Chemical modification on UHMWPE microparticles to improve the interfacial and tribological properties of UHMWPE/carbon fabric/phenolic laminate in water environment

Carbon fabric (CF)/phenolic laminates filled with pristine and chromic acid treated ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) microparticles were fabricated. Their interfacial and tribological properties in water environment were comparatively investigated. The interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of the laminates was tested on a universal testing machine (DY35), and the tribological properties were evaluated by a block‐on‐ring tribo‐tester. The worn surfaces and the interfaces of the laminates were respectively analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and field emission SEM (FESEM). The change of the chemical composition of UHMWPE microparticles after chromic acid etching was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The chemical state of carbon fiber surface was examined using X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results revealed that the chromic acid treated UHMWPE microparticles had more remarkable effect than the pristine ones on improving not only ILSS and wear resistance of CF/phenolic laminate, but also its immunity to water environment. This should be attributed to the strengthened interfaces in treated UHMWPE/CF/phenolic laminate, which were characterized by the drawn dendritic UHMWPE fibrils firmly clinging on the surfaces of carbon fibers and resin in a Boston ivy‐like manner. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Enhancement on interlaminar shear strength and water‐lubricated tribological performance of high‐strength glass fabric/phenolic laminate by the incorporation of carbon nanotubes

High‐strength glass fabric (HSGF)/phenolic laminates modified with different contents of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were fabricated by hot‐compression technique. The effects of CNTs on the interface of HSGF/phenolic, interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) and water‐lubricated tribological performance of HSGF/phenolic laminate were investigated. The ILSS of the laminates were tested on a universal testing machine (DY35), and the tribological properties were evaluated by a block‐on‐ring tribo‐tester. The interfaces of HSGF/phenolic and the worn surfaces of the laminates were analyzed by scanning electron microscope. The results showed that the moderate incorporation of CNTs improved the interface of HSGF/phenolic and accordingly enhanced the ILSS of the laminate. Besides, the friction coefficient of HSGF/phenolic laminate sliding against stainless steel in water can be remarkably stabilized and lowered by the incorporation of CNTs due to the better water lubrication induced by added CNTs and the intrinsic self‐lubrication of CNTs which were further graphitized during the friction and wear process. And the wear rate of the laminate can be accordingly reduced by 1 order of magnitude. The results indicate that CNTs have excellent potential in enhancing both ILSS and tribological fabric/polymer laminate composite, which will greatly improve the current situation of deterioration on mechanical properties by adding traditional solid lubricants. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Enhancement of water barrier properties and tribological performance of hybrid glass fiber/epoxy composites with inclusions of carbon and silica nanoparticles

Water barrier properties and tribological performance (hardness and wear behavior) of new hybrid nanocomposites under dry and wet conditions were investigated. The new fabricated hybrid nanocomposite laminates consist of epoxy reinforced with woven and nonwoven tissue glass fibers and two different types of nanoparticles, silica (SiO₂) and carbon black nanoparticles (C). These nanoparticles were incorporated into epoxy resin as a single nanoparticle (either SiO₂ or C) or combining SiO₂ and C nanoparticles simultaneously with different weight fractions. The results showed that addition of carbon nanoparticles with 0.5 and 1 wt% resulted in maximum reduction in water uptake by 28.55% and 21.66%, respectively, as compared with neat glass fiber reinforced epoxy composites. Addition of all studied types and contents of nanoparticles improves hardness in dry and wet conditions over unfilled fiber composites. Under dry conditions, maximum reduction of 47.26% in weight loss was obtained with specimens containing 1 wt% carbon nanoparticles; however, in wet conditions, weight loss was reduced by 17.525% for specimens containing 0.5 wt% carbon nanoparticles as compared with unfilled fiber composites. Diffusion coefficients for different types of the hybrid nanocomposites were computed using Fickian and Langmuir models of diffusion. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Investigation of sub‐micron size cenosphere fillers and filler loading on the mechanical and tribological peculiarity of polyester composites

This paper investigates the effect of sub‐micron size cenosphere filler and filler loading on mechanical and dry sliding wear property of polyester composites. Composites are fabricated by filling with 10 and 20 wt% of 800 and 200‐nm size of cenosphere filler particles. Neat polyester composite is also prepared for comparison analysis. Dry sliding wear test is conducted for these composites over a range of sliding distance with different sliding velocities and applied loads on a pin‐on‐disc wear test machine. Taguchi methodology and analysis of variance (ANOVA) is used to analyze the friction and wear characteristics of the composites. The artificial neural network (ANN) approach is implemented to the friction and wear data for corroboration. In this work, mechanical properties of composites such as hardness, tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural strength, and compressive strength revealed that mechanical properties and wear resistance of the composites increase with a decrease in the particle size. The measured Young's moduli are comparable to standard theoretical prediction models. The morphology of worn composite specimens has been examined by scanning electron microscopy to understand the dominant wear mechanisms. Finally, optimal factor settings are determined using a genetic algorithm (GA). Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of atomic oxygen irradiation on structural and tribological properties of polyimide/Al2O3 composites

