Metallic reinforcement, dispersion-reinforced glass

The fibres generally used for polymer reinforcement are glass, carbon and less often PTFE or metals. For use in thermosets, glass or carbon fibre may be used in the form of a pressed mat, or bundles of fibres may be laid in a preferred orientation. This enables anisotropic properties to be obtained where this is beneficial. The alternative is to disperse chopped fibres randomly in the polymer matrix. This gives... 

Thermal characteristics are also important in numerous industrial processes, and thus the development of composites with high thermal conductivity and a low coefficient of thermal expansion is important to achieve effective heat conduction (Kim et al., 2007). The use of some reinforcements such as carbon nanotubes, carbon fibers, nano silica powders, metal particles, boron nitrite and glass fibers can improve the thermal conductivity of phenolic composites (Kim et al., 2007 Simitzis et al., 2011 Srikanth et al., 2010). Kim et al. (2007) demonstrated that the homogeneous dispersion of 7 wt% carbon nanotubes in a phenolic resin acted as an effective thermal bridge between adjacent carbon fibers and enhanced the thermal conductivity (393 W m-i K-i). 

The last two items of the earlier list involve the behaviour of primers, in part chemical, in part physical, as forms of adhesives sticking the bulk adhesive to the actual metal, wood or other adherend. When dissimilar materials are to be joined, an adhesive suitable for one may not be so for the other. In these circumstances a primer for one of the substrates is chosen to be both suitable for it and compatible with the adhesive. Phenol-formaldehyde condensation products are often thus used particularly when the adhesive itself contains such material dispersed in another polymer, e.g. Redux775 (Bonded Structures, Ltd) or various epoxy-phenolic or nitrile-phenolic adhesives. Most important members of the class of coupling agents are the reactive silanes (siloxanes) and titanates. These materials have achieved their main use in the treatment of glass fibres for the manufacture of glass reinforced plastics. 

Water-based dispersion adhesives are mostly stored in plastic containers. Smaller containers with capacities of up to 30 L are made of polyethylene (PE), while larger containers which come in 100-L vessels or up to 800-L containers are made of polypropylene. To ensure stabihty, the container thickness should be proportional to its size. In fact, such containers are often made of glass fiber reinforced polypropylene. Larger containers can also be stabilized using metal casings or cages. 

Flame-barrier coatings—Thin coatings composed of multi-walled carbon nanotubes dispersed in silicone matrices exhibit outstanding flame barrier characteristics (i.e., protection from combustion and decomposition). In addition, they offer abrasion and scratch resistance do not produce toxic gases and are extremely adherent to most glass, metal, wood, plastic, and composite surfaces. Hame-barrier coatings are used in aerospace, aviation, electronic, and industrial applications, and typically applied on wires and cables, foams, fuel tanks, and reinforced composites. 

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