Biomimetic construction of <scp>3D</scp> needle‐punched <scp>CF</scp>/<scp>PEEK</scp> composites based on ladybug forewing structure for directional reinforcement

Aluminum (Al), poly(etheretherketone) (PEEK) thermoplastics, and their individual composites have widely been used in many industries, including aerospace and biomedical fields. However, the joining process of those composites has not been explored much to date. In this context, the friction welding process (FWP) could be used as an alternative since it has the ability to join high‐strength components with minimal distortion. Therefore, the present study aimed to develop PEEK/Al nanocomposites with varying Al concentrations of 10, 20, 30, and 40 vol% using powder metallurgical technique and further joined the similar composition composites by FWP. Then, the effect of reinforced particle concentrations on the physical, morphological, structural, thermal, and micromechanical behaviors of the joined nanocomposites has been characterized by microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and nanoindentation tests. The concentrations of the reinforcement were found to have a significant effect on the crystallinity, melting temperature, glass transition temperature, and thereby micromechanical properties. The results were analyzed and correlated precisely for all the welded nanocomposites systematically. The interdiffusion mechanism was found to be involved in improving the mechanical properties of the present nanocomposites. The highest elastic modulus (13.91 GPa) or nanohardness (0.31 GPa) was obtained for the rotatory part of the PEEK/Al40 nanocomposites at 80 mN load. But, the applied load of 40 mN was the best loading condition due to the uniform change in modulus and nanohardness of all the nanocomposites. Therefore, the present alternative joining method of the PEEK/Al nanocomposites might be used for aerospace components.Highlights Development of PEEK/aluminum with 10, 20, 30 and 40 vol% Al nanocomposites. Friction welding of similar composite material, PEEK/Al‐PEEK/Al nanocomposites. Microstructural, thermal, and nanomechanical analyses. Effect of metal particle reinforcement on the friction welded nanocomposites. FW PEEK/Al40 nanocomposite is found to be the best.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nanomechanical analysis of friction welded similar PEEK/aluminum nanocomposites: Effect of metal particle reinforcement

Senkathir,

Pramanik,

Mukherjee

2023

“…Nature always provides a steady stream of inspiration and ideas for the design of our new materials 33–40 . There are some porous materials in nature, such as the stems of plants, having both great mechanical strength and light weight.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing bending performance in 3D woven spacer composites with lightweight biomimetic integrated double‐spacer structure

Yang,

Lu,

Chen

et al. 2023

Three‐dimensional woven spacer composites (3DWSCs) with lightweight and excellent mechanical properties have promising application in communication, transportation, aerospace and other fields. However, traditional single‐layer 3DWSCs exhibit insufficient strength, especially when dealing with high thickness, as the pile yarns tend to buckle. In this study, inspired by the structural features of the Thalia dealbata, 3D woven integrated double‐layer glass fiber/epoxy resin spacer composites by mimicking were fabricated. Innovative integrated double‐layer structure design effectively improves the performance and failure mode of 3DWSCs under bending loads. Compared to single‐layer 3DWSCs, the resulting double‐layer 3DWSCs exhibited a 41.79% increase in peak bending load, a 46.85% increase in bending stiffness, and a 99.38% increase in energy absorption. In addition, the double‐layer 3DWSCs showed a low density of 0.52–0.55 g/cm3. This work introduces bioinspired double‐layer 3DWSCs with characteristics of lightweight and superior bending performance, potentially offering novel ideas for the design of high‐performance composites.Highlights Inspired by the structural features of the Thalia dealbata, a 3D integrated woven double‐layer glass fiber/epoxy resin spacer composites by mimicking were fabricated. 3D woven double‐layer spacer composites are lightweight (0.52–0.55 g/cm3) and can effectively improve the bending properties of single‐layer structures. Based on the analysis of the fracture morphology, the significant improvement of the fracture pattern of the single‐layer structure by the double‐layer structure is effectively demonstrated. This study introduces novel design strategies for multi‐layer lightweight composite materials and holds broad applications.

“…Composites have drawn considerable interest from research and industry, due to their excellent durability, lightweight, high specific stiffness, strength, etc 1,2 . However, traditional manufacturing techniques limited the forming of complex parts 3 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A multiscale study of heat treatment effects on the interlayer mechanical properties of 3D printed continuous carbon fiber‐reinforced composites

Zhu,

Li,

Long

et al. 2023

The main goal of this study was to investigate the effect of heat treatment on the microstructural and interlayer mechanical properties of 3D printed continuous carbon fiber‐reinforced composites (CCFRCs). The influence of raster orientations on the interlayer properties of composites was systematically studied by the floating roller peel test. The multiscale morphological investigation was applied to analyze the influence of heat treatment on the interlayer mechanical properties and change of pores microstructure for composites. The results showed that heat treatment improved the interlayer mechanical properties of CCFRCs. During heat treatment, the pores merged, migrated, and deformed as the softening and collapse of the matrix. The average peeling strength after heat treatment for specimens increased by 10.17%–51.30%. Besides, the increase in matrix fluidity and the change of pore shape in CCFRCs were more significant than that of matrix specimens after heat treatment, since more thermal channels in CCFRCs.Highlights The interlayer mechanical properties of 3D printed continuous carbon fiber‐reinforced composites (CCFRCs) were improved by heat treatment. The pores of composites merged, migrated, and deformed as the softening and collapse of the matrix. The addition of continuous carbon fiber (CCF) made the composites have more thermal channels than those with matrix specimens.