To understand the effects of atomic oxygen (AO) irradiation on the structural and tribological behaviors of polymer composites, polyimide/Al₂O₃ composites were irradiated with AO in a ground‐based simulation facility. The structural changes were characterized by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and attenuated total‐reflection FTIR, whereas the tribological changes were evaluated by friction and wear tests as well as scanning electron microscopy analysis of the worn surfaces. It was found that AO irradiation induced the oxidation and degradation of polyimide molecular chains, which increased the O concentration and decreased the C concentration in the composite surfaces. The destruction action of AO changed the surface chemical structure and morphology of the samples. Friction and wear tests indicated that AO irradiation decreased the friction coefficient but increased the wear rate of both pure and Al₂O₃ filled polyimides. In terms of the tribological properties, appropriate content of Al₂O₃ might be favorable for the improvement of tribological properties in AO environment. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Probing the tribological behaviors in water of novel poly(phthalazione ether sulfone ketone) and its composites based on the state of aggregation and the microstructure

In this paper, novel poly(phthalazione ether sulfone ketone) (PPESK) and its composites reinforced with carbon fibers (CFs) were prepared, and their tribological behaviors in pure and sea water were comparatively investigated. Affected by the noncoplanar twisted aromatic structure in the molecular skeleton, the aggregation of the macromolecular chain in PPESK was amorphous, resulting in very high water absorption of PPESK matrix. The invading water molecules led to a sharp decrease in the hardness of PPESK surface, resulting in very high wear rate of PPESK in water. Although CF/PPESK composites had higher water absorption than pure PPESK, their wear processes in water were no longer dominated by high water absorption but by the load‐carrying effect of CFs, ascribed to the good CF/PPESK interfacial adhesion. Therefore, CF/PPESK composites exhibited very low wear rates in the order of 10^?7 mm³/Nm in water, which decreased with the CF content increasing until the content of CFs reached 50%. The results revealed that the most critical factor determining the wear behavior of a fiber‐reinforced polymer composite sliding in water is the fiber/matrix interface but not the water absorption of the polymer matrix. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of solid lubricant particles on the tribological properties of PTFE composites lubricated with natural seawater

An orthogonal test was used to design different mixture ratios of molybdenum disulfide(MoS₂), graphite, and SiO₂ particles, which were filled with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) composite. MoS₂-, graphite-, and SiO₂-modified PTFE was obtained by pressing and sintering, and the processing parameters were determined using progressive studies and experiments. The friction and wear properties of different PTFE composites lubricated with natural seawater were analyzed using an MMU-5G wear tester. A laser scanning confocal microscope was employed to examine the morphological characteristics of the worn surface. Moreover, the influence of particle proportions on the tribological property of composites was analyzed. Results show that the addition of SiO₂, MoS₂, and graphite can increase the bearing capacity, improve the wear resistance, reduce the friction coefficient, and increase the self-lubricating ability of the PTFE matrix.     

Comparative study of the effects of nano‐sized and micro‐sized CF and PTFE on the thermal and tribological properties of PEEK composites

The tribological characteristics of PEEK composites fretting against GCr 15 steel were investigated by a SRV‐IV oscillating reciprocating ball‐on‐disk tribometer. In order to clarify the effect of type and size of fillers on the properties of PEEK composites, nano‐sized and micro‐sized CF and PTFE fillers were added to the PEEK matrix. The thermal conductivity, hardness, and fretting wear properties of PEEK composites reinforced by CF or PTFE were comparatively studied. The results showed that the type and size of the fillers have an important effect on both the friction coefficient and wear rate, by affecting their thermal conductivity, hardness, as well as the surface areas of their transfer films. In comparison, the effect on improving the tribological properties of micro‐sized CF was superior to that of nano‐sized CF, while the effect of nano‐sized PTFE was superior to that of micro‐sized PTFE. Considering the acceptable friction coefficient and wear rate of the composite under the fretting wear test, it seemed that 4% nCF, 20% mCF, 2% nPTFE and 10% mPTFE were desired additive proportions. And it also can be found that during the fretting wear test, the abrasive and adhesive wear resulted in accumulative debris at the contacting surface. The transfer films made of debris were formed on the counterfaces.     

