Active fiber length distribution and its application to determine the critical fiber length

A new test and evaluation method has been developed to determine the critical fiber length characteristic of short fiber reinforced composites. From the so-called active ‘barbe’ (beard) length distribution calculated from the length distribution of the fibers in the composite and from the length distribution of the fibers protruding from the fracture surface, measurable characteristics have been derived, from which the critical fiber length can be determined. In order to demonstrate the applicability of the method, some measurements and calculations have been performed for injection molded glass fiber reinforced poly(ethylene-terephthalate) samples and the critical length determined has been compared with that obtained from droplet pull-out tests. It has been concluded that the new method provides an easily evaluated result, which is closer to reality than those obtained by other methods.     

XPS studies on the chemical structure of the stabilized polyacrylonitrile fiber in the carbon fiber production process

In the carbon fiber production process from polyacrylonitrile (PAN), PAN precursor is heated first in air to secure stabilization in the succeeding carbonization process at higher temperature. The mechanism of the stabilization reaction and chemical structure of the stabilized PAN have been examined by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The stabilized PAN was determined to have a ladderlike structure consisting of 40% acridone ring, 30% naphtyridine ring, 20% hydronaphtyridine ring, and others. This structure well explains the stability of the polymer in the succeeding carbonization process on carbon fiber production with conjugated π-electron systems over the whole polymer chain and intermolecular hydrogen bonds. A comonomer addition to the precursor was found to accelerate the dehydrogenation reaction in the stabilization process.     

Effect of fiber orientation on fiber wetting processes

The current work incorporates a microscopic study of the effect of fiber orientation on the fiber wetting process and flow of liquid droplets along filter fibers when subjected to airflow and gravity forces. Glass filter fibers in various combinations were oriented at various angles within a plane defined by the airflow direction and were supplied with distilled water in aerosol form. The behavior and flow of the liquid collected by the fibers were observed and measured using a specially developed microscope cell, detailed in the paper. The experimental results were compared to a theoretical model developed to describe the behavior. The theory and experimental results showed good agreement. The developed theory allows an optimum angle to be determined for the internal filter fiber structure in the design of wet filters. A sensitivity analysis of the model was conducted to determine the most important parameters. This will aid design of wet filtration systems such that maximal self-cleaning can be accomplished with minimal water use.     

Effect of fiber variation on the performance of cross-flow hollow fiber gas separation modules

A quantitative analysis of the effects of variable fiber properties on the performance of a cross-flow hollow fiber gas separation module is presented. The effects of variations in size, permeance, and selectivity are considered. Fiber variability is detrimental to performance. The recovery and flow rate of an enriched retentate stream decrease as variability increases. Some fibers may actually stop producing product as purity increases. Additionally, performance is poorer if the permeate from all fibers is not well mixed. The results of this work can be used to determine quality control guidelines for fiber manufacture and evaluate process enhancements.     

Thermal analysis of the polyester profiled fiber

This paper deals with the structure and properties of fibrous materials based on special types of profiled synthetic fibers. Fibrous materials were prepared in the form of integrated knitted fabric where on its flash side were different profiles of polyester fibers and on its right side were a combination of polyester and cotton fibers. The mechanical and physiological properties of knitted fabrics were evaluated. These types of integrated knitted fabrics were used for the sports garments where the measured properties considerably influence clothing comfort.     

Surface modification of carbon fiber for improving the interfacial adhesion between carbon fiber and polymer matrix

