Abstract The objective of this work is to improve the structural characteristics of hollow glass microsphere (HGM) filled epoxy syntactic foam composites with little voids content and improved HGM dispersion in the composite. A modified degassing technique has been introduced during resin casting process of the HGM filled syntactic foam composites. The effect of HGM content volume fractions (5–25%) on the degassing techniques was examined. The syntactic foam composites were characterized by analysing structural morphology using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy(TEM), and density measurements (theoretical and experimental). Less than 5% void content has been achieved in this study. This resulted in improved tensile and dynamic mechanical properties (DMA).

Abstract The internal curing technology has been widely applied to high-strength concrete, for it can make the high-strength concrete marked by low shrinkage and durable frost resistance. The key to its extension and application lies in the reasonable mixing amount of internal curing materials. To address this problem, scholars have proposed a method for determining the water demand in internal curing; however, the water release of internal curing materials is difficult to obtain by measurement due to the mixing method. Therefore, this paper proposed a calculation model for the mixing amount of internal curing materials based on the modified MULTIMOORA method (Multi-Objective Optimization on the basis of Ratio Analysis plus full multiplicative form). First, different internal curing materials (super absorbent polymer (SAP), lightweight aggregate (LWA)) and pretreatment methods were selected to calculate their compressive strength, self-shrinkage and frost durability according to a proposed test scheme on the mixing amount of internal curing materials, and in such case, the comprehensive performance evaluation of the above indexes was turned into a multi-attribute decision-making problem. Second, the ordered weighted averaging (OWA) method and the entropy weight method were used to determine the subjective and objective weights of the indexes respectively, to eliminate the impact of outliers in the subjective evaluation values. Finally, the comprehensive performance of each test group was sorted using MULTIMOORA, and based on the sorting results and the calculation model, the mixing amount of internal curing materials was determined. The numerical example application results showed that the mixing amount of SAP curing material calculated based on the model herein was 1.276 kg/m 3 , and the mixing method adopted the pre-water absorption method with the total water-binder ratio unchanged. The numerical example evaluation results were in good agreement with the test results. The internal curing effect of SAP was better than that of LWA, and reached the best when the mixing amount was calculated at 25 times the water release rate and the requirement for the maximum total water diversion was met. The study may provide new ideas for extension and application of the internal curing technology.

Abstract Aluminum alloys with ceramic reinforced particulates are made prospective in aerospace, transportation, and industrial applications ampler to their low mass density, stiffness, and high specific strength. In this work, Aluminium Alloy(AA) 7010 - TiB 2 (Titanium Diboride) composites with different amounts of reinforcement (5, 7.5 and 10 wt.%) were produced by the exothermic reaction of halide salts K 2 TiF 6 and KBF 4 added in 120% excess to the stoichiometric ratio with molten AA7010.The effect and dispersion of TiB 2 particulates in AA7010 were analyzed by microstructural, mechanical and corrosion behavior. The dispersion of reinforcement in the matrix alloy was analyzed by optical microscope and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) images. X-ray diffraction patterns of the prepared composites reveal the formation of TiB 2 particles in the matrix alloy. Indeed samples are tested according to ASTM G34 standard for ex- foliation corrosion rate by weight loss method. The result shows improved hardness, tensile strength and yield strength of composites to about 35%, 260%, and 240% respectively. The mechanical and corrosion resistance of 10% TiB 2 shows better results compared with matrix alloy and other concentrations of reinforcements.

Abstract Al 3 Ti/ADC12 composite was synthesized in situ using Al-fluoride potassium titanate (K 2 TiF 6 ) as the reaction system and an ultrasonic assisted direct melt reaction. Results indicate ultrasonic chemistry reactions are both accelerated and more complete compared to traditional in situ reactions. Al 3 Ti reinforced particles with a regular shape and size of 1-2 μm were well distributed and as-cast microstructures of composites were superior. Composite particles under ultrasonic assistance were also refined to a greater extent. Tensile strength and elongation rate of the composites reached 255 MPa and 2.2%, an increase of 19.1% and 37.5% respectively to those without ultrasonic aid. Cleavage surface of the composite declined and the number of dimples increased while dimples became smaller and deeper, showing obvious ductile fracture.

