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Processing and Characterization of Polymeric Composites

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Composites and Nanocomposites".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 August 2023) | Viewed by 11207

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Bernal Institute, School of Engineering, University of Limerick, Castletroy, Limerick, Ireland
Interests: composite structures; processing; characterization; failure analysis; aging; impact; high strain rate; automated tape placement

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Bernal Institute, School of Engineering, University of Limerick, Castletroy, Limerick, Ireland
Interests: composite structures; buckling; computational modelling; failure analysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Specific stiffness, high strength and toughness are the fundamental properties that encourage and motivate the widespread use of composite materials in various industrial applications. These include the aerospace, automotive, sports, construction and defense industries, amongst others. Improvement of the mechanical properties via weight reduction is the main factor behind the use and development of composite materials. Due to rapid development in processing and manufacturing techniques, it is highly desirable to characterize the properties of polymer composites manufactured with advanced processing technologies. 

In polymer processing, new alternative technologies are continuously developed which enable the transformation, combination and functionalization of macromolecules and the resultant composite materials. Such techniques include injection molding, compression molding, resin transfer molding and vacuum infusion. Also, rapid manufacturing techniques like automated tape placement have emerged recently to increase production rates while maintaining the caliber of the polymer composites. The properties can also be tailored through intra-ply and inter-ply hybridization. Moreover, sustainability aspects fostered by the extensive use of composites in daily life products make the recycling and degradation of polymer composites highly desirable. 

Extensive research has already been published on testing composites for various properties. However, as new manufacturing processing methods develop, we must characterize the composites manufactured with such novel manufacturing methods. The significant properties in need of effective characterization include strength, toughness, and stiffness under static/dynamic loads. Also, failure analysis of these composites at both levels, macro and micro, is critical to understand the material’s response. Such failure analysis is typically performed using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. 

This Special Issue focuses on the research carried published on novel processing methods, process optimization, and innovative technologies for various industrial applications. This also includes novel testing and characterization techniques developed to retrieve mechanical, thermal, electrical and nanoscale properties. Moreover, topics related to degradation and recycling of polymer composites are also considered.

Dr. Aswani Kumar Bandaru
Dr. Vincenzo Oliveri
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • composite materials
  • process optimization
  • mechanical testing
  • material characterization (static/dynamic)
  • failure analysis
  • hybrid composite
  • aging

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 4790 KiB  
Article
Repair of Impacted Thermoplastic Composite Laminates Using Induction Welding
by Vedant Modi, Aswani Kumar Bandaru, Karthik Ramaswamy, Conor Kelly, Conor McCarthy, Tomas Flanagan and Ronan O’Higgins
Polymers 2023, 15(15), 3238; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15153238 - 29 Jul 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3858
Abstract
The lack of well-developed repair techniques limits the use of thermoplastic composites in commercial aircraft, although trends show increased adoption of composite materials. In this study, high-performance thermoplastic composites, viz., carbon fibre (CF) reinforced Polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) and Polyether ether ketone (PEEK), were subjected [...] Read more.
The lack of well-developed repair techniques limits the use of thermoplastic composites in commercial aircraft, although trends show increased adoption of composite materials. In this study, high-performance thermoplastic composites, viz., carbon fibre (CF) reinforced Polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) and Polyether ether ketone (PEEK), were subjected to low-velocity impact tests at 20 J. Post-impact, the damaged panels were repaired using an induction welder by applying two different methods: induction welding of a circular patch to the impacted area of the laminate (RT-1); and induction welding of the impacted laminates under the application of heat and pressure (RT-2). The panels were subjected to compression-after-impact and repair (CAI-R), and the results are compared with those from the compression-after-impact (CAI) tests. For CF/PEKK, the RT-1 and RT-2 resulted in a 13% and 7% higher strength, respectively, than the value for CAI. For CF/PEEK, the corresponding values for RT-1 and RT-2 were higher by 13% and 17%, respectively. Further analysis of the damage and repair techniques using ultrasonic C-scans and CAI-R tests indicated that induction welding can be used as a repair technique for industrial applications. The findings of this study are promising for use in aerospace and automotive applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Processing and Characterization of Polymeric Composites)
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23 pages, 23587 KiB  
Article
Enhancement in Mechanical Properties of Glass/Epoxy Composites by a Hybrid Combination of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Graphene Nanoparticles
by Seshaiah Turaka and Aswani Kumar Bandaru
Polymers 2023, 15(5), 1189; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15051189 - 27 Feb 2023
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 4008
Abstract
In this work, an attempt was made to improve the mechanical performance of glass fibre-reinforced polymer composites by adding multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and graphene nanoparticles (GNP) and their hybrid combination at different weight fractions (0.1 to 0.3%). Composite laminates with three different [...] Read more.
In this work, an attempt was made to improve the mechanical performance of glass fibre-reinforced polymer composites by adding multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and graphene nanoparticles (GNP) and their hybrid combination at different weight fractions (0.1 to 0.3%). Composite laminates with three different configurations (unidirectional [0°]12, cross-ply [0°/90°]3s, and angle-ply [±45°]3s) were manufactured using the compression moulding method. Characterisation tests such as quasistatic compression, flexural, and interlaminar shear strength properties were carried out per ASTM standards. Failure analysis was carried out through optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The experimental results showed a substantial enhancement with the 0.2% hybrid combination of MWCNTs, and GNPs showed 80% and 74% in the compressive strength and compressive modulus, respectively. Similarly, flexural strength, modulus, and interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) increased by 62%, 205%, and 298%, respectively, compared to neat glass/epoxy resin composite. Beyond the 0.2% of fillers, the properties started to degrade due to the agglomeration of MWCNTs/GNPs. The order of layups per mechanical performance was UD, followed by CP and AP. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Processing and Characterization of Polymeric Composites)
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19 pages, 2976 KiB  
Article
Dielectric Characterization of Core-Shell Structured Poly(vinylidene fluoride)-grafted-BaTiO3 Nanocomposites
by Fatima Ezzahra Bouharras, Massimiliano Labardi, Elpidio Tombari, Simone Capaccioli, Mustapha Raihane and Bruno Améduri
Polymers 2023, 15(3), 595; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15030595 - 24 Jan 2023
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2558
Abstract
Dielectric properties of poly(vinylidene fluoride)-grafted-BaTiO3 (PVDF-g-BT) core-shell structured nanocomposites obtained from Reversible Addition Fragmentation chain Transfer (RAFT) polymerization of VDF were investigated by Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy (BDS). The dielectric constant increased along with the BT content, about +50% [...] Read more.
Dielectric properties of poly(vinylidene fluoride)-grafted-BaTiO3 (PVDF-g-BT) core-shell structured nanocomposites obtained from Reversible Addition Fragmentation chain Transfer (RAFT) polymerization of VDF were investigated by Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy (BDS). The dielectric constant increased along with the BT content, about +50% by addition of 15 vol% of BT, which was around 40% more than expected from predictions using the usual dielectric modeling methods for composite materials, to be ascribed to the effect of the interfacial core-shell structure. The known dielectric relaxations for PVDF were observed for the neat polymer as well as for its nanocomposites, not affected by the presence of nanoparticles. A relaxation process at higher temperatures was found, due to interfacial polarization at the amorphous-crystalline interface, due to the high crystallinity of materials produced by RAFT. Isochronal BDS spectra were exploited to detect the primary relaxation of the amorphous fraction. Thermal analysis demonstrated a very broad endotherm at temperatures much lower than the usual melting peaks, possibly due to the ungrafted fraction of the polymer that is more easily removable by repeated washing of the pristine material with acetone. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Processing and Characterization of Polymeric Composites)
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