Calcium Carbonate Particles Filled Homopolymer Polypropylene at Different Loading Levels: Mechanical Properties Characterization and Materials Failure Analysis

Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) particles have been widely used in filling thermoplastics for different applications in automotive, packaging, and construction. No agreement has been reached in the research community regarding the function of CaCO3 for enhancing toughness of homopolymer polypropylene (HPP). This study was to understand the effect of different loading levels of CaCO3 on HPP toughness, including notched and unnotched impact strength. A batch mixer was used to thermally compound CaCO3 particles with HPP at loading levels of 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 wt.%, followed by specimen preparation using an injection molding process. The mechanical properties of the composites, including tensile, flexural, and impact were characterized. The results indicated that tensile strengths decreased significantly with increasing loading levels of CaCO3 particles while the tensile and flexural modulus increased significantly with increasing particle loadings. The composite tensile properties changed linearly with increasing CaCO3 loadings. The notched Izod impact strength of the composites was sustained by adding CaCO3 particles up to 40 wt.% while the unnotched impact strength decreased significantly with the addition of CaCO3 particles. Different deformation mechanisms between notched (fracture propagation) and unnotched (fracture initiation and propagation) impact tests were proposed to be the reason.

High Temperature Dynamic Mechanical Properties Characterization of Polymer Coatings via Nanoindentation

Polymer coatings are widely used in industrial applications. The mechanical properties of these polymer coatings are known to vary with temperature and deformation rate. The characterization of the dynamic mechanical properties of these coatings at high temperatures via traditional uniaxial testing is challenging due often to their brittleness and small size. In this paper, the mechanical properties of polymer coatings are reported with emphasis on their dynamic mechanical properties at temperatures up to 280 °C characterized by a dynamic nanoindentation technique with a sharp indenter tip. Nanoindentation was used to characterize the mechanical response with emphasis on dynamic mechanical properties of polymer coatings enclosed in a high-temperature stage. To verify the method, the viscoelastic properties of a reference PET were also characterized by uniaxial cyclic tensile testing which exhibited an excellent agreement with the proposed technique. The proposed nanoindentation method can be applied to other polymer coatings and thin films that are used in applications at high temperatures.

A Review on Mechanical Models for Cellular Media: Investigation on Material Characterization and Numerical Simulation

Cellular media materials are used for automobiles, aircrafts, energy-efficient buildings, transportation, and other fields due to their light weight, designability, and good impact resistance. To devise a buffer structure reasonably and avoid resource and economic loss, it is necessary to completely comprehend the constitutive relationship of the buffer structure. This paper introduces the progress on research of the mechanical properties characterization, constitutive equations, and numerical simulation of porous structures. Currently, various methods can be used to construct cellular media mechanical models including simplified phenomenological constitutive models, homogenization algorithm models, single cell models, and multi-cell models. This paper reviews current key mechanical models for cellular media, attempting to track their evolution from their inception to their latest development. These models are categorized in terms of their mechanical modeling methods. This paper focuses on the importance of constitutive relationships and microstructure models in studying mechanical properties and optimizing structural design. The key issues concerning this topic and future directions for research are also discussed.

Dual Graded Lattice Structures: Generation Framework and Mechanical Properties Characterization

Additive manufacturing (AM) enables the production of complex structured parts with tailored properties. Instead of manufacturing parts as fully solid, they can be infilled with lattice structures to optimize mechanical, thermal, and other functional properties. A lattice structure is formed by the repetition of a particular unit cell based on a defined pattern. The unit cell’s geometry, relative density, and size dictate the lattice structure’s properties. Where certain domains of the part require denser infill compared to other domains, the functionally graded lattice structure allows for further part optimization. This manuscript consists of two main sections. In the first section, we discussed the dual graded lattice structure (DGLS) generation framework. This framework can grade both the size and the relative density or porosity of standard and custom unit cells simultaneously as a function of the structure spatial coordinates. Popular benchmark parts from different fields were used to test the framework’s efficiency against different unit cell types and grading equations. In the second part, we investigated the effect of lattice structure dual grading on mechanical properties. It was found that combining both relative density and size grading fine-tunes the compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, absorbed energy, and fracture behavior of the lattice structure.

Mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes/epoxy nanocomposites: Pre-curing, curing temperature, and cooling rate

The effects of composite fabrication, such as pre-curing, curing temperature, and cooling rate, were studied. In this work, the pre-curing was defined as heat treatment of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWNCTs) with Diglycidyl Ether of Bisphenol A (DGEBA) epoxy resin. Acid purified MWCNTs were characterized by Raman spectroscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The pre-curing facilitated bonding between MWCNTs and epoxy via the oxirane ring of DGEBA, which accelerated the curing process of epoxy and increased mechanical properties. The elevated curing temperature on the pre-cured sample further improved the composite’s mechanical properties by increasing interfacial bonding due to cross-linking. The rapid cooling using liquid nitrogen during pre-curing treatment prevented re-agglomeration of MWCNTs, showing smaller agglomerates and improving the mechanical properties. Agglomeration was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, while the bonding between MWCNTs and epoxy was examined by the length of fibre pull-out on the fracture surface. Tensile testing was deployed for mechanical properties characterization. The degree of cure was determined by FTIR and Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA).