Polyurethane (PU) nanocomposites filled with attapulgite (ATT) nanorods were synthesized and characterized with thermal analysis, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and mechanical testing. The formulations were based on 4,4′-methylene bis(phenyl isocyanate) (MDI), polytetrahydrofuran, 1,4-butanediol, and inorganic ATT premodified with MDI. The original and premodified ATT (ATT–OH and ATT–MDI) n...

Functional lignin-SiO₂ hybrid fillers were prepared for potential application in binders for phenolic resins, and their chemical structure was characterized. The properties of these fillers and of composites obtained from them with phenolic resin were compared with those of systems with lignin or silica alone. The chemical structure of the materials was investigated by Fourier transform infrare...

In this work, the long glass fibre-reinforced poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) composites filled with 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO) were prepared by melt blending, and the influence of thermo-oxidative ageing on the static and dynamic mechanical properties, thermal behaviours and morphology of composites with different ageing time at 120 °C were investigated and an...

Carbon nanofiber (CNF) is one of the stiffest materials produced commercially, having excellent mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties. The reinforcement of rubbery matrices by CNFs was studied in the case of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA). The tensile strength was greatly (61%) increased, even for very low fiber content (i.e., 1.0 wt.%). The surface modification of the fiber by high ener...

Low cost composite materials are widely used in civil and structural engineering applications. This project uses Epon and chopped hemp to plasticize a commonly used resin, epoxy resin to lower the cost of the composite and to find out the mechanical and thermal properties of the plasticized epoxy resin to see if it is suitable for the said applications. Epon and chopped hemp were mixed together...

Many researchers content themselves with the 2D simulation of welding process instead of the 3D simulation, because of the time and the cost factors of the latter. In this research, the number of elements and nodes are reduced by an initiative plan (defining an equivalent model) for the simulation of welding. The welding process has been simulated by an uncoupled thermal-mechanical finite eleme...

By means of dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA), selected tropical wood species, namely Eugenia spp., Artocarpus rigidus, Artocarpus elesticus, Koompassia malaccensis, and Xylopia spp. have been characterized. The woods were treated with sodium meta-periodate to convert them into wood polymer composites (WPC). After two weeks the WPC were chemically treated with phenylhydrazine to conver...

The moisture absorption behavior and the influence of moisture on thermal and mechanical properties of glass–fiber/polyetherimide (PEI) laminates have been investigated. The laminates were exposed to hydrothermal aging at two different temperatures and high moisture rates. The properties of as-received and hydrothermally aged samples were compared. The hydrothermally aged laminates contained a ...