigue loading conditions, while being simultaneously monitored for temperature and electrical resistance. Magnetic phase measurements were additionally carried out for the chosen metastable austenitic steel fibers in the MCFRPs. The results show that the improved ductility of the hybrid composite due to the presence of the steel fibers leads to better performance under fatigue loads and a less-brittle failure behavior. Based on the chemical composition of the metastable austenitic steel fibers, a temperature and plastic deformation-dependent phase transformation was observed, which could potentially lead to a method for non-destructive structural health monitoring of the hybrid composite over its service life.

Application and Prospect of Lightweight Composite Materials and 3D Printing Technology in Service Robots

<p indent="0mm">作为人类劳动力的替代品，服务机器人的应用方兴未艾。本文介绍了服务机器人的应用特点和应用场景，加强机器人的运动性和自主性方面仍是重要的研究方向，而发展机器人的轻量化可以增加机器人的灵活性和工作效率，并提高操作的速度和精度。通过轻量化材料的选择和结构优化设计可以实现机器人的轻量化。本文详细介绍了轻量化复合材料的概念和3D打印技术的概念，将这两种应用结合起来，特别是碳纤维复合材料的3D打印应用于服务机器人上，可以实现服务机器人的轻量化，降低机电系统的能耗，缩短开发周期。

Use of fly ash cenosphere in the construction Industry: A review

The coal is the most widely used material in the power plant so that the electricity can be generated. The fly ash is the material as a waste product obtained from the power plant. There are many used of the fly ash and the utilization is important to dispose off the fly ash. The coal fly ash gives the material called cenosphere and this considered to be the good utilization in many sectors all across the globe. The properties of the cenosphere make it a good material with properties like good strength and workability, lesser density and thermal resistivity. From the different research observations it is seen that the peak strength was increased up to 43%, plateau strength increased up to 38%, energy absorption capacity increased up to 30% and density reduced up to 40% Therefore it can be observed that the light weight composite material can be produced effectively when the fly ash cenosphere is added to the concrete. The binder strength as well as the interfacial bond strength is the main parameters for the improvement in the mechanical properties of the material.

Physical and mechanical characterization of marble Dust/Wheat straw fiber filled polymer composites

The purpose of this work is to discuss about the feasibility of fabrication of hybrid composites that are filled with a mixture of marble dust and biodegradable short natural fibers i.e., wheat straw. In today’s world need of composite is growing in a variety of fields. There is a need of lightweight, strong, wear resistive yet cost effective composite materials to match the competition in the market. Therefore, many research works are carried out in this field to identify the potential reinforcing capacity of materials. One of these materials is marble dust. This waste can be used a potential filler material in polymer composite upon mixing it with appropriate materials like short wheat straw fibers. Epoxy-based composites are prepared with keeping marble dust content constant to 10 wt% and different weight proportions wheat straw fiber varying from 0 to 4 wt%. Physical and mechanical properties have been studied of these composites. It is observed that tensile strength, flexural strength and micro-hardness of marble dust filled composites increase with increase in the wheat straw fiber content. The enhanced properties of these composites make them suitable for a wide range of product ranging from industrial to household uses.

Study of Progress on Nanocrystalline Cellulose and Natural Fiber Reinforcement Biocomposites

Cellulosic biomass hydrolysis yields a nanoscale substance known as nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC). Gel, liquid, or powder is adaptable to a variety of uses. Nanocrystalline cellulose has unique renewability, biodegradability, and mechanical and physicochemical qualities, and abundance boosts the material’s mechanical strength by many orders of magnitude when introduced into the material matrix (polymer, ceramic, or metal). Nanocrystalline cellulose is not related with any serious environmental issues because it is a natural substance. The progress of this biomaterial as a green and renewable biomaterial for the fabrication of lightweight and biodegradable composite materials gives further impetus. The current aim of nanocrystalline cellulose research is to optimise nanocrystalline cellulose characteristics for dispersion in hydrophilic and hydrophilic media. To assess the nanocrystalline cellulose reinforcing, antibacterial, stability, hydrophilicity, and biodegradability, imaging methods and protocols in complicated matrices will need to be developed. This review includes a discussion on nanocrystalline cellulose biocomposites.