In this study, the reinforcing mechanism of amine functionalized on carbon fibers (CFs) has been precisely discussed, and the differences between aliphatic and aromatic compounds have been illustrated. Polyacrylonitrile‐based CFs were functionalized with ethylenediamine, 4,4‐diaminodiphenyl sulphone, and p‐aminobenzoic acid (PAB), and CF‐reinforced epoxy composites were prepared. The structural and surface characteristics of the functionalized CFs were investigated using X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Mechanical properties in terms of tensile and flexural strengths and moduli were studied. The FT‐IR results confirm the success in bonding amines on the CF surface. After treatment of CFs, the oxygen and nitrogen contents as well as the N/C ratio showed an increase. XPS results provided evidence of the chemical reaction during functionalization, rather than being physically coated on the CF surface. Chemical modification of CF with diamines led to considerable enhancement in compatibility of CF filaments and epoxy resin, and remarkable improvements were seen in both tensile and flexural properties of the reinforced composites. SEM micrographs also confirmed the improvement of interface adhesion between the modified CFs and epoxy matrix. Finally, it can be concluded that PAB is a promising candidate to functionalize CF in order to improve interfacial properties of CF/epoxy composites. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Typical fiber structure

Model fibers of polyethylene and nylon 6 were strained in the direction of the fiber axis and the internal deformation of the samples was studied by large-angle and small-angle x-ray diffraction. The compression of samples along the fiber axis was successfully carried out, and the results obtained by x-ray methods yielded more interesting information on the structure of the fibers than was obtained in extension. A model for the structure of the fiber was constructed on the basis of the results on compressed fibers. In this model, crystals are distributed in cylindrical symmetry around the fiber axis keeping a crystal axis tangential to circles in the section normal to the fiber axis. The characteristic crystal axis is the b axis in polyethylene and the a axis in nylon 6. The chain axis of the crystals varies in orientation with respect to the fiber axis. In compression of fibers with such a structure, the crystals rotate around the characteristic axis indicated above. In the case of nylon 6 fiber, only this simple rotation seems to occur, while additional changes occur in polyethylene fibers. However, the simple rotation predominates even in polyethylene fibers. This fiber structure is correlated with the structure of thin films of the materials. This similarity proves the existence of a common mechanism for the origin of the structure of fibers and films.     

A variation in fiber properties affects the performance of defect-free hollow fiber membrane modules for air separation

A flexible simulation method capable of modeling the performance of a gas separation module with variations in fiber properties is presented. Variations in fiber skin thickness, diameter and selectivity are considered. For separation of a high-pressure side product such as nitrogen from air, these variations can result in a considerable deviation from the ideal separation characteristic especially at high purities. It is shown that equal fiber quality is essential for the production of high purity nitrogen. The results presented in this publication are a part of a detailed and comprehensive sensitivity analysis on hollow fiber gas permeation modules.     

Effect of fiber treatment on mechanical properties of polypropylene-wood fiber composites

Polypropylene (PP) was reinforced with chemi-thermomechanical (CTMP) pulp and wood flour. Different chemical treatment of the fiber a) polyethylene-poly-(phenyl isocyanate), b) silane A-172 and c) epolene was carried out to improve the bonding between the polymer and fiber. PP reinforced with CTMP pulp and wood flour showed a decrease in stress values as the concentration of fiber increased in the composite. Tensile modulus generally increased with filler loading and was not much affected by fiber treatment. Experimental results of the composites were compared with theoretically predicted values.     

Importance of enzyme purity and activity in the measurement of total dietary fiber and dietary fiber components

A study was made of the effect of the activity and purity of enzymes in the assay of total dietary fiber (AOAC Method 985.29) and specific dietary fiber components: resistant starch, fructan, and beta-glucan. In the measurement of total dietary fiber content of resistant starch samples, the concentration of alpha-amylase is critical; however, variations in the level of amyloglucosidase have little effect. Contamination of amyloglucosidase preparations with cellulase can result in significant underestimation of dietary fiber values for samples containing beta-glucan. Pure beta-glucan and cellulase purified from Aspergillus niger amyloglucosidase preparations were used to determine acceptable critical levels of contamination. Sucrose, which interferes with the measurement of inulin and fructooligosaccharides in plant materials and food products, must be removed by hydrolysis of the sucrose to glucose and fructose with a specific enzyme (sucrase) followed by borohydride reduction of the free sugars. Unlike invertase, sucrase has no action on low degree of polymerization (DP) fructooligosaccharides, such as kestose or kestotetraose. Fructan is hydrolyzed to fructose and glucose by the combined action of highly purified exo- and endo-inulinases, and these sugars are measured by the p-hydroxybenzoic acid hydrazide reducing sugar method. Specific measurement of beta-glucan in cereal flour and food extracts requires the use of highly purified endo-1,3:1,4 beta-glucanase and A. niger beta-glucosidase. Beta-glucosidase from almonds does not completely hydrolyze mixed linkage beta-glucooligosaccharides from barley or oat beta-glucan. Contamination of these enzymes with starch, maltosaccharide, or sucrose-hydrolyzing enzymes results in production of free glucose from a source other than beta-glucan, and thus an overestimation of beta-glucan content. The glucose oxidase and peroxidase used in the glucose determination reagent must be essentially devoid of catalase and alpha- and beta-glucosidase.     

