Physicomechanical properties of composites from recycled polyethylene and linen yarn production wastes

The possibilities of utilizing wastes of linen thread production (chaffs, spinning and roving losses) in recycled polyolefin composites have been investigated. The wastes were mixed with recycled polyethylenes (produced from domestic and industrial film production wastes). The physicomechanical properties (tensile strength, bending and tensile moduli, and water resistance) and the fluidity (melt flow-behavior index) for systems with a different filler content are estimated. Almost all the composite materials obtained have satisfactory fluidity (melt flow-behavior index is not lower than 0.07–0.15 dg/min). For all types of the composites, a slight increase in tensile strength and a considerable increase (3–7 times) in bending and tensile moduli were observed. The water resistance of the composites decreased with an increase in the filler content. The modification of filled systems with diisocyanates (diphenylmethane diisocyanate) improved the useful properties and water resistance of all the composites investigated.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 35, No. 2, pp. 199–210, March–April, 1999.     

Effect of modifying additions on the physicomechanical properties of composites based on polyethylene and wastes from linen yarn production

This article examines the feasibility of using coupling agents to alleviate the shortcomings characteristics of materials that contain natural fibers: low water resistance and a high degree of heterogeneity. A determination is made of the effect of additions of polyisocyanate and stearic acid on the fluidity of the melts and the strainstrength properties and water resistance of polyethylene composites containing mixtures of wastes from linen yarn production. It is shown that an addition of stearic acid significantly improves the dispersion of fibers in the composites, which in turn leads to a reduction in melt fluidity and an increase in elastic modulus in the high-filler-content region compared to composites that do not have additions of stearic acid. Additions of polyisocyanate appreciably increase the strength and water resistance of the given composites.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 33, No. 4, pp. 540–547, July–August, 1997.     

Effect of the structure of a polymer matrix and its area of contact with the surface of the filler on the rigidity of a polyethylene composite

The distribution of the orientation of the macromolecules over the wall cross section of a filled polyethylene tube is analyzed. A direct proportionality is established between the degree of orientation (estimated from the shrinkage) and the elastic modulus. The effect of various fillers on the melting and crystallization of low-density polyethylene is considered. For a specified filler concentration the elastic modulus of the composites depends very considerably on the relative area of contact between the polymer matrix and the surface of the filler.Institute of the Mechanics of Polymers, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 3, pp. 387–391, May–June, 1974.     

Effect of water sorption on some mechanical parameters of composite systems based on low-density polyethylene and microcrystalline cellulose

Strength-deformation characteristics of low-density polyethylene filled with microcrystalline cellulose Thermocell as a function of the TC content (up to 0.7 parts by weight) are studied. Characteristics such as elastic modulus, relative elongation at break, ultimate strength, and work of failure are determined. Water sorption and change in the size and strength-deformation characteristics of composite specimens during exposure to boiling water (560 min) are also studied. It is shown that with greater filler content it is possible to increase the strength-deformation characteristics of LDPE, such as elastic modulus and tensile strength. The growth of the ultimate strength is associated with the formation of a specific filler framework with increasing filler content. It is found that the main factors which cause a decrease in the elastic modulus and softening of the composite are failure of the filler framework as well as formation of stresses and voids during water sorption by the composite. It is demonstrated that the steady reproducibility of the composition, attainable high filling degrees, and ecological safety make Thermocell a promising filler for polyethylene.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 35, No. 1, pp. 79–90, January–February, 1999.     

Physicomechanical properties of composites from recycled polyethylene and linen yarn production wastes

The possibilities of utilizing wastes of linen thread production (chaffs, spinning and roving losses) in recycled polyolefin composites have been investigated. The wastes were mixed with recycled polyethylenes (produced from domestic and industrial film production wastes). The physicomechanical properties (tensile strength, bending and tensile moduli, and water resistance) and the fluidity (melt flow-behavior index) for systems with a different filler content are estimated. Almost all the composite materials obtained have satisfactory fluidity (melt flow-behavior index is not lower than 0.07–0.15 dg/min). For all types of the composites, a slight increase in tensile strength and a considerable increase (3–7 times) in bending and tensile moduli were observed. The water resistance of the composites decreased with an increase in the filler content. The modification of filled systems with diisocyanates (diphenylmethane diisocyanate) improved the useful properties and water resistance of all the composites investigated.     

