A New Double-Step Process of Shortening Fibers without Change in Molding Equipment Followed by Electron Beam to Strengthen Short Glass Fiber Reinforced Polyester BMC

It is vital to maximize the safety of outdoor constructions, airplanes, and space vehicles by protecting against the impact of airborne debris from increasing winds due to climate change, or from bird strikes or micrometeoroids. In a widely-used compression-molded short glass fiber polyester bulk-molded compound (SGFRP-BMC) with 55% wt. CaCO3 filler, the center of the mother panel has lower impact strength than the outer sections with solidification texture angles and short glass fiber (SGF) orientations being random from 0 to 90 degrees. Therefore, a new double-step process of: (1) reducing commercial fiber length without change in molding equipment; followed by a (2) 0.86 MGy dose of homogeneous low-voltage electron beam irradiation (HLEBI) to both sides of the finished samples requiring no chemicals or additives, which is shown to increase the Charpy impact value (auc) about 50% from 6.26 to 9.59 kJm-2 at median-accumulative probability of fracture, Pf = 0.500. Shortening the SGFs results in higher fiber spacing density, Sf, as the thermal compressive stress site proliferation by action of the CTE difference between the matrix and SGF while the composite cools and shrinks. To boost impact strength further, HLEBI provides additional nano-compressive stresses by generating dangling bonds (DBs) creating repulsive forces while increasing SGF/matrix adhesion. Increased internal cracking apparently occurs, raising the auc.

Catalysis of Silver and Bismuth in Various Epoxy Resins

Epoxy resins find extensive utility across diverse applications owing to their exceptional adhesion capabilities and robust mechanical and thermal characteristics. However, the demanding reaction conditions, including extended reaction times and elevated reaction temperature requirements, pose significant challenges when using epoxy resins, particularly in advanced applications seeking superior material properties. To surmount these limitations, the conventional approach involves incorporating organic catalysts. Within the ambit of this investigation, we explored the catalytic potential of metallic powders, specifically bismuth (Bi) and silver (Ag), in epoxy resins laden with various curing agents, such as diacids, anhydrides, and amines. Metallic powders exhibited efficacious catalytic activity in epoxy-diacid and epoxy-anhydride systems. In contrast, their influence on epoxy-amine systems was rendered negligible, attributed to the absence of requisite carboxylate functional groups. Additionally, the catalytic performance of Bi and Ag are different, with Bi displaying superior efficiency owing to the presence of inherent metal oxide layers on its powder surfaces. Remarkably, the thermal and mechanical properties of uncatalyzed, fully cured epoxy resins closely paralleled those of their catalyzed counterparts. These findings accentuate the potential of Bi and Ag metal catalysts, particularly in epoxy-diacid and epoxy-anhydride systems, spanning a spectrum of epoxy-based applications. In summary, this investigation elucidates the catalytic capabilities of Bi and Ag metal powders, underscoring their ability to enhance the curing rate of epoxy resin systems involving diacids and anhydrides but not amines. This research points toward a promising trajectory for multifarious epoxy-related applications.

Increasing Impact Strength of a Short Glass Fiber Compression Molded BMC by Shortening Fibers without Change in Equipment

Bird strike, volcanic rock, hailstones, micrometeoroids, or space debris can cause damage to aircraft and space vehicles, therefore their composite materials must have high impact resistance to maximize safety. In a 55% wt. CaCO₃ compression molded short glass fiber polyester GFRP-BMC (bulk molded compound), shortening the nominal 6.4 mm fiber length formulation, by 30 min extended mixing, to 0.44 mm was found to increase Charpy impact values, a_uc, without a change in the compression molding equipment. Specimens were cut from square panels in a spiral configuration in conformity with ASTM D 6110-02 for orthotropic panels, the flow direction approximately radially outward from the charge. At a median-fracture probability of P_f = 0.50, extended mixing improved a_uc by 29%, from 7.43 to 9.59 kJm^-2, and for each solidification texture angle, namely, 0 to 90 (random), 71, 45 and 18 deg, the a_uc increased by 25% (6.26 to 7.86 kJm^-2), 18% (9.36 to 11.07 kJm^-2), 35% (7.68 to 10.37 kJm^-2), and 20% (6.96 to 8.36 kJm^-2), respectively. This strengthening can be explained by an increased number of thermal compressive stress sites between the glass fiber and matrix due to a difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) during cool-down, and shrinkage, with an increased number of spaces between fibers, |S_f| from 217 to approximately 2950 per mm³, enhancing impact energy.

Recycled Glass Fibres from Wind Turbines as a Filler for Poly(Vinyl Chloride)

This paper presents the method of using glass fibre with carbon deposit (GFCD), derived from the recycling of wind turbine blades, for production of composite materials based on poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC). Composite materials containing from 1 to 15 wt% of GFCD were produced by plasticising with a plastographometer and then by pressing. The processability and performance were studied. Mechanical properties in static tension, impact strength, and thermal stability were determined. Glass transition temperature was also determined by means of the dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). The GFCD percentage of up to 15 wt% was found not to slightly affect the change in the processability, thermal stability, and glass transition temperature. PVC/GFCD composite materials are characterised by a definitely greater elastic modulus with simultaneous decrease of tensile strength and impact strength. An analysis with scanning electron microscopy revealed good adhesion between the filler and the polymer matrix.

Effect of TiO2 nanoparticles on the viscoelastic and time-dependent behaviors of TiO2/epoxy particulate nanocomposite

In this work, the effects of nano titania are investigated on mechanical, creep, and viscoelastic behaviors of epoxy resin. For this purpose, 0.25, 0.5, and 1 vol.% of TiO2 nanoparticles were mixed with thermoset epoxy resin by mechanical and ultrasonic homogenizers and then the tensile, creep, and DMTA test samples were fabricated. The results of tensile tests show that the addition of TiO2 nanopowder slightly increased the strength and Young’s modulus of epoxy resin. However, the ultimate tensile strain or the rupture strain of nanocomposites is decreased. In addition, to understand the viscoelastic behavior of nanocomposites, the DMTA and tensile creep tests have been done. Tensile creep test has been done by DMTA and universal test machine. Both results confirmed that the creep resistance of nanocomposites has extensively improved by adding the titania nanoparticles. Variations of storage modulus, loss modulus, and tan (δ) by adding TiO2 nanopowder were examined in two modes of bending and tension. Storage and loss moduli of nanocomposite are considerably increased in all the states, but the storage modulus was more sensitive to TiO2 loading intensity. Thus, test results showed that introduction of TiO2 in the epoxy resin leads to the improvement of mechanical, creep resistance, and viscoelastic properties of nanocomposites. Due to the wide applications of epoxy resins in engineering devices, this method of reinforcement can be practical and useful to overcome some limitations of epoxy resins.

Application of waste bulk moulded composite (BMC) as a filler for isotactic polypropylene composites

The aim of this study was to produce isotactic polypropylene based composites filled with waste thermosetting bulk moulded composite (BMC). The influence of BMC waste addition (5, 10, 20 wt%) on composites structure and properties was investigated. Moreover, additional studies of chemical treatment of the filler were prepared. Modification of BMC waste by calcium stearate (CaSt) powder allows to assess the possibility of the production of composites with better dispersion of the filler and more uniform properties. The mechanical, processing, and thermal properties, as well as structural investigations were examined by means of static tensile test, Dynstat impact strength test, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS), melt flow index (MFI) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Developed composites with different amounts of non-reactive filler exhibited satisfactory thermal and mechanical properties. Moreover, application of the low cost modifier (CaSt) allows to obtain composites with better dispersion of the filler and improved processability.