scholarly journals Mycocomposites: looking for a viable alternative to EPS

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vithoria Réggia Gomes Pessanha ◽  
Maria das Graças Machado Freire ◽  
Michel Picanço Oliveira ◽  
Bárbara Ferreira de Oliveira

Mycocomposites have received special attention from both academic and commercial environments. These materials give a new purpose to agricultural residues, bringing benefits to companies, society and the environment. Currently, they have been studied to replace synthetic materials such as polyester. However, its field of application is still very limited, making it necessary for more research to be carried out. In this work, mycocomposites were produced in two configurations: without jute and with two jute arranged at 1/3 of the thickness in relation to the surfaces perpendicular to loading plains during bending and compression tests. The base substrate used consisted of coconut mesocarp, white wood sawdust and wheat grain pre-myceliated by the fungus Pycnopurus sanguineus. Analysis by confocal microscopy showed that the fungus produced a network of mycelial hyphae capable of uniting substrate components and incorporated jute. Composites’ mechanical properties were evaluated from three-point bending tests and compression tests. The Shapiro-Wilk tests showed that all determined mechanical properties are normally distributed. The highest compressive resistance (10% deformation) was found in the mycocomposite without jute. The analysis of variance showed that the mean flexural strength of the two configurations analyzed did not present any statistically significant difference; despite this, the composite without jute proved to be more rigid. It was verified that the flexural strength of the produced mycocomposites is located between the values found for the expanded polystyrenes EPS 100 and EPS 150, but that their compressive strength was lower. At first, the materials produced in this work exhibited the necessary properties to be applied in simple pieces such as lampshades, packaging, and plant vases. However, it is still necessary that new studies are carried out to verify the feasibility of its application in the field of engineering, such as in civil construction panels, where EPS are used.

Author(s):  
Bachir Koladé Adédokun Ambelohoun ◽  
Chakirou Akanho Toukourou ◽  
Guy Clarence Semassou ◽  
Jean Lois Fannou ◽  
Malahimi Anjorin ◽  
...  

The present work is dedicated to the study of the mechanical properties of a bilayer material. This material consists of a mortar substrate and a mineral layer of granite or marble. The mixture of these two constituents of different characteristics gives a material whose properties will vary depending on the density of each constituent. The standardized testing on sand and the three point bending and compression tests are among other methods used for the evaluation of the mechanical characteristics of the specimens of 4 cm × 4 cm × 16 cm dimensions. The results of these tests show that samples of the mineral layer in granite with a thickness of 1.7 and that of 1.4 cm in marble get good bending resistance in three point respectively equal to 10.63 and 10.3 MPa. As for the compression tests, it appears that the compressive resistance increases with the thickness of the mineral layer but evolves in reverse with the rate of water absorption of these materials. The best resistance in compression obtained with the samples having the thickness of 2 cm of the granite or marble mineral layers are respectively 24.47 and 24.07 MPa. In addition, for this same thickness, the Bilayers offer a better rate of water absorption.


Author(s):  
Jiří Fíla ◽  
Martina Eliášová ◽  
Zdeněk Sokol

Glass as one of the oldest building materials has been used for centuries to fill window openings. In recent years is it increasingly used also for load-bearing structural elements such as beams, columns, ribs, railings, etc. In addition to flat glass and hollow glass blocks, which have been used historically for non-load-bearing partitions and facades, new load bearing structures from solid glass bricks are arising. Their greater use is hampered by a lack of knowledge of their material properties. Also, their joining is difficult, as can be seen from the realized structures and published works focused on the glass bricks masonry. Most often, transparent adhesives or special mortars are used on the joint between glass bricks. In addition to some examples of completed glass brick structures, the paper is aimed at determining the material properties of glass bricks, which are a prerequisite for the design of safe structures. Two sets of experiments were performed. There were made three-point bending tests and compression tests to determine the bending tensile strength, modulus of elasticity and compressive strength of glass bricks.


Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 2580 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saleh Zidan ◽  
Nikolaos Silikas ◽  
Julfikar Haider ◽  
Abdulaziz Alhotan ◽  
Javad Jahantigh ◽  
...  

High-impact (HI) polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), obtained from modification of conventional PMMA, is commonly used in prosthodontics as a denture base material for improved impact resistance. However, it suffers from poor flexural strength properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the flexural strength of complete removable dentures made of HI heat-polymerised PMMA resin reinforced with zirconia nanoparticles at two different concentrations. The effect of fatigue loading on the flexural strength behaviour of the dentures was also investigated. A total of 30 denture specimens were fabricated from PMMA with different concentrations of zirconia nanoparticles: 0 (control), 3, and 5 wt.%. Ten specimens in each group were divided into two subgroups, with five specimens in each, to conduct both flexural strength and fatigue loading test of each of the subgroups. Fatigue loading was applied on the dentures using a mastication simulator and equivalent flexural strength was calculated with data from bending tests with and without fatigue cyclic loading. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) of the test data was conducted with the Bonferroni significant difference post-hoc test at a preset alpha value of 0.05. Paired t-test was employed to identify any difference between the specimens with and without the application of fatigue loading. The fractured surface of the denture specimens was examined with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The bending tests demonstrated that the mean equivalent flexural strength of reinforced HI PMMA denture specimens with 5 wt.% zirconia nanoparticles increased significantly (134.9 ± 13.9 MPa) compared to the control group (0 wt.%) (106.3 ± 21.3 MPa) without any fatigue loading. The mean strength of the dentures with PMMA +3 wt.% zirconia also increased, but not significantly. Although the mean strength of all specimen groups subjected to fatigue loading slightly decreased compared to that of the specimen groups without any fatigue cyclic loading, this was not statistically significant. Denture specimens made of HI heat-polymerised PMMA reinforced with 5 wt.% zirconia nanoparticles had significantly improved equivalent flexural strength compared to that made of pure PMMA when the specimens were not subjected to any prior fatigue cyclic loading. In addition, the application of fatigue cyclic loading did not significantly improve the equivalent flexural strengths of all denture specimen groups. Within the limitations of this study, it can be concluded that the use of zirconia-impregnated PMMA in the manufacture of dentures does not result in any significant improvement for clinical application.


Author(s):  
M. K. Hossain ◽  
K. A. Imran ◽  
M. V. Hosur ◽  
S. Jeelani

Composites used for marine applications are subjected to various environmental effects, such as moisture, temperature, UV radiation, and seawater. In this study, effect of seawater on the degradation of mechanical properties of conventional and nanophased carbon/epoxy composites was investigated. Epoxy resin was modified using 1 wt. %, 2 wt. %, and 3 wt. % nanoclay. Carbon/epoxy composites were fabricated by vacuum assisted resin transfer molding process and compared with neat samples with and without exposure to seawater. Nanoclay was dispersed into matrix by using magnetic stirring. Mechanical characterization performed through three point bending tests showed that 2 wt. % nanoclay loading was optimum. Flexural strength and modulus were increased by 25% and 12.51%, respectively, compared to neat system for samples not exposed to seawater. Flexure samples exposed to the seawater for 30-, 60-, and 180-day periods revealed that samples with nanoclay retained better mechanical properties compared to neat samples. After 30-day exposure to seawater, there was no significant reduction in the strength and modulus. However, flexural strength was reduced by 10.24%, 7.08%, 5.28%, and 7.13% for neat, 1 wt. %, 2 wt. %, and 3 wt. % nanoclay-infused samples, respectively, after the samples were exposed to seawater for 180-day. At the same time flexural modulus was reduced by 12.61%, 7.16%, 4.59%, and 6.11%, respectively. From scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies, it was found that failure occurred due to delimitation and initiated from the compression side. Nanophased composites exhibited better bonding between fiber and matrix. SEM micrographs also revealed that both unconditioned and conditioned nanophased epoxy, which produce relatively rougher fracture surfaces compared to neat samples. Optical microscopy study revealed no significant physical change in outer surfaces of the samples conditioned up to a 90-day period.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 1745
Author(s):  
Tamaki Hada ◽  
Manabu Kanazawa ◽  
Maiko Iwaki ◽  
Awutsadaporn Katheng ◽  
Shunsuke Minakuchi

