Hostname: page-component-669899f699-tzmfd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-04-25T18:51:09.286Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Interfacial Water Transport and Embrittlement in Polymer-Matrix Composites

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

A. Lekatou ,
Y. Qian ,
S. E. Faidi ,
S. B. Lyon ,
N. Islam  and
R. C. Newman
A. Lekatou
Affiliation:
UMIST, Corrosion & Protection Centre, P.O. Box 88, Manchester, M60 1QD, U.K.
Y. Qian
Affiliation:
UMIST, Corrosion & Protection Centre, P.O. Box 88, Manchester, M60 1QD, U.K.
S. E. Faidi
Affiliation:
UMIST, Corrosion & Protection Centre, P.O. Box 88, Manchester, M60 1QD, U.K.
S. B. Lyon
Affiliation:
UMIST, Corrosion & Protection Centre, P.O. Box 88, Manchester, M60 1QD, U.K.
N. Islam
Affiliation:
UMIST, Corrosion & Protection Centre, P.O. Box 88, Manchester, M60 1QD, U.K.
R. C. Newman
Affiliation:
UMIST, Corrosion & Protection Centre, P.O. Box 88, Manchester, M60 1QD, U.K.
Get access

Abstract

Disordered glass microsphere-epoxy composites have been used in a study of diffusional, electrical and mechanical effects of interfaces in polymer-matrix composites exposed to pure water. Mass gain measurements on composites manufactured from 10 μm silane-treated microspheres indicate initial near-Fickian diffusion with water saturation times on the order of 500 h. However, electrical measurements indicate water transport at rates at least 100 times more rapid. This behaviour is interpreted in terms of a cellular microstructure with areas of low cross-link density separating highly cross-linked areas. Rapid water transport can thus occur in areas of low cross-linking, even without the contribution of connected clusters of particles where rapid interfacial water transport occurs substantially ahead of the main diffusion front. Reductions in ultimate tensile strength and fracture energy in dry and water-saturated tensile test specimens are observed with increasing volume fraction of glass spheres but with a distinct plateau between about 6% and 12% Vf. This can be explained in terms of secondary cracking below the percolation threshold which causes toughening of the composite. However, a few % above pc (≍ 16%), most particles belong to the percolating cluster and the primary crack can grow without hindrance.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 304: Symposium H – Polymer/Inorganic Interfaces , 1993 , 27
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1993

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

1. Apicella, A., International Encyclopedia of Composites, edited by Lee, S.M., (VCH, New York, 1990), Vol.2, p.4 6.Google Scholar
2. Vrentas, J.S. and Duda, J.L., Encyclopedia of Polymer Science and Engineering, 2nd ed., (Wiley, New York, 1985), Vol.5, p.36.Google Scholar
3. Marom, G., Polymer Permeability, 341 (1985).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4. Avena, A. and Bunsell, A.R., Composites, 19, 355 (1988).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5. Kinloch, A.J., Maxwell, D.L. and Young, R.J., J. Mat. Sci. Lett., 4, 1276 (1985).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6. Kinloch, A.J., Maxwell, D.L. and Young, R.J., J. Mat. Sci., 20, 4169 (1985).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7. Spanoudakis, J. and Young, R.J., J. Mat. Sci., 19, 473 (1984).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8. Spanoudakis, J. and Young, R.J., J. Mat. Sci., 19, 473 (1984) 487.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9. Fried, N., Mechanics of Composite Materials, edited by F.W., Wendt, H., Liebowitz and N., Perrone (Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1970), p. 813.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10. Bonniau, P. and Bunsell, A.R., Environmental Effects in Composite Materials, edited by G.S., Springer (Technomic Pub. Co., 1984) p.209.Google Scholar
11. Sheard, P.A. and Jones, F.R., Proc. Int. Symp. on Composite Materials and Structures, edited by T., Soo and C.T., Sun (Technomic Publ. Co., 1986) p.118.Google Scholar
12. Stoudt, M.R., Escalante, E. and Ricker, R.E., Ceram.. Trans., 19, 993 (1991).Google Scholar
13. Mayne, J.E.O., J. Oil & Col. Chem. Assoc., 33, 538 (1950).Google Scholar
14. Wirth, J.K. and Machu, W., Werkst. und Korros., 12, 453 (1952).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
15. Maitland, C.C., Ph.D. Thesis, Univ. of Cambridge, 1959.Google Scholar
16. Cherry, B.W. and Mayne, J.E.O., Proc. Ist Int. Congress on Metallic Corrosion, (Butterworths, London, 1960) p.539.Google Scholar
17. Kinsella, E.M. and Mayne, J.E.O., Br. Polym. J., 1, 173 (1969).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
18. Mayne, J.E.O. and Scantlebury, J.D., Br. Polym. J., 2, 240 (1970).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
19. Lekatou, A., Qian, Y., Faidi, S., Lyon, S.B. and Newman, R.C., Proc. 2nd Int. Conf. on Deformation and Fracture of Composites, (Institute of Materials, London, 1993).Google Scholar