Synthesis of TiC-C fiber from titanium isopropoxide treated phenolic resin fiber

Precursor fibers for titanium carbide-carbon fibers were synthesized by reacting phenolic resin fibers with titanium isopropoxide (TIP). In this system, titanium oxide gel coated fiber was prepared by hydrolyzing TIP infiltrated resin fiber. The precursor fibers obtained after the hydrolysis were converted into titanium oxide-carbon fibers (TiO₂-C fibers) by pyrolysis at 1273 K. The TiO₂-C fibers were converted into titanium carbide-carbon fibers (TiC-C fibers) by heat treatment at 1373–1973 K. The mechanisms of the conversion from TiO₂-C fibers to TiC-C fibers were characterized by TGA.     

Effect of long fiber thermoplastic extrusion process on fiber dispersion and mechanical properties of viscose fiber/polypropylene composites

Viscose fiber reinforced polypropylene (PP/VF) composites were manufactured using long fiber thermoplastic (LFT) extrusion techniques with two different methods namely LFT‐l and LFT‐2. The compatibilizer [maleated polypropylene (MAPP)] and dispersing agent [stearic acid (SA)] were added to the PP/VF in order to improve the fiber dispersion and interfacial adhesion. The PP/VF composites manufactured using LFT‐2 showed better fiber dispersion with higher tensile and flexural properties compared to the composites manufactured using LFT‐1 method. Similarly, the impact strength and toughness of the LET‐2 composites showed an improvement of 36 and 20% than LFT‐1 whereas the average fiber length of composites was decreased from 6.9 mm to 4.4 mm because of the increase in shear energy as a result of residence time. Further, the addition of SA and MAPP to LFT‐2 process has significantly improved the fiber dispersion and mechanical performance. The fiber dispersion and fracture behavior of the LFT‐1 and LFT‐2 composites were studied using scanning electron microscopy analysis. The Fourier transformation infrared spectra were also studied to ascertain the existence of type of interfacial bonds. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Liquid coating of moving fiber at the nanoscale

Using large scale molecular dynamics, we study the contact line motion of a liquid meniscus crossed by a moving nanofiber. Varying the amplitude of the liquid/solid interactions, we analyze the shape of the meniscus versus time for a range of velocities. The associated contact angles are estimated by fitting the profiles using the James equation. The corresponding flux lines describing the displacement of the liquid molecules inside the meniscus have also been measured. The analysis of the dynamic contact angle is in agreement with the molecular-kinetic theory and confirms the existence of an optimal speed for wetting.     

Structure of the right-handed helical crystal ribbon and multilevel fibrils in a tube fiber from a coir fiber

A coir fiber is composed of many tube fibers with large hollows that align in parallel. SEM observation has shown that the tube fiber existing in a coir fiber is packed by a right-handed helix crystal ribbon, and its length/diameter ratio is lower than that of the crystal ribbon by 1–2 orders of magnitude. Based on the results of TEM, the diameter of protofibrils extracted from coir fibers is 6–10 nm, while that of the microfibrils is 20–40 nm, and the length/diameter ratios of protofibrils and microfibrils are 50–250 and 25–150, respectively. According to these observed results, the packing models of the right-handed helix crystal ribbon and its multilevel fibrils have been derived and further verified through the calculation and comparison of both the crystallinity in volume and whisker sizes obtained by means of X-ray diffraction analysis.     

