Stability of the physicomechanical properties of carbon filaments (fibers)

The relationship between the tensile strength and cross-sectional area of high-modulus carbon fibers is examined. An equation is given for the strength of these promising fillers of composite materials; it is shown that the stability of their tensile strength is determined by the average defectiveness of the surface and degree and stretch, as well as variations in these quantities over any particular group of fibers. The elastic modulus and strength of the carbon fibers are related to the degree of stretch.     

Mechanism by which tension on the fibrous filler affects the structure and the strength of wound glass-plastics

Conclusions 1. We have studied how the structure of glass-plastics wound with twisted threads is affected by tension on the fibrous filler. The trend of changes in fiber content and porosity, as well as an increasingly nonuniform distribution of the reinforcing filler over the thickness, has been established.2. The effect of a nonuniform filler distribution over the thickness on the tensile strength has been evaluated. The calculated and the experimental curve of strength as a function of the tension have been compared, the former taking into account variable porosity, fiber content, and nonuniformity of fiber distribution over the thickness.3. It has been demonstrated that the change in the strength characteristics of a wound glass-plastic as a function of the tension on the reinforcing filler during winding is due to a combined complex effect of such factors as the overall fiber content and porosity, a nonuniform fiber distribution over the thickness, the fiber orientation, and the degree of mechanical damage in threads due to their interaction with the active components of the winding machine.Report presented at the Third All-Union Conference on Polymer Mechanics. Riga, November 10–12, 1976.Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 3, pp. 439–444, May–June, 1977.     

Selection of the optimal structure of chopped-strand composites

A mechanical model of the interaction between the reinforcing elements and the polymer matrix is proposed for glass-reinforced plastics with a random distribution of the reinforcing elements. On the basis of this model, a theoretical relation is obtained for the variation of the strength utilization factor with increase in the fiber length-to-diameter ratio, with allowance for the glass-to-resin ratio and the elastic characteristics of the components. The theoretical calculations are found to be in satisfactory agreement with the experimental data.All-Union Scientific-Research Institute of Glass-Reinforced Plastics and Glass Fiber, Moscow Region. Moscow Bauman Higher Technical College. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 288–297, March–April, 1969.     

Effect of combined extrusion parameters on mechanical properties of basalt fiber-reinforced plastics based on polypropylene

Basalt fibers are efficient reinforcing fillers for polypropylene because they increase both the mechanical and the tribotechnical properties of composites. Basalt fibers can compete with traditional fillers (glass and asbestos fibers) of polypropylene with respect to technological, economic, and toxic properties. The effect of technological parameters of producing polypropylene-based basalt fiber-reinforced plastics (BFRPs) by combined extrusion on their mechanical properties has been investigated. The extrusion temperature was found to be the main parameter determining the mechanical properties of the BFRPs. With temperature growth from 180 to 240°C, the residual length of the basalt fibers in the composite, as well as the adhesive strength of the polymer-fiber system, increased, while the composite defectiveness decreased. The tensile strength and elastic modulus increased from 35 to 42 MPa and 3.2 to 4.2 GPa, respectively. At the same time, the growth in composite solidity led to its higher brittleness. Thus, a higher temperature of extrusion allows us to produce materials which can be subjected to tensile and bending loads, while the materials produced at a lower temperature of extrusion are impact stable. The effect of the gap size between the extruder body and moving disks on the mechanical properties of the BFRPs is less significant than that of temperature. An increase of the gap size from 2 to 8 mm improves the impregnation quality of the fibers, but the extruder productivity diminishes. The possibility of controling the properties of reinforced polypropylene by varying the technological parameters of combined extrusion is shown. The polypropylene-based BFRPs produced by the proposed method surpass the properties of glass and asbestos fiber-reinforced plastics.Submitted to the 10th International Conference on Mechanics of Composite Materials (Riga, April 20–23, 1998).Ukrainian State University of Chemical Technology, Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 33, No. 6, pp. 845–850, November–December, 1997.     

