POLYMER ENGINEERING AND

PROCESSING
CBB 4423

POLYMER COMPOSITE
Part 1

AP. DR. Zakaria Man

Chemical Engineering Department
Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS

PRESENTATION OUTLINE
Part 1
Introduction

to Polymer composite
Classification
Thermoplastic based (matrices)
Thermoset based (matrices)
Interphase adhesion
Characterizing the effectiveness of the
reinforcement

Part ii -

To estimate fiber-reinforced composite

strength for long continuous fibers in a
matrix
- longitudinal (extensional) modulus
- transverse modulus

INTRODUCTION
COMPONENTS IN A COMPOSITE MATERIAL

Nearly all composite materials consist of two

phases:
1.
2.

Primary phase - forms the matrix within which the

secondary phase is imbedded
Secondary phase - imbedded phase sometimes
referred to as a reinforcing agent, because it usually
serves to strengthen the composite

The reinforcing phase may be in the form of fibers,

particles, or various other geometries

INTRODUCTION
FUNCTIONS OF THE MATRIX MATERIAL
(PRIMARY PHASE)

Provides the bulk form of the part or product made

of the composite material
Holds the imbedded phase in place, usually
enclosing and often concealing it
When a load is applied, the matrix shares the load
with the secondary phase, in some cases deforming
so that the stress is essentially born by the
reinforcing agent

TERMINOLOGY/CLASSIFICATION
Composites:
-- Multiphase material w/significant
proportions of each phase.

woven
fibers

Matrix:
-- The continuous phase
-- Purpose is to:
- transfer stress to other phases
- protect filler/fiber phases from environment

0.5 mm
cross
section
view

Dispersed phase:
-- Purpose: enhance matrix properties.
increase E, y, TS, creep resist.

-- Classification: Particle, fiber, structural

0.5 mm
Reprinted with permission from
D. Hull and T.W. Clyne, An Introduction
to Composite Materials, 2nd ed.,
Cambridge University Press, New York,
1996, Fig. 3.6, p. 47.

POLYMER COMPOSITE
C o m p o s it e s
P a r t ic le - r e in fo r c e d
L a rg e p a r t ic le

D is p e r s io n s tre n g th e n e d

F ib e r - r e in fo r c e d
C o n t in u o u s
( a lig n e d )

D is c o n t in u o u s
(s h o rt)
A lig n e d

Nanocomposite

S tru c tu ra l

R a n d o m ly
o r ie n t e d

L a m in a t e s

S a n d w ic h
p a n e ls

1. Thermoplastic based (matrices)

2. Thermoset based (matrices)

Thermoplastic based (matrices)

Why composite ?

PE, PP, PVC and PS will evolve from simple

commodity polymers to performance
polymers produced in bulk !
New market and add value to recycled polymers
eg. Recycled PP

Commodity Polymer to performance Polymer

produced in bulk
Properties Engineering vs commodity Polymer
Taken from; RJ Crawford in Plastics Engineering, 3rd Edition,1998, Butterworth Heinemann, p23

Performance
Or Engineering
polymer

Commodity
Polymer

Material

Density
(kg/m3)

Tensile
Strength
(MN/m2)

Flexural
Modulus
(GN/m2)

%
Elongation at
break

Price*

Nylon 66

1140

70

2.8

60

3.9

PEEK

1300

60

3.8

42

Polysulfone

1240

70

2.6

80

11

PET

1360

75

70

Polycarbonate

1150

65

2.8

100

4.2

Polyethersulfone

1370

84

2.6

60

13.3

Polyimide

1420

72

2.5

150

polypropylene

905

33

1.5

150

Polystyrene

1050

40

1.5

1.1

LDPE

920

10

0.2

400

0.83

HDPE

950

32

1.2

150

1.1

PVC (rigid)

1400

50

80

0.88

* On a weight basis, relative to polypropylene

Commodity Polymer to performance Polymer

produced in bulk

Capture New Markets

Sell at higher price
- sell at higher than normal commodity price but
lower than the engineering/performance polymer.

USE OF MINERAL FILLERS

(COMPOSITE)
Fillers

Particulate / Spherical
CaCO3
Fibrous
Acicular
Wollastonite
Glass fibres

Lamellar,
Talc,
Mica,
Clay

WAYS TO ENHANCE PERFORMANCE OF

PP OR OTHER COMODITY POLYMERS
Modification by incorporating fillers / reinforcements after
manufacturing:

Addition of mineral fillers (stiffness, Heat Deflection

Temperature (HDT), shrinkage reduction)

Addition of reinforcing fibres (strength, stiffness, impact

resistance, HDT, creep resistance)

Addition of natural fibres -wood composite (cost, low density

etc.)

Addition of nanoclay - nanocomposite (stiffness, HDT)

GLASS TRANSITION TEMPERATURE IMPROVEMENT IN

NANOCOMPOSITE

Depending on the interface;

Stronginterface

Weakinterface

How do we DESIGN the interface to get the Tg we want?

The level of dispersion we desire?

ADVANTAGE OF NANOCOMPOSITE
Flame Retardant -

PP COMPOSITE

With modifications, PP composite has emerged

as material of choice in many sectors viz.
Household

articles
Appliances
(washing machine parts,
refrigerator parts)
Furniture
(moulded chairs, tables and
benches)
Automobiles
(bumpers, IP, interior trims,
door trims)
Moulded luggage

NEW MARKET FOR PP COMPOSITES.

WOOD POLYMER COMPOSITES (WPCs)
WPCs are produced by mixing wood flour or fiber &
plastics to produce a material that can be processed
like a conventional plastic & has the best features of
wood & plastic

WOOD FILLED PP PRODUCTS

Thermoset based (matrices)

A Composite material is a material system
composed of two or more macro constituents
that differ in shape and chemical composition
and which are insoluble in each other.
In 1940, fiber glass was first used to reinforce
epoxy.

Stressstrain relationships for the composite material and its

constituents. The fiber is stiff but brittle, while the matrix
(commonly a polymer) is soft but ductile.

Epoxy resins are superior in

thermal, mechanical and
chemical properties:

reinforced with fibres to form

composite materials (use in
aerospace and automotive industries)

structural adhesive e.g for joining

composite
- surface coating
- electrical and furniture
industries

crack sealing and repair

COMPOSITES: FIBER-BASED

Fiberglass is the classic composite:

Glass

fibers (often woven)

Matrix- polyester
or epoxy resin

Epoxy strength = 60MPa

Glass fiber tensile
strength = 500 MPa
The composite can achieve a significant percentage
of the fiber strength (300MPa typical), along the
fiber direction.

FIBRES, FILLERS (micro or nano size)

PP or EPOXY RESIN
PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT ?
Fibers or fillers and polymer do not react, but the polymer
must adhere very well to the fiber for strength.

INTERFACE ADHESION

Si203

CaCO3

REINFORCEMENT-MATRIX INTERFACE
The

load acting on the matrix has to be

transferred to the reinforcement via. Interface
The reinforcement must be strongly bonded to
the matrix if high stiffness and strength are
desired in the composite materials
A weak interface results in low stiffness and
strength but high resistance to fracture
A strong interface produces high stiffness and
strength but often low resistance to fracture, i.e.
brittle behavior

INTERFACE ADHESION

Short Functional Groups

Matrix
Property
Compatible Enhancing
Block
Block

OH
A

O
---

=C

Hydrogen Bonding

l
2

O
3

Long Functional oligomers

Add coupling agent or

Surface modification of fiber or filler

SILVER (AG) FILLED EPOXY COMPOSITES; WITH THE

ADDITION OF SILANE COUPLING AGENT (3APTES)

After surface treatment of Ag, the dispersivity of Ag

nanoparticles in epoxy system is remarkably improved.

155

(a). 5 vol.% of untreated

system

155

(b). 5 vol.% of treated system

Light microscopy micrographs reveal the degree of dispersivity Ag in epoxy matrix

before and after chemical treatment of Ag

Characterizing the effectiveness of the reinforcement

Ratio surface area to volume of reinforcement is important.

