Ballistic Penetration Damage of Hybrid Thermoplastic Composites Reinforced with Kevlar and UHMWPE Fabrics

Polymer matrix types of fiber hybrid composites are key factors to improve ballistic impact damage tolerances.Here we report ballistic penetration damages of Kevlar/ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene(UHMWPE)hybrid composites with thermoplastic polyurethane(PU)matrix.The hybrid composites were penetrated by fragment-simulating projectiles(FSPs)using an air gun impact system.The effects of stacking sequences on the ballistic performance of hybrid composites were analyzed.Two types of specific energy absorption(the energy absorption per unit area density and the energy absorption per unit thickness)were investigated.It was found that the main damage modes of PU hybrid composites were fiber breakage,matrix damage,fiber pullout and interlayer delamination.The instantaneous deformation could not be used as a reference index for evaluating the ballistic performance of the target plate.The energy absorption process of the PU hybrid composites showed a nonlinear pattern.The hybrid structure affected the specific energy absorption of the materials.

Surface Treatment of UHMWPE Fibers for Adhesion Promotion in Epoxy Polymers

Surface of Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene （UHMWPE） fiber were treated by chromic acid chemical etching, pyrrole chemical vapour phase deposition and the complex of these two methods, respectively. The change of surface properties and structure of fibers were discussed by Fiour Transform Infrared Spectroscope （FTIR）, Dynamic Mechanical Analysis （DMA） and Scanning Electron Microscope （SEM）. The results show that some new oxygenous groups could be found on surface of UHMWPE fiber after chromic acid chemical etching, which enhanced intemolecular interaction with polypyrrcle. The adhesion of the fiber and resin natrix increased after pyrrole chemical vapour deposition. When chromic acid etching combined with pyrrole chemical vapor deposition, the treated fiber not only has the same properties as original fiber bat also outstanding adhesion to epoxy resin matrix, and its composites have better mechanic properties shear strength）, resulting from intemolecular interaction treated fiber and polypyrrole.

Out-of-Plane Compressive Behavior for UHMWPE/Polyurethane Composites after Hygrothermal Treatment

Quasi-static and high strain rate compressive behaviors and failure mechanisms of hygrothermal treated ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene/polyurethane(UHMWPE/PU)composites have been studied in this paper.Firstly,the UHMWPE composites were immersed in water at 70℃.The out-ofplane compression test was then performed on the dry/wet state specimens at quasi-static states(0.001-0.01 s^(-1))and high strain rate states(800-2 400 s^(-1)).The split Hopkinson pressure bar(SHPB)was adopted in the dynamic tests and waveform shapers were used to smooth and control the incident pulse.The results show that there are two platforms for the water absorption curve of UHMWPE composites.The absorption of moisture reduces the quasi-static compressive strength of the material while initially increasing,then decreasing the dynamic compressive strength.Matrix plasticization,fiber/matrix interface degradation and void expansion are the main factors affecting the irregular change of static/dynamic compressive strength of UHMWPE composites.

Progressive Failure Analysis of Quasi-isotropic Self-reinforced Polyethylene Composites by Comparing Unsupervised and Supervised Classifications of Acoustic Emission Data

Unsupervised and supervised pattern recognition( PR)techniques are used to classify the acoustic emission( AE) data originating from the quasi-isotropic self-reinforced polyethylene composites,in order to identify the various mechanisms in the multiangle-ply thermoplastic composites. Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene / low density polyethylene( UHMWPE / LDPE)composites were made and tested under quasi-static tensile load. The failure process was monitored by the AE technique. The collected AE signals were classified by unsupervised and supervised PR techniques, respectively. AE signals were clustered with unsupervised PR scheme automatically and mathematically. While in the supervised PR scheme,the labeled AE data from simple lay-up UHMWPE / LDPE laminates were utilized as the reference data.Comparison was drawn according to the analytical results. Fracture surfaces of the UHMWPE / LDPE specimens were observed by a scanning electron microscope( SEM) for some physical support. By combining both classification results with the observation results,correlations were established between the AE signal classes and their originating damage modes. The comparison between the two classifying schemes showed a good agreement in the main damage modes and their failure process. It indicates both PR techniques are powerful for the complicated thermoplastic composites. Supervised PR scheme can lead to a more precise classification in that a suitable reference data set is input.