In this study, the physical properties of a custom block manufactured using a self-polymerizing resin (Custom-block), the commercially available CAD/CAM PMMA disk (PMMA-disk), and a heat-polymerizing resin (Conventional PMMA) were evaluated via three different tests. The Custom-block was polymerized by pouring the self-polymerizing resin into a special tray, and Conventional PMMA was polymerized with a heat-curing method, according to the manufacturer’s recommended procedure. The specimens of each group were subjected to three-point bending, water sorption and solubility, and staining tests. The results showed that the materials met the requirements of the ISO standards in all tests, except for the staining tests. The highest flexural strength was exhibited by the PMMA-disk, followed by the Custom-block and the Conventional PMMA, and a significant difference was observed in the flexural strengths of all the materials (p < 0.001). The Custom-block showed a significantly higher flexural modulus and water solubility. The water sorption and discoloration of the Custom-block were significantly higher than those of the PMMA-disk, but not significantly different from those of the Conventional PMMA. In conclusion, the mechanical properties of the three materials differed depending on the manufacturing method, which considerably affected their flexural strength, flexural modulus, water sorption and solubility, and discoloration.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 334
Author(s):  
Aidong Xia ◽  
Jie Yin ◽  
Xiao Chen ◽  
Zhengren Huang ◽  
Xuejian Liu ◽  
...  

In this work, a (SiC-AlN)/ZrB2 composite with outstanding mechanical properties was prepared by using polymer-derived ceramics (PDCs) and hot-pressing technique. Flexural strength reached up to 460 ± 41 MPa, while AlN and ZrB2 contents were 10 wt%, and 15 wt%, respectively, under a hot-pressing temperature of 2000 °C. XRD pattern-evidenced SiC generated by pyrolysis of polycarbosilane (PCS) was mainly composed by 2H-SiC and 4H-SiC, both belonging to α-SiC. Micron-level ZrB2 secondary phase was observed inside the (SiC-AlN)/ZrB2 composite, while the mean grain size (MGS) of SiC-AlN matrix was approximately 97 nm. This unique nano-micron hybrid microstructure enhanced the mechanical properties. The present investigation provided a feasible tactic for strengthening ceramics from PDCs raw materials.


Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 5720 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicente Colomer-Romero ◽  
Dante Rogiest ◽  
Juan Antonio García-Manrique ◽  
Jose Enrique Crespo

Bio- and green composites are mainly used in non-structural automotive elements like interior panels and vehicle underpanels. Currently, the use of biocomposites as a worthy alternative to glass fibre-reinforced plastics (GFRPs) in structural applications still needs to be fully evaluated. In the current study, the development of a suited biocomposites started with a thorough review of the available raw materials, including both reinforcement fibres and matrix materials. Based on its specific properties, hemp appeared to be a very suitable fibre. A similar analysis was conducted for the commercially available biobased matrix materials. Greenpoxy 55 (with a biocontent of 55%) and Super Sap 100 (with a biocontent of 37%) were selected and compared with a standard epoxy resin. Tensile and three-point bending tests were conducted to characterise the hemp-based biocomposite.


2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 670-674 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veridiana Resende Novais ◽  
Priscilla Barbosa Ferreira Soares ◽  
Carlla Martins Guimarães ◽  
Laís Rani Sales Oliveira Schliebe ◽  
Stella Sueli Lourenço Braga ◽  
...  

