Fibre-reinforced polymer fabrics

A.S. Singha and V.K. Thakur, Fabrication of Hibiscus sabdariffa fibre reinforced polymer composites. Iran. Polym. J. 17, 541-553 (2008). 

The mechanical properties of FRP composites are dependent upon the ratio of fibre and matrix material, the mechanical properties of the constituent materials, the fibre orientation in the matrix, and ultimately the processing and methods of fabrication, which are the subject of Part II. Chapters discuss prepreg processing, liquid composite moulding (LCM), filament winding processes and pultrusion of advanced fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites. 

Singha AS, Thakur VK (2009d) Fabrication and characterization of S. cilliare fibre reinforced polymer composites. Bull Mater Sci 32 49-58... 

Singha AS, Thakur VK (2009c) Synthesis, characterisation and analysis of hibiscus sabdariffa fibre reinforced polymer matrix based composites. Polym Polym Compos 17 189-194 Singha AS, Thakur VK (2009d) Fabrication and characterization of S. cilliare fibre reinforced polymer composites. Bull Mater Sci 32 49-58... 

Numerous research has been conducted which reveal the application of this fiber source as reinforcing material in polymer composites. For instance, it has been used for reinforcement in urea formaldehyde resin-based composite which also suggested that Hibiscus sabdariffa fibre has immense scope in the fabrication of natural fibre reinforced polymer composites for vast number of industrial applications (Singha and Thakur 2008a). The graft copolymeiization of Hibiscus sabdariffa also have been found to be more moisture resistant and also showed better chemical and thermal resistance (Thakur et al. 2011a). 

The appeal of continuous fibre-reinforced polymers, or composite materials, is based on their properties, on the freedom they give the designer to tailor these properties to suit a specific situation and the relative ease with which composites can be fabricated. 

Over the past 20 years no new commodity polymer has been developed. This is because of the advances in fabrication, blends (both miscible and non-miscible), fibre reinforcement, etc. Thus films with up to 11 different polymer layers have been developed. 

Most carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP) used and investigated to date are produced from preimpregnated continuous carbon fibre prepregs. Polymers reinforced with aligned short carbon fibres have certain advantages as materials for structural components, because they can easily be formed into complicated shapes with satisfactory mechanical properties. Woven fabrics produced from carbon fibres find increasing application in the aerospace and many other industries, because they are easy to handle, they have the ability to conform to complicated shapes and the in-plane properties are more isotropic than those of equivalent unidirectional materials. 

Zhonghai and co-workers [154] studied the mechanical properties of carbon fibre reinforced films of this polymer as a function of the degree of crosslinking with triethylenetetramine. In general, an improvement in mechanical properties resulted in little or no effect on the electrical properties of this polymer, which is a strong candidate for the fabrication of lithium battery electrodes. 

A better combination of fibre and polymer is achieved by impregnation of the reinforcing fabrics with polymer matrixes compatible to the polymer. For this purpose polymer solutions [51] or dispersions of low viscosity are used. For a number of interesting polymers, the lack of solvents limits the use of the method of impregnation. When cellulose fibres are impregnated with a butyl benzyl phthalate plastified PVC dispersion, excellent partitions can be achieved in PS. This significantly lowers the viscosity of the compound and of the plasticator and results in co-solvent action for both PS and PVC. 

Lee BH, Kim HJ, Yu WR. Fabrication of long and discontinuous natural fibre reinforced polypropylene biocomposites and their mechanical properties. Fiber Polym 2009 10 83-90. 

Singha AS, Thakur VK (2008c) Synthesis and characterization of pine needles reinforced RF matrix based biocomposites. J Chem 5 1055-1062 Singha AS, Thakur VK (2008d) Fabrication of Hibiscus Sabdariffa fibre reinfOTced polymer composites. Iran Polym J 17 541-553... 

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