Relationship between strength characteristics of unidirectional glass-reinforced plastics and their composition

The article discusses the effect of the amount of binder present and the porosity of the glass reinforced plastic on the usable strength of the glass fibers, the tensile strength, and the elasticity module in stretching. It is shown that a relationship exists over the whole range tested between the volume ratio of the components (binder and glass fiber), certain strength characteristics, and porosity. A method is suggested for the comparison of glass-reinforced plastics according to their usable fiber strength which can be used for the selection of the best binder, the glass material, the glass composition, glass fibers, the lubricant, the technological scheme, etc.Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 3, pp. 477–480, May–June, 1970.     

Structural theory of the strength of reinforced plastics

Conclusions In the present study, we developed structural criteria that make it possible to predict at the component level (polymer binder, fibers) and interface level the long-term strength of laminated reinforced plastics in a plane stress state. The proposed relations make it possible to evaluate the effect of the rheological properties of the components, their volume fractions, and the geometry of the structure of the laminated packet on the long-term strength of reinforced plastics. The relations also permit resolution of the inverse problem: efficiently design the structure of such materials for specific loading conditions.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, No. 5, pp. 833–839, September–October, 1989.     

Resistance to interlayer shear of plastics on a carbon filament base

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

Effect of surface treatment of carbon fibers on the strength properties of carbon fiber plastics

Conclusions The strength characteristics of composites based on carbon fibers having a coating of silicon carbide are in direct dependence on the coating thickness and on the porosity, which makes it possible to assume the possibility of increasing the degree of realization of the strength characteristics of fibers having a coating in a composite by increasing the degree of impregnation of the carbon cord with the binder. The latter finds confirmation also in the fact that at a small coating thickness on the carbon fiber (of the order of 5 nm) the porosity of the composite obtained is equal to the porosity of the material based on the carbon fiber without coating. Moreover, as is evident from Fig. 3c, the casing of silicon carbide does not form a continuous coatting over the whole perimeter of the cord. The presence of these prerequisites, and also the high resistance of carbon fibers having a silicon carbide coating to oxidation [9], open up wide prospects for creating new composite materials based on them.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, No. 4, pp. 603–606, July–August, 1979.     

Effect of silicon carbide coatings on the strength of carbon fibers

Conclusion The character of the effect of silicon carbide coatings on the strength of carbon fibers is a function of the strength of the coating, which decreases with an increase in its thickness. The results obtained permit hoping for a significant increase in the strength of fibers by application of high-modulus coatings. It can be attained as a result of increasing the critical value of the coating thickness due to optimization of the conditions of preparation, which will improve the structure of the articles.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, No. 4, pp. 604–608, July–August, 1988.     

Thermomechanical properties of spot-bonded nonwoven synthetic-fiber materials

The thermomechanical properties of spot-bonded nonwoven synthetic-fiber materials with a polymer binder have been investigated. The materials are composed of heterogeneous fibers, with low-melting polymers (binder) forming the surface layer. The change of deformation in uniaxial tension was studied from 20 to 150° C (rate of temperature increase 1.5° C/min) as a function of the nature of the fibers and the binder, their relative proportions, and the density and weight of the material. A theoretical explanation of the observed effects is offered.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 300–303, 1968     

Antifriction basalt-plastics based on polypropylene

A study is made of the dependence of the mechanical and friction-engineering properties of polypropylene reinforced with basalt fibers on the viscosity of the polymer matrix. It is established that the main factors that determine the mechanical properties of the plastics are the quality of impregnation of the fibers by the binder and the residual length of the reinforcing filler in the composite after extrusion and injection molding. The material that was developed has a low friction coefficient and low rate of wear within a relatively brood range of friction conditions. The basalt-plastics can be used in the rubbing parts of machines and mechanisms subjected to dry friction.Ukrainian State Chemicotechnical University, Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov,33, No. 3, pp. 417–421, May–June, 1997.     

