Effect of the composition and concentration of fibrous wastes from linen yarn production on the physicomechanical properties of polyolefin composites

An analysis is made of the feasibility of using wastes from the production of linen yarm (scutch, spinning and carding refuse) to modify low-density polyethylene. The effect of the composition and concentration of wastes on the processing properties (melt index), physicomechanical indices (tensile strength, elastic modulus in bending), and water resistance of composites based on low-density polyethylene is studied. It is found that the melt index decreases with an increase in the content of filler and that even a composite with a high filler content (40–50% by weight) maintains values of 0.2–0.3 g/10 min. The elastic modulus in bending increases with an increase in the content of waste, regardless of the nature of the latter. Tensile strength increases slightly and depends on the choice of filler. This result, combined with the reducation in the scatter of values of elastic modulus with an increase in filler concentration, is an indicator of the relatively high degree of heterogeneity of the systems that were studied. The water resistance of the composites decreases with an increase in filleer content. To reduce the heterogeneity of the systems, mixing should be intensified and modifiers such as stearic acid and polyisocyanates should be added.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 33, No. 3, pp. 408–416, May–June, 1997.     

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.     

Effect of elastic filler on the fatigue failure of thermoplastic polyurethane film at low temperature

Conclusion It was established by mathematical modeling of the curves of spectral transmissivity and by comparing them with experiments that in the mixture of polyurethane with caoutchouc an increase of the volume fraction of filler entails changes of the characteristic dimensions of its particles. With small volume fractions of filler (less than 10%), in consequence of the predominantly small size of the impurities, the mechanism of quasibrittle failure is realized without development of bulk damage to the mixture. When the mixture contains 20–30% filler, satisfactory static elastic and strength properties are retained, and in case of fatigue a considerable amount of damage accumulates and the mechanism of inhibiting macrocracks on the boundaries of impurities begins to act. When the proportion of filler increases further, the elastic and strength properties of the mixture are rapidly impaired, and as a consequence the material becomes practically unusable in operation.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, No. 6, pp. 1040–1044, November–December, 1988.     

Minimizing the mass of cylindrical shells formed from a composite material with an elastic filler and designed for strength and stability under a combined loading

The mass of a multilayer cylindrical shell, formed from a composite material with an elastic filler and designed for strength and stability under the combined action of axial compression and external pressure, is minimized. The problem is formulated as one of nonlinear programming and is solved by Rossen's method of projection gradients. The strength of the material is established from analysis of the strength of the layers making up the entire bundle. Failure of an individual layer is determined from Malmeister's criterion. The structure of a shell with different external loads and the dependence of minimal mass on the stiffness of the filler and on the volume coefficient of reinforcement are investigated in numerous examples.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. K. Preikshas Shyaulyaisk Pedagogical Institute. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 2, pp. 289–297, March–April, 1976.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Prediction of changes in the strength of filled thermoplastics upon aging in an oxidizing atmosphere

Problems related to analyzing specimens with damaged surface layers have been examined using polyamide, trioxane—dioxolane copolymer, and polycarbonate as source materials. A model was developed for the brittle fracture of block specimens with damaged surface layers, which provides an estimate of the restraints to plastic deformation in these layers. Three segments are seen in the strength—time curves featuring 1) increasing strength, 2) decreased strength with brittle fracture, and 3) constant low strength. The strength of filled specimens of a specific period permits us to evaluate the effect of the filler on the fracture resistance of the matrix. A method was proposed for predicting the strength of filled samples using the matrix aging data.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 29, No. 3, pp. 375–380, May–June, 1993.     

Numerical analysis method for studying local forms of stability loss of bearing layers of three-layered shells using mixed forms

A revised formulation of linearized stability problems of three-layered shells with a sofi filler has been presented. The form of stability loss of the rigid layers is mixed in the shells when the moment precritical stress-strain state (SSS) is reached and is localized in the principal moment SSS zones. If the filler thickness is much greater than the thickness of the rigid layers, the size of the bulges and thickness of the filler have the same order of magnitude. Thus, a very fine grid must be used for a numerical solution of the stability loss equations, which poses considerable computational difficulties. A numerical analysis method is proposed for the local forms of mixed mode stability loss of the rigid layers of a three-layered shell. Using this method, the solution of equations for the precritical SSS by the finite element scheme is found but an analytical solution of reduced stability loss equations is presented for estimating the critical load. This solution is an asymptotic approximation for local modes of stability loss implemented into design.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 31, No. 1, pp. 88–100, January–February, 1995.     

Effect of a filler on the strength properties of thermosets

The effect of a filler on the strength properties of polymers in tension is investigated. The thermostructural stresses that develop in the composite during cure are taken into account. Relations are given for the strength of the filled polymer as a function of the percentage filler content. In the process of analyzing the thermostructural stresses an analytic expression is obtained for the linear expansion coefficient of the composite with allowance for the structural distribution of the components. Calculated values of the strength and thermostructural stresses are presented for composites with different filler contents. The theoretical determination of the strength of filled polymers is compared with the results of experimental investigations of composites based on epoxy resin filled with quartz dust.Leningrad Mechanical Institute. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 1, pp. 97–101, January–February, 1973.     

