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Polymers
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Mechanical Characterization of Polymer Composites
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Mechanical Characterization of Polymer Composites

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 June 2025 | Viewed by 2963

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Lopresto Valentina

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical, Materials and Industrial Production Engineering, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy
Interests: composites; damage; delamination; NDE; impact load; innovative natural composites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The fifth edition of the Draf2024 conference, “Dynamic Response and Failure of Composite Materials”, will be held from 17 to 21 June 2024 (www.drafconference.com).

This is an international conference which sees the participation of Professors and Researchers from the most prestigious universities around the world (including the Polytechnics of Milan and Turin, the La Sapienza and Rome Tor Vergata Universities, the University of Cassino, Messina, Luigi Vanvitelli, and obviously various Departments of the University of Naples, Bristol University, ISAE-SUPAERO University of Toulouse, Madrid Polytechnic, IMDEA, Oxford University, Rodhe Island University, Queen's University of Belfast, Wichita State University, just to name a few) and Research Centres (CNR, CIRA, CRF, IMAST), as well as companies such as Leonardo, Hexagon, Exemplar, Instron, Olympus, Aerosoft, Avio, MBDA, OSN, Geven, Stellantis, and others. Many were also involved in the organization of sessions dedicated to or relating to the presentation of results of research projects.

The symposium addresses current research topics related to composite materials and sandwich structures under loading conditions, their mechanical characterization, and manufacturing technologies. A strong emphasis is dedicated to aerospace, automotive, and naval applications.

The SI concerns the most important current researchers studying the behaviours of polymer composite materials and related innovative fabrication technologies, which are crucial for the polymerization of the polymeric matrix.

Prof. Dr. Lopresto Valentina
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • polymer composite laminates
  • mechanical behaviour
  • impact
  • technologies for polymerization
  • damage
 

