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Recent developments on characterization of needle-punched nonwoven fabric reinforced polymer composites – A review
Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Materials Today: Proceedings journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/matpr
Recent developments on characterization of needle-punched nonwoven fabric reinforced polymer composites – A review Prabina Kumar Patnaik a, Priyadarshi Tapas Ranjan Swain b,⇑, Srimant Kumar Mishra a, Abhilash Purohit b, Sandhyarani Biswas c a b c
GIET University, Gunupur, Odisha 765022, India VSSUT, Burla, Odisha 768018, India NIT, Rourkela, Odisha 769008, India
a r t i c l e
i n f o
Article history: Received 18 November 2019 Accepted 11 December 2019 Available online xxxx Keywords: Needle-punched nonwoven fabrics Polymer composites Characterization Particulate filler Application
a b s t r a c t Needle-punched nonwoven fabrics are having ample advantages for using as reinforcement in polymer composites, such as good z-directional strength which reduces delamination problems significantly. In addition, the nonwoven fabrics absorb resin easily because of the high void volume content of the fabric and thick parts can be produced in a cost-effective way. The compressibility nature of these fabrics also gains the advantage of giving different shapes easily. Engineering application and research activity in the field of composite nonwovens is therefore expected to grow to a large extent. In this paper, current research in the composite manufacturing and characterization of needle-punched nonwoven fabricbased composites is reviewed introducing with an overview of various fabrics and scope. It then discusses the physical, mechanical, thermal and tribological behaviour of composites with different resins and with various weight percentages. This review also covers the hybridization of fabric-based composites with different particulate fillers and the simulation of composite structures with different techniques. Finally, the review states the future scope of needle-punched nonwoven based composite materials. Ó 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Selection and of the scientific committee of the 10th International Conference of Materials Processing and Characterization.
1. Introduction Generally, the reinforcing phase provides the strength and stiffness to the composites. In most of the cases, the reinforcement is harder, stronger, and stiffer than the matrix. The reinforcement is usually fiber or a particulate. Most of the fibers are manufactured in the forms of long and short fibers. These fibers are also reinforced by making different arrangements in two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) structures. These architectures are produced by means of textile processes such as woven, knitted, braided and non-woven [1]. The 2D fabrics are conventionally produced fabrics. If no fiber system penetrating the depth is present, then it is a 2D textile product. The fabrics which have inherently 3D structures in which the fibers are intertwined or intermeshed in the three directions i.e. lengthwise, crosswise and the thickness wise are called 3D fabrics. The application of 2D fabrics has been restricted by their low through-thickness properties, such as ⇑ Corresponding authors. Tel.: +919439000025. E-mail address: [email protected] (P.T.R. Swain).
stiffness and fatigue resistance in thick structures when subjected to different shear stresses. Most of the 2D textile structures retain the inherent weakness of laminated composites that are prone to delamination. The presence of fibers in the perpendicular direction of 3D textiles reduces the delamination problem and also provides mechanical and thermal stability along all the three spatial axes. However, there is some compromise in the ultimate stress that can be handled compared to other fabrics [2]. Since the late l960s, various types of composite materials with 3D fiber structures have been developed to overcome the shortcomings of 2D laminates. The development of 3D textile-based composites has been started largely by the aerospace industries due to the increasing demands on fiber-reinforced polymer composites in different load-bearing components. These textiles hold a promising future, especially in the areas of high-performance composites for the automobile industry, housing, constructions, etc. [3]. Among these textile structures, nonwoven fabrics attracted as an effective reinforcement for certain applications due to the fiber orientation in all directions rather than in just a few directions. In addition, this nonwoven technology introduces through-thickness reinforcement
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.12.086 2214-7853/Ó 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Selection and of the scientific committee of the 10th International Conference of Materials Processing and Characterization.
Please cite this article as: P. K. Patnaik, P. T. R. Swain, S. K. Mishra et al., Recent developments on characterization of needle-punched nonwoven fabric reinforced polymer composites – A review, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.12.086
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P.K. Patnaik et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
without causing significant in-plane fiber damage. Nonwoven fabrics can be defined as sheet or web structures made by bonding and interlocking of fibers, yarns or filaments by mechanical, thermal, chemical or solvent means. Mechanical bonding holds the fiber assemblies in a combined structure, producing the desired strength and dimensional stability by means of fiber entanglement and friction. This process is normally carried out by means of needle-punching or hydro-entanglement (fibrous webs are bonded using high-pressure water jets). Needle-punching is a renowned nonwoven process (Fig. 1) of converting fibrous webs into selflocking or coherent structures using barbed needles. The needles pull the fibers from the surface of the web and reorient them in the downward direction leading to a complex 3D structure [2]. Needling also creates web shrinkage along the fiber direction and stretch at right angles to the fiber direction. Moreover, needling changes compactness or packing of fiber assembly. These nonwoven fibers are having ample advantages for using as reinforcement such as good z-directional strength which reduces delamination problems, significantly. In addition, the nonwoven fibers absorb resin easily because of the high void volume content of the fabric and thick parts can be produced in a cost-effective way. The compressibility nature of these fabrics also gains the advantage of giving different shapes easily [4]. Needle-punched fabrics can be made from either natural fibers (cotton, wool, sisal, jute, hemp, etc.) or synthetic fibers (polyester, polypropylene, viscose, nylon, etc.). Figs. 2 and 3 shows the image of viscose fabric-based needle-punched nonwoven fabric. Although a large number of review works have been done on the fiber reinforced polymer composites, however, the review on needle-punched nonwoven fabric reinforced polymer composites is limited. In this study, the behaviour of various needle-punched nonwoven fabric-based composites with respect of their mechanical, thermal and tribological properties has been presented.