Strength of boron fibers

The tensile and flexural strength and elastic properties of continuous boron fibers 95–105 µ in diameter obtained by depositing boron on a tungsten filament 10–12 µ in diameter have been investigated. The strength properties are primarily determined by the defects present at the boron sheath-core interface and for the fibers investigated have a limit of approximately 400 kgf/mm². Coarse surface or internal defects are capable of reducing the strength of the fibers to 200–250 kfg/mm².All-Union Scientific-Research Institute of Aviation Materials, Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 6, pp. 1126–1127, November–December, 1970.     

Anisotropy of torsional rigidity of sheet polymer composite materials

Wide application of polymer composite materials (PCM) in modern technology calls for detailed evaluation of their stress-strain properties in a broad temperature range. To obtain such information, we use the dynamic mechanical analysis and with the help of a reverse torsion pendulum measure the dynamic torsional rigidity of PCM bars of rectangular cross section in the temperature range up to 600 K. It is found that the temperature dependences of the dynamic rigidity of the calculated values of dynamic shear moduli are governed by the percentage and properties of the binder and fibers, the layout of fibers, the phase interaction along interfaces, etc. The principles of dynamic mechanical spectrometry are used to substantiate and analyze the parameters of anisotropy by which the behavior of a composite can be described in the temperature range including the transition of the binder from the glassy into a highly elastic state. For this purpose, the values of dynamic rigidity are measured under low-amplitude vibrations of the PCM specimens with a fiber orientation angle from 0 to 90°. It is shown that for unidirectional composites the dependence between the dynamic rigidity and the fiber orientation angle is of extreme character. The value and position of the peak depend on the type of the binder and fibers and change with temperature. It is found that the anisotropy degree of PCM is dictated by the molecular mobility and significantly changes in the temperature range of transition of the binder and reinforcement from the glassy into a highly elastic state (in the case of SVM fibers). The possibility of evaluating the anisotropy of composites with other reinforcement schemes, in particular, of orthogonally reinforced PCMs, is shown.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 35, No. 3, pp. 291–308, May–June, 1999.     

Effect of residual stresses on the strength of oriented glass-reinforced plastics

The effect of structural residual stresses on the strength of a glass-reinforced plastic loaded along and across the fibers is investigated. It is established that the residual stresses lead to an increase in the strength of the glass-reinforced plastic across the fibers and to cracking of the polymer matrix in tension along the fibers, but have practically no effect on the combined deformation of the matrix and the fibers in compression.Moscow Ordzhonikidze Aviation Institute. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 3, pp. 475–480, May–June, 1969.     

Thermomechanical properties of fibrous nonfabric materials of the adhesive type with polyurethane binders

The thermomechanical properties of nonfabric materials of the adhesive type with polyurethane binders were studied in relation to the nature of the fibers, the interaction between the polymers of the binder and the fiber, and the amount of polyurethane in the sample material. The thermomechanical properties were considerably influenced by the manner in which the polymers of the fiber and the binder interacted; this depended on the nature of the fiber and its capacity to swell in an aqueous medium. This latter (swelling capacity) leads to a considerable penetration of polyurethane into viscose fiber, on which the polyurethane has a considerable plasticizing effect.Moscow Textile Institute. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 3, pp. 550–552, May–June, 1970.     

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

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

Effect of temperature on the mechanical properties of boron fibers

The effect of exposure to temperatures on the interval 20–600°C for up to 1000 h on the physicomechanical properties of boron fibers at room temperature has been investigated. Prolonged exposure to temperatures up to 200°C does not have much effect on the mechanical characteristics of the fibers, whereas heating for one hour at 300–350°C increases the strength of the fibers by 10–12%.All-Union Scientific Research Institute of Aviation Materials, Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 2, pp. 329–332, March–April, 1971.     