Effect of material properties on the stability of transversely isotropic shells with an elastic filler subjected to the action of mechanical loads and temperature

The effect of the low shear strength of the material (glass-reinforced plastic) on the stability of cylindrical shells with an elastic filler is investigated in relation to axial compression, external pressure, and heating. The equations of the thermoelastic problem of the theory of monotropic shells, constructed with allowance for the effect of tangential shearing stresses, are used in the calculations.Physicomechanical Institute, Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, L'vov. L'vov Polytechnic Institute. Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 5, pp. 903–907, September–October, 1970.     

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.     

Study of the effect of the dressing of carbon fibers on the properties of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics based on polyacetals

Studies are made of the mechanical and friction engineering properties of a copolymer of trioxane-1,3,5 with dioxolan-1,3 reinforced with dressed carbon fibers based on hydrated cellulose. Polyalkyloxysilanes are used as the finishes. The optimum concentrations of the finishes on the fibrous filler are determined. Relations are obtained to describe the dependence of the mechanical properties of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics on the type of finish and its effect on the condition of the phase boundary between filler and the polymer matrix. The effect of adhesion of the polymer to the fibrous filler on the properties of a randomly reinforced thermoplastic composite is also determined. The dependences of the friction engineering properties of polyacetal-based carbon-plastics on the loading parameters of the friction-loading unit are examined. The material that is developed has high values of strength, elastic modulus, and notch toughness and low values of the friction coefficient and shrinkage. The material can be used as structural and anti-friction elements in rocketry, aviation, and the automobile industry.Ukrainian State Chemical Engineering University, Dnepropetrovsk. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, No. 1, pp. 90–97, January–February, 1997.     

Experimental study on thin three-layer rings with a pliable filler

The bearing capacity of thin three-layer rings containing a pliable filler and exposed to internal and external stresses has been studied experimentally. The deformation and strength properties of the filler have been examined. The initial stresses in the rings examined have been determined by application of three methods; their effect on the bearing capacity has been estimated.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 6, pp. 1032–1037, November–December, 1974.     

Structural characteristics of materials reinforced with high-modulus fibers

Research on the mechanics of boron and carbon-reinforced plastics is briefly reviewed. The design and testing characteristics of these materials associated with the high degree of anisotropy of their elastic properties, as compared with those of glass-reinforced plastics, are discussed. Problems relating to testing at an angle to the direction of the reinforcement, the effect of misorientation and distortion of the fibers, and the consequences of the low shear strength are considered. Experimental confirmation has been obtained by testing unidirectional (1 : 0), orthogonally reinforced (1 : 1 and 2 : 1), and tridirectional (1 : 1 : 1 in the 0°, +60°, and –60° directions) boron and carbon-reinforced plastics.DeceasedInstitute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 4, pp. 676–685, July–August, 1971.     

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.     

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 fillers on the hardness and structural order of polymers

The effect of various finely dispersed filler particles differing in size, structure, and the chemical nature of the surface, on the hardness of one crystalline (polycaproamide) and two amorphous (polystyrene and polymethylmethacrylate) polymers has been experimentally investigated. The observed changes in hardness are related with a change in the structural order of the polymer under the influence of the filler and with the formation of structures of different strength by the fillers in the polymer.Kiev Shevchenko State University. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 4, No. 6, pp. 1077–1081, November–December, 1968.     

The Existence of Partitioned Generalized Balanced Tournament Designs with Block Size 3

A generalized balanced tournament design, GBTD(n, k), defined on a kn-set V, is an arrangement of the blocks of a (kn, k, k – 1)-BIBD defined on V into an n × (kn – 1) array such that (1) every element of V is contained in precisely one cell of each column, and (2) every element of V is contained in at most k cells of each row. Suppose we can partition the columns of a GBTD(n, k) into k + 1 sets B1, B2,..., Bk + 1 where |Bi| = n for i = 1, 2,..., k – 2, |Bi| = n–1 for i = k – 1, k and |Bk+1| = 1 such that (1) every element of V occurs precisely once in each row and column of Bi for i = 1, 2,..., k – 2, and (2) every element of V occurs precisely once in each row and column of Bi Bk+1 for i = k – 1 and i = k. Then the GBTD(n, k) is called partitioned and we denote the design by PGBTD(n, k). The spectrum of GBTD(n, 3) has been completely determined. In this paper, we determine the spectrum of PGBTD(n,3) with, at present, a fairly small number of exceptions for n. This result is then used to establish the existence of a class of Kirkman squares in diagonal form.