Effect of Sepiolite-Loaded Fe2O3 on Flame Retardancy of Waterborne Polyurethane

In this study, a kind of inorganic composite flame retardant (Sep@Fe2O3) was prepared by combining solution deposition and calcination methods using sepiolite microfiber material as carrier. This inorganic compound flame retardant was combined with waterborne polyurethane (WPU) through layer-by-layer method to prepare WPU composites. The SEM and EDS, TEM, and XRD were used to characterize the microscopic morphology and crystal structure of WPU composites. Thermogravimetric analysis tests confirmed the good thermal stability of WPU/Sep@Fe2O3 composites; at the temperature of 600°C, the carbon residual percentage of WPU/Sep, WPU/Fe2O3, and WPU/Sep@Fe2O3 composites is 7.3%, 12.2%, and 13.4%, respectively, higher than that of WPU (1.4%). Vertical combustion tests proved better flame-retardant property of WPU/Sep@Fe2O3 composite-coated cotton than noncoated cotton. The microcalorimeter test proved that the PHRR of WPU/Sep@Fe2O3 composites decreased by 61% compared with that of WPU. In addition, after combining with Sep@Fe2O3, the breaking strength of WPU increased by 35%.

Verification of a mathematical model for the solution of the Stefan problem using the mushy layer method

The use of solar energy has limitations due to its periodic availability: solar plants do not operate at night and are ineffective in dull weather. The solution of this problem involves the introduction of energy storage and duplication systems into the conversion loop. Among the energy storage systems, solid–liquid phase transition modules have significant energy, ecologic, and cost advantages. Physical processes in modules of this type are described by a system of non-stationary nonlinear partial differential equations with specific boundary conditions at the phase interface. The verification of a method for solving the Stefan problem for a heat-storage material is presented in this paper. The use of the mushy layer method made it possible to simplify the classical mathematical model of the Stefan problem by reducing it to a nonstationary heat conduction problem with an implicit heat source that takes into account the latent heat of transition. The phase transition is considered to occur in an intermediate zone determined by the solidus and liquidus temperatures rather than in in infinite region. To develop a Python code, use was made of an implicit computational scheme in which the solidus and liquidus temperatures remain constant and are determined in the course of numerical experiments. The physical model chosen for computer simulation and algorithm verification is the process of ice layer formation on a water surface at a constant ambient temperature. The numerical results obtained allow one to determine the temperature fields in the solid and the liquid phase and the position of the phase interface and calculate its advance speed. The algorithm developed was verified by analyzing the classical analytical solution of the Stefan problem for the one-dimensional case at a constant advance speed of the phase interface. The value of the verification coefficient was determined from a numerical solution of a nonlinear equation with the use of special built-in Python functions. Substituting the data for the physical model under consideration into the analytical solution and comparing them with the numerical simulation data obtained with the use of the mushy layer method shows that the results are in close agreement, thus demonstrating the correctness of the computer algorithm developed. These studies will allow one to adapt the Python code developed on the basis of the mushy layer method to the calculation of heat storage systems with a solid-liquid phase transition with account for the features of their geometry, the temperature level, and actual boundary conditions.

Kinetics of Phase Separation Polyamic Acid (PAA) Solutions with Various Precipitants

A new method with limited layer of polymeric solution was used to study the kinetics of precipitation of highly concentrated solutions of PAA in various precipitants; it allows to quickly estimate the rate of formation of the polymer membrane, adequately evaluate its morphology without membrane casting and reduce the experimental time for the preparation of a membrane with required porous structure. It was shown that the rate of precipitation of 18 wt. % PAA solution and the morphology of a layer resulting from the phase separation formed upon contact with water differ significantly in a “limited” layer and in a layer of infinite thickness. It was shown that morphology of a layer formed during phase separation of 18 wt. % PAA solution with water in the “unlimited” layer corresponds to morphology, which is formed in precipitation by 50% NMP-water solution of the same polymer solution in a “limited” layer. This supports the assumption about the strong dilution of the precipitant with a solvent when an “unlimited” layer method is used. In addition, during the investigation of the kinetics of the phase separation by water it was found that the rate of precipitation of highly concentrated polymer solution in a “limited” layer (ν = 8.3 μm/s) is significantly higher than in “unlimited” (ν = 1.7 μm/s). Using this method with “limited” layer, the kinetics of the phase separation of 18 wt. % PAA solution in aliphatic alcohols was also investigated; the rate of precipitation of the polymer solution is inversely proportional to their viscosity. Approximately twofold increase of dynamic viscosity with the chain length for each subsequent alcohol in the homologous series, the rate of precipitation of the PAA solution in them was also reduced by about 2 times

Induced defect layer method to characterize the effect of fiber tow gaps for the laminates manufactured by automated fiber placement technique

Automated manufacturing defects are new types of composite structure defects induced during fiber deposition by robots. Fiber tow gap is one of the most probable types of defects observed in the Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) technique. This defect can affect the structural integrity of structures by reducing structural strength and stiffness. The effect of this defect on the mechanical response of the composite laminates has been investigated experimentally in the literature. However, there is still no efficient numerical/analytical method for damage assessment of composite structures with distributed induced gaps manufactured by the AFP technique. The present paper aims to develop the Induced Defect Layer Method (IDLM), a new robust meso-macro model for damage analysis of the composite laminates with gaps. In this method, a geometrical parameter, Gap Percentage (GP), is implemented to incorporate the effect of induced-gaps in the elastic, inelastic, and softening behavior at the material points. Thus, while the plasticity and failure of the resin pockets in conjunction with intralaminar composite damages can be evaluated by this method, the defective areas are not required to be defined as resin elements in the Finite Element (FE) models. It can also be applied for any arbitrary distributions of the defects in the multi-layer composite structures, making it a powerful tool for continuum damage analysis of large composite structures. Results indicate that the proposed method can consider the effect of gaps in both elastic and inelastic behavior of the composite laminate with defects. It also provides good agreement with the experimental results.