Study of moisture absorption by an organoplastic

Conclusion A complex experimental study of the state of sorbed moisture in a unidirectionally reinforced organoplastic was conducted. The methods of TG, DSC, DTA, and NMR showed that moisture absorption in OP is reversible up to 8%, the sorbed moisture does not crystallize in the temperature range from –70 to 0 °C, it is finely dispersely distributed and is in the strongly and weakly bound state, and there is almost no free moisture. The results of the sorption experiments conducted on OP and its structural components: microplastic and EDT-10 binder, in a wide range of temperature-humidity conditions and the data from physical studies showed that moisture absorption in the materials basically takes place by diffusion and is satisfactorily described by a phenomenological model based on the Fick equation.A method of accelerated determination of the sorption characteristics of anisotropic composite materials was developed, using the introduced concept of the fictitious diffusion coefficient and the extrapolation method of determining the limiting moisture content. The features of migration of moisture on the interface in a multiphase system were investigated, and the possibility of successive calculation estimation of the sorption characteristics of an organoplastic at different structural levels was demonstrated: components—unidirectionally reinforced composite—model laminated article. The tested phenomenological model of the sorption process and the experimentally obtained values of the characteristics of the material were the basis for a method of calculation determination of the resource of moisture-proofing properties of a model multilayer article of CM in nonstationary external conditions.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, No. 4, pp. 624–632, July–August, 1990.     

Structural hierarchies and interactions in the tendon composite

Tendon functions by transmitting tensile loads from muscle to bone. Morphologically, it can be described as a macromolecular multicomposite material, basically consisting of collagen fibrils held together by a soft, hydrated matrix material. Recently, tendon has been deformed beyond the "in vivo" elastic limit and by cyclical loading systematically damaged. Using high-resolution electron microscopy, decomposition of the collagen fibril into subfibrils (15 nm diameter) and microfibrils (3.5 nm diameter) has been noted. The interfacial adhesion between such units is strongly dependent on age, and is probably related with crosslinking phenomena observed by biochemical methods. In addition, tendon collagen contains a considerable amount of water throughout the entire structure which strongly affects its overall mechanical behavior. The various bound states of water have been identified using primarily dynamic mechanical spectroscopy coupled with more conventional methods of structural characterization.Published in Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 4, pp. 693–701, July–August, 1976.     

Calculation of the moisture concentration field in a multilayered plate

Conclusion Thus, we have developed an algorithm and program to calculate fields of moisture concentration in a laminated plate for steady external temperatures and moisture contents. A test calculation and comparison of some of the findings with previous results demonstrated the accuracy of the program for solving a number of diffusion problems. For example, the program can be used to evaluate the life of the moisture-protective properties of polymer products, as well as to model moisture absorption in fiber composites.Curves of moisture concentration were calculated for a unidirectionally reinforced (with organic fibers) plastic at different relative humidities. We also calculated sorption curves and isotherms, which were shown to agree satisfactorily with previous empirical curves. It was shown that it is possible to approximately evaluate the sorption behavior of a unidirectionally reinforced fiber composite by means of a three-layer model and to analyze the stability of the result against an increase in the number of layers. For the two-component composite examined here, sorption behavior deviates from the classical behavior described by Fick's law — although the components of the composite obey this law.The algorithm and program that were developed make it possible to evaluate the kinetics of moisture absorption in complex composite systems and determine the distribution of moisture among and within the components.The study described here was conducted under grant 93.176 from the Latvian Science Council.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 30, No. 4, pp. 502–511, July–August, 1994.     