Effect of carbon fiber surface treatments on the flexural strength and tribological properties of short carbon fiber/polyimide composites

Pitch‐based short carbon fibers (CFs) were treated by air oxidation and cryogenic nitrogen, respectively. Thereafter the treated and untreated CFs were incorporated into polyimide (PI) matrix to form composites. The CFs before and after treatment were examined by XPS and SEM.The flexural strength of the specimen was determined in a three‐point test machine and the tribological properties of PI composites sliding against GCr15 steel rings were evaluated on an M‐2000 model ring‐on‐block test rig. The results show that the surface of the treated CFs became rougher. Lots of active groups formed on the CF surface after air oxidation.The treatment can effectively improve the mechanical and tribological properties in their PI composites due to the enhanced fiber‐matrix interfacial bonding. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of nano‐modified SiO2/Al2O3 mixed‐matrix micro‐composite fillers on thermal,mechanical, and tribological properties of epoxy polymers

Thermo‐mechanically durable industrial polymer nanocomposites have great demand as structural components. In this work, highly competent filler design is processed via nano‐modified of micronic SiO₂/Al₂O₃ particulate ceramics and studied its influence on the rheology, glass transition temperature, composite microstructure, thermal conductivity, mechanical strength, micro hardness, and tribology properties. Composites were fabricated with different proportions of nano‐modified micro‐composite fillers in epoxy matrix at as much possible filler loadings. Results revealed that nano‐modified SiO₂/Al₂O₃ micro‐composite fillers enhanced inter‐particle network and offer benefits like homogeneous microstructures and increased thermal conductivity. Epoxy composites attained thermal conductivity of 0.8 W/mK at 46% filler loading. Mechanical strength and bulk hardness were reached to higher values on the incorporation of nano‐modified fillers. Tribology study revealed an increased specific wear rate and decreased friction coefficient in such fillers. The study is significant in a way that the design of nano‐modified mixed‐matrix micro‐composite fillers are effective where a high loading is much easier, which is critical for achieving desired thermal and mechanical properties for any engineering applications. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of pyrolytic carbon content on microstructure and tribological properties of C/C-SiC brake composites fabricated by isothermal chemical vapor infiltration

Four types of C/C-SiC composites were prepared by isothermal chemical vapor infiltration (ICVI) of SiC on C/C preforms of different densities. Tribological properties of the composites were evaluated by using MM-1000 testing machine. The results indicated that the friction behaviors of the composites are a strong function of the content of pyrolytic carbon (in matrix). Moreover, friction film was formed on the surface and increased with pyrolytic carbon content. Debris originated of particulate and film-type have been observed after friction testing with ratio and size determined by the content of pyrolytic carbon.     

Effect of nano/micro‐mixed ceramic fillers on the dielectric and thermal properties of epoxy polymer composites

Nano/micro ceramic‐filled epoxy composite materials have been processed with various percentage additions of SiO₂, Al₂O₃ ceramic fillers as reinforcements selected from the nano and micro origin sources. Different types of filler combinations, viz. only nano, only micro, nano/micro, and micro/micro particles, were designed to investigate their influence on the thermal expansion, thermal conductivity, and dielectric properties of epoxy polymers. Thermal expansion studies were conducted using thermomechanical analysis that revealed a two‐step expansion pattern consecutively before and after vitreous transition temperatures. The presence of micro fillers have shown vitreous transition temperature in the range 70–80°C compared with that of nano structured composites in which the same was observed as ~90°C. Similarly, the bulk thermal conductivity is found to increase with increasing percentage of micron‐size Al₂O₃. It was established that the addition of micro fillers lead to epoxy composite materials that exhibited lower thermal expansion and higher thermal conductivity compared with nano fillers. Moreover, nano fillers have a significantly decisive role in having low bulk dielectric permittivity. In this study, epoxy composites with a thermal expansion coefficient of 2.5 × 10^?5/K, thermal conductivity of 1.18 W/m · K and dielectric permittivity in the range 4–5 at 1 kHz have been obtained. The study confirms that although the micro fillers seem to exhibit good thermal conductivity and low expansion coefficient, the nano‐size ceramic fillers are candidate as cofillers for low dielectric permittivity. However, a suitable proportion of nano/micro‐mixed fillers is necessary for achieving epoxy composites with promising thermal conductivity, controlled coefficient of thermal expansion and dielectric permittivity. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of nanotube functionalization on the properties of single‐walled carbon nanotube/polyurethane composites

