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Search results for: : POLYMER COMPOSITES
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Investigation of Wood Flour Size, Aspect Ratios, and Injection Molding Temperature on Mechanical Properties of Wood Flour/Polyethylene Composites
PublicationIn the present research, wood flour reinforced polyethylene polymer composites with a coupling agent were prepared by injection molding. The effects of wood flour size, aspect ratios, and mold injection temperature on the composites’ mechanical properties were investigated. For the preparation of the polymer composites, five different formulations were created. The mechanical properties including tensile strength and the modulus,...
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Mechanical, thermo-mechanical properties of epoxy/glass composites with submicron particles
PublicationIn this research the influence of submicron zinc oxide and silicon dioxide particles on mechanical, thermo-mechanical properties of epoxy matrix composites reinforced with glass fibres was investigated. Composites were fabricated using hand lay-up method. Materials contained 39-41 wt.% of glass fibres. The bending tests, dynamic mechanical analysis and tribological tests were performed on each group of composites and also for...
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Recycling of Waste Rubber by the Manufacturing of Foamed Polyurethane-Based Composites—Current State and Perspectives
PublicationWorn car tires are disruptive waste, and the issue of their management is crucial for the natural environment. In many countries, the primary method of end-of-life tires utilization is energy recovery. However, more effective and beneficial for the environment is material recycling. Using them for the production of polymer-rubber composites seems to be an auspicious direction of research. Incorporation of ground tire rubber into...
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Composite Materials Based on Polymer-Derived SiCN Ceramic and Disordered Hard Carbons as Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries
PublicationNew composite materials based on polymer-derived SiCN ceramics and hard carbons were studied in view of its application as anodes for lithium-ion batteries. Two kinds of composites were prepared by pyrolysis of the preceramic polysilazane (HTT1800, Clariant) at 1000 °C in Ar atmosphere mixed with hard carbons derived from potato starch (HC_PS) or with a hard carbon precursor, namely potato starch (PS), denoted as HTT/HC_PS and...
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The Effect of Polyurethane Glycolysate on the Structure and Properties of Natural Rubber/Carbon Black Composites
PublicationIn this work the use of polyurethane chemical recycling product (i.e. glycolysis of polyurethane waste realized with the mass excess of polymer) as a plasticizer for natural rubber-based composites was proposed. The effect of plasticizer type (napthenic oil and polyurethane foam glycolysate) and amount (2, 4, 6 or 8 parts per 100 parts of natural rubber) on the processing properties of rubber mixtures and chemical structure, swelling,...
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Some kind of joints in composite polymer bridges
PublicationContemporary, polymer composites bridge structures are of two types: truss or arch structures(with many joints along the length) and beam structures with limited number of joints. Both of them have special types of composite polymer decks. An ideal solution is to join advantages of two types of structuresdescribed below and create long span FRP beam bridge structure system using joints along the length. Theproblem is to find the...
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Capacitance Enhancement by Incorporation of Functionalised Carbon Nanotubes into Poly(3,4-Ethylenedioxythiophene)/Graphene Oxide Composites
PublicationThis paper reports on the role of oxidised carbon nanotubes (oxMWCNTs) present in poly-3,4-ethylenedioxytiophene (PEDOT)/graphene oxide (GOx) composite. The final ternary composites (pEDOT/GOx/oxMWCNTs) are synthesised by an electrodeposition process from the suspension-containing monomer, oxidised carbon nanotubes and graphene oxide. Dissociated functional groups on the surface of graphene oxide play a role of counter-ions for the...
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Mechanical, Thermal and Rheological Properties of Polyethylene-Based Composites Filled with Micrometric Aluminum Powder
PublicationInvestigations related to polymer/metal composites are often limited to the analysis of the electrical and thermal conductivity of the materials. The presented study aims to analyze the impact of aluminum (Al) filler content (from 1 to 20 wt%) on the rarely investigated properties of composites based on the high-density polyethylene (HDPE) matrix. The crystalline structure, rheological (melt flow index and oscillatory rheometry),...
