In this article, we report on the preparation and characterization of novel poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)-carbon fiber (CF) composites. We achieved the reinforcement of PVC matrices with different plasticizer contents using unidirectional continuous CFs by applying a warm press and a cylinder press for the preparation of the PVC-CF composites. We achieved considerable reinforcement of PVC even at a relatively low CF content; for example, the maximum stress (r max ) of the PVC-CF composite at a 3% CF content was found to be 1.5-2 times higher than that of the PVC matrix. There were great differences among the Young's modulus values of the pure PVC and PVC-CF composites matrices. The absolute Young's modulus values were in the range 1100-1300 MPa at a 3% CF content; these values were almost independent of the plasticizer content. In addition, we found a linear relationship between r max and the CF content and also recognized a linear variation of the Young's modulus with the CF content. The adhesion of CF to the PVC matrix was strong in each case, as concluded from the strain-stress curves and the light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy investigations. The mechanical properties of the PVC-CF composites with randomly oriented short (10 mm) fibers were also investigated. At low deformations, the stiffness of the composites improved with increasing CF content. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) was used to determine the glass-transition temperature (T g ) of the PVC-CF composites. The high increase in the Young's modulus entailed only a mild T g increase. V C 2011 Wiley Periodicals,
Preparation and characterization of novel polyurethane (PUR)-carbon fiber (CF) composites are reported. The reinforcement of PUR elastomers was achieved using unidirectional continuous CFs with different coatings (uncoated and epoxy and polyester resin coatings) by applying molding for the preparation of PUR-CF composites. Considerable reinforcement of PUR was attained even at relatively low CF content, e.g., maximum stress and Young's modulus of PUR-CF composite at CF content 3% (m/m) were found to be 3-5 and 4-10 times higher than those of the PUR-matrix, respectively. In addition, a linear relationship between the Young's modulus and the CF content was found as well as linear variation of maximum stress with the CF content was also observed. The adhesion of CF to the PUR-matrix was strong in each case as concluded from the strain-stress and the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) investigations. However, the extent of reinforcement of PUR at a given CF content was found to depend greatly on the coatings of CF, and increased in the following order: epoxy resin < polyester resin < uncoated. The effect of the coating of CF on the reinforcement of PUR is also discussed.
The wide use of composite materials is mainly due to their excellent strength / mass ratio, corrosion resistance and relatively low price. Approximately 35-40% of the fibre-reinforced composites are made of thermoplastic polymers in which fibreglass, carbon or natural fibres are most often used as reinforcement, while the remaining 60 – 65% is made up of high-tech carbon or glass fibre-reinforced thermosetting composites. Most of them are used in the transport and electronics industries. New processing technologies not only improve the properties of the products but also contribute to reducing costs.
In this paper, we compare the results of mechanical tests with molded standard specimens with polypropylene matrix and test results from cut-outs from injection molded products.
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