Affordable Bio-polymer Matrix Composites for Lightweight Vehicular Structures

Automotive News Conference June 13-15, 2005

Wynfrey Hotel, Birmingham, AL

by

A. Haque1 , D. Daly2 and R. Rogers3

1Associate Professor, Dept. of Aero. Engineering & Mechanics2Director AIME, 3 Director Center of Green Manufacturing,

The University of Alabama

Goals : To achieve efficient, safe and environmentally friendly vehicles

Objectives : To develop, characterize and analyzea) Long/Short fiber reinforced thermoplastic

compositesb) Bio-polymer matrix composites

Thrusts Clients • Lightweight • General Motor• Fuel Efficient • Daimler Chrysler• Low Emission • Ford• Bio-degradable

Applications : Interior and exterior body parts, Chassis components

Advanced Vehicle Technology

Current Research Areas• Process Development

- Long/Short fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites- Cellulose based thermoplastic composites

- Hybrid Nanocomposites

• Investigation of Structures and Properties- Dispersion, void contents, Glass Transition Temperature, Strength, Modulus, Failure Strains

• Fiber-Matrix Interface - Surface Treatment- Stress Analysis- Stress Transfer

2-D unit cell stress transfer model

o

L

Y

X2Leff

b

a

o

platelet

matrix

Ionic Liquid– Low melting organic salt

– Little/no vapor pressure

– Non-flammable

– Typically has wide liquid range

– Viscous

– Solvent properties are different to molecular solvents

– Solvent properties can be varied (and controlled)

NNN

R1 R3

R1

R2

R5 R4

R5

R6

R2

R3

R4

++

R4N

R3

R1R2

R4P

R3

R1R2

Cl-/[AlCl3]

Cl-, Br-, I-

[NO3]-, [SO4]2-

[CF3COO]-, [CF3SO2]-

[BF4]-

[PF6]-

[CF3SO2)2N]-

Cations Anions

Reactive to water

Air and water stable

Decreasing coordinating ability

Increasing hydrophobicity

Ionic Liquid Process

Filtering

Dissolving

Reconstitution

Pulp

[C4mim]ClSteam

water

Process Development for Cellulose based Bio-Composites through Ionic Liquid Route

Resin Bath

Pulling Mechanism

Cellulose Fiber

Surfactant Bath

Filter

Pump

Godet Godet Washing & Chemical Treatments

DryingStretching

Wind up

Advancing rollsSpinnerette

Coagulating bath

Solidifying Filaments

Creels

Creels

Mat MachineRoving Winder

Chopped Strand Mat

Chopped Strand

Continuous Roving

Heated Die

Ionic Liquid +

Cellulose

Degassing in oven under

vacuum

Cooling channels Melt feed

Thermoforming

Process Development: Long/Short Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic

PPN resin

Heated die Pulling Mechanism

Cutter

Pultrusion

Fiber

Cooling channels

Melt feed(PPHN)

Extrusion Compression Molding

Tensile Properties of Cellulose Film & PP-Cellulose Composites

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

0.00 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06Strain (mm/mm)

Str

ess

(M

Pa)

Cellulose Film

Polypropylene Film

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

0.00 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.10 0.12 0.14

Strain (mm/mm)

Str

ess

(MP

a)

PP-Cellulose- 10% MAPP

Polypropylene

PP-Cellulose- 1% MAPP

Material MAPP

(%)

Failure Strength

MPa

Failure Strain

mm/mm

Yield StressMPa

Yield Strainmm/mm

Elastic Modulus

GPa

PP sheet - 26.62 0.165 12.09 0.025 0.54

PP-Cellulose

10.0 29.76 0.117 11.69 0.021 0.62

PP-Cellulose

1.0 24.34 0.127 9.31 0.018 0.57

Cellulose Film

- 78.19 0.024 - - 3.39

PP Film - 27.85 0.052 - - 1.44

Effects of MAPP concentration on Flexural & Interlaminar Shear Properties of PP-Cellulose Composites

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

0.00 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06

Strain (mm/mm)

Str

ess

(MP

a)

PP-Cellulose- 10% MAPPPolypropylene

PP-Cellulose- 1% MAPP

Material

Flexural Interlaminar

MAPP(%)

Ultimate Failure

StrengthMPa

Failure Strain

mm/mm

Yield Stress MPa

Yield Strain

mm/mm

Elastic Modulus

GPa

Shear Strength

MPa

Polypropylene - 37 MPa 0.050 24.55 0.017 1.66 -

PP-Cellulose 10.0 45 MPa 0.045 22.03 0.014 1.81 6.80

PP-Cellulose 1.0 28 MPa 0.052 17.24 0.019 1.03 5.2

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5

Deflection (mm)

Inte

rla

min

ar

Sh

ea

r S

tre

ng

th (

MP

a) PP-Cellulose- 10% MAPP

PP-Cellulose- 1% MAPP

Fractured specimen

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

0.00 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06

Strain (mm/mm)

Str

es

s (

MP

a)

PP-Jute

PP-Kantala

Polypropylene sheet

PP-PalmPP-Coir

Flexural Properties of various Natural Fibers/ Polypropylene (PP) Composites

MaterialFailure

StrengthMPa

Failure Strain

mm/mm

Yield StressMPa

Yield Strain

mm/mm

Elastic Modulus

GPa

PP-Coir 24.96 0.0242 20.27 0.0139 1.7034

PP-Jute 40.90 0.0265 29.04 0.0110 3.2799

PP-Kantala 42.68 0.0560 26.68 0.0171 1.7670

PP-Palm 27.17 0.0356 18.55 0.0126 1.7497