Study of the delamination factor and taper angle in drilling of natural fiber reinforced epoxy nanocomposite materials

Mechanical fastening is crucial in numerous industries as it permits a vast number of composite assemblies to be produced. To account for the obscure properties and concurrent inclusion of nanomaterials in various industries, the machining of nanocomposites has become a vital issue for further scrutinization. Although several pieces of literature have examined the drilling operation of polymer composite materials, very few have discerned the impact of drilling on hybrid nanocomposites and thus ascribed to a gap in the literature. Hybrid nanocomposites have different characteristics than typical polymer composites, and they perform differently when mechanically drilled. In this study, the drilling of the natural fiber (Sisal and Coir) reinforced Carbon Nanotube (CNT) based nanocomposites were investigated, and the hole quality such as roundness error, delamination factor, and taper angle was assessed. The composite was fabricated applying the hand lay-up method, and the ratio of weight fractions of the natural fibers was varied along with the drill’s cutting speed, diameter, and feed rate. It was observed that the unit ratio of weight fractions of sisal and coir fibers in hybrid nanocomposite minimized the delamination factor along with surface roughness and resulted in the best hole quality, minimizing the. The findings of this study can be helpful in different manufacturing industries such as aviation and automobile industries, where drilling lightweight composite material is a significant aspect of the manufacturing process.

FLAME SPREAD AND SMOKE &amp; TOXICITY TESTING INTERPRETATIONS FOR PLASTIC PIPES

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; Lightweight composite materials are increasingly used in the ship industry as a substitute to their heavier steel alternatives. These materials are often inherently flammable and require an assessment of the fire risk associated with their flame spread and smoke &amp; toxicity in order to enable their safe usage. However, for plastic pipes there are contradictions within the IMO (International Maritime Organisation) guidelines which lead to different interpretations and different implementations. The goal of this work is to evaluate whether smoke and toxicity is adequately assessed for products currently approved for use and commercially available on the market. Testing according to standardised means given in the IMO code shows that the materials fail both flame spread and smoke &amp; toxicity testing. This proves that there are different interpretations and illustrates the need for clarity in this area to enable safe and consistent use of these materials.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

Thermal analysis of Kevlar/basalt reinforced hybrid polymer composite

Use of lightweight composite materials in automobile applications such as doors, bonnets, and bumpers and also the utilization of composite materials in building insulations require superior mechanical and thermal properties. This study attempts to determine the thermal conductivity, linear thermal expansion coefficient, heat deflection temperature and thermo gravimetric analysis of hybrid composite containing reinforcement fibers stacked in seven different combinations in an epoxy matrix as per ASTM standards. Each composite contained two different fibre materials, i.e., Kevlar and basalt. The study revealed that the stacked layers of basalt fibers had more influence on the thermal properties. It was observed that the hybrid composite made of least quantity layers of Kevlar and most of basalt exhibited the maximum thermal conductance of 0.219 W mK−1, while with vice versa laminate developed 0.191 W mK−1 which was least thermal conductance. The composition prepared by made Kevlar as core layer and basalt as its outer layers exhibited coefficient of linear thermal expansion above 11.5 × 10−6/°C. Maximum decomposition weight loss of 76.92% occurred in the composition prepared by keeping basalt as core and Kevlar as outer layer. The differential thermal graph showed that the said hybrid composite exhibited the peak decomposition rate of 1wt.%/°C. The thermal properties of the laminate prepared by keeping two layers of Kevlar sandwiched between the basalt were excellent when compared to other six hybrid composites investigated in this study.

Manufacturing Technologies of Carbon/Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites and Their Properties: A Review.

Over the last few years, there has been a growing interest in the study of lightweight composite materials. Due to their tailorable properties and unique characteristics (high strength, flexibility and stiffness), glass (GFs) and carbon (CFs) fibers are widely used in the production of advanced polymer matrix composites. Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) and Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) composites have been developed by different fabrication methods and are extensively used for diverse engineering applications. A considerable amount of research papers have been published on GFRP and CFRP composites, but most of them focused on particular aspects. Therefore, in this review paper, a detailed classification of the existing types of GFs and CFs, highlighting their basic properties, is presented. Further, the oldest to the newest manufacturing techniques of GFRP and CFRP composites have been collected and described in detail. Furthermore, advantages, limitations and future trends of manufacturing methodologies are emphasized. The main properties (mechanical, vibrational, environmental, tribological and thermal) of GFRP and CFRP composites were summarized and documented with results from the literature. Finally, applications and future research directions of FRP composites are addressed. The database presented herein enables a comprehensive understanding of the GFRP and CFRP composites’ behavior and it can serve as a basis for developing models for predicting their behavior.

