Composite surface energies

Metals A and B form an alloy or solid solution. To take a hypothetical case, suppose that the structure is simple cubic, so that each interior atom has six nearest neighbors and each surface atom has five. A particular alloy has a bulk mole fraction XA = 0.50, the side of the unit cell is 4.0 A, and the energies of vaporization Ea and Eb are 30 and 35 kcal/mol for the respective pure metals. The A—A bond energy is aa and the B—B bond energy is bb assume that ab = j( aa + bb)- Calculate the surface energy as a function of surface composition. What should the surface composition be at 0 K In what direction should it change on heaf)pg, and why ... 

Fabric Composition. The method of fabric manufacture dictates many of the characteristics of the sheet, but intrinsic properties are firmly estabhshed by the base polymer selected. Properties such as fiber density, temperature resistance, chemical and light stabiUty, ease of coloration, surface energies, and others are a function of the base polymer. Thus, because nylon absorbs more moisture than polypropylene, spunbonded fabrics made from nylon are more water absorbent than fabrics of polypropylene. 

In any brazing/soldering process, a molten alloy comes in contact with a surface of solid, which may be an alloy, a ceramic, or a composite material (see Ceramics Composite materials). For a molten alloy to advance over the soHd surface a special relationship has to exist between surface energies of the hquid—gas, soHd—gas, and Hquid—soHd interfaces. The same relationships should, in principle, hold in joining processes where a molten alloy has to fill the gaps existing between surfaces of the parts to be joined. In general, the molten alloy should have a lower surface tension than that of the base material. 

There are numerous techniques which provide information related to the surface energy of solids. A large array of high-vacuum, destructive and non-destructive techniques is available, and most of them yield information on the atomic and chemical composition of the surface and layers just beneath it. These are reviewed elsewhere [83,84] and are beyond the scope of the present chapter. From the standpoint of their effect on wettability and adhesion, the property of greatest importance appears to be the Lifshitz-van der Waals ( dispersion) surface energy, ys. This may be measured by the simple but elegant technique of... 

Absorption and wetting. Generally, it is necessary for the adhesive resin to wet the substrate surfaces. The surface energy of the composite substrate must be greater than the surface energy or surface tension of the resin in order for effective wetting to occur. 

The surface energy of fibers is closely related to the hydrophilicity of the fiber [38]. Some investigations are concerned with methods to decrease hydrophilicity. The modification, of wood cellulose fibers with stearic acid [43] hydrophobizes those fibers and improves their dispersion in polypropylene. As can be observed in jute-reinforced unsaturated polyester resin composites, treatment with polyvinylacetate increases the mechanical properties [24] and moisture repellency. 

The simplest technique introduced by Young as early as 1805 [18] is the measurement of the contact angle as a measure of surface tension and surface energy [1,19, 20,21], In many cases this gives an indication of surface composition and can be used to observe changes in composition, structure and/or roughness at the surface during a particular surface treatment. A quantitative description or distinction between different parameters is hardly possible in most cases. 

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