Flexural Storage Modulus Research Articles

Investigation of the Effect of Nano Particles on Visco-elastic Behaviour of CFRP Hybrid Nanocomposites

The aim of the study is to do an experimental analysis and investigation of visco-elastic behaviour of CFRP hybrid nanocomposites, which contains the small percentage of nanoclay and nanoZnO particles mixed for the improvement in the various properties of the CFRP composites. Also there is try to focus on the combined effect of another variable, i.e., fiber angle of orientation along with changing the percentage of nano particles.A hand layup method followed by process of vacuum bagging was used to make the samples of composite. Dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA) was used to inspect the dynamic mechanical properties of CFRP hybrid nanocomposite specimens with changing temperature. The OVAT analysis is carried out for three mentioned variables and studied effect of variables on the various visco elastic properties like flexural storage modulus, loss modulus, Glass transition temperature and tan etc. It is found that due to the presence of nano particles there is tremendous change in the value of storage modulus ,it gets almost doubled, i.e., 200%because of the presence of nano particles. The experimental result also shows the positive effect on the loss modulus because of the nano particle contribution .Similarly there is considerable change in GTT(Glass transmission temperature) and change in length in DMA (Dynamic mechanical analysis ).

Investigation on microstructures, melting and crystallization behaviors, mechanical and processing properties of β-isotactic polypropylene /CaCO3 toughening masterbatch composites

In this study, β-isotactic polypropylene (β-iPP)/CaCO3 toughening masterbatch (CTM) composites were compounded in a single screw extruder. The microstructures and properties of the composites were investigated. It was shown that CTM influenced the crystallinity and crystallization temperature of β-iPP. The flexural modulus and storage modulus (E’) at 23 °C increased with the increasing CTM content, implying the increased stiffness of the composites. The improved miscibility between β-iPP and CTM was demonstrated by the decreased glass transition temperatures of the composites. The Izod notched impact strength at 23 °C of the composites was directly related to the CTM content because of the competition between the morphological feature of β-iPP and the content of inorganic rigid toughening particles. The critical ligament thickness (τ c = 1.47 μm) at 40% CTM content was calculated according to the modified Wu’s equation. The morphologies of impact fractured surfaces were observed and the massive shear deformation was related to the debonding of CaCO3 particles. The presence of CTM also improved the melt flowability and dimensional stability but it was detrimental to heat deflection temperature (HDT) of the composites.

Morphology and Thermal Properties of Compatibilized PA12/PP Blends with Boehmite Alumina Nanofiller Inclusions

AbstractBoehmite alumina nanoparticles are added to PP‐g‐MAH‐compatibilized blends of PA 12 and PP to study the effects of nanoparticle loading in the resulting composites. WAXD and SEM data suggest that the nanoparticles enhanced the coalescence of PP. DSC, DMA, and TGA reveal that the final properties such as crystallization temperature, flexural storage modulus, thermal degradation temperature, etc., improve with increasing nanoparticle loading for blend/based composites. FTIR results show that the nanoparticles interfere with the interfacial activity at 5 wt% nanoparticle loading. All results are compared between the neat polymers and the compatibilized blend and show that despite a slight increase in dispersed‐phase domain size, all other properties improve with the addition of AlO(OH).magnified image

Preparation and Properties of Wheat Straw Fiber-polypropylene Composites. Part II. Investigation of Surface Treatments on the Thermo-mechanical and Rheological Properties of the Composites

Composites made of polypropylene (PP) and wheat straw fiber treated by alkalization, acetylation, and maleic anhydride polypropylene (MAPP) were prepared, and the dynamic mechanical, thermal, and rheological properties of the treated composites have been investigated. The PP composites reinforced with the treated wheat straw fiber exhibited higher brittleness. The melt flow studies were carried out at the temperature of 170, 180, and 190°C and shear rate of 0.01—0.1 s—1. The PP composites reinforced with the alkalized wheat straw fiber showed the high melt viscosity due to the strong chemical interaction among polymer and wheat straw fiber. The introduction of MAPP to the system increased the flow behavior of the polymer dispersed the wheat straw fiber uniformly, and decreased the melt viscosity. The PP composites introduced by 2 wt% MAPP showed the lowest storage flexural modulus (E′) over the entire temperature range from 25—150°C, due to better compatibility between the wheat straw fiber and matrix. The PP composites made of with 20 wt% alkalized and MAPP treated wheat straw fiber showed the highest E′. The differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) study revealed that introducing the wheat straw fiber to PP matrix increased the melting temperature and crystallization temperature. The PP composites reinforced with the alkalized and MAPP treated fiber had the highest rate of crystallization as a consequent of the co-effect of alkalization and esterfication.