Effect of disperse mineral fillers on the strain-strength properties and crack resistance of cured polyesters

Conclusion The tendency of disperse mineral fillers toward aggregation, with the formation of a continuous framework of particles, when filler content is greater than the SCC is manifest in a sharp increase in the difference between the relative viscosity of polyester binder-pastes in the uncured state and the relative elastic modulus in the cured state. It is also manifest in an increase in the relative modulus and a reduction in crack growth energy in cured composites. In this case, there is an especially large increase in the size of the characteristic defect, which ultimately determines the reduction in the breaking stress. The modification of binder-pastes with surfactants increases filler dispersion and makes it possible to increase the strength of cured composites.Presented at the Sixth All-Union Conference on the Mechanics of Polymer and Composite Materials (Riga, November, 1986).Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, No. 5, pp. 819–824, September–October, 1987.     

Correlation between the Mechanical Properties and the Amount of Desorbed Water for Composites Based on Low-Density Polyethylene and Linen Yarn Production Waste

The effect of the amount of desorbed water on the mechanical properties of composites based on low-density polyethylene and linen yarn production waste (LW) is analyzed by statistical methods. It is shown that the amount of absorbed water decreases during the desorption process at room temperature both for specimens modified and unmodified with diphenylmethane diisocyanate (DIC.) The most sensitive to the action of water is the elastic modulus, which decreases considerably under the effect of water and is fully restored in the desorption process. The tensile strain also increases with the amount of absorbed water. It is found that the elastic modulus of the unmodified composite correlates linearly with the amount of desorbed water. Between the amount of desorbed water and the tensile strain, as well the specific work of deformation, a negative linear correlation is revealed. After water desorption, all strength and deformation characteristics of both the modified and unmodified composites are fully recovered.__________Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 41, No. 4, pp. 515–524, July–August, 2005.     

On the mechanical and thermomechanical properties of low-density polyethylene/ethylene-α-octene copolymer blends

Blends of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and ethylene-octene copolymer (EOC) were obtained. The effect of EOC content and absorbed radiation dose on the mechanical and thermomechanical properties of LDPE/EOC blends are investigated. Particular attention is given to a tensile stress-strain analysis and the “form-memory” effect of the blends. With growing LDPE content, the elastic modulus, the yield stress, and the thermorelaxation and residual stresses of the blends increase, but the ultimate elongation at break decreases, which is caused by the higher crystallinity of polyethylene. As a result of radiation-induced cross-linking, the elastic modulus, the yield stress (at a 1% strain), the ultimate yield strength, and the thermorelaxation and residual stresses increase, while the ultimate elongation at break and the melt flow-behavior index decrease, which is confirmed by the growing gel fraction in the blend. __________ Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 44, No. 2, pp. 279–286, March–April, 2008.     

Influence of Modifiers on the Physicomechanical Properties of Sawdust-Polyethylene Composites

Polymer-wood composites based on recycled polyethylene (RPE) are investigated. Dispersed alder sawdust was utilized as a filler. To improve the compatibility between the nonpolar matrix and the polar wood fibers as a reinforcement, two types of modifiers were used, which differed in their chemical nature and mechanical interaction with the constituents of the composites. The modifiers of the first type (paraffin and OP) improved the dispersibility of sawdust (SD), and those of the second type (Exxelor 1015 and OREVAC) contained groups of maleic anhydride, which interacted with the OH-groups of SD. The effect of the modifiers on the moisture sorption by SD, the dispersibility of the filler in the matrix, and the strength characteristics (ultimate strengths and moduli in tension and bending) of dry and moist RPE–SD composites and on their moisture sorption is estimated. The best results were obtained for the composites modified with paraffin, which is due to the more efficient employment of the strength and rigidity of well-dispersed SD fibers. In their strength characteristics, the RPE-based composites investigated are comparable to composites based on low-density polyethylene.     