Abstract Chrysotile asbestos has excellent physical and chemical properties, but its high biotoxicity is very damaging to human health, due to its durability, high aspect ratio, and the exist of iron. By simple chemical treatment of chrysotile asbestos, silicon oxide nanofibers rich in hydroxyl groups on the surface can be prepared. In this study, we synthesized a series of polyurethane/silicon oxide nano-composite coatings with special performance following a blending method that introduced silicon oxide nanofibers into polyurethane. Measurement results revealed that, silicon oxide nanofibers can be used as reinforcing filler to increase the hardness, shear strength, wear resistance, thermal stability and chemical resistance of polyurethane coatings. And the optical performance test results indicate that the transmittance of the polyurethane coating decreased with increasing of silicon oxide nanofibers contents. However, the ultraviolet shielding effect of the polyurethane coating was improved to a certain extent with the addition of silicon oxide nanofibers.

Abstract In order to improve the drawbacks related to hydrogels, nanocomposite hydrogels were developed by incorporating different types of nanoparticles or nanostructures in the hydrogel network. This review categorizes nanocomposite hydrogels based on the type of their nanoparticle into four groups of carbon-, polymeric-, inorganic- and metallic-based nanocomposite hydrogels. Each type has specific properties that make them appropriate for a special purpose. This is mainly attributed to the improvement of interactions between nanoparticles and polymeric chains and to the enhancement of desirable properties for target applications. The focus of this paper is on biomedical applications of nanocomposite hydrogels and the most recent approaches made to fulfill their current limitations.

Abstract In the compounding of rubber composites, different non-black fillers are used to improve the physical properties, reduce the formulation cost, and provide special characteristics. Designing a rubber composite for a specific application needs the careful selection and differentiation of fillers based on its effect on processibility and overall material properties of the vulcanizate. However, fillers are usually classified according to their effect on reinforcement or function without much consideration to other properties such as vulcanization characteristics and heat aging resistance. Analyses of multiple properties are tedious when done in a univariate way. To differentiate non-black fillers with consideration to the various properties of rubber composites, linear discriminant analysis (LDA) of principal components (PCs) was used. This paper examines how vulcanization and mechanical properties can differentiate aluminosilicate, bentonite, and silica fillers in rubber composites. Aluminosilicate and silica were effectively differentiated frombentonite using the vulcanization characteristics and mechanical properties of rubber composites before heat aging. Better differentiation among the 3 non-black fillers was achieved when the mechanical properties of rubber composites after heat aging were included in the PC analysis. LDA required at least 6 PCs to correctly classify the non-black filler in 30 rubber composites.

Abstract POSS-coated wollastonite composite particles were prepared by the liquid phase mechano-chemical grinding of wollastonite and POSS powder together in the high pressure homogenizer [1, 2, 3, 4] for the first time. And then we prepare UV curable coatings of vinyl trimethoxy silane(VTMS) / butyl acrylate (BA) with different content of composite particles [5]. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and infrared spectra were used to investigate the microstructures and morphologies of the composite. The properties of the coatings are tested by FTIR, SEM, water contact angles and so on. The results indicate that the POSS was successfully loaded on the surface of silica fume to prepare composite particles and when the addition of the composite particles is 12%, the water contact angle of the UV curable coating reaches 151.96 ∘ , and the mechanical properties of the coating are also qualified.

Abstract Chicken eggshell (Es) waste is an industrial byproduct, and its disposal constitutes a severe environmental risk. Eggshell is a new engineering reinforcement retaining excellent properties such as low density, renewable, eco-friendly, and high thermal stability. The current research aims to study the effects of eggshell particles addition on microstructures, mechanical and tribological properties of aluminium/eggshell green metal matrix composites (MMCs). In the present work Al–Es metal matrix composite is produced by powder metallurgy processes. SEM with EDX and XRD were used to examine the microstructures and the compounds that arise during the sintering process of the produced composites. Six tests were conducted on the produced samples including; dry wear test, micro Vickers hardness, and ultimate compressive strength. The results showed that the addition of 3 wt. % of eggshell improved wear resistance (65%), compressive strength (40%) and hardness (15%). At 6 and 9 wt. % of eggshell, negative results appeared.

Abstract Basalt fiber-reinforced polymer (BFRP) bars have been increasingly applied to offshore structures, which are subjected to seawater corrosion and wet-dry cycles during their service time. This study evaluated the alkali-salt resistance performance of BFRP bars with different resin matrix types under wet-dry cycles. The tensile and shear strength of BFRP bars were tested. As a comparison, experiments of BFRP bars under continuous immersion were also conducted. The mechanisms of the two different conditions were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A relationship was established between the degradations under continuous immersion and wet-dry cycling. The results demonstrated that the alkali-salt resistance of vinyl resin matrix BFRP bars was superior to that of epoxy resin matrix BFRP bars under wet-dry cycles. Furthermore, according to the data obtained under continuous immersion, a time shift factor for predicting the durability of BFRP bars under wet-dry cycles was proposed.