Effects of wheat straw fiber content and characteristics, and coupling agent concentration on the mechanical properties of wheat straw fiber‐polypropylene composites

AbstractWheat straw fiber‐polypropylene (PP) composites were prepared to investigate the effects of wheat straw fiber content (10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 wt %), fiber size (9, 28, and 35 mesh), and maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) concentration (1, 2, 5, and 10 wt %) on the static and dynamic mechanical properties of the wheat straw fiber‐PP composites in this study. The tensile modulus and strength of the composites increased linearly with increasing wheat straw fiber content up to 40%, whereas the elongation at break decreased dramatically to 3.78%. Compared with the composites made of the longer wheat straw fiber, the composites made of the fines (>35 mesh) had a slightly higher tensile strength of 31.2 MPa and tensile elongation of 5.39% at break. With increasing MAPP concentration, the composites showed an increase in tensile strength, and the highest tensile strength of 34.0 MPa occurred when the MAPP concentration reached 10 wt %. As wheat straw fiber content increased from 0 to 40%, the flexural modulus of the composites increased gradually from 1335 to 3437 MPa. The MAPP concentration and wheat straw fiber size distribution had no appreciable effect on the static flexural modulus of the composites. The storage flexural modulus of the composites increased with increasing wheat straw fiber content. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation on the fracture surface of the composites indicated that a high wheat straw fiber content (>30 wt %) resulted in fiber agglomeration and a reduction in interfacial bonding strength. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009

Effect of curing agent on the properties of mineral silica filled epoxy composites

AbstractPolymer materials have been used extensively as the organic substrate materials in electronic packaging industry. The mechanical, thermal, and morphology properties of the alternative low cost composites have been investigated in this article. One of the materials is epoxy resin cured by aliphatic amine, and the other is cured by aromatic amine. It was found that the physical, mechanical, and thermal properties of epoxy resins are strongly depended on the curing agents. Morphology changed differently in these two epoxy‐curing systems. Crosslink density obtained from rubbery modulus in dynamic flexural storage modulus showed aromatic amine functionality group that gives higher crosslink density and increased in physical, mechanical, and thermal properties. POLYM. COMPOS., 29:27–36, 2008. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers

Application of beam mechanics to sensing the cure development of wood-phenolic joints by dynamic mechanical analysis

Modeling and optimizing of wood-based composite manufacture is playing a larger role in the design of processes and manufacturing equipment. In these models, internal temperature and moisture conditions are predicted with an aim towards predicting when polymeric cure is sufficient to avoid delamination. However, most cure kinetics models are focused on predicting the chemical state of the resin rather than the resulting mechanical properties. The objective of this research is to examine the feasibility of obtaining kinetic cure data using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Dynamic three-point bending tests were conducted on a sandwich specimen of two wood adherends bonded with an adhesive layer. The specimen was cured using various isothermal and linear heating regimes. In addition, two commercial PF resins of different molecular weights distributions (labeled as PF-high and -low, respectively) were evaluated under different experimental conditions influencing moisture loss. Theoretically, the E′ ratio, defined as, R = E ′ max / E ′ min should be good parameter to evaluate bond development because it eliminates the variation in adherend modulus. However, this parameter was found to be sensitive to variables such as resin loading and changes in the adherend modulus due to moisture loss and thermal softening. The shear modulus and flexural storage modulus of the adhesive were calculated by an analytical solution. The values were in general agreement with the results obtained by parallel-plate rheometry. Overall, the sandwich beam was deemed to be simple in both sample preparation and measurement procedure for obtaining PF resin cure transitions and modulus development.

Effect of Organoclay on the Morphology and Properties of Poly(propylene)/Poly[(butylene succinate)‐co‐adipate] Blends

AbstractThe effect of organically modified clay on the morphology and properties of poly(propylene) (PP) and poly[(butylene succinate)‐co‐adipate] (PBSA) blends is studied. Virgin and organoclay modified blends were prepared by melt‐mixing of PP, PBSA and organoclay in a batch‐mixer at 190 °C. Scanning electron microscopy studies revealed a significant change in morphology of PP/PBSA blend in the presence of organoclay. The state of dispersion of silicate layers in the blend matrix was characterized by X‐ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopic observations. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed substantial improvement in flexural storage modulus of organoclay‐modified blends with respect to the neat polymer matrices or unmodified blends. Tensile properties of virgin blends also improved in the presence of organoclay. Thermal stability of virgin blends in air atmosphere dramatically improved after modification with organoclay. The effect of organoclay on the melt‐state liner viscoelastic properties of virgin blends was also studied. The non‐isothermal crystallization behavior of homopolymers, virgin, and organoclay‐modified blends were studied by differential scanning calorimeter. The effect of incorporation of organoclay on the cold crystallization behavior of PP/PBSA blends is also reported.magnified image