Elastic and Sorption Characteristics of an Epoxy Binder in a Composite During Its Moistening

Results of an experimental investigation into the elastic and sorption characteristics of a model composite material (CM) — epoxy resin filled with LiF crystals — during its moistening are presented. Properties of the binder in the CM with different filler contents (v _f = 0, 0.05, 0.11, 0.23, 0.28, 0.33, 0.38, and 0.46) were evaluated indirectly by using known micromechanical models of CMs. It was revealed that, for the CM in a conditionally initial state, the elastic modulus of the binder in it and the filler microstrain (change in the interplanar distance in the crystals, measured by the X-ray method) as functions of filler content had the same character. The elastic modulus of the binder in the CM with a low filler content was equal to that for the binder in a block; the elastic modulus of the binder in the CM decreased with increasing filler content. The maximum (corresponding to water saturation of the CM) stresses in the binder and the filler microstresses as functions of filler content were of the same character. Moreover, the absolute values of maximum stresses in the binder and of filler microstresses coincided for high and low contents of the filler. At v _f = 0.2–0. 3, the filler microstrains exceeded the stresses in the binder. The effect of moisture on the epoxy binder in the CM with a high filler content was not entirely reversible: the elastic characteristics of the binder increased, the diffusivity decreased, and the ultimate water content increased after a moistening-drying cycle.__________Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 41, No. 4, pp. 499–511, July–August, 2005.     

Application of the reduced concentration principle to filled polymers

An investigation has been made into the applicability of the reduced concentration principle to composites based on a partially crystalline polymer — low-density polyethylene — with 13 mineral fillers of different chemical composition, particle size, and porosity. It is shown that over the entire accessible interval of filler load factors the composites investigated obey the law of corresponding states. It is suggested that the deviation of the generalized dependence of the modulus of elasticity from the analogous dependence obtained for amorphous network polymers is associated with a decrease in the crystallinity of the polymer matrix with increase in filler concentration.     

Mechanical Properties of Blends of Low-Density Polyethylene with Chlorinated Polyethylene

The results of experimental investigation into the mechanical properties of blends of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) with chlorinated polyethylene (CPE) in tension are presented. The specimens of pure LDPE, CPE, and nine types of LDPE/CPE blends, with different content of components at 10 wt.% intervals, were examined. Data on the influence of blend composition on the tensile stress-strain diagram, elastic modulus, yield stress, breaking stress, and ultimate elongation are obtained. The results of investigations of creep are also reported. It is found that the creep compliance (the total current compliance minus the elastic compliance) obeys the power law of creep.__________Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 41, No. 3, pp. 391–404, May–June, 2005.     

Effect of aggregation of a dispersed rigid filler on the elastic characteristics of a polymer composite

Conclusions We proposed a method for describing the effective elastic characteristics of a polymer composite with a rigid aggregating filler. An important feature of such a medium is the variable coupling of the inclusion phase in relation to its volume content. A change in the degree of coupling of the filler is accounted for by introducing an additional parameter. We examined a method of determining the coupling parameter from the results of statistical modeling of the geometry of the medium. Using the example of a calcite-HDPE composite, we showed that aggregation has a significant effect on the dependence of the elastic modulus on the volume content of filler; satisfactory agreement was obtained between the theoretical and experimental data.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, No. 1, pp. 14–22, January–February, 1986.     

Dynamic mechanical spectroscopy of polyethylenes with aggregating disperse and hybrid granular-fibrous fillers

Conclusion Based on the results of dynamic experimental studies, it was shown that addition of mineral fillers to polyethylenes does not result in a significant change in the relaxation properties of the polymer matrix of CM. It was found that aggregation of the particles of the granular filler causes a significant increase in the real part of the modulus and a decrease in the mechanical loss tangent of the CM. The possibility of using a modified elastic solution for predicting the effective characteristics of the dynamic viscoelasticity of composites was demonstrated.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, No. 4. pp. 579–586, July–August, 1989.     

Formation of a transition layer on the fillers of polymer composites

Based on a plane model of composites, the effect of a transition layer on the elastic modulus E_c of the composites is analyzed in the case where, under the action of a load, the transition layer is formed both on the side of matrix and filler. In evaluating E_c, it is assumed that the elastic modulus in the layer grows linearly from the elastic modulus of matrix to that of filler, but pores in the filler are impermeable to matrix macromolecules. Analytic relation ships are found which allow one to determine the volume fractions of the transition layer on the side of matrix and filler if the experimental elastic modulus of the composite is known. These relationships are used to find the magnitude of the layer in epoxy composites with various fillers and to evaluate its effect on the compressive elastic modulus of the composites. __________ Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 42, No. 5, pp. 693–700, September–October, 2006.     