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New insights on lithium storage in silicon oxycarbide/carbon composites: Impact of microstructure on electrochemical properties
PublicationIn this work, we study the impact of the preceramic precursor vinyltriethoxysilane (VTES) on the electrochemical performance of silicon oxycarbide (SiOC) glass/graphite composites. We apply an innovative approach based on high-power ultrasounds in order to obtain highly homogenous composites with a uniform distribution of small graphitic flakes. This procedure enhances gelation and drying of VTES-based preceramic polymer/graphite...
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Poly(ε-Caprolactone)/Brewers’ Spent Grain Composites—The Impact of Filler Treatment on the Mechanical Performance
PublicationWaste lignocellulose materials, such as brewers’ spent grain, can be considered very promising sources of fillers for the manufacturing of natural fiber composites. Nevertheless, due to the chemical structure differences between polymer matrices and brewers’ spent grain, filler treatment should be included. The presented work aimed to investigate the impact of fillers’ reactive extrusion on the chemical structure and the poly(ε-caprolactone)/brewers’...
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The impact of natural fibers’ characteristics on mechanical properties of the cement composites
PublicationThe paper reviews the properties of cement composites reinforced with short fibres. The effect of natural fibres was investigated: cotton, sisal, jute, ramie, bamboo, and synthetic fibres: polymer and polypropylene. It was noticed that the fibres change the consistency of the mixture up to 15%. In the composite flexural strength tests, a change in strength by +/− 8% was observed, depending on the type of fibres used. The research...
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Coffee Silverskin as a Multifunctional Waste Filler for High-Density Polyethylene Green Composites
PublicationThis work aims to describe the coffee silverskin effect as a lignocellulosic waste filler for high-density polyethylene (HDPE) composites development. The main task was to determine various modification effects resulting from the complex chemical composition of coffee silverskin containing compounds with potential antioxidative properties, including caffeine, polyphenols, tannins, or melanoidins. The processing, thermal, physicochemical,...
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Preparation, morphology and properties of natural rubber composites filled with untreated short jute fibres
PublicationGreen composites were obtained by incorporation of short jute fibres in natural rubber matrix using a laboratory two-roll mill. The influence of untreated fibre content (1, 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10 phr) on the mechanical properties, dynamic mechanical properties, swelling properties was examined. The behaviour of prepared green composites under cyclic compression was also investigated. Fibre dispersion in rubber matrix was studied by...
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Potential applications of by-products from the coffee industry in polymer technology – Current state and perspectives
PublicationCoffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world, and its popularity is continuously growing, which can be expressed by almost doubling production over the last three decades. Cultivation, processing, roasting, and brewing coffee are known for many years. These processes generate significant amounts of by-products since coffee bean stands for around 50% of the coffee cherry. Therefore, considering the current pro-ecological...
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Segmented bio-based polyurethane composites containing powdered cellulose obtained from novel bio-based diisocyanate mixtures
PublicationA considerable number of research works focus on the positive influence of cellulose on the properties of polymer-based composites and their wide range of application possibilities. The present work is focused on the synthesis of novel bio-based polyurethane (bio-PU) composites filled with powdered cellulose (microcellulose, MC) in an amount of 5 wt.%. Bio-PU composites were synthesized via a non-solvent prepolymer method. First,...
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THE IMPACT OF GROUND TIRE RUBBER TREATMENT ON THE THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY OF FLEXIBLE POLYURETHANE/GROUND TIRE RUBBER COMPOSITES
PublicationWaste car tires are burdensome waste, and their utilization is crucial for the natural environment. In many countries, the primary method of their recycling is energy recovery, performed by simple combustion. However, material recycling is much more effective and significantly more beneficial for the natural environment. It results in the generation of ground tire rubber, which can be used to produce polymerrubber composites. It...