A commercially available aliphatic thermoplastic polyurethane formulated with a methylene bis(cyclohexyl) diisocyanate hard segment and a poly(tetramethylene oxide) soft segment and chain‐extended with 1,4‐butanediol was dissolved in dimethylformamide and mixed with dispersed single‐walled carbon nanotubes. The properties of composites made with unfunctionalized nanotubes were compared with the properties of composites made with nanotubes functionalized to contain hydroxyl groups. Functionalization almost eliminated the conductivity of the tubes according to the conductivity of the composites above the percolation threshold. In most cases, functionalized and unfunctionalized tubes yielded composites with statistically identical mechanical properties. However, composites made with functionalized tubes did have a slightly higher modulus in the rubbery plateau region at higher nanotube fractions. Small‐angle X‐ray scattering patterns indicated that the dispersion reached a plateau in the unfunctionalized composites that was consistent with the plateau in the rubbery plateau region. The room‐temperature modulus and tensile strength increase was proportionally higher than almost all increases seen previously in thermoplastic polyurethanes; however, the increase was still an order of magnitude below what has been reported for the best nanotube–polymer systems. Nanotube addition increased the hard‐segment glass transition temperature slightly, whereas the soft‐segment glass transition was so diffuse that no conclusions could be drawn. Unfunctionalized tubes suppressed the crystallization of the hard segment; whereas functionalized tubes had no effect. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 490–501, 2007     

Study on the wear properties of zinc borate filled polycarbonate composites against 4140 steel under dry friction

The friction and wear performance of pure polycarbonate (PC) and 2.5, 5, 10, and 30% zinc borate-filled (by wt) PC composites were comparatively evaluated under dry sliding conditions. Wear tests were performed at room temperature under the loads of 5, 10, and 20?N and at the sliding speeds of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5?m/s. The coefficients of friction of the composites were significantly influenced by an increase in zinc borate content. The friction coefficient of PC was decreased from 0.457 to 0.160 with an increase in zinc borate content, depending on applied loads and sliding speeds. The results showed that the wear rates of pure PC and zinc borate-filled composites decreased with an increase in loads. The wear rates of zinc borate-filled composites were significantly affected from zinc borate content. The wear rate of PC decreased from 9.4?×?10^?5 to 6.8?×?10^?6?mm³/m with an increase in zinc borate content depending on applied loads.     

Unsaturated hyperbranched polyester as a surface modifier of CaCO3 and enhanced effect on mechanical properties of HDPE/CaCO3 composites

The unsaturated hyperbranched polyester (UH20) based on Boltorn™ H20 (H20) end‐capped with methacrylate groups and carboxylic acid groups was introduced to treat calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) as a new type of surface modifier by a wet‐coating technique. The interaction between CaCO₃ and modifier was proven to be due to the ionic character by FT‐IR after the extraction with acetone. The maximum amount of tightly bonded UH20 modifier was determined to be around 9% by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The incorporation of CaCO₃ coated with UH20 into high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) decreased the mechanical performance of HDPE/CaCO₃ composite in comparison with CaCO₃ coated with stearic acid. In the presence of a small amount of dicumyl peroxide (DCP), a greatly improvement of the notched impact strength as well the tensile strength of HDPE/CaCO₃ coated with UH20 composite was obtained. An enhanced effect in the mechanical performance of the composite between CaCO₃ coated with UH20 and HDPE matrix in the existence of DCP was suggested. Moreover, the morphological structures of impact fracture surface of the HDPE/CaCO₃ composites were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to confirm the possible mechanism for explaining the improvement of mechanical properties of the composite. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effect of fiber orientation and stacking sequence on carbon/E-glass/epoxy intraply hybrid composites under dynamic loading conditions

This study investigated the dynamic mechanical properties of hybrid intraply carbon/E-glass epoxy composites with different orientations and stacking sequences under different loading conditions with increasing temperature. A neat epoxy and five various hybrid composites such as Carbon (0°)/E-glass (90°), Carbon (45°)/E-glass (135°), Carbon (90°)/E-glass (0°), Carbon/E-glass (alternating layer), and Carbon/E-glass (alternating layer 45°) were manufactured. Three-point bending test and dynamic mechanical test were conducted to understand the flexural modulus and viscoelastic behavior (storage modulus, loss modulus, and loss tangent) of the composites. Dynamic mechanical test was performed with the dual cantilever method, at four different frequencies (1, 5, 10, and 20 Hz) and temperatures ranging from 30 to 150°C. The experimental results of storage modulus, loss modulus, and loss tangents were compared with the theoretical findings of neat epoxy and various hybrid composites. The glass transition temperature (T_g) increased with the increase in frequency. A linear fit of the natural log of frequency to the inverse of absolute temperature was plotted in the activation energy estimation. The interphase damping (tanδ_i) between plies and the strength indicator (S_i) of the hybrid composites were estimated. It was observed that the neat epoxy had more insufficient storage and loss modulus and a high loss tangent at all the frequencies whereas hybrid composites had high storage and loss modulus and a low loss tangent for all the frequencies. Compared with other hybrid composites, Carbon (90°)/E-glass (0°) had higher strength and activation energy. The result of reinforcement of hybrid fiber in neat epoxy significantly increases the material's strength and stability at higher temperatures whereas decreasing free molecular movement.     

