Study of the Diffusion Behavior of Seawater Absorption in Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes/Halloysite Nanotubes Hybrid Nanofillers Modified Epoxy-Based Glass/Carbon Fiber Composites

In the maritime industry, cost-effective and lightweight Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composites offer excellent mechanical properties, design flexibility, and corrosion resistance. However, their reliability in harsh seawater conditions is a concern. Researchers address this by exploring three approaches: coating fiber surfaces, hybridizing fibers and matrices with or without nanofillers, and interply rearrangement. This study focuses on evaluating the synergistic effects of interply rearrangement of glass/carbon fibers and hybrid nanofillers, specifically Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and Halloysite nanotubes (HNT). The aim is to enhance impact properties by minimizing moisture absorption. Hybrid nanocomposites with equal-weight proportions of two nanofillers: 0 wt.%, 1 wt.%, and 2 wt.% were exposed to seawater for 90 days. Experimental data was subjected to modelling through the application of Predictive Fick’s Law. The study found that the hybrid composite containing 2 wt.% hybrid nanofillers exhibited a 22.10% increase in impact performance compared to non-modified counterparts. After 90 days of seawater aging, the material exhibited enhanced resistance to moisture absorption (15.74%) and minimal reduction in impact strength (8.52%) compared to its dry strength, with lower diffusion coefficients.

Study of damage behavior and repair effectiveness of patch repaired carbon fiber laminate under quasi-static indentation loading

Damage caused due to low-velocity impacts in composites leads to substantial deterioration in their residual strength and eventually provokes structural failure.This work presents an experimental investigation on the effects of different patch and parent laminate stacking sequences on the enhancement of impact strength of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers(CFRP)composites by utilising the adhesively bonded external patch repair technique.Damage evolution study is also performed with the aid of Acoustic Emission(AE).Two different quasi-isotropic configurations were selected for the parent laminate,viz.,[45°/45°/0°/0°]s and[45°/0°/45°/0°]s.Quasi Static Indentation(QSI)test was performed on both the pristine laminates,and damage areas were detected by using the C-scan inspection technique.Damaged laminates were repaired by using a single-sided patch of two different configurations,viz.,[45°/45°/45°/45°]and[45°/0°/0°/45°],and employing a circular plug to fill the damaged hole.Four different combinations of repaired laminates with two configurations of each parent and patch laminate were produced,which were further subjected to the QSI test.The results reveal the effectiveness of the repair method,as all the repaired laminates show higher impact resistance compared to the respective pristine laminates.Patches of[45°/0°/0°/45°]configuration when repaired by taking[45°/45°/0°/0°]s and[45°/0°/45°/0°]s as parents exhibited 68%and 73%higher peak loads,respectively,than the respective pristine laminates.Furthermore,parent and patch of configuration[45°/0°/45°/0°]s and[45°/0°/0°/45°],respectively,attain the highest peak load,whereas[45°/45°/0°/0°]s and[45°/45°/45°/45°]combinations possess the most gradual decrease in the load.

Effect of Rare Earths on Tribological Properties of Carbon Fibers Reinforced PTFE Composites

Carbon fibers （CF） were surface treated with air-oxidation and rare earths （RE）, respectively. The effect of RE surface treatment on tensile strength and tribological properties of CF reinforced polytetrafluoroethylene （PTFE） composites was invest/gated. Experimental results revealed that RE was superior to air ox/dation in improving the tensile strength, elongation, and the tensile modulus of CF reinforced PTFE （CF/PTFE） composite. Compared to the untreated and air-oxidated CF/PTFE composite, the RE treated composite had the lowest friction coefficient and specific wear rate under a given applied load and reciprocating sliding frequency. The RE treatment effectively improved the interfacial adhesion between CF and PTFE. With strong interfacial coupling, the carbon fibers carried most of the load, and direct contact and adhesion between PTFE and the counterpart were reduced, accordingly the friction and wear properties of the composite were improved.