Composites reinforced with a system of three straight mutually orthogonal fibers

The effectiveness of reinforcement in direction 3 has been estimated by investigating the mechanical characteristics of two types of three-dimensionally reinforced materials differing with respect to the arrangement of the reinforcement and the fiber content in each direction. The superior transverse stiffness, shear strength, and transverse tensile strength of three-dimensionally reinforced composites based on a system of three mutually orthogonal fibers, as compared with laminated materials, is demonstrated. The theoretical values of the elastic constants, calculated from the relations of [5], are compared with the experimental data.For communication 1 see [5].Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 6, pp. 1011–1018, November–December, 1973.     

Effect of curvature of the fibers on the elastic properties of unidirectionally reinforced plastics

An approximate method is proposed for determining the reduced elastic constants of reinforced plastics (glass-reinforced plastics) with allowance for the curvature of the reinforcing fibers. All the conclusions relate to plane stress. The results of model tests are presented as confirmation of the theoretical conclusions.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 3, No. 5, pp. 858–863, 1967     

Limiting stresses in spatially reinforced composites with components-having different structural geometries nd elastic properties

A model which is proposed for calculating structural stresses in spatially reinforced composites and an invariant-polynomial criterion for evaluating their limiting values are used to predict the effect of the elastic and strength properties of the components and their relative content on the limiting stress-strain state of composites of different structures. Emphasis is given to tri-orthogonal and 4D cubic structures, in addition to structures with hexagonal and angle-ply fiber reinforcement schemes in the plane and perpendicular to it. The types of composite loading typical of standard tests are examined in separate numerical experiments for shear, tension, compression, and their proportional combination. A computational variant of a criterional estimate of the limiting stresses is substantiated for an anisotropic composite of variable strength. The limiting-stress surface is obtained along with contour maps showing stress isolines as a function of the properties of the components and the geometry of the structure. The maps are suitable for practical use. The cases of maximum resistance to shear, tension, compression, and combination loading of 3D and 4D composites are compared to the analogous cases for two-dimensional structures.Presented at the Ninth International Conference on the Mechanics of Composite Materials (Riga, October, 1995).Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, No. 5, pp. 616–639, September–October, 1995.     

Effect of thermal treatment temperature on the structure and properties of carbon fibers

Conclusions 1. It has been shown that the presence of a maximum in the dependence of strength on Young's modulus for carbon fibers made from PAN fiber may be explained by an effect of the process of temperature stress accumulation which takes place under the conditions of isometric heating. The start of this process, which causes a rearrangement of the internal structure of the high-modulus fiber, coincides with the start of the anomalous rise in fiber density.2. The interconnection between surface and internal defects and the elastic-strength properties of carbon fibers made in the temperature treatment range 600–3000°C has been studied.3. Original data on the elastic-strength properties of borided carbon fibers have been obtained; the structure of these is marked by a high degree of perfection. It has been shown that in boriding, which facilitates graphitization of the carbon, the process of regular reduction in fiber strength which is reached in the precrystallization stage is somewhat retarded.All-Union Scientific-Research Institute of Aviation Materials, Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 6, pp. 1036–1042, November–December, 1976.     

Effect of curvature of the reinforcement on the mechanical and thermophysical properties of a composite

The elastic constants and thermal expansion coefficients of a composite consisting of a matrix with low elastic properties and exceptionally stiff fibers have been experimentally determined. The curvature of the reinforcement in the specimens has been investigated. The results of the experiments are compared with the corresponding theoretical characteristics. The calculations are based on a model with an ideal arrangement of the fibers [4] and a model that takes the curvature of the reinforcement into account [5, 6].Moscow Power Engineering Institute. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 6, pp. 1036–1039. November–December, 1971.     