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

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

Low-cycle fatigue of a composite substance containing a dispersed filler in cyclic compression

Conclusions 1. The lifetime of a composite material having a dispersed filler has been examined under conditions of low-cycle compression.2. It has been shown that, in distinction from materials of fibrous structure, the lifetime of this material is determined, not by a breakdown in the continuity of structure, but the deformability of the polymer matrix.3. The absence of a correlation between the static and fatigue strengths of composite mateials from cold and hot curing is caused by the different effect of the structure of the cured binder as a component of the material on the ultimate static characteristics and creep, whose relaxation character is more clearly expressed.4. Creep of the binder and the strength of the microspheres are the main factors which determine the lifetime of the material in question in cyclic compression.All-Union Scientific-Research Institute of Synthetic Resins, Vladimir. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 4, pp. 653–657, July–August, 1978.     

Possibilities of a nondestructive one-parameter method of checking the strength of anisotropic glass-reinforced plastics in uniaxial compression

A nondestructive method of checking the strength of glass-reinforced plastics (GRP) in finished products is proposed. This method is based on the correlation, investigated by the authors, between the modulus of elasticity and the compressive strength determined by a standard method. Various orientations in the plane of reinforcement of glass-reinforced plastics with different ratios of the orthogonally arranged fibers are investigated. It is proposed to determine the modulus of elasticity from the propagation velocity of an ultrasonic pulse measured under conditions of one-sided access to the surface of the product."Ritm" Research-Production Association, Leningrad. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 5, pp. 909–919, September–October, 1974.     

Choice of optimal structure of glass laminates with random reinforcement. I

The effect of structural parameters — length, diameter, and distribution of the reinforcing elements — on the mechanical characteristics of glass-reinforced plastics is investigated with reference to the case of glass laminates with randomly distributed, straight, uncut glass fibers in parallel planes. It is shown that the reduced strength of these laminates as compared with unidirectional material is associated with the redistribution of the load between the fibers and the resin and the relative reduction in the number of fibers in the cross section. A formula is proposed for estimating the strength of glass-reinforced plastics with a random distribution of the fibers in parallel planes.All-Union Scientific-Research Institute of Glass-Reinforced Plastics and Glass Fiber, Moscow Region. Moscow Bauman Higher Technical College. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 4, No. 6, pp. 1043–1050, November–December, 1968.     

A study of the physicomechanical properties of carbon fibers at high temperatures

Conclusions 1. Carbon fibers, similar to graphite materials, are heat-resistant and do not Iose their short-term tensile strength in the temperature range studied — 20 to 2000°C.2. Young's modulus of carbon fibers hardly changes in the temperature range 20 to 1200°C, but a significant decrease is observed upon a further increase in temperature.Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 4, pp. 626–630, July–August, 1977.     

Glass-reinforced plastics based on matrices combining thermoplastics and thermosetting plastics

The conditions of fabrication and the physicomechanical properties of glass-reinforced plastics based on polysulfone combined in different ratios with epoxy resin and Rolivsan were investigated. It was found that realization of the strength of the fibers in glass-reinforced plastics based on three types of binders and mixtures of them at room temperature is approximately the same. The lower strength of glass-reinforced plastics based on polysulfone is determined by the lower concentration of fibers. Modification of thermosetting plastics with polysulfone significantly increases (by 5–8 times) the specific energy of delamination of the glass-reinforced plastics G_1c, which should be manifested by an increase in their crack resistance and other operating characteristics. Modification of ED-20 with polysulfone and polysulfone with Rolivsan significantly increases the glass transition temperature of the polymer and affects the character of the temperature curves of the strength of the glass-reinforced plastics.Institute of Chemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow. D. I. Mendeleev Russian Chemical Technological University, Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, No. 1, pp. 111–117, January–February, 1996.     

Strength and deformability of reinforced polymers in tension normal to the fibers

The strength and deformability of reinforced polymers in tension across the fibers is investigated. It is assumed that the polymer deforms as an ideal elastoplastic body. Relations are obtained for the nature of the deformation of the polymer between the fibers and the strength and deformability of the composite with allowance for the structural distribution of the components. Theoretical stress-strain diagrams are presented for composites with different reinforcement densities and resin elasticities. The theoretical values of the strength and deformation of reinforced polymers with the load applied across the fibers are compared with the results of experiments on model specimens of epoxy-Thiokol polymers.Leningrad Mechanical Institute. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 4, pp. 682–687, July–August, 1970.