If the surface area of a particle is A and its volume is V
the surface-to volume ratio A/V to be as high as possible.
For a cylindrical particle
l=length, d=diameter

And
And consequently

d 2
A
dl
2

(1)

d 2 l
V
4
A 2 4

V l d

(2)

Rewritten in terms of V and the aspect ratio of the cylinder

A 2

V V

1
3

23

2a

1
3

a = l/d
(3)

Area/volume ratio A/V in units of (2/v)1/3

Platelet/flake/lamellar

Fibre

The optimum shape

for the reinforcement
to maximize A/V I.e.

20
15

a >> 1 for a fiber,

a << 1 for a platelet

10
5
0

0.01

0.1

a (log scale)

10

100

Example1
Glass particles for reinforcement are available in various forms. Rank
the following in order of their expected efficiencies as reinforcing particles.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)

Glass flakes: diameter = 1 mm, thickness = 4 m

Glass fibres: diameter = 12 m, length = 3 mm
Glass fibres : diameter = 7 m, length = 1 mm
Solid glass spheres: diameter = 44 m

Ranking results in order of decreasing effectiveness:

c>a>b>d

Void
In Practice composite materials contain voids which comprised trapped
Air, solvent etc.
A void is a source of weakness.
A void content > 2% indicates poor fabrication
A void content < 0.5% indicates high-class fabrication
Give the exact composite density and with
f, f, and m known the fraction of voids can be calculated.
The fraction of voids can be calculated from the difference between experimental
and theoretical densities of a particular composite.

Example 2:
Composite materials to be prepared with the following compositions (by volume)
Polypropylene reinforced by 20 v% glass fibre;
Epoxy reinforced by 25 v% carbon fibre and 25v% kevlar fibre
In each case , find the mass of each constituent required per unit mass of composite.
The densities (in kg/m3) are glass fibre 2540; polypropylene 900;
carbon fibre 1790; kevlar 1450; and epoxy 1300

Solution:
(a)First find the density of the composite:

f f 1 f m

= 0.2 x 2540 + 0.8 x 900 = 1228 kg/m3

In 1 m3 of composite, there is 0.2 m3 of glass fibre.
-the mass of glass in 1 m3 of composite = 0.2 x 2540 kg = 508 kg.
-mass of glass in 1 kg of composite = 508/1228 = 0.1414 kg.
In I kg of composite there are 0.414 kg glass and 0.586 kg of PP

(b) Find the density of composite

= 0.25 x 1450 + 0.25 x 1790 + 0.5 x 1300 = 1460 kg/m3
Find the mass of carbon in 1 m3 ocmposite = 0.25 x 1790=447.5 kg,
Mass of carbon=447.5/1460=0.307 kg.
Mass of kevlar = 362.5/1460 =0.248 kg
In 1 kg composite there are 0.307 kg Carbon fibre, 0.248 kg kevlar and 0.445 kg epoxy.

Part II

MANUFACTURING & PROCESSING

THERMOPLASTIC-MATRIX

Two

stage Process: Compounded pellets &

shaping
Commonly Used processing Techniques
Sheets & profile extrusion
Thermoforming
Compression Molding
Injection Molding
New Trend
In-Line Compounding & Processing

EXTRUSION

MACHINERY FOR WOOD PP

COMPOSITES

MANUFACTURING & PROCESSING

THERMOSET-MATRIX

WORKABILITY

Glass, carbon, kevlar sheets and liquid resins are

easy to work with, and used for:
Boat

making and repair.

Custom surfboards, snowboards
Motorcyle and auto racing.
Furniture (e.g. chairs)

COMPOSITE PRODUCTION METHODS

Pultrusion

Continuous fibers pulled through resin tank, then preforming die & oven to
cure

Production rates around 1 m/min.

Applications are to sporting goods (golf club shafts), vehicle drive shafts
for

(because of the high damping capacity), nonconductive ladder rails

electrical service, and structural members for vehicle and aerospace
applications.

PREPREG PRODUCTION PROCESSES

Prepreg is the composite industrys term for continuous fiber

reinforcement pre-impregnated with a polymer resin that is only partially

cured.

Prepreg is delivered in tape form to the manufacturer who then molds

and fully cures the product without having to add any resin.

This is the composite form most widely used for structural applications