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 3498 KiB  
Article
Mechanical and Solvothermal Recycling of End-of-Life Carbon Fibre-Reinforced Plastic Products: Process Feasibility and Flexural Performance of Recycled Composites
by Dario De Fazio, Luca Boccarusso, Antonio Formisano, Rossella Grappa, Giuseppina Luciani, Francesco Branda and Massimo Durante
Polymers 2025, 17(7), 878; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17070878 - 25 Mar 2025
Viewed by 222
Abstract
The increasing demand for high-performance materials has led to an increase in the use of carbon fibre-reinforced plastics (CFRPs) in recent decades, increasing the waste from end-of-life materials and off-cuts. The recycling of CFRPs, especially when thermosetting matrices are used, still remains an [...] Read more.
The increasing demand for high-performance materials has led to an increase in the use of carbon fibre-reinforced plastics (CFRPs) in recent decades, increasing the waste from end-of-life materials and off-cuts. The recycling of CFRPs, especially when thermosetting matrices are used, still remains an open challenge for academia and industry, with chemical, thermal and mechanical strategies being explored. Among them, mechanical methods have garnered growing interest since they do not require high specific energy consumption or expensive apparatus. However, from the literature it was observed that when using these methods, traces of old matrix remain on the fibre’s surface, compromising the fibre–matrix adhesion efficiency and limiting their use in recycled composites. On the other hand, solvothermal methods are known for their high matrix dissolution efficiency that in turn improves the fibre–matrix adhesion. Therefore, in this paper, end-of-life CFRPs from the aeronautic sector were machined using a milling-based mechanical recycling method, while to remove the residual matrix from the fibre surface, the recovered chips were chemically treated with a two-step treatment at low temperature. Then, two types of recycled composite laminates were manufactured using the compression moulding technique: the first using recycled fibres only from the mechanical recycled method, and the second one using recycled fibres deriving from both recycling methods. The feasibility of the process was analysed observing that the additional chemical treatment led to a mass loss of almost 24% in the recycled fibres. FTIR analysis revealed the complete matrix dissolution since no spectra of epoxy resin groups were detected. Finally, the flexural behaviour of the recycled composites was investigated, revealing an increase in the flexural strength and modulus of the second sample typology, respectively, of almost 42% and 76% thanks to the improved fibre–matrix adhesion as a consequence of the solvothermal treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Characterization of Polymer Composites)
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15 pages, 2050 KiB  
Article
Novel Treatment of 3D-Printed Short-Carbon-Fiber-Reinforced Polyamide (3D-SCFRPA66) Using Homogeneous Low-Potential Electron Beam Irradiation (HLEBI) and Ductility Enhancement
by Eiichi Miura, Helmut Takahiro Uchida, Taisuke Okazaki, Kohei Sagawa, Michael C. Faudree, Michelle Salvia, Hideki Kimura and Yoshitake Nishi
Polymers 2024, 16(23), 3408; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16233408 - 3 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1330
Abstract
In short-carbon-fiber-reinforced polyamide 66 articles shaped by 3D printing (3D-SCFRPA66), the interfaces between printed layers are often susceptible to damage, and the composite is excessively brittle. Therefore, a novel treatment for 3D-printed short-carbon-fiber-reinforced polyamide (3D-SCFRPA66) using homogeneous low-potential electron beam irradiation (HLEBI) to [...] Read more.
In short-carbon-fiber-reinforced polyamide 66 articles shaped by 3D printing (3D-SCFRPA66), the interfaces between printed layers are often susceptible to damage, and the composite is excessively brittle. Therefore, a novel treatment for 3D-printed short-carbon-fiber-reinforced polyamide (3D-SCFRPA66) using homogeneous low-potential electron beam irradiation (HLEBI) to enhance tensile properties was investigated. In 3D-SCFRPA66 samples, ductility was measured based on the following parameters: strain at tensile strength (corresponding to homogeneous deformation) (εts) and resistance energy to homogeneous deformation, a measure of toughness (Ehd), which were both substantially increased. An HLEBI dose of 43.2 kGy at an acceleration potential of 210 kV for the finished 3D-SCFRPA66 samples increased the εts and Ehd values from 0.031 and 1.20 MPa·m for the untreated samples to 0.270 and 6.05 MPa·m for the treated samples, increases of 771% and 504%, respectively. Higher HLEBI doses of 86, 129, or 215 kGy also increased the εts and Ehd values to lesser degrees. Electron spin resonance (ESR) data in the literature show that HLEBI creates dangling bonds in Nylon 6. Since PA66 and Nylon 6 are constructed of C, N, and O and have similar molecular structures, HLEBI apparently severs the (-C-N-) bonds in the backbone of PA66, which have the lowest bond-dissociation energy (BDE) of ~326 to 335 kJ mol−1. This shortens the PA66 chains for higher ductility. In addition, for Nylon 6, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data in the literature show that HLEBI reduces the N peak while increasing the C peak, indicating the occurrence of shortening chains via dangling bond formation accompanied by increases in crosslinking with carbon bonds. However, caution is advised, since HLEBI was found to decrease the tensile strength (σts) and initial elasticity ([dσ/dε]i) of 3D-SCFRPA66. This tradeoff can possibly allow the HLEBI dose to be adjusted for the desired ductility and strength while minimizing energy consumption. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Characterization of Polymer Composites)
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15 pages, 4353 KiB  
Article
Unstable Delamination Growth in Stiffened Composite Panels Under Cyclic Loading Conditions
by Rossana Castaldo, Angela Russo, Mauro Zarrelli, Cinzia Toscano and Aniello Riccio
Polymers 2024, 16(22), 3118; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16223118 - 7 Nov 2024
Viewed by 789
Abstract
Aeronautical structures can be damaged by objects during operation and maintenance. Indeed, foreign object impacts (FOIs) affect the overall performance of composite structural components. Delamination is the most critical damage mechanism as it is undetectable and develops silently. This phenomenon can be worsened [...] Read more.
Aeronautical structures can be damaged by objects during operation and maintenance. Indeed, foreign object impacts (FOIs) affect the overall performance of composite structural components. Delamination is the most critical damage mechanism as it is undetectable and develops silently. This phenomenon can be worsened by cyclic loading, as residual strength and stiffness can decrease rapidly, potentially leading to collapse. Unstable delamination growth is critical because it can occur without an increase in the applied load, threatening the integrity of the structure. Predicting this behaviour under fatigue loading is challenging for standard non-linear finite element methods (FEMs), which often face convergence problems when simulating the dynamic nature of delamination growth. This paper presents an efficient alternative methodology for analysing the propagation of delamination under cyclic loading in composite structures, with non-linear static analyses. This new methodology has been shown to be able to correctly account for the decrease in load carrying capacity during growth by performing ad hoc iterations with alternating force and displacement-controlled FEM simulations. To achieve this objective, the Paris law approach has been implemented in the ANSYS FEM code together with an enhanced virtual crack closure technique (VCCT)-based method. The model correctly predicted delamination growth in stiffened aeronautical panels with artificial delaminations subjected to cyclic compression loading. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Characterization of Polymer Composites)
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