This paper presents an experimental study on the static and dynamic mechanical properties of nonwoven based flax fibre reinforced polypropylene composites. The effect of zein modification on flax fibres is also reported. Flax nonwovens were treated with zein coupling agent, which is a protein extracted from corn. Composites were prepared using nonwovens treated with zein solution. The tensile, ...

The use of natural fiber reinforced composites has continuously increased during recent years due to their low density, low cost and environmental friendliness. At current study, a preliminary investigation on the impact properties and morphologies of unsaturated polyester reinforced by jute woven fabric from the used coffee bags with different moisture contents were carried out. Additionally, ...

Fly ash, which consists of hollow particles with porous shells, was introduced into polyurea elastomer. A one-step method was chosen to fabricate pure polyurea and the polyurea matrix for the composites based on Isonate® 2143L (diisocyanate) and Versalink® P-1000 (diamine). Scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the fracture surfaces of the composites. Particle size and volume fractio...

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to investigate the viscoelastic properties related to the handling characteristics of composites. METHODS A custom-designed vertical oscillation rheometer (VOR) was used for the rheological measurements of composites. The VOR consists of three parts: (1) a measuring unit, (2) a deformation induction unit, and (3) a force-detecting unit. Two medium-visc...

The effects of starch and aging on the mechanical properties of starch/poly(hydroxyester ether) (PHEE) composite materials were characterized. Native or modified cornstarches were extruded with PHEE. Composites were aged for up to 20 months at either 23°C and 50% relative humidity (RH) or over calcium sulfate to keep the composites dry. The tensile strength (TS) of the composites was affected b...

Evolution of microdamage in advanced composites was experimentally studied in this paper. A new method of acoustic emission (AE) analysis of histories of different damage mechanisms was formulated based on a combination of transient AE classification and multiparameter filtering. The capabilities of the method were illustrated on examples of damage evolution in several graphite/epoxy composites...

AlN/epoxy composites with high thermal conductivity were successfully prepared by infiltrating epoxy into AlN porous ceramics which were fabricated by gelcasting of foaming method. The microstructure, mechanical, and thermal properties of the resulting composites were investigated. The compressive strengths of the AlN/epoxy composites were enhanced compared with the pure epoxy. The AlN/epoxy co...

Concrete columns confined with high-strength fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites can enhance the strength as well as the ductility of such structures. In recent years, the use of FRP composites to repair and strengthen existing reinforced concrete (RC) structures has been widely used. When the columns of existing RC structures are wrapped with FRP composites, the core concrete of such col...

The creation of highly oriented, co-extruded polypropylene (PP) tapes allows the production of recyclable ‘all-polypropylene’ composites, with a large temperature processing window (O30 8C) and a high volume fraction of highly oriented PP (O90%). These composites show little deviation of mechanical properties with compaction temperature. This paper introduces all-polypropylene composites and re...