Comparative micromechanical analysis of nonelastic behavior of unidirectional plastics with tetragonal and hexagonal structures

A mathematical model for determining the effective elastic properties and describing the processes of inelastic deformation and damage accumulation of unidirectional fiber-reinforced composites with tetragonal and hexagonal structures is developed. A comparative analysis of the effective elastic moduli of glass, boron, organic, and carbon unidirectional plastics shows that, if the fiber volume fraction does not exceed 0.5, the effective elastic properties calculated by the models presented give closely related results. The calculation results for nonlinear fields of deformation and failure are presented and the limiting strength surfaces of fibrous glass plastics with hexagonal and tetragonal structures are obtained for different transverse loading paths. It is found that the structure of a composite affects significantly its strength properties.Submitted to the 11th International Conference on Mechanics of Composite Materials (Riga, June 11–15, 2000).Perm' State Technical University, Perm', Russia. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 36, No. 4, pp. 455–464, July–August, 2000.     

Stress-strain state of two-way glass-reinforced plastics with allowance for resin yield point

The results of a theoretical study of the stress-strain state of a two-way glass-reinforced plastic under uniaxial load are presented. It is assumed that the reinforcing fibers are elastic up to failure, whereas the resin is elastic only at stresses below the yield point. It is found that with these assumptions the stress-strain curve is composed of three line segments.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 55–58, 1965     

Effect of the crosslink density of elastic polyurethane fibers on their mechanical properties

The effect of the nature of the bonds and the degree of crosslinking on the properties of elastic polyurethane fibers has been investigated in relation to various fiber treatments. The fiber properties are mainly determined by the chemical bonds, the proportion of which should be not less than 40%.Leningrad Branch, All-Union Scientific-Research Institute of Artificial Fibers. Kaunas Artificial Fiber Plant. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 3, pp. 515–516, May–June, 1976.     

Theoretical and maximum attainable strength of various uniaxially oriented polymers (film,fibers)

The theoretical strength of various ideally oriented synthetic fibers was calculated. The calculation was based on an assumption that the rupture of polymers involves simultaneous breaking of molecular chains and pulling asunder the chain ends. The temperature-time dependence of the strength of fibers was analyzed and the maximum attainable strength of fibers of various kinds was calculated to show that it is 2–5 times higher than that recorded in practice. The main causes of the difference between the attainable and attained levels of strength are associated with imperfections of the supermolecular structure and an insufficient degree of orientation of materials of this kind. The principal means of obtaining high strength levels of synthetic fibers were discussed.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 2, no. 6, pp. 845–856, 1966     

Some laws of the elastic properties of oriented fibrous polymers and fibers

The author considers the results of calculations of the limiting values of the elastic properties (modulus of elasticity and load-extension diagram) of the main types of chemical fibers, using a model with "ideal orientation" of the molecules and the derived laws of deformation of polymer chains. A method is proposed for calculating the elastic properties of "ideally oriented" polymers from the velocity of propagation of an elastic deformation pulse and the effective density of the "skeletons" of the polymer chains. Values of the moduli of elasticity of the amorphous regions of the structure of oriented polymers are calculated. The calculated results are compared with experimental data on the elastic properties of fibers.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 34–42, 1966Paper read at the XIV All-Union Conference on High-Molecular Compounds, Oriented State.     

Predicting the transverse strength of unidirectional composites under combination loading

This article presents a mathematical model for predicting the transverse strength of unidirectional fiber composites subjected to combination transverse loading under different conditions. The behavior of the matrix is described by nonlinear physical equations consistent with the strain theory of plasticity for the active loading section. The fibers are assumed to be isotropic and elastic. The boundary-value problem of micromechanics that is formulated includes strength criteria for the matrix and fibers that mark the beginning of their possible failure. The modeling of the fracture process is taken farther through the use of a scheme that reduces the stiffness of the matrix and fibers in the failed regions in relation to the sign of the first invariant of the stress tensor. The method of local approximation is used together with the finite-element method to calculate the stress and strain fields in unidirectional composites with cylindrical fibers in a tetragonal layup. The model is used to study the behavior of an epoxy-based organic-fiber-reinforced plastic subjected to transverse loading in different simple paths — including simultaneous compressive and tensile loads, as well as transverse shear.Paper to be presented at the Ninth International Conference on the Mechanics of Composite Materials (Riga, October 1995).Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 31, No. 4, pp. 473–481, July–August, 1995.     