Modification of glass-filled polyamide 66 by reactive oligoorganosilane

Properties of glass-filled polyamide 66 modified by reactive oligoorganosilane were investigated. It was found that modification led to the improvement of the rheological properties of polyamide. The addition of the modifier decreased the glass transition temperature T_g of the polyamide from 60 to 50–59°C, without affecting the melting point. Composites modified by oligoorganosilane are characterized by higher (10–40°C) temperatures of onset and 50% weight loss as compared to the initial composite. It was found that chemical reaction of oligoorganosilane with polyamide and glass fibers took place during coextrusion of the modifier and polyamide, which formed firm chemical bonds between the polyamide and filler and thus favored a considerable improvement in the physicomechanical properties of the composite. The change in the structure and properties of the polyamide observed during modification by oligoorganosilane significantly affected its behavior during friction. The modification made it possible to increase the wear resistance of the composite 1.5 to 2 times and to decrease its friction coefficient from 0.38 to 0.27–0.33. It was also found that the ability of oligoorganosilane to react during its processing with water in the polyamide allowed for a significant decrease in the intensity of hydrolytic processes in the polymer. Because of this, the physicomechanical, rheological, and antifrictional properties of modified composites with an increased content of moisture (up to 3%) in the initial polyamide surpass similar characteristics of the composites containing no modifier, with not only enhanced but also optimum (0.2%) humidity of polymer granules.Nesmeyanov Institute of Organoelement Compounds, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 34, No. 4, pp. 545–553, July–August, 1998.     

Hygromechanics of composites with unsymmetric structure

Conclusions An analytical method is presented for estimation of midplane strains and curvatures of a 3D general composite. By using the multilayer model based on the laminate analogy, the effect of an unsymmetric distribution of moisture content and material structure on swelling and wrap as well as the stability in compression of a densified technological pressing wooden composite board has been estimated for a real composite production process.Published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 30, No. 6, pp. 831–838, November–December, 1994.     

Structural approach to calculation of the effect of moisture on elastic characteristics of organoplastics

Data have been obtained for the structural calculation of the effect of moisture on the elastic characteristics of organoplastics from the properties of components. The distribution of moisture between the fiber and matrix — the components of a unidirectional composite — is considered. The elastic properties of the fiber are determined by an inverse calculation using the experimental dependences of the composite and matrix on moisture. The moisture effect on the properties of the materials is taken into account with influence functions, which differ by more than 25% for various characteristics. The results can be used for calculating the elastic properties of composites with various reinforcement schemes and at the nonequilibrium distribution of the moisture concentration in an actual environment.Presented at the 10th International Conference on the Mechanics of Composite Materials (Riga, April 20–23, 1998).Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Riga, LV-1006, Latvia. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 34, No. 4, pp. 525–530, July–August, 1998.     

Hygrothermomechanical behavior of composites under nonsymmetric environmental effects

The paper discusses analytical methods for the stimation of mechanical properties and the behavior of composite materials under unilateral environmental exposure. An advanced graphite/epoxy composite plate and a densified wooden strand board of different configurations were examined. It was found that midplane strains, curvatures, and warping at nonsymmetric moisture (or temperature) distribution depended on the moisture content profile, composite type, and configuration as well as stacking sequence of layers. The optimum configuration for hygrothermal response may not coincide with that of mechanical properties.Institute of Structural Engineering and Reconstruction, Riga Technical University, Riga, Latvia, LV-1048. Published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 34, No. 4, pp. 507–518, July–August, 1997.     

Evaluation of layered composites by laser optoacoustic transducers

An ultrasonic method for evaluation of composite structures by laser-excited wide-band acoustic pulses is proposed. Two types of laser optoacoustic transducers, in transmission and reflection modes, are used in the spectral range of 0.1–10 MHz. In the first case, the frequency dependence of the attenuation factor of ultrasound is measured. In the reflection mode, the optoacoustic transducer allows us to obtain the time-dependent shape and spectrum of the backscattered acoustic signal with one-sided access to a specimen or product. Specimens of a layered graphite-epoxy composite of different porosity (up to 1.2%) are studied. In the frequency range of 1–5 MHz, the attenuation factor of ultrasound measured in the transmission mode is the greater the higher the porosity of the specimen. The noise part of the backscattered acoustic pulse is found to increase with increasing porosity of the specimens. A 1% growth in porosity causes a threefold increase in the noise power. The results obtained confirm the advantages of the laser optoacoustic method for evaluation of composite materials and products during their manufacturing and operation.International Laser Center, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 35, No. 1, pp. 125–134, January–February, 1999.     