UHMWPE/PP的共混改性

采用自行配制的解缠剂Jc 3降低UHMWPE的熔体粘度,并用机械共混的方法进行加工,从而实现PP与UHMWPE之间的均匀共混,以改善共混体系的力学性能。研究了原料配方及加工工艺对共混体系力学性能的影响。结果表明:解缠剂能够有效改善共混体系的混合程度;UHMWPE的用量和Jc 3的用量对共混物力学性能有不同的影响;采用先开炼再挤出而后注射的加工工艺得到的制品力学性能较好。

Optimization of the Production Process of Flash-Spinning UHMWPE Superfine Fiber by Response Surface Methodology

In this paper, statistical optimization method was used to optimize the flash-spinning process conditions. Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene （UHMWPE） superfine fiber was fabricated by flash-spinning method using UHMWPE as the fiberforming polymer, 1, 2-dichloroethane as the main solvent. The important parameters of the flash-spinning were filtered by Plackett-Burman experimental design based on the single factor experiments. After determining the best regions of the fiber properties, the optimum level of the important parameters were determined by Box-Behnken design. The results of the design showed that the important parameters influencing on the properties of the flash.spinning fiber were spinning temperature, spinning pressure, and spinning solution concentration. The optimum technical parameters were： spinning temperature 186. 4 ~C, spinning pressure 6. 16 MPa, spinning solution concentration 3.06 %. The highest combination property of the flash-spinning fiber was 86.39 under this condition.

Improvement of Toughness of UHMWPE/PP Blends

Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) was blended with polypropylene (PP) in order to ensure good processing. Inorganic rigid particles were also used to toughen UHMWPE/PP blends. CaCO3 and a compound additive containing heat mixed polyethylene glycol 2000 and white diatomite were added to the blends. The crystalline, surface morphology and mechanical properties of the blends were investigated comprehensively. The toughness of the material is effectively improved. By contrast, the compound additive had a better result. When the content of additive was 15%, the elongation at the break increased by 279.2% and the fracture energy increased by 343.8% compared to the original samples.

Tribological evaluation of thermoplastic polyurethane-based bearing materials under water lubrication:Effect of load,sliding speed,and temperature

Polymers are widely used in bearing applications.In the case of water-lubricated stern tube bearings,thermoplastic polyurethane(TPU)-based composites are used due to their excellent wear resistance,corrosion resistance,and tunable mechanical properties.Their tribological performance,however,depends on operating conditions.In this work,TPU was blended with carbon fiber,graphene platelet,and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene(UHMWPE).Friction tests of TPU based-composites against copper countersurface were carried out in water to mimic the actual operating conditions of the bearing.Most of the resulting contacts were in the boundary lubrication regime,in which friction was attributed to both contact mechanics of asperities as well as water lubrication.Our results show that the viscoelasticity of TPU has a considerable impact on its tribological performance.Water lubrication at 50°C promotes the softening of polymer surface material during sliding,resulting in higher fluctuation in the coefficient of friction and wear loss.This is attributed to the reduced thermomechanical properties.In addition,Schallamach waviness is observed on worn surface.The tribological properties of TPU are significantly improved by the inclusion of carbon fiber,graphene platelet,and UHMWPE.The formation of graphene transfer-layers and UHMWPE transfer film reduces friction and wear loss,while the inclusion of carbon fiber enhances wear resistance due to improved mechanical properties and load bearing capacity.

类金刚石碳膜/Ti6Al4V钛合金梯度材料的生物摩擦学性能研究

目的研究了DLC膜 /Ti6Al4V梯度材料与超高分子量聚乙烯 (UHMWPE)组成的摩擦副的生物摩擦学特性。方法采用面接触方式 ,摩擦试验采用OptimolSRV高温滑动摩擦磨损试验机并分别在干摩擦、Hank’s溶液和生理盐水润滑条件下进行 ,实时记录摩擦系数 ,并与同样条件下Ti6Al4V UHMW PE摩擦副的生物摩擦学特性作了对比。结果DLC梯度膜具有减摩效应 ,与Ti6Al4V相比 ,摩擦系数明显减小 ,在干摩擦、Hank’s溶液和生理盐水润滑条件下 ,摩擦系数分别降低了 2 4 %、5.0 %和 1 0 %。同时利用扫描电镜 (SEM)观察摩擦表面形貌并探讨了DLC膜的减摩机理。结论DLC膜 /Ti6Al4V梯度材料能够有效地降低摩擦系数 ,其减摩机理与DLC膜表面结构有关。DLC膜表面为光滑非晶态的硬碳膜 。