The influence of the diameter of the glass fibers on the compressive strengths of glass-fiber-reinforced plastics

The authors investigate the stability of the five-layer model of a reinforced polymer. With the aid of a system of fourth-order differential-difference equations derived from the condition of equilibrium of the elements of the model and the compatibility of deformations at the interface, they derive an equation relating the compressive strength of an oriented glass-fiber-reinforced plastic to the diameter of the reinforcing fibers. They show experimentally that the strength of the glass-fiber-reinforced plastic increases with the fiber diameter; this relation is fairly well approximated by a straight line.All-Union Scientific-Research Institute of Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Plastics and Fiberglass, Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 4, pp. 626–630, July–August, 1972.     

Transverse compression of PPTA fibers

Results of single transverse compression testing of PPTA and PIPD fibers, using a novel test device, are presented and discussed. In the tests, short lengths of single fibers are compressed between two parallel, stiff platens. The fiber elastic deformation is analyzed as a Hertzian contact problem. The inelastic deformation is analyzed by elastic-plastic FE simulation and by laser-scanning confocal microscopy of the compressed fibers ex post facto. The results obtained are compared to those in the literature and to the theoretical predictions of PPTA fiber transverse elasticity based on PPTA crystal elasticity.Presented at the 11th International Conference on Mechanics of Composite Materials (Riga, June 11–15, 2000).3TEX, Inc. 109, MacKenan Drive, Cary, North Carolina 27511, USA. Published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 36, No. 4, pp. 533–544, March–April, 2000.     

Resistance to interlayer shear of plastics on a carbon filament base

Conclusions 1. An equation has been derived for the strength during interlayer shear along reinforcing fibers of a composite material of unidirectional texture which allows calculation of this index as a function of composition of the material and state of the interphase boundary. Experimental confirmation of this equation has shown that the effectiveness of surface treatment of the reinforcing filler can be estimated by its use.2. It has been shown that the strength during interlayer shear of an epoxy-phenol plastic can be increased by a factor of more than 3, and during bending by a factor of 1.3, as the result of treatment of high-modulus carbon fibers in nitric acid.3. A correlation has been established between changes in electrical resistivity of the carbon fiber and the molecular component of adhesion to it of consolidated epoxy-phenol binder.Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 3, pp. 445–451, May–June, 1977.     

Technological anisotropy of chaotically reinforced glass-fiber-resin materials

The authors investigate the strength properties of chaotically reinforced glass-fiber-resin materials in compression-molded and injection-molded artifacts of complex shape and also the density, water absorption, and binder content in various zones in the artifacts. They find anisotropy to be present in the strength indices, owing to orientation of the reinforcing elements during flow of material in the mold. They determine the coefficients of anisotropy of the strength (these are defined as the ratios of the strength in the flow direction to the strength in a perpendicular direction). They suggest a method of estimating the degree of orientation of the reinforcing elements in artifacts made of nonoriented glass-fiber-resin materials.All-Union Scientific-Research Institute of Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Plastics and Glass Fiber, Moscow Region. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 507–515, May–June, 1973.     

Strength properties of unidirectionally reinforced hybrid composites

Conclusions Experiments were carried out with several types of unidirectionally reinforced hybrid composites (organic fiberglass plastic, organic carbon-reinforced plastic, organic boron-reinforced plastic, and carbon fiberglass plastic) with various ratios of the volume content of the fibers in various modes of simple quasistatic loading. It is shown that the strength of the examined materials in the plane stress state can be described phenomenologically by the polynomial criterion of strength with the components of the tensors of the strength surface depending on the structural parameters. The result can be used to predict (carry out interpolation calculations) the strength of the above-mentioned composites within the examined ranges of the volume content of the reinforcing fibers to optimize the selection of the type and ratio of the content of various fibers in the hybrid composite taking into account specific requirements on the strength properties of the material in the structures.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, No. 1, pp. 35–41, January–February, 1984.