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Sustainable Strategy for Algae Biomass Waste Management via Development of Novel Bio-Based Thermoplastic Polyurethane Elastomers Composites
PublicationThis work concerns the waste management method of algae biomass wastes (ABW). For this purpose, we prepared bio-based thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (bio-TPU) composites. Algae biomass wastes are derived from algal oil extraction of Chlorella vulgaris and from biomass of Enteromorpha and Zostera marina. ABWs were used in the bio-TPUs composites as a filler in the quantity of 1, 5, 10, and 15 wt.%. The bio-based composites...
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Mechanical Properties, Microstructure and Surface Quality of Polypropylene Green Composites as a Function of Sunflower Husk Waste Filler Particle Size and Content
PublicationAgricultural waste is a still untapped source of materials that can, in case of proper utilization, significantly improve the sustainability of polymers and their composites. In this work, polymer composites based on isotactic polypropylene were produced incorporating ground sunflower husk in the amount of 10 wt% and 20 wt%. The work’s main objective is to evaluate how preliminary fractioning of this agricultural waste filler affects...
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Modulation of dielectric properties in low-loss polypropylene-based composites at GHz frequencies: theory and experiment
PublicationPolymer composites with high dielectric constant and low loss tangent are highly regarded as substrates for modern high-speed electronics. In this work, we analyze the high-frequency dielectric properties of two types of composites based on polypropylene infused with high-dielectric-constant microparticles. Two types of fillers are used: commercial ceramics or titanium oxide ( TiO2) with different concentrations. The key observation...
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Waste tire rubber as low-cost and environmentally-friendly modifier in thermoset polymers – a review
PublicationNowadays, waste tire rubber (WTR) management is a growing and serious problem. Therefore, research works focused on the development of cost-effective and environmentally-friendly methods of WTR recycling are fully justified. Incorporation of WTR into polymer matrices and composite materials attracts much attention, because this approach allows sustainable development of industrially applicable waste tires recycling technologies....
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Study on polymer modified road asphalt mixture
PublicationThe formulation of ternary asphalt-additives blend composed of crumb rubber : low-density polyethylene (CR : LDPE) and crumb rubber : textile fiber (CR : TF) couples, and quaternary asphalt additives-blend composed of (CR : LDPE : TF) triplets on the virgin asphalt to optimize the asphalt basic and rheological properties and to use the extrusion process of two or three additives to obtain composite materials of them, as well as...
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Influence of microwave treatment conditions of GTR on physico-mechanical and structural properties of NBR/NR/GTR composites
PublicationThe increasing amount of tires used in the industry induces the researchers to find alternatives to the recycling of the end-of-life tires. Several alternatives in order to application of ground tire rubber GTR include their incorporation as a filler in composites. The main issue in this approach is the lack of compatibility between GTR and polymer matrix. In order to solve this problem the devulcanization by microwaves has been...
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Bio polyetherurethane composites with high content of natural ingredients: hydroxylated soybean oil based polyol, bio glycol and microcrystalline cellulose
PublicationIn our study, we focused on obtaining bio-polyurethane composites using bio-components such as bio glycol, modified natural oil-based polyol, and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC). The pre-polymer method was used to prepare the bio polyurethane matrix. Prepolymer was synthesized using 4,4’-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) and a polyol mixture containing 50 wt.% of commercial polyether and 50 wt.% of hydroxylated soybean oil (H3)....
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More than just a beer—the potential applications of by-products from beer manufacturing in polymer technology
PublicationBeer is the most popular alcoholic beverage in the world, and its popularity is continuously growing. Currently, global beer production is estimated at around 2 billion hectoliters. Nevertheless, the increasing production capacity implicates the rising issue of generated by-products—brewers’ spent grain, spent hops, spent yeast, and wastewater. They are generated in massive amounts, so having in mind the current pro-ecological...