Fig. 2. SEM image of a viscose fabric-based needle-punched non-woven fabric.
1.1. On mechanical, thermal and tribological properties of needle-punched nonwoven composites The potential of nonwoven fabric reinforced composites attracted some researchers to study their various properties. The reported works were presented the variation of properties with respect to variation in structural parameters of fabrics, fiber types, fiber dimensions and matrix material. Similarly, the reported papers emphasized on different properties of composites such as mechanical, thermal, physical, tribological, etc. In this context, Epstein and Shishoo [5] prepared polymer composites with nonwoven mats of different structures such as needlebonded, chemically bonded, and water-jet-bonded. The effect of fiber type, fiber dimensions, and fiber content on the matrix flow during impregnation was studied and reported that the polymer
Fig. 1. Needle-punching process.
Fig. 3. Picture of a viscose fabric-based needle-punched non-woven fabric.
flow distance is inversely proportional and the flow time is directly proportional to the fiber content and the weight of the reinforcement mat. Epstein and Shishoo [6] reported that the flow rate along the fiber direction is significantly higher than the flow rate crosswise to the fiber direction in case of nonwoven mats with fibers laid lengthwise. Nonwoven mats made of coarser fibers showed greater matrix polymer flow rate as compared with finer fibers. Epstein and Shishoo [7] studied the influence of fiber type, fiber-surface properties, and matrix type on the strength properties in elastomeric composites reinforced with nonwoven fabrics of PET, LLDPE, and p-aramid fiber. It is reported that the fiber volume fraction and the surface treatment have a strong influence on the performance of the composite. Acar and Harper [8] prepared the impregnating hydro-entangled fibrous structure with a suitable polymer and evaluated the composite properties through a number of tests, such as tensile strength and impact resistance. John and Anandjiwala [9] prepared composites with nonwoven flax and polypropylene on the basis of varying fiber content and studied their mechanical properties. Tensile strength and flexural strength were found to increase with the increase in fiber loading. Viscoelastic properties like storage modulus increased while damping properties were found to decrease with the incorporation of flax nonwovens.
Please cite this article as: P. K. Patnaik, P. T. R. Swain, S. K. Mishra et al., Recent developments on characterization of needle-punched nonwoven fabric reinforced polymer composites – A review, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.12.086
P.K. Patnaik et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
Sengupta et al. [10] evaluated the properties such as tensile strength and modulus, flexural strength and modulus and impact strength of needle-punched nonwoven jute fiber reinforced composites with respect to punch density, depth of needle penetration, fiber orientation and area density of the fabric (as shown in Fig. 4). Needle-punched nonwoven produced better composites than the woven fabric due to better wetting and higher interface. Nonwoven with 10 mm depth of needle penetration, 250 punches/cm2 punch density and 700 gsm area density produced composite with better properties. Kang and Lee [11] reported on the characterization of needle-punched nonwoven E-glass fiber based polyester composites at different punching densities, fiber orientation and fiber length using image analysis system. Similarly, Lee and Kang [12] investigated the mechanical behaviour of needle-punched webs of E-glass fiber with unsaturated polyester composites. The study reported that the tensile strength and mode-I interlaminar fracture toughness was increased with increase in punching densities due to the increased fiber entanglement. The flexural strength, impact strength, fatigue strength and wear properties were decreased with the punching density due to damage to fibers during the punching process which resulted in the reduction of fiber length. Dhakal et al. [13] studied the effect of water absorption on the mechanical properties of needle-punched nonwoven hemp fabric of 330 gsm reinforced unsaturated polyester composites. The study revealed that the moisture uptake increased with the increase in fiber volume fraction due to increased voids and cellulose content. Kumar and Siddaramaiah [14] fabricated a series of composites by impregnating the needled polyester nonwoven fabric of 400 gsm in polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) latex. The effect of different amounts of melamine-formaldehyde (MF) into PVAc on the physic-mechanical properties of the composites was studied. The composites have shown improved mechanical properties and increased chemical resistance compared to the unfilled composites.