Effect of Compatibiliser and Fibre Content on Jute Fibre Reinforced HDPE/EPDM: A Dynamic Mechanical and Thermal Study

The thermal and dynamic mechanical properties of jute fibre reinforced high density polyethylene (HDPE)/ ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (EPDM) composites were studied. The fibre loading was varied between 10 and 30 wt%, and at each fibre loading, four compatibiliser doses were used. Dynamic parameters (storage flexural modulus (E'), loss flexural modulus (E”), loss factor or damping efficiency (tanδ) were determined in a resonance frequency mode. The storage modulus increased with increasing fibre content and a further increase was observed with the addition of compatibiliser. The tanδ was decreased by an increase in fibre content because of the restricted mobility of the polymer chains caused by the fibres. A marginal shifting of the transition was observed with an increase in the compatibiliser dose at constant e fibre loading. A low concentration of fibre increased the crystallinity of HDPE because it acted as a nucleating agent.

Thermal and thermomechanical properties of poly[(butylene succinate)- co-adipate] nanocomposite

In this article the thermal and thermomechanical properties of neat poly[(butylene succinate)- co-adipate] (PBSA) and its nanocomposite are reported. Nanocomposite of PBSA with organically modified synthetic fluorine mica (OSFM) has been prepared by melt-mixing in a batch mixer. The structure of nanocomposite is characterized by X-ray diffraction patterns and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) observations that reveal homogeneous dispersion of intercalated silicate layers in the PBSA matrix. The melting behavior of pure polymer and nanocomposite samples are analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), which shows multiple melting behavior of the PBSA matrix. The multiple melting behavior of the PBSA matrix is also studied by temperature modulated DSC (TMDSC) and wide-angle XRD (WXRD) measurements. All results show that the multiple melting behavior of PBSA is due to the partial melting, re-crystallization, and re-melting phenomena. The investigation of the thermomechanical behavior is performed by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. Results demonstrate substantial enhancement in the mechanical properties of PBS, for example, at room temperature, storage flexural modulus increased from 0.5 GPa for pure PBS to 1.2 GPa for the nanocomposite, an increase of about 120% in the value of the elastic modulus. The thermal stability of nanocomposite compared to that of neat PBSA is also examined in pyrolytic and thermo-oxidative conditions. It is then studied using kinetic analysis. It is shown that the stability of PBSA is increased moderately in the presence of OSFM.

Dispersion of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes in Biodegradable Poly(butylene succinate) Matrix

This communication describes the preparation, characterization and properties of biodegradable poly(butylene succinate) (PBS)/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) nanocomposite. Nanocomposite was prepared by melt-blending in a batch mixer and the amount of MWCNTs loading was 3 wt%. State of dispersion-distribution of the MWCNTs in the PBS matrix was examined by scanning and transmission electron microscopic observations that revealed homogeneous distribution of stacked MWCNTs in PBS matrix. The investigation of the thermomechanical behavior was performed by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. Results demonstrated substantial enhancement in the mechanical properties of PBS, for example, at room temperature, storage flexural modulus increased from 0.64 GPa for pure PBS to 1.2 GPa for the nanocomposite, an increase of about 88% in the value of the elastic modulus. The tensile modulus and thermal stability of PBS were moderately improved after nanocomposite preparation with 3 wt% of MWCNTs, while electrical conductivity of neat PBS dramatically increased after nanocomposite formation. For example, the in plane conductivity increased from 5.8 x 10(-9) S/cm for neat PBS to 4.4 x 10(-3) for nanocomposite, an increase of 10(6) fold in value of the electrical conductivity.

Structure and Properties of Nanocomposites Based on Poly(butylene succinate‐co‐adipate) and Organically Modified Montmorillonite

AbstractSummary: Poly(butylene succinate‐co‐adipate) (PBSA) and organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT) nanocomposites of three different compositions were prepared by melt‐extrusion in a batch mixer. The structure of the nanocomposites was studied using X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) that revealed a coexistence of exfoliated and intercalated silicate layers dispersed in the PBSA matrix, regardless of the silicate loading. The degree of crystallinity of PBSA decreases with the addition of OMMT platelets. Dynamic mechanical analysis revealed remarkable increase in flexural storage modulus when compared with that of neat PBSA. Tensile property measurements exhibit substantial increase in stiffness with simultaneous increase in elongation at break of nanocomposites as compared to that of neat PBSA. The effect of clay loading on the melt‐state linear viscoelastic behavior of mixed intercalated/exfoliated nanocomposites was also investigated.Elongation at break of compression molded annealed samples of neat PBSA and various PBSACNs.magnified imageElongation at break of compression molded annealed samples of neat PBSA and various PBSACNs.