Abstract This study evaluated the effect of gamma radiation and endodontic treatment on the microhardness and flexural strength of human and bovine root dentin. Forty single-rooted human teeth and forty bovine incisor teeth were collected, cleaned and stored in distilled water at 4 °C. The human and bovine teeth were divided into 4 groups (n=10) resulting from the combination of two study factors: first, regarding the endodontic treatment in 2 levels: with or without endodontic treatment; and second, radiotherapy in two levels: with or without radiotherapy by 60 Gy of Co-60 gamma radiation fractioned into 2 Gy daily doses five days per week. Each tooth was longitudinally sectioned in two parts; one-half was used for the three-point bending test and the other for the Knoop hardness test (KHN). Data were analyzed by 3-way ANOVA and Tukey HSD test (α=0.05). No significant difference was found for flexural strength values. The human dentin had significantly higher KHN than the bovine. The endodontic treatment and radiotherapy resulted in significantly lower KHN irrespective of tooth origin. The results indicated that the radiotherapy had deleterious effects on the microhardness of human and bovine dentin and this effect is increased by the interaction with endodontic therapy. The endodontic treatment adds additional negative effect on the mechanical properties of radiated tooth dentin; the restorative protocols should be designed taking into account this effect.


Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 3158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Santiago Cano ◽  
Tanja Lube ◽  
Philipp Huber ◽  
Alberto Gallego ◽  
Juan Alfonso Naranjo ◽  
...  

The fused filament fabrication (FFF) of ceramics enables the additive manufacturing of components with complex geometries for many applications like tooling or prototyping. Nevertheless, due to the many factors involved in the process, it is difficult to separate the effect of the different parameters on the final properties of the FFF parts, which hinders the expansion of the technology. In this paper, the effect of the fill pattern used during FFF on the defects and the mechanical properties of zirconia components is evaluated. The zirconia-filled filaments were produced from scratch, characterized by different methods and used in the FFF of bending bars with infill orientations of 0°, ±45° and 90° with respect to the longest dimension of the specimens. Three-point bending tests were conducted on the specimens with the side in contact with the build platform under tensile loads. Next, the defects were identified with cuts in different sections. During the shaping by FFF, pores appeared inside the extruded roads due to binder degradation and or moisture evaporation. The changes in the fill pattern resulted in different types of porosity and defects in the first layer, with the latter leading to earlier fracture of the components. Due to these variations, the specimens with the 0° infill orientation had the lowest porosity and the highest bending strength, followed by the specimens with ±45° infill orientation and finally by those with 90° infill orientation.


2005 ◽  
Vol 287 ◽  
pp. 242-246
Author(s):  
Dong Soo Park ◽  
Y.M. Kim ◽  
Byung Dong Hahn ◽  
Chan Park

Silicon nitride samples without and with 3 wt% of the aligned b-silicon nitride whisker seeds were prepared with 8.2 wt% Er2O3 and 1.9 wt% AlN. After sintering at 2148 K for 4h, the samples exhibited densities higher than 99.5% TD. The microstructures and properties of the samples were compared with those of the samples sintered with 4.8 wt% Y2O3 and 2.2 wt% Al2O3 at 2273 K for 4h. For samples without the whiskers, the sample with 4.8 wt% Y2O3 + 2.2 wt% Al2O3 had coarser microstructures than those with with 8.2 wt% Er2O3 + 1.9 wt% AlN. However, the samples with the whisker seeds, the former sample appeared to have only slightly larger grains than the latter sample in spite of the significant difference in the sintering temperatures. For the samples without the whisker seeds, the room temperature flexural strength was higher for the sample with Er2O3 + AlN. However, for the samples with the aligned whisker seeds, the sample with Y2O3 + Al2O3 exhibited higher room temperature flexural strength than that with Er2O3 + AlN although the average grain width of the former sample was larger than that of the latter sample. In case of the high temperature flexural strength at 1673 K, the flexural strengths of the samples with the whisker seeds were higher than double the strengths of the samples without the whisker seeds. For samples without the whisker seeds, the sample with Er2O3 + AlN exhibited better mechanical properties than that with Y2O3 + Al2O3. However, for the samples with the aligned whisker seeds, the sample with Y2O3 + Al2O3 exhibited better mechanical properties than those with Er2O3 + AlN. The results were explained in terms of the microstructures of the samples.


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