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Elbadry et al. [15] used recycled needle-punched jute fiber mats with the unsaturated polyester matrix for fabricating composites and tested their mechanical properties. The study revealed that the tensile and bending properties were improved with the increase in fiber weight content. Kumar and Siddaramaiah [16] studied the physic-mechanical properties of polyester nonwoven fabric reinforced corn starch filled copolymer latex composites. Kumar and Siddaramaiah [17] prepared a series of composites by impregnating the needle-punched polyester fabric in polyaniline filled polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) latex. The effect of different amounts of polyaniline on the mechanical properties such as tensile strength, percentage elongation, hardness, and burst strength were studied. The study revealed that the electrical properties such as conductivity, dielectric constant, and dissipation factor of the composites increased with the increase in the polyaniline content. A number of articles also presented, the tribological behaviour of composites in different environments in coupled with design of experiment (DOE) along with the mechanical and thermal properties. Tejyan et al. [18] fabricated polypropylene based needlepunched nonwoven fabric (400 gsm) reinforced epoxy composites and evaluated their thermo-mechanical response and dry erosion performance. DOE approach-based Taguchi analysis was carried out to establish the interdependence of operating parameters and erosion rate. Impingement angle and impact velocity have been found to be the most significant factor of erosive wear. The composite with 30 wt% and 40 wt% of nonwoven materials have exhibited the highest and lowest erosion rates, respectively. The thermomechanical attributes have enhanced with the increase in nonwoven fiber mat content. Patnaik and Tejyan [19] fabricated laminated composites using hand lay-up technique with viscose fiber based needle-punched nonwoven fabric mat. The physical and thermomechanical performance of composite were studied with varying area density and weight percentages. The study also reported on the solid particle erosion wear behaviour using irregular shaped
Fig. 4. Effect of area density on composite properties.
Please cite this article as: P. K. Patnaik, P. T. R. Swain, S. K. Mishra et al., Recent developments on characterization of needle-punched nonwoven fabric reinforced polymer composites – A review, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.12.086
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P.K. Patnaik et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
silica sand particles of the size of 250, 350 and 450 mm with a varying stand-off distance (65 mm, 75 mm and 85 mm), impingement angle (30°, 60°, and 90°) and impact velocity (45 m/s, 54 m/s and 65 m/s). The results showed that the impact velocity, fiber content and impingement angle are the operative factors influencing the erosion rate of viscose fiber based needle-punched nonwoven reinforced composites [20]. Tejyan et al. [21] analyzed the thermomechanical behaviour of polyester fiber based needle-punched nonwoven fabric mat of 200 gsm reinforced epoxy composites with varying weight fraction (20 wt%, 30 wt% and 40 wt%). It was reported that the storage modulus decreased upon an increase in the temperature due to the increased segmental mobility as shown in Fig. 5. The glass transition temperature (Tg) of the composites is found to be shifted to lower temperature with addition of fabric mat and can be attributed to the presence of voids in composites. The damping properties of the composites were decreased by the addition of fabric mat. Tejyan and Patnaik [22] studied the physical and mechanical behaviour of polypropylene fiber based needlepunched nonwoven fabric mat having a mass per unit area of 600 gsm based composites. Mechanical and physical properties of composites were evaluated experimentally and the storage modulus, loss modulus and damping factor characteristics were analyzed with the help of dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA) in the temperature range of 20–200 °C. The mechanical properties are improved with the incorporation of fabric mat weight percentage in composites. The solid particle erosion wear behaviour also assessed using different silica sand particles. Taguchi analysis was also carried out on the basis of the DOE approach to establish the interdependence of operating parameters. Mishra and Biswas [23] introduced the needle-punch nonwoven jute fiber reinforced epoxy composites for the investigation of three-body abrasion wear behaviour. The wear resistance was increased with the addition of fiber as compared to neat epoxy. In steady state condition, it was observed that composites with 36 wt% fiber loading shows minimum specific wear rate. Sayeed and Rawal [24] prepared the jute/PP (polypropelene) nonwoven reinforced composites using compression molding technique by film stacking method. The study revealed that with the increase of the alkali treated jute fiber content in nonwoven composites had enhanced their tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural strength, and flexural modulus. On the other hand, the breaking elongation of jute/PP nonwoven composites was reduced with an increase in the jute content. It was also observed that the