Wood‐fiber/high‐density‐polyethylene composites: Coupling agent performance

AbstractThe coupling efficiency of seven coupling agents in wood–polymer composites (WPC) was investigated in this study. The improvement on the interfacial bonding strength, flexural modulus, and other mechanical properties of the resultant wood fiber/high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) composites was mainly related to the coupling agent type, function groups, molecular weight, concentration, and chain structure. As a coupling agent, maleated polyethylene (MAPE) had a better performance in WPC than oxidized polyethylene (OPE) and pure polyethylene (PPE) because of its stronger interfacial bonding. A combination of the acid number, molecular weight, and concentration of coupling agents had a significant effect on the interfacial bonding in WPC. The coupling agents with a high molecular weight, moderate acid number, and low concentration level were preferred to improve interfacial adhesion in WPC. The backbone structure of coupling agents also affected the interfacial bonding strength. Compared with the untreated composites, modified composites improved the interfacial bonding strength by 140% on maximum and the flexural storage modulus by 29%. According to the statistical analysis, 226D and 100D were the best of the seven coupling agents. The coupling agent performance was illustrated with the brush, switch, and amorphous structures. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 96: 93–102, 2005

Effect of Mechanical Properties of PVA Brush Rollers on Frictional Forces during Post-CMP Scrubbing

Tribological attributes of post-chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) brush scrubbing process were investigated as a function of type and velocity of the brush roller, applied pressure, and the pH of the cleaning solution. Coefficient of friction (COF) results were significantly different for the two types of brush rollers over a wide range of operating conditions. The two types of rollers were subjected to a battery of dynamic mechanical analyses and shown to be identical to one another in terms of flexural storage modulus and By quantifying the extent of deformation of the entire brush roller during actual scrubbing using real-time pressure sensing technology, it became apparent that for a given applied load on the brush, the less compliant brush roller (by about 10%) resulted in proportionately higher COF, thus underscoring the importance of brush design and method of mechanical testing of the roller for imparting desired amounts of shear force on the surface of the wafer during scrubbing. © 2004 The Electrochemical Society.

The effect of crystallinity and water absorption on the dynamic mechanical relaxation behaviour of polycaprolactone

AbstractThe effect of the degree of crystallinity on the dynamic mechanical relaxation behaviour (flexural storage modulus and loss tangent) of polycaprolactone has been investigated. The degree of crystallinity was found to determine the temperature of the α‐relaxation process and the relaxation strength of the β‐relaxation. The increase in temperature of the α‐process has been ascribed to constrainment of the amorphous regions of the sample by the crystallites. In accordance with the observed effect of the degree of crystallinity, the origin of the dynamic mechanical β‐relaxation has been ascribed to the amorphous regions of the material. The intensity of the β‐process has also been found to depend on the moisture content, becoming more prominent when moisture is present. In addition, moisture has been shown to penetrate the crystalline regions of the sample over a relatively short timescale, as shown by infrared spectroscopy. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry

Maleimido-functionalized spirobislactone having enhanced volumetric expansion on polymerization

An approach to enhancing the volumetric expansion on polymerization of spirobislactone is proposed. This approach suggests a molecular modification of spirobislactone through attaching a rigid pendant segment bearing maleimido group to its aromatic ring. An additional volumetric expansion is achieved from loose molecular packing in cured resins due to the steric hindrance effect among rigid pendent segments. Thus a new monomer, maleimido-functionalized spirobislactone (MFS), is prepared. In order to evaluate the volumetric expansion of MFS during curing, tetraglycidyl 4,4′-diamino diphenyl methane (TGDDM) is employed to cure with MFS. The volumetric expansion of MFS on curing is measured to be 12.3%, higher than that of net spirobislactone monomer. The existence of loose molecular packing in MFS/epoxy cured resins is demonstrated by morphology observation of the cured resin stained by the phosphotungstic acid (PTA), and the stained regions are observed to be nanoparticles. Such a cured resin, prepared from 20 mol% of MFS and 80 mol% of TGDDM epoxy resin, shows excellent toughness (Charpy impact strength 13,000 J/m 2) and good mechanical strength (flexural strength 120 MPa, storage flexural modulus 4.2 GPa). Its glass transition temperature by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMA) attains 227 °C, much higher than that of the cured resin from net spirobislactone and epoxy resin.