Improved wettability and mechanical properties of metal coated carbon fiber-reinforced aluminum matrix composites by squeeze melt infiltration technique

In order to improve the wettability and bonding performance of the interface between carbon fiber and aluminum matrix,nickel-and copper-coated carbon fiber-reinforced aluminum matrix composites were fabricated by the squeeze melt infiltration technique.The interface wettability,microstructure and mechanical properties of the composites were compared and investigated.Compared with the uncoated fiber-reinforced aluminum matrix composite,the microstructure analysis indicated that the coatings significantly improved the wettability and effectively inhibited the interface reaction between carbon fiber and aluminum matrix during the process.Under the same processing condition,aluminum melt was easy to infiltrate into the copper-coated fiber bundles.Furthermore,the inhibited interface reaction was more conducive to maintain the original strength of fiber and improve the fiber−matrix interface bonding performance.The mechanical properties were evaluated by uniaxial tensile test.The yield strength,ultimate tensile strength and elastic modulus of the copper-coated carbon fiber-reinforced aluminum matrix composite were about 124 MPa,140 MPa and 82 GPa,respectively.In the case of nickel-coated carbon fiber-reinforced aluminum matrix composite,the yield strength,ultimate tensile strength and elastic modulus were about 60 MPa,70 MPa and 79 GPa,respectively.The excellent mechanical properties for copper-coated fiber-reinforced composites are attributed to better compactness of the matrix and better fiber−matrix interface bonding,which favor the load transfer ability from aluminam matrix to carbon fiber under the loading state,giving full play to the bearing role of carbon fiber.

Surface Characteristics of Rare Earth Treated Carbon Fibers and Interfacial Properties of Composites

Effect of rare earth treatment on surface physicochemical properties of carbon fibers and interfacial properties of carbon fiber/epoxy composites was investigated, and the interfacial adhesion mechanism of treated carbon fiber/epoxy composite was analyzed. It was found that rare earth treatment led to an increase of fiber surface roughness, improvement of oxygeaa-containing groups, and introduction of rare earth element on the carbon fiber surface. As a result, coordination linkages between fibers and rare earth, and between rare earth and resin matrix were formed separately, thereby the interlaminar shear strength （ILSS） of composites increased, which indicated the improvement of the interfacial adhesion between fibers and matrix resin resulting from the increase of carboxyl and carbonyl.

STUDY ON THE ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF CARBON FIBER-CEMENT COMPOSITE(CFCC)

The relationship between the resistivity of Carbon Fiber-Cement Composite (CFCC) and the content of fiber has been discussed in this paper. The results show if the weight percentage of carbon fiber increases from 0.4% to 1.2%, the resistivity of CFCC changes over the range (10M Omega . cm similar to 100 Omega . cm), and the percolation threshold is about 0.8w%. The conduction mechanism and percolation phenomenon of the composite can be explained by the tunneling model.

Effect of electropolymer sizing of carbon fiber on mechanical properties of phenolic resin composites

Carbon fiber/phenolic resin composites were reinforced by the carbon fiber sized with the polymer films of phenol, m-phenylenediamine or acrylic acid, which was electropolymerized by cyclic voltammetry or chronopotentiometry. The contact angles of the sized carbon fibers with deionized water and diiodomethane were measured by the wicking method based on the modified Washburn equation, to show the effects of the different electropolymer film on the surface free energy of the carbon fiber after sizing by the electropolymerization. Compared with the unsized carbon fiber, which has 85.6°of contact angle of water, 52.2°of contact angle of diiodomethane, and 33.1 mJ/m2 of surface free energy with 29.3 mJ/m2 of dispersive components (γL) and 3.8 mJ/m2 of polar components (γsp), respectively. It is found that the electropolymer sized carbon fiber tends to reduce the surface energy due to the decrease of dispersiveγL with the increase of the polymer film on the surface of the carbon fiber that plays an important role in improving the mechanical properties of carbon/phenolic resin composites. Compared with the phenolic resin composites reinforced by the unsized carbon fiber, the impact, flexural and interlaminar shear strength of the phenolic resin composites were improved by 44 %, 68% and 87% when reinforced with the carbon fiber sized by the electropolymer of m-phenylenediamine, 66%, 100%, and 112% by the electropolymer of phenol, and 20%, 80 %, 100% by the electropolymer of acrylic acid. The results indicate the skills of electropolymerization may provide a feasible method for the sizing of carbon fiber in a composite system, so as to improve the interfacial performance between the reinforce materials and the matrix and to increase the mechanical properties of the composites.

Properties and Structure of Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes/Cellulose Composites Fibers Using Ionic Liquid as Solvent

To take advantage of cellulose material and prepare a kind of high performance fiber,multi-walled carbon nanotubes(MWNTs) were used as fillers to produce MWNTs/cellulose composite fibers using ionic liquid as solvent.The thermal properties,mechanical properties,and structure of the composite fibers were investigated.The wide angle X-ray diffraction(WAXD) measurements show that MWNTs/cellulose composite fibers have cellulose Ⅱ crystal structure.The results obtained from thermal gravimetric analysis(TGA) indicate that the addition of low nanotubes amounts leads to an increase in the degrade temperature.The tensile mechanical properties show that initial modulus and tensile strength considerably increase in the presence of nanotubes with a maximum for 66.7% and 22.7%.

Analysis of vibration attenuation characteristics of large thickness carbon fiber composite laminates

The vibration attenuation and damping characteristics of carbon fiber reinforced composite laminates with different thicknesses were investigated by hammering experiments under free boundary constraints in different directions.The dynamic signal testing and analysis system is applied to collect and analyze the vibration signals of the composite specimens,and combine the self-spectrum analysis and logarithmic decay method to identify the fundamental frequencies of different specimens and calculate the damping ratios of different directions of the specimens.The results showed that the overall stiffness of the specimen increased with the increase of the specimen thickness,and when the thickness of the sample increases from 24mm to 32mm,the fundamental frequency increases by 35.1%,the vibration showed the same vibration attenuation and energy dissipation characteristics in the 0°and 90°directions of the specimen,compared with the specimen in the 45°direction,which was less likely to be excited and had poorer vibration attenuation ability,while the upper and lower surfaces of the same specimen showed slightly different attenuation characteristics to the vibration,the maximum difference of damping capacity between top and bottom surfaces of CFRP plates is about 70%.

Influence of recycled carbon fiber addition on the microstructure and creep response of extruded AZ91 magnesium alloy

In this study,the recycled short carbon fiber(CF)-reinforced magnesium matrix composites were fabricated using a combination of stir casting and hot extrusion.The objective was to investigate the impact of CF content(2.5 and 5.0 wt.%)and fiber length(100 and 500μm)on the microstructure,mechanical properties,and creep behavior of AZ91 alloy matrix.The microstructural analysis revealed that the CFs aligned in the extrusion direction resulted in grain and intermetallic refinement within the alloy.In comparison to the unreinforced AZ91 alloy,the composites with 2.5 wt.%CF exhibited an increase in hardness by 16-20%and yield strength by 5-15%,depending on the fiber length,while experiencing a reduction in ductility.When the reinforcement content was increased from 2.5 to 5.0 wt.%,strength values exhibited fluctuations and decline,accompanied by decreased ductility.These divergent outcomes were discussed in relation to fiber length,clustering tendency due to higher reinforcement content,and the presence of interfacial products with micro-cracks at the CF-matrix interface.Tensile creep tests indicated that CFs did not enhance the creep resistance of extruded AZ91 alloy,suggesting that grain boundary sliding is likely the dominant deformation mechanism during creep.

Electromagnetic Shielding and Absorption Properties of Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Composites

In order to investigate the electromagnetic shielding effectiveness （SE） and absorbing properties of fiber reinforced concrete, steel fiber, carbon fiber and synthetic polyvinyl alcohol （PVA） fiber reinforced concrete were researched. The results show that with the increase of fiber Volume fraction, the SE and trend of frequency change of corresponding fiber reinforced concrete are enhanced. When the volume content of steel fiber is 3%, the SE of concrete is above 50 dB and its frequency is above 1.8 GHz. Moreover, in the range of 8-18 GHz, steel fiber, carbon fiber and PVA fiber all can improve the microwave absorption properties of concrete. The concrete with 0.5% carbon fiber can achieve the best absorbing property, the minimum reflectivity is about -7 dB; while steel fiber optimal volume fraction is 2%. The reflectivity curve of PVA fiber reinforced concrete fluctuates with the frequency, and the minimum value of the reflectivity is below -10 dB. The results show that fiber reinforced concrete could be used as EMI（electromagnetic interference） prevention buildings by attenuating and reflecting electromagnetic wave energy.

Electrical Resistance and Microstructure of Latex Modified Carbon Fiber Reinforced Cement Composites

The electrical resistance,flexural strength,and microstructure of carbon fiber reinforced cement composites（CFRC） were improved greatly by adding water-redispersible latex powder.The electrical resistance of CFRC was investigated by two-probe method.The input range of CFRC based strain sensors was therefore increased,whereas electrical resistance was increased and remained in the perfect range of CFRC sensors.The analysis of scanning electron microscopy indicated that elastic latex bridges and a latex layer existed among the interspaces of the adjacent cement hydration products which were responsible for the enhancement of the flexural strength and electrical resistance.The formation mechanism of the elastic latex bridges was also discussed in detail.The continuous moving of two opposite interfaces of the latex solution-air along the interspaces of the adjacent hydrated crystals or colloids was attributed to the formation of the elastic latex bridges.

Preparation of three-dimensional braided carbon fiber reinforced mullite composites from a sol with high solid content

To prepare the three-dimensional braided carbon fiber reinforced mullite （3D C/mullite） composites, an Al2O3-SiO2 solwith a solid content of 20% （mass fraction） and an Al2O3/SiO2 mass ratio of 2：1 was selected as the raw material. Characteristics andmullitization of the sol were analyzed throughly. It is found that the formation of mullite is basically completed at 1300℃ and thegel powders exhibit favorable sintering shrinkage. The 3D C/mullite composites without interfacial coating were fabricated throughthe route of vacuum impregnation-drying-heat treatment. Satisfied mechanical properties with a flexural strength of 241.2 MPa anda fracture toughness of 10.9 MPa·m1/2are obtained although the total porosity reaches 26.0%. Oxidation resistances of the compositesat 1200, 1400 and 1600 ℃ were investigated. Due to the further densification of matrix, the 3D C/mullite composites show tiny massloss and their mechanical properties are well retained after oxidation at 1600 ℃ for 30 min.

Effects of Fiber Surface Pretreatment and Composite Posttreatment on Mechanical Properties of 2D⁃Cf/Phosphate Geopolymer Matrix Composites

Geopolymers are an important class of materials with potential applications because of their heat resistance,flame resistance,environmental friendliness,and possibilities of being transformed into ceramic matrix composites at low cost.However,the low mechanical properties as well as the intrinsic brittleness limit their technological implementations,and it is necessary to enhance the mechanical properties of geopolymers by adopting various kinds of reinforcements.In this work,therefore,two⁃dimensional continuous carbon fiber(Cf)reinforced phosphate⁃based geopolymer composites(Cf/geopolymer)were prepared through ultrasonic⁃assisted impregnation method.Effects of acetone treatment and high⁃temperature treatment on the properties of Cf/geopolymer composites were studied by X⁃ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),X⁃ray diffraction(XRD),and scanning electron microscopy(SEM).Results of the study proved that acetone treatment plays a key role in ameliorating the interfacial interaction between Cf and phosphate matrix,which can thus enhance the mechanical properties of Cf/geopolymer composites.The Cf/geopolymer composites prepared by acetone⁃treated Cf had a flexural strength of 156.1 MPa and an elastic modulus of 39.7 GPa in Y direction.Moreover,an additional Sol⁃SiO2 re⁃impregnation treatment could further enhance the mechanical properties of the acetone⁃treated Cf/geopolymer composites by repairing the cracks and filling the pores.The results in this paper not only provide insights into the surface modification of Cf,but also report a facile and low⁃cost preparation route for Cf/geopolymer composites with potential applications in aerospace and defense technology.