Temperature dependence of deformative properties of filled polyvinyl chloride of various degrees of plasticization in the highly elastic state

Conclusions 1. The relative increase in stiffness upon the filling of PVC in the highly elastic state decreases with increase in temperature according to an exponential law.2. For a given degree of filling, the relative increase in stiffness upon filling as a function of the plasticizer content in PVC composites passes through a maximum at a degree of plasticization of 5–10%.All-Union Scientific-Research Institute of the Use of Polymeric Materials in Reclamation and Water Management, Elgava. Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 4, pp. 646–650, July–August, 1977.     

Effect of fillers on the structure and properties of cured resins

The elastic (modulus of elasticity and equilibrium high-elastic modulus) and thermal (volume coefficients of thermal expansion below and above the glass transition temperature) properties of compositions based on ÉD-5 epoxy resin cured with polyethylenepolyamine have been investigated. Quartz powder and aluminoborosilicate glass powder were employed as fillers at concentrations from 0 to 0.413. The thermal expansion coefficients of the compositions were studied in a dilatometer, in which the specimen is free of mechanical loads. The Young's modulus at 25°C and the equilibrium high-elastic modulus at 125°C of the compositions were determined in the compression regime in an instrument based on the IZV-2 optical length gage. The thermal expansion coefficients of the polymer matrix were calculated with allowance for the elastic properties of the resin and the filler. It is shown that, as the filler concentration increases, the thermal and elastic properties of the resin in the filled system change. This can be interpreted as a change in the properties of the resin as it approaches the surface of the filler particles. Increased interaction between the filler surface and the epoxy resin tends to stiffen the polymer network.Scientific Research Institute of Precision Technology, Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 6, pp. 1018–1022, November–December, 1969.     

Effect of fillers on the viscosity and viscoelasticity of low-density polyethylene melts. Communication 1

An investigation of low-density polyethylenes filled with up to 30% by volume dispersed particles, has shown that for both the matrix and the composites the apparent viscous flow activation energy does not depend on the shear stresses and increases starting from a certain filler concentration at which the conformation range in the matrix is depleted. The dependence of the relative viscosity of the compositions on the volume filler content is satisfactorily described by an equation that contains the reduced filler concentration, defined as the ratio of the nominal filler concentration to the limiting concentration at which the adsorption layers on the particles extend throughout the matrix. The thickness of the polymer layer adsorbed on the particles must be determined from the specific exterior particle surface, with allowance for the volume of the polymer in the sorption space of the porous filler.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 3, pp. 478–486, May–June, 1976.     

Spectra of the eigenfrequencies and regions of dynamical instability of cylindrical shells with elastic filler in the case of nonaxisymmetrical vibrations

Conclusions 1. The number of natural vibration frequencies in any frequency interval for an empty cylindrical shell increases in direct proportion to the second power of the interval size, and for a shell with filler — in direct proportion to the third power of it.2. The widest (and also located at the smallest frequencies) dynamical instability region of a cylindrical shell with elastic filler corresponds to nonaxisymmetrical modes of wave formation.3. The limiting transition in the equations of this paper in the case of the frequency of the driving force tending to zero results in an expression for the critical static force for a shell with an incompressible filler. Numerical calculations in this case show, in particular, an increase of the critical force upon an increase in the modulus of elasticity of the filler, which has been noted in a number of the papers of other authors.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. P. Stuchki Latvian State University, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 2, pp. 263–269, March–April, 1977.     

Investigation of the thermophysical and antifriction properties of polyethylene compositions

The coefficient of linear expansion of polyethylene compositions has been determined. Metals, oxides, and silicates were used as fillers. The coefficient depends significantly on the geometry of the filler particles. Powdered fillers reduce the coefficient by 10–20% (an amount somewhat greater than their volume concentration). Fillers consisting of material with a low coefficient of linear expansion and a high modulus of elasticity in chopped-fiber form may reduce the coefficient of linear expansion by one order as compared with pure polyethylene.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 3, No. 5, pp. 873–880, 1967