Mechanical properties and failure behavior of 3D printed thermoplastic composites using continuous basalt fiber under high-volume fraction

Continuous basalt fiber(CBF)is an outstanding inorganic fiber produced from nature,which has a wide range of applications in the field of armor protection of national defense military.However,the mechanical response and failure mechanism of 3D printed CBF reinforced components are still not well understood.Here,the 3D printing thermoplastic composites with high volume fraction CBF have been successfully prepared by fused deposition modelling(FDM)method.The effects of fiber printing direction and polymer matrix type on the tensile and flexural properties of the 3D printed composites have been explored,and the detailed failure morphology has been characterized using scanning electron microscopy and optical microscopy.It was found that under high fiber volume fraction,3D printed CBF reinforced polyamides(PA)composites have the best ability to maintain material integrity of the composites,followed by acrylonitrile butadiene styrene(ABS)and high impact polystyrene(HIPS).Besides,the results from rule of mixtures can accurately predict the longitudinal Young’s modulus of the 3D printed specimens,but there exists a large discrepancy for the prediction of the tensile strength.The microstructure analysis shows that the failure modes of 3D printed composites mainly include fiber debonding,fiber pull-out,stress whitening and matrix cracking.

Laser welding process and strength enhancement of carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites and metals dissimilar joint:A review

Carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites(CFRTP)and metals hybrid structures have been widely used in aircraft lightweight manufacturing.However,due to the significant difference in physical and chemical properties between CFRTP and metals,there are lots of challenges to connect them with high quality.Laser welding has a good application prospect in CFRTP and metals connection,and a significant research progress has been made in the exploration of CFRTP-metal laser joining mechanism,joining process optimization,joining strength improvement and joining defects controlling.However,there are still some problems need to be solved for this technology application.In this paper,the research progress of CFRTP-metal laser joining was summarized in three major aspects:theoretical modeling and simulation analysis,process exploration and parameter optimization,joint performance improvement and process innovation.And,problems and challenges of this technology were discussed,and the outlook of this research was provided.

Influence of an Optimized Fibre Coating on Interfacial and Mechanical Properties of Glass Fibre/Polypropylene Composites

The influence of pretreatment of fibre on interfacial and mechanical properties of glass fibre/ polypropylene composites was investigated. Firstly, the glass fibres were coated with the blends of m-IPP (maleic anhydride grafting isotatic polypropylene ) and m-APP ( maleic anhydride grafting amorphous polypropylene) in different, ratios. Secondly, the interfaced reaction of the coated composites was analysed by FTIR, which shows that the interfacial chemical reaction between m-IPP/m-APP in the fibre coating and the fibre surface- bound coupling agent is in existence. Thirdly, the microstructure of the coated composites wax studied by SEM. The results indicate that the coating treatment is effective on improving interfacial adhesion of the, fibre-matrix and the right amount of m-APP added to the coal impels the plastic deformation surrounding the point of cracks , which makes cracks turn to region and prevents from further interface debonding. Lastly, the mechanical properties were evaluated by measurement, of the flexural strength and impact strength of the composites. It was found that, the flexural strength and impact strength of the composites with coating fibre are higher than those of uncoating fibre composite. The results of these investigations draw the conclusion that the pretreatment of fibre with m-IPP/m-APP blends can form an optimize interlayer between the fibre and the PP matrix, which improves both the strength and lough-ness of the composites.

Sound Absorbing Composites from Nonwoven and Cellulose Submicrofibres

This paper describes possibility of utilization of waste natural fibres in production of sound absorbing composites. Waste flax fibres were modified by enzymatic treatment, after which they became more short and fine. This form of fibres can create good sound absorption. Preliminary studies concerned an application of cellulose fibres after enzymatic treatment as the filling of thermoplastic sound absorbing composites. The conditions of composite manufacturing process from multilayer structure （matrix nonwoven/submicrofibres layer） were developed. The influence of submicroflbres content in the composite on the scale of the improvement of its sound absorption property was investigated. Results showed that for the same conditions of the composite manufacturing process and similar composite thickness, gradual increase in content of that filling leads to adequately increase in sound absorption coefficient of the composites. The composites could be applied among others to accommodations and transport facilities.