Alfa Natural Fiber Composite Reinforcement for Concrete Beams

Lightweight, corrosion-resistant, and longer-lasting composite materials are increasingly used as primary load-bearing materials in structures' design. The cost of rehabilitating structures is lower than that of demolishing and rebuilding them again. Therefore, economical, and eco-friendly materials could extend the life of the structures and reduce the carbon di-oxide footprint on the environment. The purpose of this paper is to present a composite hollow body that can be inserted in reinforced concrete beams. The priority was to use more economical, biodegradable, and recyclable local natural fibers. The goal is to get lighter but stronger beams. The main innovation on this work is the usage of a composite made from natural fiber. A 3D finite element model of the 5 m span beam is developed to see in detail the beam's behavior and the composite reinforcement behavior. A classical reinforced concrete beam is compared to composite shells reinforced one. As a result, the beam is lightened, the deformation is relatively reduced, the traction in concrete is reduced, and the stress in steel bars is increased but remains far from the steel's elastic limit. An experimental work was done based on 40 mm x 40mm x160 mm beams to verify the correlation of the finite element model parameters with experimental results. The results show a good correlation. The weight of the beam 5 m span beam is reduced by 26.65% without affecting its behavior. For the reinforced and non-reinforced 5 m span beams, at a similar deflexion of nearly 0.7 mm, similar stress in concrete of about 2.3 MPa and similar stress in steel bars of about 10 to 13 MPa, the maximal stress in the composite is equal to 0.460 MPa which is insignificant compared to the composite failure stress, which is about 229 MPa. The composite has a long-life and can support the efforts if the beam must be rehabilitated, for example. Consequently, lightened beams can be used in reinforced concrete structures made of non-lightened elements and have the same structural behavior.

ANALISA KAMPAS REM CAKRAM KOMPOSIT CANGKANG KEMIRI, SERBUK ALUMINIUM, SERAT KELAPA DAN POLIURETAN DENGAN TEKANAN 3 TON

Nowadays, the fulfillment of materials with certain characteristics is very much needed along with the rapid development of technology. Coconut fiber material is a lightweight but strong composite material. Dried coconut fibers can be used as resin reinforcement because of their rigid structure as well as candlenut shells whose hardness can also be used. The purpose of this study was to find the best composite brake canvas composition from candlenut shells and coconut fiber by going through a series of wear and friction coefficient tests with comparisons of Honda Genuine Part and After Market brake pads. This brake canvas material consists of candlenut shell, coconut fiber and added with aluminum powder and polyurethane (isocyanate and polyol) with a certain percentage. The results of this study are the wear value of composite brake pads is higher than AM brake pads and lower than HGP brake pads, namely for pad A: 1.1179 x 10 B and at B: 1.02402 x 10¯⁵. For the lowest composite temperature, and the lowest After Market rotation pressure. Meanwhile, the composite friction coefficient is lower than Honda Genuine Part and higher than After Market

The Role of Research and Innovation in Europe for the Decarbonisation of Waterborne Transport

Waterborne transport contributes to around 14% of the overall greenhouse gas emissions of transport in the European Union and it is among the most efficient modes of transport. Nonetheless, considering the aim of making the European Union carbon-neutral by 2050 and the fundamental role of waterborne transport within the European economy, effort is needed to reduce its environmental impact. This paper provides an assessment of research and innovation measures aiming at decreasing waterborne transport’s CO2 emissions by assessing European projects based on the European Commission’s Transport Research and Innovation Monitoring and Information System (TRIMIS). Additionally, it provides an outlook of the evolution of scientific publications and intellectual property activity in the area. The review of project findings suggests that there is no single measure which can be considered as a problem solver in the area of the reduction of waterborne CO2 emissions, and only the combination of different innovations should enable reaching this goal. The highlighted potential innovations include further development of lightweight composite materials, innovative hull repair methods, wind assisted propulsion, engine efficiency, waste heat electrification, hydrogen and alternative fuels. The assessment shows prevalence of funding allocated to technological measures; however, non-technological ones, like improved vessel navigation and allocation systems, also show a great potential for the reduction of CO2 emissions and reduction of negative environmental impacts of waterborne transport.

Hydrogel with high toughness and strength for fabricating high performance stab-resistant aramid composite fabric

In order to prepare a new high-performance and flexibility stab-resistant composite material, one type of high-toughness and high-strength hydrogel is combined with aramid fabric. In this paper, the nanocomposite (NC) hydrogels are prepared using Pluronic F127 Diacrylate (PF127DA) as the crosslinking agent, acrylamide as the monomer and nano-silica as nano additive. The influence of the addition amount of nano-silica on the toughness and strength of nano-composite hydrogels is discussed. The strength and toughness of the NC hydrogels with nano silica are higher than that of the acrylamide hydrogel without nano particles. The NC hydrogel with the best strength is made as a composite with aramid fabric and the effect of nanocomposite hydrogel on the stab resistance of the stab-resistant composite material is studied. The research shows that the stab resistance performance of the composite material prepared by aramid fabric and nanocomposite hydrogel is effectively improved in comparison with aramid fabric, and the yarn pulling force is also improved. The composite material with high stab resistance can be used as the stab-resistant layer of armor, cut-resistant gloves and stab-resistant base material of shoes. This work provided a possibility for preparing a kind of lightweight composite material with high stab resistance.