RESUMO
An investigation into the inspection capabilities of in-field advanced ultrasound detection for use on ultra-thick (20 to 100 mm) glass fibre-reinforced polyester composites is presented. Plates were manufactured using custom moulding techniques, such that delamination flaws were created at calibrated depths. The full matrix capture technique with an on-board total focussing method was used to detect flaws scanned by a 0.5 MHz linear array probe. Flaw through-thickness dimensions were altered to assess the threshold for crack face separation at which delaminations could be identified. Furthermore, part thickness and in-plane flaw dimensions were varied to identify the inspection capability limitations of advanced ultrasonics for thick composites. The results presented in this study demonstrate an inverse relationship between the ability to find delaminations and plate thicknesses, with inspections successful at depths up to 74 mm. When the delamination thickness exhibited surface-to-surface contact, the inspection capability was reduced to 35 mm. There was an exponential decay relationship between the accuracy of the flaw depth measurement and plate thickness, likely due to the necessity of low probe frequencies. The effective inspection depth was determined to be in the range of 1 to 20 times the wavelength. It is speculated that the accuracy of measurements could be improved using probes with novel coupling solutions, and detectors with optimised signal processing/filtration algorithms.
RESUMO
High-performance polymer composites are being increasingly favored for structural applications. For this purpose, efforts are being focused on exploring the potential of high-performance thermoplastics and thermosets. Cyanate ester (CE) resin is a special thermoset that can be used at up to 400 °C without any considerable degradation; however, its tribological properties are not at the adequate level. Hence, it is needed to use this polymer in composite form with the fibrous/particulate reinforcement to impart better tribological properties and mechanical strength via a strong fiber-matrix interface. Carbon fiber/fabrics are at the forefront as reinforcement for specialty polymers. The tribological and tensile properties of cyanate ester (CE) composites-filled graphite, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and MoS2 micron-sized fillers reinforced with carbon fibers (CF) are investigated experimentally in a block-on-ring setup at 100 N, for 10 h, and with a sliding distance of approximately 10,000 m, against a hardened polished 100Cr6 steel shaft and diamond-like-coated (DLC) 100Cr6 steel shaft. The tribological properties of the composites including the coefficient of friction and specific wear rate are enhanced especially with the incorporation of graphite fillers. The friction coefficient and wear rate of the graphite-based composite was decreased significantly at 5 wt.% of graphite concentration. Further, at the same concentration, the graphite-based composite showed superior tensile properties as compared to the reference system owing to better dispersion and adhesion between the fibers and matrix. Tensile tests are performed to characterize the fiber-matrix interfacial adhesion and other strength properties.
RESUMO
The paper investigates the effect of adding a combination of rigid nanoparticles and core-shell rubber nanoparticles on the tensile, fracture mechanics, electrical and thermo-mechanical properties of epoxy resins. SiO2 nanoparticles, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT's), as rigid nanofillers, and core-shell rubber (CSR) nanoparticles, as soft nanofillers were used with bisphenol-A-based epoxy resin. Further, the rigid fillers were added systematically with core-shell rubber nanoparticles to investigate the commingled effect of rigid nanofillers and soft CSR nanoparticles. The resulting matrix will be broadly evaluated by standard methods to quantify tensile, fracture mechanics, electrical, and thermal properties. The results show that the electrical conductivity threshold is obtained at 0.075 wt. % for MWCNT-modified systems. For hybrid systems, the maximum increase of fracture toughness (218%) and fracture energy (900%) was obtained for a system containing 5 wt. % of CSR and 10 wt. % of SiO2. The analysis of the fracture surfaces revealed the information about existing toughening micro-mechanisms in the nanocomposites.