Dynamic stress/strain response of the interphase in polymer matrix composites

AbstractThe interphases of various sized E‐glass‐fiber/epoxy‐amine systems were tested at displacement rates in the range of 230 to 2450 fxm/sec using a new experimental technique (dynamic micro‐debonding technique). The fiber systems include unsized, epoxy‐amine compatible sized, and epoxy‐amine incompatible sized glass fibers. A data reduction scheme was developed to relate the force vs. displacement response obtained from the dynamic micro‐debonding technique to interphase shear stress/strain response. The stress/strain curves and interphase shear modulus values were obtained from these composite systems under average shear strain rates (ASSR) in the range of 215–3278 (1/s). The results showed that the magnitude of the interphase shear modulus was sizing and strain rate dependent. In all cases, the shear modulus was found to be more compliant than the bulk matrix. The two sized fiber systems exhibited the highest strain rate sensitivity, with modulus increasing about threefold over the range studied. In addition, the rate dependent behavior of the model interphase materials were determined using the dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) technique. The model interphase materials closely resemble the interphase that forms on unsized and compatible sized fibers. Master curves relating the flexural storage modulus to strain rate were constructed based on the time‐temperature superposition principle from DMA frequency sweep measurements. The DMA measured results are consistent with the dynamic micro‐debonding test results, providing confidence in the test method as a reliable technique for characterizing the high strain rate properties of the interphase in composites.

Investigation of properties of fiber/matrix interphase formed due to the glass fiber sizings

Sizings on glass fibers consist of a silane-based network that is chemically bound to the fiber and other compounds that are adsorbed onto the glass surface. Formation of interphase involves dissolution of adsorbed species and inter-diffusion of these compounds and resin monomers into the interphase region and chemical reaction of available functional groups. All these phenomena occur at the presence of the silane-based network. In this study, the effects of the silane-based network on the properties of the interphase region are investigated for an epoxy/amine resin system and compatible sized glass fibers. The composition of the sizing material bound to glass was determined using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Based on this information, model interphase materials were synthesized that were a blend of an epoxy/amine matrix and inclusions. The inclusions consist of an interpenetrating network of silane-based polymer and epoxy/amine thermoset that represents the interphase material formed during processing. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) techniques were used to characterize the glass transition temperature and flexural modulus of the model materials. The properties of the model interphase material were obtained using the DMA results and established micromechanics models. The results show that the glass transition temperature of the model interphase is about −5°C, and its flexural storage modulus at room temperature is about 50% of that of the bulk matrix. This work has also shown that a reduction in the cross-link density of the bound network might significantly reduce the modulus within the interphase region by a factor of 5 to 8.

Effects of glass bead size and content on the viscoelasticity of filled polypropylene composites

The dynamic mechanical properties of glass bead filled polypropylene (PP) composites have been measured over a temperature range from −150 to 100°C and at a fixed frequency of 1Hz, by using a dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA), to identify the effects of the size and content of the fillers on these properties of the composites. The results show that the flexural storage modulus, E′c, and loss modulus, E″c, of the composites increase non-linearly with increasing volume fraction of glass beads, φf, at 25°C. The dynamic moduli of the PP filled with the biggest glass beads are higher than those of the smaller bead filled systems at the same test conditions, especially for E″c. The influences of the filler size and content on the mechanical damping of the composites is insignificant. When φf is from 5 to 15%, the glassy transition temperature of the composites slightly increases with increasing φf, and it reaches maximum at φf=15%, then decreases. Also, at 25°C the complex viscosity of the composites, η∗c, linearly increases with the increase of φf, and the value of η∗c for the PP filled with biggest beads is higher than the other systems at the same concentration.

Discontinuous surface-treated submicron-diameter carbon filaments as an interlaminar filler in carbon fiber polymer-matrix composites for vibration reduction

Discontinuous surface-treated submicron-diameter carbon filaments are effective for use as an interlayer between continuous carbon fiber laminae in a nylon-6 matrix composite for enhancing the loss tangent (0.2 and 1.0 Hz) under flexure that involves bending of the fibers, without significant decrease of the flexural storage modulus or the tensile modulus or strength in the fiber direction. The surface treatment is oxidation using ozone. Without treatment, the filaments are not effective. The treated filaments amount to 0.64 vol.% of composite; the interlayer thickness is 77 μm. A viscoelastic interlayer is even more effective than the treated filament interlayer for enhancing the loss tangent, but the accompanying decrease in storage modulus is much more. The loss tangent for composite with viscoelastic interlayer decreases upon heating, so the loss modulus for this composite is less than that of the composite with treated filament interlayer at ⩾50°C.