Date of Award
Spring 5-13-2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering (MSMSE)
Department
Physics
First Advisor
Dr. Ram Gupta, rgupta@pittstate.edu
Second Advisor
Dr. Serif Uran, suran@pittstate.edu
Third Advisor
Dr. Khamis Siam, ksiam@pittstate.edu
Fourth Advisor
Dr. Timothy Dawsey, tdawsey@pittstate.edu
Abstract
Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer composites (CFRP) have garnered increasing interest in recent years especially in the aerospace and automobile industries where they are gradually replacing metals as structural materials. This is owing to their light weight, high strength, high modulus, and excellent strength-to-weight ratio. Polymers are typically used as thermosetting resins in these composites. However, the synthesis of polymers currently is conducted via petrochemical processes which leads to adverse effects on the environment. To this end, in this work a biobased Polyurethane (PU) was used as a thermosetting resin in a CFRP. The biobased PU was synthesized by the reaction of a sunflower oil-derived polyol with isocyanate. The CFRPs were then fabricated using increasing layers of carbon cloth ranging from 1 to 5. Mechanical testing of these composites was then carried out. Tensile test data showed an increase in maximum load before failure with an increase in the number of carbon cloth layers, with values of 1828 N, 5240 N, 7193 N, 10164 N, and 10774 N for composites made from 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 layers of carbon cloth respectively. Young’s modulus values showed a similar increase, with values of 44.7 GPa, 55.7 GPa, 56.4 GPa, 57.2 GPa and 63.9 GPa for composites made from 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 layers of carbon cloth respectively being realized. Flexural testing data showed that there is an increase in the flexural modulus with an increase in the number of carbon cloth layers, with values of 315 GPa, 390 GPa, 656 GPa, 707 GPa, and 833 GPa for composites made from 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 layers of carbon cloth respectively. A similar trend was observed in the hardness values of the composites, with values of 88D, 89D, 94D for composites made from 1, 2, and 3 layers of carbon cloth and values over 100D for the composites made from 4 and 5 layers of carbon cloth. Our composites show excellent chemical resistance properties with minimal degradation after immersion in water, acidic and basic solvents for 48h. This work suggests that CFRPs can be prepared using biobased polyurethanes.
Recommended Citation
Mageto, Teddy, "Study of a Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composite Using a Biobased Polyurethane as a Thermosetting Resin" (2023). Electronic Theses & Dissertations. 451.
https://digitalcommons.pittstate.edu/etd/451