Low-velocity impact response and infrared radiation characteristics of thermoplastic/thermoset composites

The low-velocity impact response and infrared radiation characteristics of composites have rarely been focused on simultaneously.This study aims to investigate the low-velocity impact response and infrared radiation characteristics of the glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic polypropylene and carbon fiber reinforced thermosetting epoxy resin laminates wildly used in the aircraft industry.The impact tests were conducted at five energy levels.Characterization parameters such as impact load,displacement,and absorbed energy were measured.The damage evolution and damage modes of the laminates were analyzed through active and passive thermography,ultrasonic C-scan,and optical microscope.The results indicate that Thermosets(TS)laminates exhibit better impact resistance,while Thermoplastics(TP)laminates show higher delamination ductility,and the maximum contact force of TP laminates is much smaller than that of the TS laminates under lowvelocity impacts,but the low bending stiffness and low ductility of the TP matrix cause the difference in energy absorption level between the two not significant.The temperature characteristic changes of passive infrared thermography heat maps could characterize the damage mode of the laminates.The correlation between the heat maps and the impact characteristic curves is explained;the fluctuation of the impact characteristic curves is directly related to the hot spot characteristics changes of the heat maps.More frequent curve fluctuations correspond to a larger and brighter hot spot on the heat map,which peaks at the maximum impact load after the impact force versus time curve fluctuation cutoff point,the maximum center displacement of the impact force versus displacement curve,and the maximum absorbed energy of the absorbed energy versus time curve.

Sinusoidally architected helicoidal composites inspired by the dactyl club of mantis shrimp

The impact region of the dactyl club of mantis shrimp features a rare sinusoidally helicoidal architecture,contributing to its efficient impact-resistant characteristics.This study aims to attain bioinspired sinusoidally architected composites from a practical engineering way.Morphological features of plain-woven fabric were characterized,which demonstrated that the interweaving warp and weft yarns exhibited a sinusoidal architecture.Interconnected woven composites were thus employed and helicoidally stacked to achieve the desired structure.Quasi-static three-point bending and low-velocity impact tests were subsequently performed to evaluate their mechanical performance.Under three-point bending condi-tion,the dominant failure mode gradually changed from fiber breakage to delamination with the increase in the pitch angle.Failure displacement and energy absorption of the heli-coidal woven composites were,respectively,43.89%and 141.90%greater than the unidirectional ones.Under low-velo-city impact condition,the damage area of the helicoidal woven composites decreased by 49.66%while the residual strength increased by 10.10%compared with those of the unidirectional ones,exhibiting better damage resistance and tolerance.Also,effects of fiber architecture on mechanical properties were examined.This work will shed light on future design of the next-generation impact-resistant architected composites.

Studies on UVC Treatment of Polyamide Fibers for Improved Adhesion on TPU and TPA

We report about current work which is aimed to improve the adhesion of melt processable elastomers onto relevant reinforcement materials by means of short wave UVC （ultraviolet C） light. Results of laboratory tests regarding UVC surface activation ofpolyamide fiber materials in air using low-pressure mercury lamps with 185 nm and 254 nm emissions are shown. The effect of irradiation on fiber strength was studied to find out suitable process parameters for providing the UVC treatment efficient but as gentle as possible to avoid negative effects on reinforcement properties. Application of a laboratory process for UVC pretreatment leads to significantly increased adhesion strength between the fibers and the melt processable elastomers on the base of TPA （polyamide） respectively TPU （polyurethane）.

Recent research progress on quasi-solid-state electrolytes for dye-sensitized solar cells

Dye-sensitized solar cells （DSSCs） are the most promising, low cost and most extensively investigated solar cells. They are famous for their clean and efficient solar energy conversion. Nevertheless this, long-time sta- bility is still to be acquired. In recent years research on solid and quasi-solid state electrolytes is extensively in- creased. Various quasi-solid electrolytes, including composites polymer electrolytes, ionic liquid electrolytes, thermoplastic polymer electrolytes and thermosetting polymer electrolytes have been used. Performance and stability of a quasi-solid state electrolyte are between liquid and solid electrolytes. High photovoltaic performances of QS-DSSCs along better long-term stability can be obtained by designing and optimizing quasi-solid electrolytes. It is a prospective candidate for highly efficient and stable DSSCs.

Laser joining of CFRTP to titanium alloy via laser surface texturing

Grid pattern was textured on Ti-6 Al-4 V alloy(TC4)substrate surface by nanosecond laser system.Laser joining of carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite(CFRTP)to TC4 joints were performed,and the effect of texture grid depth was investigated.The contact angle of molten CFRTP on textured TC4 surface was measured and the tensile-shear force was tested.The fracture surface and interface morphology were observed.The results indicated that the wettability of molten CFRTP on TC4 surface improved remarkably after laser textured TC4.Shear force of CFRTP/TC4 joints was increased by 156%after laser textured TC4 surface.When the depth of grid was deeper than 100μm,contact angle increased and incomplete filling of molten CFRTP in grid occurred,the shear force thus decreased gradually.Resin-carbon fibers mixture was adhered on the fracture surface of TC4,and the variation tendency of adhesion ratio was consistent with that of shear force.TC4 matrix was exfoliated from substrate and adhered at the fracture surface of CFRTP,indicating stronger mechanical interlocking occurred at the joining interface after laser textured TC4 surface.Beside mechanical interlocking,compound layer consisted of CTi_(0.42)V_(1.58)carburization phase was also confirmed at interface,suggesting that chemical bonding also occurred at the joining interface.