Using collagen fiber as a template to synthesize hierarchical mesoporous alumina fiber

Hierarchical mesoporous alumina fiber was synthesized by using collagen fiber as the template, and characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, N2 adsorption techniques, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The alumina fiber obtained is approximately 1-4 microm in outer diameter and 0.5-1 mm in length. The pore size distribution of the alumina fiber is narrow (2-20 nm), and its pore size is controllable by varying preparation methods. This study indicates that collagen fiber, which has hierarchical supermolecular structure, could be used as an ideal template to prepare well-defined porous metal oxide fibers.     

Improving the interfacial property of carbon fiber/PI resin composite by grafting modification of carbon fiber surface

The poor interfacial adhesion between carbon fibers (CFs) and polyimide (PI) resin has seriously hampered the application of CF/PI composites. In this work, the interfacial adhesion was efficiently enhanced by grafting on the CF surface. Surface morphology and surface composition of modified carbon fibers were characterized, which indicated that acrylamide was grafted successfully on the CF surface and the surface roughness was increased slightly. After grafting, the interface shear strength of modified carbon fibers/PI composites was significantly improved by 86.96%, and the interlaminar shear strength was enhanced by 55.61% due to the covalent bonds in interphase and the toughening effect of sizing agent. Moreover, the mechanical properties of composites with different interfacial adhesion were measured, which further confirmed the effect of the grafting modification.     

Effect of carbon fiber surface functionality on the moisture absorption behavior of carbon fiber/epoxy resin composites

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN)‐based carbon fibers were electrochemically oxidized in aqueous ammonium bicarbonate with increasing current density. The electrochemical treatment led to significant changes of surface physical properties and chemical structures. The oxidized fibers showed much cleaner surfaces and increased levels of oxygen functionalities. However, it was found that there was no correlation between surface roughness and the fiber/resin bond strength, i.e. mechanical interlocking did not play a major role in fiber/resin adhesion. Increases in surface chemical functionality resulted in improved fiber/resin bonding and increased interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composites. The relationship between fiber surface functionality and the hydrothermal aging behavior of carbon fiber/epoxy composites was investigated. The existence of free volume resulted from poor wetting of carbon fibers by the epoxy matrix and the interfacial chemical structure were the governing factors in the moisture absorption process of carbon fiber/epoxy composites. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cold fiber solid-phase microextraction device based on thermoelectric cooling of metal fiber

A new cold fiber solid-phase microextraction device was designed and constructed based on thermoelectric cooling. A three-stage thermoelectric cooler (TEC) was used for cooling a copper rod coated with a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) hollow fiber, which served as the solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber. The copper rod was mounted on a commercial SPME plunger and exposed to the cold surface of the TEC, which was enclosed in a small aluminum box. A heat sink and a fan were used to dissipate the generated heat at the hot side of the TEC. By applying an appropriate dc voltage to the TEC, the upper part of the copper rod, which was in contact to the cold side of the TEC, was cooled and the hollow fiber reached a lower temperature through heat transfer. A thermocouple was embedded in the cold side of the TEC for indirect measurement of the fiber temperature. The device was applied in quantitative analysis of off-flavors in a rice sample. Hexanal, nonanal, and undecanal were chosen as three off-flavors in rice. They were identified according to their retention times and analyzed by GC-flame ionization detection instrument. Headspace extraction conditions (i.e., temperature and time) were optimized. Standard addition calibration graphs were obtained at the optimized conditions and the concentrations of the three analytes were calculated. The concentration of hexanal was also measured using a conventional solvent extraction method (697+/-143ng/g) which was comparable to that obtained from the cold fiber SPME method (644+/-8). Moreover, the cold fiber SPME resulted in better reproducibility and shorter analysis time. Cold fiber SPME with TEC device can also be used as a portable device for field sampling.