Thermoplastic composites manufacturing with and without fillers

• Main Author: Selvakumaran S/O Moorthy
• Other Authors: Sunil Chandrakant Joshi
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2024
• Subjects: Engineering; Thermoplastic composites; Fatigue in thermoplastic composites; Fillers in thermoplastic composites; Filler dispersion techniques in thermoplastic composites
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/177373
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composites have gained considerable appeal because of their exceptional mechanical properties. They are extensively utilized in civil engineering, automotive, aerospace, and marine industries to enhance structural integrity and longevity. Due to their exceptional strength-to-weight ratio and corrosion resistance, they are well-suited for challenging circumstances. FRP composites are frequently exposed to varying stresses, leading to material fatigue, and negatively impacting their lifespan. Fatigue is a crucial mechanical property of FRP composites because of their distinct fatigue behavior compared to metals. This behavior is intricate and can result in catastrophic outcomes. Additional research has demonstrated that the fatigue performance of FRP composites can be improved by incorporating fillers as a secondary reinforcement. However, there is a scarcity of studies investigating the impact of manufacturing techniques on the fatigue performance of these FRP composites with fillers. This study aims to examine various manufacturing methods of FRP composites with fillers and analyze their impact on the mechanical properties of these composites. The production of FRP composite panels involved the utilization of the hand layup technique and hot press molding. Various dispersion procedures, such as the manual sieve method and the powder pump method, were used to incorporate fillers into the fibers. The specimens underwent mechanical load testing, specifically tensile tests, and fatigue tests, to examine the correlation between dispersion techniques and the mechanical properties of the FRP composites. This experiment demonstrates that the dispersion methods used for the fillers play a crucial role in enhancing the fatigue performance of the FRP composites. The data obtained from the mechanical testing provides sufficient proof that the uniformity of the filler distributions improves the fatigue performance of the FRP composites.