Development of Hybrids Composites of Carbon and Aramid Fibers to Reinforce Matrix of Epoxy Resins Part I

Composite materials may be composed of several types of fiber and resin.The design of hybrid composites intends to improve the physico-mechanical properties of this kind of materials,compared to standard composites,which consist of epoxy resin matrixes and carbon fibers,which presents low impact resistance.Our goal was the development and characterization of a hybrid material composed of two kinds of fibers,carbon and Kevlar,in the fabric format,joined by epoxy resin matrix.The standard composition is the Composition 1:containing 55%-60%carbon fiber and 40%-45%epoxy resin.The hybrid composite is the Composition 2:that contains 30%-33%carbon fiber,25%-27%Kevlar fiber and 40%-45%of epoxy resin.The composite plates were prepared using a laminator machine and later they were process in a vacuum bag and cured in oven.The study aimed at comparing the physical and mechanical properties of these materials.The mechanical tests were focus on measurements of the tensile,flexural and impact charpy stresses,and physics tests by measures of bulk densities.Through these procedures,we hope to find out data that may be useful for a partial characterization of these products for applications in the aerospace industry.

Pyrolytic Recycling of Carbon Fibers from Prepregs and Their Use in Polyamide Composites

Carbon fibers composites are well-known as high tech materials but are also recognized as a problem after use as they have to be deposited in landfills. Pyrolysis is an attractive process for recycling carbon fibers from used composites as well as offcuts from prepregs. Pyrolysis of carbon fiber composite prepregs is carried out in a pilot plant with a single screw reactor. The pyrolysis products, carbon fibers and pyrolysis vapor are fully characterized. Variation of pyrolysis temperature is carried out to obtain carbon fibers with the best possible surface properties. In order to compare the mechanical properties of the recycled carbon fibers with virgin material, composite materials with polyamide are produced and their properties compared.

Comparative study on the interface and mechanical properties of T700/Al and M40/Al composites

T700/Al and M40/Al composites were fabricated by squeeze casting technology, and their interface and mechanical properties were investigated comparatively. The results showed that both of the composites were dense, and the fibers were distributed uniformly in aluminum matrix. Aluminum carbide （Al4C3） was observed on the interface of the two carbon fiber-reinforced aluminum （Cf/Al） composites. There was little Al4C3 with a length of 300-500 nm and a width of 30-60 nm in the M40/Al composite, whereas there was a great deal of Al4C3 with a length of 200-400 nm and a width of 100-200 nm in the T700/Al composite, due to a higher graphitization of M40Cf than T700Cf. The M40/Al composite showed a much higher tensile strength than the TT00/Al composite, and it was related to interracial bonding between carbon fibers and aluminum matrices.

DELAMINATION FORMATION AND DELAMINATION PROPAGATION OF COMPOSITE LAMINATES UNDER COMPRESSIVE FATIGUE LOADING

Fatigue tests of the smooth composite laminates and the notched composite laminates under compressive cyclic loading have been carried out. The damage mechanism is discussed and analyzed. Damage evolution is monitored using stiffness decay. From these tests, it is found that the initial delamination occurs at the free boundary of smooth specimens, or the notch boundary of notched specimens, subjected to the compression-compression cyclic load. A point of view in relation to two-phases of compression fatigue delamination of composites is proposed, namely, compression-compression delamination consists of the delamination formation phase and the delamination propagation, and there is a 'damage transition point' to separate this two-phases. Furthermore, an empirical modulus degradation formula and its parameters fitting method are presented. According to the test data handling results, it is shown that this formula is univocal and can fit the test data conveniently. In addition, two kinds of new anti-buckling devices are designed for these tests. At last, the E-N curves, the D-N curves and the S-N curve of the smooth carbon fiber reinforced composite laminates of T300/648C are determined to predict the fatigue life of the notched composite laminate. And the E-N curve of the notched specimens at the given load ratio R = 10 and minimum load Pmin = -0.45 kN is also measured to verify the estimated result of fatigue life.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of bio-inspired Cf/Ti/Mg laminated composites

Inspired by an old fish skin structure,the Cf/Ti/Mg laminated composites were fabricated by squeeze casting technology.No porous or voids were found in final composite,and carbon fiber was uniformly dispersed in Mg matrix.Furthermore,the addition of net-shaped Ti adsorbed Al element and facilitated the nucleation of Mg_(17)Al_(12)nearby Ti.The reaction product Al_(4)C_(3)was found at the Cf and AZ91 interface.Mechanical tests indicate that the introduction of Ti could greatly improve the toughness of Cf/Mg composites.