Investigation of the Mechanical Properties of Flax/Jute/UHMWPE Reinforced Melamine Formaldehyde Composites Using Cone Beam Computed Tomography

ABSTRACT

The research on natural fiber-reinforced composites has seen a rapid increase in recent years. The present study aims to further enhance the knowledge of composites by analyzing the mechanical properties of natural fiber-reinforced composites with flax and jute fibers. The properties of a composite are compared with those of a synthetic reinforcement like ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). Melamine formaldefghyde (MF) is employed as a matrix for the preparation of composites. Fabrication is performed with eight layers of each fabric type to produce composite panels of 4 mm thickness. Composites are fabricated using a combination of hand lay-up and temperature-induced compression molding techniques. Mechanical characteristics, particularly, flexural, interlaminar shear, and impact strength, are investigated. Flax-reinforced composites with a flexural strength of 36 MPa, an interlaminar shear strength of 3.5 MPa, and an impact strength of 11.57 kJ/m² fared better than jute and ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene composites, signifying the superiority of flax fiber composites. The application of a nondestructive technique like cone-beam computed tomography provided further insight into the failure mechanisms of the composites. Scanning electron microscopy images of the impact specimens revealed failure mechanisms like fiber breakage, fibers shearing and splitting, matrix cracks, voids, and delamination.

摘要

近年来, 天然纤维增强复合材料的研究发展迅速. 本研究旨在通过分析天然纤维增强亚麻和黄麻纤维复合材料的力学性能, 进一步增强对复合材料的认识. 对含有合成增强材料(如超高分子量聚乙烯)的复合材料的性能进行了比较. 三聚氰胺甲醛(MF)被用作制备复合材料的基质. 每种织物类型有八层, 制作厚度为4mm的复合板. 复合材料是使用手糊和温度诱导压缩成型技术相结合的方法制造的. 研究了机械特性, 尤其是弯曲、层间剪切和冲击强度. 亚麻增强复合材料的弯曲强度为36MPa, 层间剪切强度为3.5MPa, 冲击强度为11.57 kJ/m2, 优于黄麻和超高分子量聚乙烯复合材料, 表明亚麻纤维复合材料的优越性. 锥束计算机断层扫描等非破坏性技术的应用进一步深入了解了复合材料的失效机理. 冲击试样的扫描电子显微镜图像揭示了破坏机制, 如纤维断裂、纤维剪切和分裂、基体裂纹、空洞和分层.

KEYWORDS:

• Mechanical properties
• melamine formaldehyde
• flax
• jute
• ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene
• cone beam computed tomography
• scanning electron microscopy

关键词:

• 机械性能
• 三聚氰胺甲醛
• 亚麻
• 黄麻
• 超高分子量聚乙烯
• 锥束计算机断层扫描
• 扫描电子显微镜

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).