Evaluation of the pliability and rigidity of nonbalanced monoclinic composites

Conclusions As the result of a change in the deformation characteristics of the elementary layers, which is asymmetric with respect to the middle plane of the composite, and caused by imperfections of technical character, aging, the effect of temperature, moisture content, corrosive media, and other factors, the balancing of the laminated polymeric composites is disturbed. Formulas were obtained for determining all the pliability and rigidity matrix components of a nonbalanced monoclinic composite from known deformation characteristics, volume, and order of packing of the elementary layers.Institute of Wood Cellulose Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 6, pp. 1030–1035, November–December, 1976.     

Influence of Moisture on the Structure and Properties of the Interphase Layer of a Composite Based on an Epoxy Binder with a Disperse Filler

Properties of a model composite based on an ED-22 epoxy binder, cured with polyprophylene polyamine, and disperse LiF crystals as a filler were investigated by the methods of dilatometry and X-ray diffractometry. It was established that the density of cross-links of the epoxy binder in the interphase layer was lower than in a block specimen. Therefore, the thermal expansion of the composite on heating to 120°C, in terms of that of the binder, grew significantly with the degree of filling ϕ, and the water uptake also increased at the initial stage. The presence of absorbed water led to considerable changes in the structure and properties of the composite interphase: the binder became more cross-linked, its structural ordering decreased, the thermal expansion at heating diminished by a factor of 3. 7 (at ϕ = 50%), and the glass-transition temperature increased. As a result of long-term action of moisture, changes in the internal stresses had an extreme character.__________Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 41, No. 4, pp. 535–544, July–August, 2005.     

Study of the stresses associated with the hot orientation of certain carbon-chain fibers

The process of hot orientation of Khlorin, polyacrylonitrile, and polypropylene fibers is investigated; the stresses associated with this process are determined. The possibility of determining the actual temperature in the orientation zone is demonstrated. The effect of the mobility of the macromolecules on the stresses is considered.Tashkent Institute of the Textile Industry. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 2, pp. 372–374, March–April, 1972.     

Express determination of polymer composite porosity

Results are given for an experimental and theoretical study of a rapid method for determining the porosity of polymer composites by measuring the limiting moisture content in the material. The limiting moisture content was calculated using Fick 's equation solved for a plane parallel plate. The necessary parameters required for solving Fick 's equation were determined experimentally in the initial stage of the kinetic curve for water absorption. The porosity calculation was carried out using constants of a control material previously determined for pilot samples. This method is sufficiently accurate for engineering purposes and does not require special equipment.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 31, No. 6, pp. 824–827. November–December, 1995.     

New method of determining the brittle point of polymers

A new method is proposed for determining the brittle point of polymers. This method, based on testing specimens with "frozen-in" internal stresses, makes it possible to determine the lower temperature limit of forced segmental mobility of the macromolecules of linear and crosslinked polymers in the solid state.Scientific-Research Institute of Plastics, Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 3, pp. 554–556, May–June, 1976.     

Thermal conductivity of unidirectionally reinforced hybrid composites

Conclusion The thermal conductivity of organic-glass, organic-carbon, and carbon-glass plastic in dependence on the volumetric content of organic, glass, and carbon fibers was experimentally investigated. The solution for transverse thermal conductivity of unidirectional hybrid composite, obtained in [8] by generalizing the method of self-congruence to the case of a triphase model, is in satisfactory agreement with the experimental data.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, No. 5, pp. 817–822, September–October, 1990.     

Effect of plasticization on the activation energy of failure of nitrocellulose

The authors investigate the temperature-force dependence of the service life of plasticized nitrocellulose under uniaxial tension. They show that when the plasticizer content of the polymer is sufficiently high, the activation energy U₀ of mechanical breakage is higher than the value for the same polymer without plasticizer. The authors propose the hypothesis that when the plasticizer content of the polymer is increased, an increasingly important part in the development of breakage is played by rupture of the intermolecular bonds and by mutual slippage of the segments of the macromolecules, while the part played by chemical bond rupture decreases.Presented at the Sixth Symposium on the Rheology of Polymers, Moscow, May 1971.D. I. Mendeleev Moscow Chemical Technology Institute. A. F. Ioffe Physicotechnical Institute, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Leningrad. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 2, pp. 355–358, March–April, 1974.     