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Electrode materials for electrochemical capacitors based on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) and functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes characterized in aqueous and aprotic electrolytes
PublicationWithin this work, we report a facile one-stage synthesis of nanocomposites based on functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and electroactive polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene). Three different composites are investigated as potential electrode materials for the electrochemical capacitors. Two of the composites contain carbon nanotubes (ox-CNTs), functionalized by acid oxidation process (65% HNO3, 120 °C). The third composite...
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Interrelated shape memory and Payne effect in polyurethane/graphene oxide nanocomposites
PublicationWe report the fabrication of graphene oxide (GO) based polyurethane (PU) nanocomposites by a simple method of mixing and their shape memory properties at different temperatures. Both the polymer and the filler were synthesized in the laboratory by simple and easy methods – PU by pre-polymer method and GO by improved graphene oxide synthesis method. High molecular level dispersion of GO platelets within the PU matrix and thus good...
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Effect of kenaf fibre modification on morphology and mechanical properties of thermoplastic polyurethane materials
PublicationThe presented study examined the morphology and mechanical properties of biocomposites obtained from kenaf natural fibre and thermoplastic polyurethane. Kenaf was modified using various methods, namely: acetylation, blocked isocyanate, maleic anhydride and permanganate treatment. Those methods and ways of carrying out of surface modifications were not studied before on kenaf/thermoplastic polyurethane composites. Different fibre...
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Investigation of an elutable N-propylphosphonic acid chitosan derivative composition with a chitosan matrix prepared from carbonic acid solution
PublicationPorous chitosan composites using CO2 dissolution procedure and including water soluble N-propylphosphonic chitosan derivative (p-CHI) were obtained and characterized. In contrast to the control material, composites containing modified chitosan distinguished by a rapid moisture absorption and good adhesion to the skin. The FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of propylphosphonic group in the structure of the polymer. The porosity...
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A novel approach in wood waste utilization for manufacturing of catalyst-free polyurethane-wood composites (PU-WC)
PublicationIn recent decades, due to the increase in environmental awareness and noticeable environmental degradation, the area of wood waste management has attracted increasing attention. The purpose of this study is to develop a new type of highly filled polyurethane wood-composite (PU-WC) by the utilization of large amount of wood wastes without addition of a catalyst. Although wood-plastic composites (WPCs) are widely known, there is...
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Composite GFRP U-shaped footbridge
PublicationThe paper presents proposals for the use of glass fiber reinforced polymer composites for the construction of engineering objects, known and commonly used in the shipbuilding industry. An example of a pedestrian footbridge was used in this case, which, despite the considerable thickness of the structural material, was made using infusion technology in one production cycle. The designed and produced footbridge span is durable, dynamically...
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Synthesis and characterization of biopolyols through biomass liquefaction of wood shavings and their application in the preparation of polyurethane wood composites
PublicationThe sustainability of production systems in wood processing, wood industry, and wooden waste disposal is an important issue for European industry and society. Proper development of products based on renewable wood resources gives an opportunity to provide materials with long-term environmental, social, and economic sustainability. This study aims to establish a new way of forestry and agricultural waste materials utilization by...
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Enzymatic and Chemical Cross-Linking of Bacterial Cellulose/Fish Collagen Composites—A Comparative Study
PublicationThis article compares the properties of bacterial cellulose/fish collagen composites (BC/Col) after enzymatic and chemical cross-linking. In our methodology, two transglutaminases are used for enzymatic cross-linking—one recommended for the meat and the other proposed for the fish industry—and pre-oxidated BC (oxBC) is used for chemical cross-linking. The structure of the obtained composites is characterized by scanning electron...
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Recent Advances in Polymer Nanocomposites: Unveiling the Frontier of Shape Memory and Self-Healing Properties—A Comprehensive Review
PublicationShape memory and self-healing polymer nanocomposites have attracted considerable attention due to their modifiable properties and promising applications. The incorporation of nanomaterials (polypyrrole, carboxyl methyl cellulose, carbon nanotubes, titania nanotubes, graphene, graphene oxide, mesoporous silica) into these polymers has significantly enhanced their performance, opening up new avenues for diverse applications. The...
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Characterization of Highly Filled Glass Fiber/Carbon Fiber Polyurethane Composites with the Addition of Bio-Polyol Obtained through Biomass Liquefaction
PublicationThis work aims to investigate the process of obtaining highly filled glass and carbon fiber composites. Composites were manufactured using previously obtained cellulose derived polyol, polymeric methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (pMDI). As a catalyst, dibutyltin dilaurate 95% and Dabco® 33-LV were used. It was found that the addition of carbon and glass fibers into the polymer matrix causes an increase in the mechanical properties...
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Investigation into the Effect of Spinel Pigments on the Photostability and Combustion Properties of Ethylene-Norbornene Copolymer
PublicationMulticolor ethylene-norbornene (EN) composites filled with three different spinel pigments (Cobalt Green-PG50, Zinc Iron Yellow-PY 119, Praseodym Yellow-PY159) were prepared by melt mixing and characterized in terms of their stability under destructive environmental conditions. The EN films were subjected to accelerated aging by ultraviolet (UV) photooxidation for 300 h, 600 h, or 900 h. The mechanical performance of the EN composites...
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Silicon Oxycarbide-Graphite Electrodes for High-Power Energy Storage Devices
PublicationHerein we present a study on polymer-derived silicon oxycarbide (SiOC)/graphite composites for a potential application as an electrode in high power energy storage devices, such as Lithium-Ion Capacitor (LIC). The composites were processed using high power ultrasound-assisted sol-gel synthesis followed by pyrolysis. The intensive sonication enhances gelation and drying process, improving the homogenous distribution of the graphitic...
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Balanand Santhosh Ph.D.
PeopleDr. Balanand Santhosh, obtained his Ph.D. (cum laude) in Materials, Mechatronics and Systems engineering from the Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Trento, Italy. He is currently working as Research Assistant Professor at Gdansk Univerity of Technology, Poland. Formerly he was working as a post-doctoral researcher at University of Trento, Italy. His research expertise is mainly in the area of ceramic processing...
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Synergistic effect of multi walled carbon nanotubes and reduced graphene oxides in natural rubber for sensing application
PublicationUtilizing the electrical properties of polymer nanocomposites is an important strategy to develop high performance solvent sensors. Here we report the synergistic effect of multi walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) in regulating the sensitivity of the naturally occurring elastomer, natural rubber (NR). Composites were fabricated by dispersing CNTs alone and together with exfoliated RGO sheets (thermally...
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One More Step Towards a Circular Economy for Thermal Insulation Materials—Development of Composites Highly Filled with Waste Polyurethane (PU) Foam for Potential Use in the Building Industry
PublicationThe rapid development of the building sector has created increased demand for novel materials and technologies, while on the other hand resulting in the generation of a severe amount of waste materials. Among these are polyurethane (PU) foams, which are commonly applied as thermal insulation materials. Their management is a serious industrial problem, due to, for example, their complex chemical composition. Although some chemical...
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Bulk-Surface Modification of Nanoparticles for Developing Highly-Crosslinked Polymer Nanocomposites
PublicationSurface modification of nanoparticles with functional molecules has become a routine method to compensate for diffusion-controlled crosslinking of thermoset polymer composites at late stages of crosslinking, while bulk modification has not carefully been discussed. In this work, a highly-crosslinked model polymer nanocomposite based on epoxy and surface-bulk functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) was developed. MNPs were...
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Morphology and properties of recycled polyethylene/ground tyre rubber/thermoplastic poly(ester-urethane) blends
PublicationThe growing amount of plastics waste produced every year resulted in development of mechanical and chemical recycling methods of polymers and their blends or composites. From the environmental point of view, the possibility of plastics waste reusing and recycling is desirable. In this study three polymer blends were obtained with using recycled polyethylene (RPE), ground tyre rubber (GTR) and thermoplastic poly(ester-urethane)...
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Electrochemical synthesis and characterization of nanocomposites based on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) and functionalized carbon nanotubes
PublicationThis work is focused on new composite materials consisting of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (pEDOT) and functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes synthesized electrochemically. Three types of composites were synthesized: the first one containing carbon nanotubes with carboxyl groups (covalent functionalization), the second one containing oxidized carbon nanotubes ox-MWCNTs (with different oxygen-rich polar groups) (covalent...
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Thermomechanical and Fire Properties of Polyethylene-Composite-Filled Ammonium Polyphosphate and Inorganic Fillers: An Evaluation of Their Modification Efficiency
PublicationThe development of new polymer compositions characterized by a reduced environmental impact while lowering the price for applications in large-scale production requires the search for solutions based on the reduction in the polymer content in composites’ structure, as well as the use of fillers from sustainable sources. The study aimed to comprehensively evaluate introducing low-cost inorganic fillers, such as copper slag (CS),...
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On the Correlation of Lignocellulosic Filler Composition with the Performance Properties of Poly(ε-Caprolactone) Based Biocomposites
PublicationIn this work, three types of agricultural waste: olive stones (OS), date seed (DS) and wheat bran (WB) were applied as potential lignocellulosic fillers in poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) based biocomposites. Differences in composites’ performance were related to the higher content of proteins, noted for WB comparing to other fillers applied, which enhanced plasticization of PCL matrix. The mechanical properties of biocomposites were...
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The impact of thermomechanical and chemical treatment of waste Brewers’ spent grain and soil biodegradation of sustainable Mater-Bi-Based biocomposites
PublicationDue to the massive plastic pollution, development of sustainable and biodegradable polymer materials is crucial to reduce environmental burdens and support climate neutrality. Application of lignocellulosic wastes as fillers for polymer composites was broadly reported, but analysis of biodegradation behavior of resulting biocomposites was rarely examined. Herein, sustainable Mater-Bi-based biocomposites filled with thermomechanically-...
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The use of GFRP tubes as load-bearing jackets in concrete-composite columns
PublicationThe paper presents the fields of applications of polymer composites in building structures. The use of composite glass fibre tubes is discussed in more detail. The laboratory methods used to test the mechanical properties of these pipes are presented. An original research program is presented, including six concrete-filled glass fibre tubes. The cylinders and columns made in this way were tested for their axial load capacity. Conclusions...
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Dynamic tests of composite footbridge segment – experimental and numerical studies
PublicationExperimental dynamic tests and numerical simulations of a 3 meters long segment of a footbridge made of polymer composites are presented in the paper. The span-length is reduced, however dimensions of cross-section are the same as the target footbridge. The segment structure is made of sandwich panels, which consist of fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) laminates (skins) and a PET foam (core). The first part of the paper contains...
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Effect of Coating Material Properties on Tilting-pad Thrust Bearing Performance
PublicationPolymer lined tilting-pad bearings demonstrate many advantages over traditional bearing systems. Bearings with a polymer layer in comparison with a babbitted layer show, for example: lower value of friction coefficient (important during start/stops), higher fatigue strength of the coating, better distribution of the load on individual pads due to lower elasticity of the polymers, wider range of operational temperatures or the ability...
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FRP-based reinforcement coatings of steel with application prospects in ships and offshore structures: a review
PublicationLatest research on novel FRP-based anti-corrosion structural coatings (for enhancing structural capacity and strengthening the coating layer) is discussed with application prospects for ships and offshore structures. In the marine environment, structures constantly face corrosion and fatigue cracks. Combining this with high operational and wave loads, it might cause a structural collapse. Recently, polymer composites have been...
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Highly Dissipative Materials for Damage Protection against Earthquake-Induced Structural Pounding
PublicationIt is a common situation that seismic excitations may lead to collisions between adjacent civil engineering structures. This phenomenon, called earthquake-induced structural pounding, may result in serious damage or even the total collapse of the colliding structures. Filling the gap between two buildings erected close to one another by using visco-elastic materials can be considered to be one of the most effective methods to avoid...