The effect of the addition of talc on tribological properties of aramid fiber‐reinforced polyimide composites under high vacuum,ultraviolet or atomic oxygen environment

The aramid fibers‐reinforced polyimide composites filled with talc were fabricated by means of a hot press molding technique, and mechanical and tribological behaviors were comparatively investigated. Experimental results showed that the elastic modulus of the composites increased with an increase of the talc, but the impact intensity and loss factor decreased. Besides, the coefficient of friction decreased with the increase of the talc content. To contrast the effects of the ultrahigh vacuum (VC), ultraviolet (UV) or atomic oxygen (AO) on the composites, experiments without irradiation or after UV or AO irradiation were conducted. Scanning electron microscopy and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis showed that UV or AO irradiation can change the surface structure and chemical composition of the polymer because of the photooxidation and chemical erosion. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of silane coupling agent on mechanical interfacial properties of glass fiber‐reinforced unsaturated polyester composites

A silane coupling agent, γ‐methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, for the surface modification of glass fibers was varied between 0.1 and 0.8 wt %. To understand the role of interfacial adhesion of glass fiber/unsaturated polyester composites, contact angles of the silane‐treated glass fibers were measured by the wicking method on the basis of the modified Washburn equation with deionized water, diiodomethane, and ethylene glycol as testing liquids. As a result, silane‐treated glass fibers led to increased surface free energy, mainly because of their increased specific or polar component. The mechanical interfacial behaviors based on the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of the composites determined by short‐beam tests and the critical stress‐intensity factor (K_IC) were also improved in the case of silane‐treated composites. The surface free energy and the mechanical interfacial properties especially showed the maximum value in the presence of 0.4 wt % silane coupling agent. It revealed that the increase of a specific component of the surface free energy or hydrogen bonding between the glass fibers and the coupling agents plays an important role in improving the degree of adhesion at interfaces in a composite system. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 55–62, 2003     

The reinforcing effect of clay on the mechanical properties of nitric acid–treated fluorosilicone rubber filled PI composites

The mechanical behaviour of fluorosilicone rubber–filled PI composites with and without clay was investigated. The clay filled fluorosilicone rubber composite had the highest interlaminar shear strength value of all the combinations because its higher bond strength may have hindered a large fibre/matrix debonding. The maximum tensile strength was observed for 20 vol% fluorosilicone rubber/PI/5vol%clay composite. The interlaminar shear strength of clay filled fluorosilicone rubber/PI composite was greater than that of fluorosilicone rubber/PI composite, which shows that the adhesion factor of the combination of the PI and fluorosilicone rubber was greater.     

The effect of water content on the ultimate properties of rubbery nanocomposite gels

An investigation was conducted into the effects of water content (R) on the ultimate tensile properties of nanocomposite hydrogels (NC gels) based on poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide)/clay networks. Rubbery NC gels with low clay contents (<NC10) exhibited unique changes in their stress–strain curves, depending on the R. At high R, where PNIPA chains are fully hydrated, NC gels retained their rubbery tensile properties, whereas they changed to exhibit plastic‐like deformations with decreasing R. Consequently, for a series of NC gels with different R, a failure envelope was obtained by connecting the rupture points in the stress–strain curves. Here, the counterclockwise movement was observed as either the R decreased or the strain rate increased. This seemed to be analogous to that of a conventional elastomer (e.g., SBR), although the mechanisms are different in the two cases. From the R and C_clay dependences of the ultimate properties, three critical values of R were defined, where R showed a maximum strain at break, a steep increase in initial modulus, and onset of brittle fracture. Compared with NC gels, OR gels (chemically crosslinked hydrogels) showed similar but very small changes in their stress–strain curves on altering R, whereas LR (viscous PNIPA solution) showed a monotonic decrease (increase) in ε_b (E_i) with decreasing R. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 2328–2340, 2009