Materials

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Fibre-Reinforced Composites

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The light weight design potential of fibre reinforced polymer composites leads to increasing applications of these materials in various industrial sectors such as aerospace or automotive industry. Moreover, nowadays we observe the replacement of a number of conventional engineering materials thanks to the superior mass-specific mechanical performance and good processability of fibre reinforced polymers.

This potential can be further explored by combining the right components and the right processing techniques. This offers the possibility of tailoring the fibre reinforced composites performance in a very wide range, according to the respective requirements.

In this special issue the latest developments in the field of fibre reinforced polymeric composites are discussed. High performance continuous carbon-fibre reinforced thermosetting polymers as well as the mass produced and widespread short glass-fibre reinforced thermoplastics are here included. New material combinations like natural fibre reinforced polymers or continuous fibre reinforced thermoplastics are of increasing scientific interest. Furthermore novel trends related to the single components, like fibre and resin modification or textile processing techniques, e. g. performing, are covered.

But how do the processing, the single components and their interaction affect the final material`s properties? This special issue is based on the fundamental understanding of the processing-structure-properties-relationships in the field of fibre-reinforced polymers.

Prof. Dr. Volker Altstädt
Guest Editor

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.

Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.

Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.

External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.

e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

6162 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Glass Fiber Reinforced Polypropylene Mechanical Properties Enhancement by Adhesion Improvement

by Mariana Etcheverry and Silvia E. Barbosa

Materials 2012, 5(6), 1084-1113; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma5061084 - 18 Jun 2012

Cited by 194 | Viewed by 25545

Abstract

Glass fibers (GF) are the reinforcement agent most used in polypropylene (PP) based composites, as they have good balance between properties and costs. However, their final properties are mainly determined by the strength and stability of the polymer-fiber interphase. Fibers do not act as an effective reinforcing material when the adhesion is weak. Also, the adhesion between phases can be easily degraded in aggressive environmental conditions such as high temperatures and/or elevated moisture, and by the stress fields to which the material may be exposed. Many efforts have been done to improve polymer-glass fiber adhesion by compatibility enhancement. The most used techniques include modifications in glass surface, polymer matrix and/or both. However, the results obtained do not show a good costs/properties improvement relationship. The aim of this work is to perform an accurate analysis regarding methods for GF/PP adhesion improvement and to propose a new route based on PP in-situ polymerization onto fibers. This route involves the modification of fibers with an aluminum alkyl and hydroxy-α-olefin and from there to enable the growth of the PP chains using direct metallocenic copolymerization. The adhesion improvements were further proved by fragmentation test, as well as by mechanical properties measurements. The strength and toughness increases three times and the interfacial strength duplicates in PP/GF composites prepared with in-situ polymerized fibers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fibre-Reinforced Composites)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

2393 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Novel Repair Concept for Composite Materials by Repetitive Geometrical Interlock Elements

by Werner Hufenbach, Frank Adam, Thomas Heber, Nico Weckend, Friedrich-Wilhelm Bach, Thomas Hassel and David Zaremba

Materials 2011, 4(12), 2219-2230; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma4122219 - 20 Dec 2011

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 6592

Abstract

Material adapted repair technologies for fiber-reinforced polymers with thermosetting matrix systems are currently characterized by requiring major efforts for repair preparation and accomplishment in all industrial areas of application. In order to allow for a uniform distribution of material and geometrical parameters over the repair zone, a novel composite interlock repair concept is introduced, which is based on a repair zone with undercuts prepared by water-jet technology. The presented numerical and experimental sensitivity analyses make a contribution to the systematic development of the interlock repair technology with respect to material and geometrical factors of influence. The results show the ability of the novel concept for a reproducible and automatable composite repair. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fibre-Reinforced Composites)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

8946 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Toughening of a Carbon-Fibre Composite Using Electrospun Poly(Hydroxyether of Bisphenol A) Nanofibrous Membranes Through Inverse Phase Separation and Inter-Domain Etherification

by Kevin Magniez, Thomas Chaffraix and Bronwyn Fox

Materials 2011, 4(11), 1967-1984; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma4111967 - 2 Nov 2011

Cited by 74 | Viewed by 9277

Abstract

The interlaminar toughening of a carbon fibre reinforced composite by interleaving a thin layer (~20 microns) of poly(hydroxyether of bisphenol A) (phenoxy) nanofibres was explored in this work. Nanofibres, free of defect and averaging several hundred nanometres, were produced by electrospinning directly onto a pre-impregnated carbon fibre material (Toray G83C) at various concentrations between 0.5 wt % and 2 wt %. During curing at 150 °C, phenoxy diffuses through the epoxy resin to form a semi interpenetrating network with an inverse phase type of morphology where the epoxy became the co-continuous phase with a nodular morphology. This type of morphology improved the fracture toughness in mode I (opening failure) and mode II (in-plane shear failure) by up to 150% and 30%, respectively. Interlaminar shear stress test results showed that the interleaving did not negatively affect the effective in-plane strength of the composites. Furthermore, there was some evidence from DMTA and FT-IR analysis to suggest that inter-domain etherification between the residual epoxide groups with the pendant hydroxyl groups of the phenoxy occurred, also leading to an increase in glass transition temperature (~7.5 °C). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fibre-Reinforced Composites)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Fibre-Reinforced Composites

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI