Dpt. Materials Sci. and Eng. and Chemical Eng. UC3M Aerospace Materials I
Topic 10: Composite materials. Part II.
POLYMER MATRICES: THERMOSET AND THERMOPLASTIC
PROPERTIES
Thermosetting
gppolymers
y Thermoplastic
p matrices
• Croslinked chains • Semicrystalline. High Tm
• Insoluble
I l bl (swell)
( ll) • C
Consolidation:
lid ti (N chemical
(No h i l
reaction) processing by heat and
pressure
• Amorphous
A h (Tg) • Potentially reprocessed
• Do not flow under stress even at • Potential for fast part fabrication
high T.
• Brittle (low strains at failure) • Very high melt viscosities (high
pressure and high shearing
• Sensitivity to moisture forces during manufacturing
R i f
Reinforcement t damage)
d )
Dpt. Materials Sci. and Eng. and Chem. Eng. UC3M Aerospace Materials I
Topic 10: Composite materials. Part II.
POLYMER MATRICES: THERMOSET AND THERMOPLASTIC
THERMOSET THERMOPLATIC
Main Characteristics
• Undergoes chemical change when cured • Non-reacting, no curing required
• low strain to failure • high strain to failure
• low fracture energy • high fracture energy
• processing is irreversible • very high viscosity
• very low viscosity possible • processing is reversible
• absorbs moisture • absorbs little moisture
• highly resistant to solvents • limited resistance to organic solvents, in some case
Advantages
• Relatively low processing temperature • Short processing times possible
• good fiber wetting • reusable scrap
• formable into complex shapes • post-formable can be reprocessed
• liquid-resin manufcturing feasible • rapid processing
• resistant to creep • unlimited shelf life without refrigeration
• high delamination resistance
Disadvantages
• long processing time and long cure (1-2
( h)) • lower resistance to solvents
•restricted storage life • requires high T (300-400 ºC) and P processing
•
Dpt. Materials Sci. and Eng. and Chem. Eng. UC3M • can be prone to creep Aerospace Materials I
Topic 10: Composite materials. Part II.
POLYMER MATRICES: THERMOSET AND THERMOPLASTIC
Dpt. Materials Sci. and Eng. and Chem. Eng. UC3M Aerospace Materials I
Topic 10: Composite materials. Part II.
Thermosetting Matrix Materials
Dpt. Materials Sci. and Eng. and Chem. Eng. UC3M Aerospace Materials I
Topic 10: Composite materials. Part II.
Thermosetting Matrix Materials
EPOXY
• They are the most used in structural applications.
• Good mechanical properties in general, the temperature can
vary between
b t 60-150
60 150 º C.
C
• They have low shrinkage and good adhesion to most fibers.
• Usually
y cured at 120 ° C and at 180 ° C).
)
Polyimides (PI)
• More expensive and less used that epoxy resins.
• Designed to work with relatively high service temperatures between
130 and 230 ° C
• In g general,, all of these resins have a higher
g water absorption
p and lower
stiffness of epoxy resins
Dpt. Materials Sci. and Eng. and Chem. Eng. UC3M Aerospace Materials I
Topic 10: Composite materials. Part II.
Thermosetting Matrix Materials
Bismaleimides (BMI)
• Tg between 275 and 300 ° C. Good performance at high service
t
temperatures
t (250 ° C)
• Can use conventional curing cycles, yielding laminates with low
porosity content.
• Usually a need for post-curing to achieve optimum properties
• Good mechanical properties.
• Present microcracking during prolonged exposure to high
temperatures
Dpt. Materials Sci. and Eng. and Chem. Eng. UC3M Aerospace Materials I
Topic 10: Composite materials. Part II.
Thermosetting Matrix Materials
Some Details on Selected Thermosetting Matrix Materias Used in Aerospaced Composites
Matrix Examples Cure Max (wet) Comment on Performance as Matrix
ºC/kPa Capability ºC
Dpt. Materials Sci. and Eng. and Chem. Eng. UC3M Aerospace Materials I
Topic 10: Composite materials. Part II.
Thermosetting Matrix Materials
Additi
Additives used
d to
t modify
dif resin
i properties
ti
Solvent are added to reduce the viscosity before curing to aid in handling, wet-
out etc
out, etc.
Plasticizers are added to reduce the elastic modulus and increase the
elongation to failure
Inert fillers, including hollow spheres, are added to alter density, resin flow,
cost, and effective modulus
Toughening agents that precipitate from the reacting matrix during curing as
fine particles, designed to modify the crack propagation properties in a cured
matrix
Toughening mechanisms
• Random dispersion of a thermoplastic second phase in the initial
formulation (polyethersulphone)
• Random dispersion of a rubber second phase in-situ during the
polymerization process (carboxyl or amine terminated poly(butadiene-
co-acrylonitrile:CTBN)
l it il CTBN) rubbers.
bb
Dpt. Materials Sci. and Eng. and Chem. Eng. UC3M Aerospace Materials I
Topic 10: Composite materials. Part II.
Thermoplastic Matrix Materials
Dpt. Materials Sci. and Eng. and Chem. Eng. UC3M Aerospace Materials I
Topic 10: Composite materials. Part II.
Thermoplastic Matrix Materials
Unlike TS resins
resins, TP are not cross
cross-linked
linked
Broad Classification: Amorphous and Semicrystalline
Amorphous TP Semicrystalline TP
• High concentration of molecular • High degree of molecular order and
entanglements alignment
• Heating leads to disentanglement • May have anisotropic properties
and
d change
h rigid
i id solid
lid →viscous
i liliquid
id (crystalline lamellar units oriented)
• Low resistance to aggressive fluids • Very good resistance to aggressive
• Wide processing window fluids
• Examples: PEI • The processing window can be
critical (especially cooling rate)
• Examples: PEEK, PPS
Thermoplastic processed by injection molding:
Reinforced with carbon fiber or glass:
Examples: PEEK, PA, PTFE
Polyether
y ether ketone ((PEEK)) Poethersulfones PES
Polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) Polyimide PI
Dpt. Materials Sci. and Eng. and Chem. Eng. UC3M Aerospace Materials I
Topic 10: Composite materials. Part II.
Thermoplastic Matrix Materials
S
Some D t il on Selected
Details S l t d Thermoplastic
Th l ti Matrix
M t i Materias
M t i used
d in
i Aerospaced
A d Composites
C it
Dpt. Materials Sci. and Eng. and Chem. Eng. UC3M Aerospace Materials I
Topic 10: Composite materials. Part II.
The interface region
Poor adherence matrix‐fibers Good adherence matrix‐fibers
Dpt. Materials Sci. and Eng. and Chem. Eng. UC3M Aerospace Materials I
Topic 10: Composite materials. Part II.
The interface region
Bonding mechanism
In most treatment, is assumed than the interfacial bon dis “perfect”. This
means that there is no debonding,
g, cracking g or sliding
g
In practice:
¡¡ manyy important
p phenomena may
p place at the interface !!
y take p
Dpt. Materials Sci. and Eng. and Chem. Eng. UC3M Aerospace Materials I
Topic 10: Composite materials. Part II.
The interface region
• Role of sizings
– binds the filaments (d = 10-20 mm) together for ease
processing,
– lubricates fibres so they can withstand abrasion,
– imparts anti-static properties
– provides some chemical functionalities to the surface
to improve
p interfacial bond strength.
g
Composite material properties:
mean property of its individual components:
Mean properties depend upon the microstructural
geometry:
Three ideal geometries:
a) Direction parallel to continuous fibers
b) Direction perpendicular to continuous fibers
c)) Direction relative to a composite with a uniformly dispersed
Di ti l ti t it ith if l di d
reinforcement
ASSUMING
FIBERS MATRIX
fibers homogeneous homogeneous
linearly elastic linearly elastic
isotropic isotropic
isotropic,
regularly spaced
perfectly aligned
uniform length
For a composite in which the fibres are much stiffer than the matrix (Ef>>Em), the
reinforcement is subject to much higher stresses (1f>>1m) than the matrix and there is a
redistribution of the load
Also, the length of each component:
Lm=AmLC
Lf=AfLC LC Am Lm A f L f
andd LC=Lm+Lf
LC Lm Lf
2 2 2
f , m , 2
E' f Em E2
Dpt. Materials Sci. and Eng. and Chem. Eng. UC3M Aerospace Materials I
Topic 10: Composite materials. Part II.
Elastic deformation of long-fibre composites
2 2f E f Em
2 V f 2 f 1 V f 2 m EmV f E f (1 V f )
E2 C
Vf V
1
' m eq 2
E2 C E f Em
Normaly Ef>>Em and for typical fiber comosites with Vf=50‐60%, the matrix has only a small effect upon E1
Em
E1 E f V f and E2
Vm
Dpt. Materials Sci. and Eng. and Chem. Eng. UC3M Aerospace Materials I
Topic 10: Composite materials. Part II.
Elastic deformation of long-fibre composites
Dpt. Materials Sci. and Eng. and Chem. Eng. UC3M Aerospace Materials I
Topic 10: Composite materials. Part II.
Elastic deformation of long-fibre composites
C f V f y ,m (1 V f )
Fibers break before the matrix because they are more
brittle. When this happens, the equation transforms to:
C m (1 V f )
Dpt. Materials Sci. and Eng. and Chem. Eng. UC3M Aerospace Materials26I
Topic 10: Composite materials. Part II.
Elastic deformation of long-fibre composites
E1 E f V f Em' Vm h
where
1 V f V m V f E f m E m f 2
E 'm
Em
E2 E f Em E f V f E f Vm Em 1
1 2m2
m and f are Poisson’s ratio for the matrix material and fiber respectively
Dpt. Materials Sci. and Eng. and Chem. Eng. UC3M Aerospace Materials I
Topic 10: Composite materials. Part II.
Elastic deformation in composite with an uniformly dispersed aggregate
Rule of mixtures: The properties of a composite material depend upon the relative
quantities and properties of its constituents
A thorough treatment of this system is complex and depends on the nature of the dispersed
phase and the matrix. An approximation is given by the equation:
E vl E vh E
n
C l
n n
h
l= lower modulus phase
h= higher modulus phase
Increase of toughness to fracture of some Increase of strength of epoxy resin with
ceramic matrix composites
ceramic matrix composites different reinforcements
different reinforcements
Dpt. Materials Sci. and Eng. and Chem. Eng. UC3M Aerospace Materials I