scholarly journals The Influence of Nanoclay on the Flame Retardancy and Mechanical Performance of Recycled Carpet Composites

Recycling ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 22
Author(s):  
Kunal Mishra ◽  
Ranji Vaidyanathan

In the present study, we recycled waste carpet using a vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) process. Three different variations of carpet composites were fabricated, namely, neat epoxy, clay-coated, and clay-infused carpet composites. The carpet composite samples were degraded hygrothermally as well as under a cyclic UV condensation condition. Presence of clay was shown to impede the moisture absorption and UV degradation in the carpet composites. Flexural properties also showed that the presence of clay slows the degradation process of the composites. The flame retardancy result indicated that the presence of clay in the polymer network decreases the ignition time of the carpet composites.

2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (6) ◽  
pp. 835-850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hossein Mohammad Khanlou ◽  
Wayne Hall ◽  
Peter Woodfield ◽  
John Summerscales ◽  
Gaston Francucci

Bio-composites are increasingly being perceived as a green alternative to synthetic composites in many applications. However, the overall long-term durability of bio-composites is a major concern, particularly their ability for sustained performance under harsh and changing environmental conditions. This paper reports a detailed study on the effect of environmental conditions on the performance of flax/poly(lactic acid) bio-composites. Neat poly(lactic acid) and bio-composite samples were exposed to environments similar to those found outdoors: wet, freezing and humid. Moisture absorption and physical changes of specimens were periodically examined. Flexural and tensile properties were evaluated periodically to determine the detrimental effect of each exposure condition on the mechanical performance of bio-composites. Direct contact with liquid water is the most deteriorating environment for bio-composites. A drying process can partially restore the mechanical performance of these materials. Bio-composites can survive reliably in warm humid environments and in those that could create freeze and thaw cycles for short-term outdoor applications. The mechanisms and reasons involved in the degradation of the properties of green composites are discussed.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 2154
Author(s):  
Amir Hussain Idrisi ◽  
Abdel-Hamid I. Mourad ◽  
Muhammad M. Sherif

This paper presents a long-term experimental investigation of E-glass/epoxy composites’ durability exposed to seawater at different temperatures. The thermoset composite samples were exposed to 23 °C, 45 °C and 65 °C seawater for a prolonged exposure time of 11 years. The mechanical performance as a function of exposure time was evaluated and a strength-based technique was used to assess the durability of the composites. The experimental results revealed that the tensile strength of E-glass/epoxy composite was reduced by 8.2%, 29.7%, and 54.4% after immersion in seawater for 11 years at 23 °C, 45 °C, and 65 °C, respectively. The prolonged immersion in seawater resulted in the plasticization and swelling in the composite. This accelerated the rate of debonding between the fibers and matrix. The failure analysis was conducted to investigate the failure mode of the samples. SEM micrographs illustrated a correlation between the fiber/matrix debonding, potholing, fiber pull-out, river line marks and matrix cracking with deterioration in the tensile characteristics of the thermoset composite.


2013 ◽  
Vol 130 (2) ◽  
pp. 969-980 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole-Lee M. Robertson ◽  
John A. Nychka ◽  
Kirill Alemaskin ◽  
John D. Wolodko

e-Polymers ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiangbo Wang ◽  
Zhong Xin

AbstractThe thermal degradation behaviors of PC/PMPSQ (polymethylphenylsilsesquioxane) systems were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) under non-isothermal conditions in nitrogen atmosphere. During non-isothermal degradation, Kissinger and Flynn-Wall-Ozawa methods were used to analyze the thermal degradation process. The results showed that a remarkable decrease in activation energy ( E ) was observed in the early and middle stages of thermal degradation in the presence of PMPSQ, which indicated that the addition of PMPSQ promoted the thermal degradation of PC. Flynn-Wall-Ozawa method further revealed that PMPSQ significantly increased the activation energy of PC thermal degradation in the final stage, which illustrated that the PMPSQ stabilized the char residues and improved the flame retardancy of PC in the final period of thermal degradation process


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (23) ◽  
pp. 7295
Author(s):  
Hom Nath Dhakal ◽  
Chulin Jiang ◽  
Moumita Sit ◽  
Zhongyi Zhang ◽  
Moussa Khalfallah ◽  
...  

The aim of this study was to evaluate the moisture absorption behaviour and its influence on the mechanical properties of newly developed sandwich biocomposites with flax fibre-reinforced poly-lactic acid (PLA) face sheets and soft cork as the core material. Three different types of sandwich biocomposite laminates comprised of different layup configurations, namely, non-woven flax/PLA (Sample A), non-woven flax/PLA and cork as core (Sample B) and non-woven flax/paper backing/PLA, cork as core (Sample C), were fabricated. In order to evaluate the influence of moisture ingress on the mechanical properties, the biocomposites were immersed in seawater for a period of 1200 h. The biocomposites (both dry and water immersed) were then subjected to tensile, flexural and low-velocity falling weight impact tests. It was observed from the experimental results that the moisture uptake significantly influenced the mechanical properties of the biocomposites. The presence of the cork and paper in sample C made it more susceptible to water absorption, reaching a value of 34.33%. The presence of cork in the core also has a considerable effect on the mechanical, as well as energy dissipation, behaviours. The results of sample A exhibited improved mechanical performance in both dry and wet conditions compared to samples B and C. Sample A exhibits 32.6% more tensile strength and 81.4% more flexural strength in dry conditions than that in sample C. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray micro-CT images revealed that the failure modes observed are a combination of matrix cracking, core crushing and face core debonding. The results from this study suggest that flax/PLA sandwich biocomposites can be used in various lightweight applications with improved environmental benefits.


2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 481-487 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Hee Song

Abstract Advanced materials with excellent performance are in high demand in modern industry. Carbon fiber composites offer a number of advantageous mechanical properties. A significant improvement in fiber-reinforced composites can be achieved by dispersing a very small amount of nanofiller in the resin. Vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) is one of the most important processes for producing reinforced plastics. In this work, several composite samples were fabricated with the infusion of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) into the epoxy matrix using VARTM process. Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), it was confirmed that CNFs were well dispersed in the resin. Bending tests were performed to investigate the mechanical properties of the samples, and SEM, to examine the fracture surfaces.


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