Investigation of the self-healing of cracks in polymers

The effect of the medium and the thickness of the polymer film on the self-healing of cracks in polyvinyl acetate has been investigated. The medium in which the specimen "recovers" may either facilitate or impede the self-diffusion of macromolecules and other structural units in the contact zone formed by the closing of the edges of the crack. The "recovery" coefficient decreases when healing takes place in the presence of the vapor of a surface-active agent and increases under conditions such that water molecules are desorbed from the surfaces of the crack; transition from a thick to a thin layer of polymer slows the self-healing process as a result of the reduced mobility of the kinetic units.For communication 2 see [2].Deceased.Karpov Scientific-Research Physicochemical Institute, Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 6, pp. 1110–1113, November–December, 1970.     

Breakage of the polymer chains in Kapron oriented at various temperatures

Infrared spectroscopy has been used to detect a considerable reduction in the number of broken macromolecules in Kapron oriented at elevated temperatures, particularly in the region above 140°C. This is a consequence of weakening of the hydrogen bonds and an increase in the mobility of the amide groups in the crystalline parts of the polymer as the temperature rises.Ioffe Physicotechnical Institute, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Leningrad. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 4, pp. 649–653, July–August, 1971.     

Study of the role of intermolecular interactions (hydrogen bonds) in the initial stage of orientation of polyvinyl alcohol and vinyl alcohol copolymers

The effect of hydrogen bond rupture on the process of destruction of the starting crystallite structure of polyvinyl alcohol and copolymers of vinyl alcohol and N-vinylpyrrolidone and -vinylcaprolactam has been investigated. The differential spectrum method is used to establish the frequency (3200 cm^–1) of the band corresponding to the vibrations of the bound hydroxyl groups; the temperature dependence of the optical density of the 3200 cm^–1 band has been recorded. The strength of the starting structure is calculated from the stress-strain diagram and its temperature dependence is plotted. It is concluded that the strength of the starting structure is chiefly determined by the presence of hydrogen bonds between the polymer macromolecules.Leningrad Kirov Institute of Textile and Light Industry. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 2, pp. 327–329, March–April, 1971.     

Effect of a uniaxial load on moisture absorption by an epoxy binder

Conclusion The above-developed method of studying the effect of uniaxial compressive and tensile loads on moisture absorption in polymers was tested on epoxy binder EDT-10. It was established experimentally for this material that tensile stresses up to 50 MPa significantly increase the equilibrium moisture content (up to 20% of the initial value). There is a corresponding increase in the rate of moisture absorption during the initial stage of the sorption process — up to 80% of the initial value. No changes in the diffusion coefficient were seen in this case. The application of compressive stresses of up to 40 MPa also had no effect on the kinetics of moisture absorption.Deceased.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 29, No. 1, pp. 110–115, January–February, 1993.     

Modeling the influence of mineral content and porosity on ultrasound parameters in bone by using synthetic phantoms

Model composite media – 10×15×80 mm³ bone tissue phantoms based on an epoxy resin with fillers—were made to study the influence of porosity and mineral content on ultrasound velocity and attenuation. The pores were simulated by 1 mm³ particles of a soft rubber, while the mineral content was imitated by a mineral residue of natural bone obtained by burning and grinding. The porosity and mineral content were varied in the range of 0–70% by volume with a step of 10%. The velocity, attenuation, and prevalent frequency of ultrasound were measured by the pulse transition method, using transducers with nominal frequencies 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, and 1.0 MHz. It was experimentally found that the ultrasound velocity decreased nearly exponentially with growth in porosity, while the velocity dispersion was negligible at frequencies >0.2 MHz; the ultrasound attenuation increased linearly with growth in porosity and strongly depended on the frequency; the velocity increased nonlinearly with growth in mineral content above 40%; the attenuation did not exhibit a distinct dependence on the mineral content; the porosity provoked a shift in the prevalent frequency of transducers, tending to the common value of 0.2 MHz, while the mineral content did not excite similar changes. The complex measurement of velocity, frequency-dependent attenvation, and prevenlent frequency of ultrasound is proposed in ultrasonic diagnostics of bone for more precise determination of the influence of the porosity and the degree of mineralization on the bone condition.Published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 35, No. 2, pp. 211–220, March–April, 1999.