Short Fiber-reinforced Rubber Composites Research Articles

Influence of interfacial property param of short fiber/rubber composites on fatigue behavior

For short fiber reinforced rubber composites whose interfacial properties are difficult to quantitatively characterize. In this paper, the relative modified debonding energy (RMDE) is innovatively introduced to characterize the effective interfacial layer adhesion and relative modified debonding energy decay rate (Ki) to characterize the damage of interfacial layer during the fatigue process using the tensile stress–strain curves of composites. The tear energy plateau area (TEPA) on the crack extension rate curve of the composites can reflect the composite interface characteristic parameters RMDE and Ki, and the TEPA size (Tpa) can be used to predict the fatigue life of the composite.

Effect of Gear Pump Extrusion Processing on the Properties of Fiber Reinforced Rubber Composites.

Short fiber reinforced rubber composites have been widely used in rubber products attributed to their excellent wear resistance. However, there are still some serious problems in the processing of short fiber reinforced rubber composites, such as Mooney viscosity increasing, temperature and extrusion pressure rising, and unstable extrusion quality. In particular, short fibers need to be extruded in a specific direction during the molding process, and the problems in this process are particularly prominent. In this manuscript, the influence of gear pump assisted extrusion on the properties of short fiber rubber composites is studied. The experimental results show that the application of a gear pump to assist extrusion could significantly increase the die pressure, reduce the extrusion temperature of the blend, and improve the extrusion efficiency and stability of the blend. Furthermore, it could improve the vulcanization efficiency, increase the tensile strength and tear strength of the compound, reduce wear, and guarantee the quality of extrusion products.

Predicting fatigue damage in interphase of short fiber reinforced rubber composites under transverse load

A computational model has been established for analyzing the interphase damage of short fiber reinforced rubber composites (SFRCs) under transverse static and fatigue tensile loads. A cohesive zone model was integrated with a stress‐based fatigue damage model to simulate the damage initiation and propagation. To obtain the damage model parameters and validate the methodology, some tests of SFRCs under static and fatigue tensile loads were conducted. The simulation results agree well with the experimental data. It is observed that under static loads, the damage of SFRCs is dominated by the interphase damage before the strain reaches 38.04%. Under fatigue loads, the speed of damage propagation increases exponentially with cyclic numbers. Once the crack in the interphase is initiated, it extends to almost the entire interphase after several cycles because of the stress concentration near the crack tip. It is found that a good initial adhesion status of the interphase can effectively improve the antifatigue performance of SFRCs. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:1455–1467, 2018. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers