Search

The overmolding of short fiber reinforced polymer compounds onto continuous fiber reinforced composite substrates provides design flexibility and the ability to tailor stiffness, strength, and damage tolerance for structural applications. In this work, a novel molding approach that enhances the bonding strength by mechanical interlocking is presented. The effectiveness of the proposed approach was validated by characterization of the bonding strength between a short glass fiber PP (SGFPP) composite overmolded onto a continuous glass fiber reinforced PP (CGFRPP) prepreg. Enhancement of the bonding strength was achieved by judiciously drilling tapered holes on the CGFRPP substrate before molding, which facilitated better interlocking with the injection molded SGFPP composite. The overmolding of preheated composites with tapered holes yielded up to 60% improvement in bonding strength. In general, having multiple holes helped improve bonding up to certain hole diameter. Similarly, preheating of the substrate over a short time improved the interfacial adhesion, while extended preheating resulted in a reduction of bonding quality. SEM analysis of the fracture surfaces after the tensile debonding test revealed that the SGFPP filled the holes on the substrate during overmolding. KEYWORDS bonding strength, injection molding, mechanical properties, short-fiber composites, 1 | INTRODUCTION One of the primary goals of the automotive industry is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions via decreasing vehicle weight to meet the new regulations of Euro 7 [...]

This study investigates the development of electrically conductive panels for application as emergency detection sensors in smart house systems. These panels, composed of wood chips coated with polymeric methylene diphenyl isocyanate, were modified with carbon black and carbon fibers to enable detection of moisture, temperature, and pressure variations. Manufactured via hot pressing, the panels retained standard mechanical properties and exhibited stable performance under diverse environmental conditions. Carbon black-filled panels achieved electrical percolation at a lower filler concentration (5%) compared to carbon fiber-filled panels. The incorporation of carbon black reduced the electrical resistivity to 8.6 ohm·cm, while the addition of carbon fibers further decreased it to 7.7 ohm·cm. In terms of sensor capabilities, panels containing carbon fibers demonstrated superior sensitivity to moisture and pressure changes. However, carbon black was ineffective for temperature sensing. Among the carbon fiber-filled panels, those with 20 wt.% concentration exhibited the best performance for moisture and pressure detection, whereas panels with 40 wt.% carbon fiber content displayed the most reliable and consistent temperature-sensing properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The aim of this article is to improve the interfacial adhesion between silicone rubber (SR) and Rayon fiber by the help of functional hybrid POSS nanoparticles. Two POSS types [...]

This article focuses on the effect of molecular weight of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) on the immiscible poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/PBAT blends compatibilized with epoxidized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (EpoxyPOSSs) having different numbers of epoxy groups per molecule. Mechanical, thermomechanical, thermal, rheological, and morphological properties of the blends were investigated as a function of PBAT molecular weight and epoxy-POSStype. Mechanical tests revealed that all epoxy-POSS types significantly improved the performance of the blends containing low-molecular-weight PBAT. On the other hand, epoxy-POSS with three epoxy functional groups (TriEpPOSS) and EpoxyPOSS with multiple-epoxy functional groups (MuEpPOSS) only slightly improved the performance of blends with highmolecular-weight PBAT. Thermomechanical and thermal test results supported that the compatibilization effects of the epoxy-POSSs were more prominent in the PLA/PBAT blends with low-molecular-weight PBAT due to the observation of the shifts in the glass transition temperatures of the PLA phase. According to the rheological results, the addition of epoxy-POSSs increased the interactions between the PLA and PBAT phases much more effectively in the PLA/PBAT with low-molecular-weight PBAT. The dispersed phase size of the PBAT further decreased in the low-molecular-weight PLA/PBAT blend system due to the enhanced compatibility much better., INTRODUCTION Increasing environmental awareness and depleting petroleum resources have pushed both the industry and academia to expand the applications of biopolymers over the past decades [1]. Poly(lactic acid) or polylactide [...]

Various blends and composites have been prepared during the past decade to address limitations, including the poor mechanical properties of polymers, or to balance out the high cost of synthetic polymers. Rubber‐based thermoplastic blends and composites are being developed to attain improved performance and balanced qualities for usage in a variety of industries, including automotive, packaging, home products, space technology, and biomedical. Thermoplastics can be produced via standard manufacturing procedures and have outstanding qualities like low density, good chemical resistance, and heat resistance. However, rubbers are being used because of their elastic attributes, including their resilience, impact resistance, and good tear strength. These two materials work well together when blended or combined. In this article, an effort was made to narrow the gap between rubbers and thermoplastics. The mechanical, rheological, and morphological properties of the rubber/thermoplastic blends and composites/nanocomposites containing various types of conventional fillers and nanofillers were discussed comprehensively. Blends of these materials can provide too easier melt processing as well as financial benefits. The flexible nature and damping properties of rubber and better thermal stability and thermoplastic processability contributed to the development of high‐performance rubber/thermoplastic composites with better ductility, impact strength, and stiffness. Rubber reduced the high brittleness of thermoplastics because of its resilience and damping properties. In contrast, the poor processability and weak chemical resistance of rubbers were overcome via better processability and higher stiffness of thermoplastics. Rubber‐based thermoplastic composites and nanocomposites have been reported to offer greater flexibility, better processing, high impact strength, and chemical resistance. Highlights: The properties of rubber/thermoplastic blends were discussed in this article.More recent advancements in rubber/thermoplastic blends were evaluated.Morphological properties depend on the rubber/thermoplastic blend ratio.The addition of reinforcements affects the rheological properties.Dispersion of additives and blend ratio influence the mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the compatibilization of PLA/poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) blends using mono‐ and multi‐epoxide POSS (MoEpPOSS and MuEpPOSS) nanoparticles, from a rheological point of view for the first time in the literature. The addition of PBS to PLA decreased the complex viscosity, storage modulus, and loss modulus, indicating weak interactions between polymers. However, the incorporation of MoEpPOSS and MuEpPOSS increased the complex viscosity and storage modulus due to the formation of long polymeric chains or complex polymeric structures through interactions between the epoxide groups of POSS and the end groups of the polymers. The effect was more significant with MuEpPOSS because MuEpPOSS has multiple epoxide groups in its cage structure, leading to stronger interactions with the polymers. POSS incorporation resulted in semicircular and arc‐shaped curves in the Cole‐Cole plots, indicating better dispersion, phase homogeneity, and compatibility. The introduction of POSS also influenced the dynamic loss tangent (tan δ) versus frequency (ω) plot. When POSS was introduced, the tan δ peak decreased and shifted to a higher frequency, indicating improved compatibility, and enhanced interfacial adhesion. These findings indicated that the addition of epoxy‐POSS nanoparticles can effectively compatibilize PLA/PBS blends and enhance their rheological properties, potentially improving their overall performance for various applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) is a worthy biodegradable thermoplastic polyester for blending along with other biopolymers, especially with poly (lactic acid) (PLA), to overcome its inadequacies in mechanical and thermal characteristics. Since binary blends of PLA and PBS showed that they are incompatible, compatibilization is required. In this work, multi‐epoxide polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (Glycidyl POSS) was added to PLA and PBS using the melt blending method to make them compatible. The blends were prepared at different weight ratios having different amounts of compatibilizer. SEM analysis showed that the Glycidyl POSS impacted the interfacial adhesion and other properties of PLA and PBS blends. Noticeable improvements in mechanical properties were revealed by tensile and impact test results. Tensile strength and Young's modulus were improved when epoxy‐POSS was added up to 1 and 3 wt% into ternary blends, but further increasing POSS concentrations resulted in lower values. FTIR analysis showed a strong interaction between the epoxide group of POSS and the end groups of PBS or PLA. The thermal properties of samples were analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), respectively. The shifts in glass transition temperatures of the PLA phase towards lower values appeared in DSC, confirming the enhanced compatibility of PLA and PBS. Also, the reinforcing ability of the POSS inorganic core structure impacted the thermal stability of the blends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of the reactive and nonreactive polyhedral oligomeric sil-sesquioxane (POSSs) types and their composition on the mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of poly(ethylene glycol) plasticized poly(lactic acid) (PLA) composites prepared with melt compounding. The results showed that the incorporation of POSS decreased the melt viscosity of the compounds regardless of POSS type. The lowest viscosity was obtained with epoxy-POSS, which is the only one that is liquid at processing temperature in comparison to the others. It was revealed from the mechanical tests that the toughness-related properties such as impact strength and elongation at break improved by the addition of POSS without remarkable deterioration in stiffness. The chemical structure of the POSS influenced the level of dispersion and hence the mechanical performance of the composites. Octaisobu-tyl-POSS, being the nonreactive and nonpolar one, had the best dispersion among the other reactive and polar POSS types. The glass transition temperature of the matrix decreased in the presence of POSS types. In addition, the POSS particles also had an impact on the crystallization of PLA. The thermal stability of the composites improved in the presence of POSS particles with respect to the POSS content and the POSS type. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 54:264-275, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers, INTRODUCTION Ecofriendly materials have received an increased interest from both academy and industry recently due to more environmentally aware consumers and shortage together with the increased price of crude oil. [...]