effect of layering sequence has no significant effect on tensile strength and breaking elongation. Patnaik and Biswas [25] fabricated the polyester fibre-based needle-punched nonwoven fabric mat reinforced epoxy composites, with different area density (100 gsm, 200 gsm, 300 gsm, 400 gsm) and at constant fabric loading of 30 wt%. It was observed from the experimental results that 400 gsm reinforced composite showed the highest mechanical property values. The wear behaviour study under the slurry abrasion (ASTM G105) condition revealed that the specific wear rate increased with increase in sliding velocity and decreases gradually with increase in normal load. The 400 gsm fabric reinforced composite showed better wear resistance among all composites in steady state conditions due to its relatively high hardness and fibrous structure. Similarly, the authors had also prepared blast furnace slag particulate reinforced polyester fabric reinforced epoxy hybrid composites by varying the BFS content (0, 5, 10, 15 wt%) and 400 gsm fabric of 30 wt%. The mechanical and wear resistance performance of these hybrid composites was increased significantly [26]. In another work with viscose fabric and BFS, Patnaik et al. [27] reported that the properties were increased in comparison with the polyester fabric and BFS reinforced hybrid composites. Sharma et al. [28] analysed the effect of marble dust as filler on erosion behaviour of needle-punched nonwoven jute/epoxy composite which were fabricated in controlled condition using vacuum-assis ted-resin-transfer-molding (VARTM) technique. In another article Sharma et al. [29] characterized these hybrid composites and reported that marble dust up to 30 wt% increases the flexural strength, ILSS, and thermal conductivity, but decreases the tensile strength. These composite also utilized for studying the erosion wear behavior in slurry conditions and with the addition of marble dust the wear resistance enhanced significantly [30]. Patnaik and Nayak [31] investigated the needle-punched nonwoven jute fiber reinforced epoxy composites filled with alumina particulates with different weight percentage (0–15 wt%). The physical, mechanical and thermal tests were performed and the study revealed that with the addition of alumina particulates, hardness increased by 13.15%, tensile strength by 30%, flexural strength by 20%, and impact strength by 9.01%, respectively, whereas thermal conductivity gets decreased with the addition of alumina particulates. 2. Conclusion The introduction of needle-punched nonwoven fabrics as reinforcement has presented the composites community with some novel options in material selection. It is confirmed by different researchers that fiber sizes, fiber-types, needle-punched felt structures, filler addition, chemical treatment and needle punching parameters can influence the mechanical properties of the composites. The thermal and tribological behavior also greatly influenced by these parameters. The potential applications of needlepunched composites appear to be promising in the marine industry, civil aviation industry, civil infrastructure, land transportation industries and sport products. Needle-punched fabrics have been trialed with considerable success for engineering applications. For full acceptance of any material a strong database is required, but for these composites still more studies and analysis need to be performed. The prediction models and close correlation with the experimental results are required in the future studies. Declaration of Competing Interest
Fig. 5. Variation of Storage Modulus with temperature for PE200 gsm (polyester) composites [21].
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Please cite this article as: P. K. Patnaik, P. T. R. Swain, S. K. Mishra et al., Recent developments on characterization of needle-punched nonwoven fabric reinforced polymer composites – A review, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.12.086
P.K. Patnaik et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
References [1] J. Hu, 3-D Fibrous Assemblies: Properties, Applications and Modelling of ThreeDimensional Textile Structures, Elsevier, 2008. [2] A. Rawal, A. Majumdar, S. Anand, T. Shah, J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 112 (2009) 3575– 3581. [3] L. Tong, A.P. Mouritz, M. Bannister, 3D Fibre Reinforced Polymer Composites, Elsevier, 2002. [4] G.S. Bhat, Mater. Manuf. Process 10 (1995) 667–688. [5] M. Epstein, R. Shishoo, J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 45 (1992) 1693–1704. [6] M. Epstein, R. Shishoo, J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 51 (1994) 1629–1646. [7] M. Epstein, R. Shishoo, J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 57 (1995) 751–765. [8] M. Acar, J. Harper, Comput. Struct. 76 (2000) 105–114. [9] M.J. John, R.D. Anandjiwala, Compos. Part A Appl. Sci. Manuf. 40 (2009) 442–448. [10] S. Sengupta, S.N. Chattopadhyay, S. Samajpati, A. Day, Indian J. Fibre Text. Res. 33 (2008) 37–44. [11] T.J. Kang, S.H. Lee, J. Compos. Mater. 33 (1999) 2116–2132. [12] S.H. Lee, T.J. Kang, J. Compos. Mater. 34 (2000) 816–840. [13] H. Dhakal, Z. Zhang, M. Richardson, Compos. Sci. Technol. 67 (2007) 1674–1683. [14] M.S. Kumar, Siddaramaiah, J. Thermoplast. Compos. Mater. 20 (2007) 305–322.
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E.A. Elbadry, M.S. Aly-Hassan, H. Hamada, Adv. Mech. Eng. 4 (2012) 354547. M.S. Kumar, Siddaramaiah, J. Reinf. Plast. Comp. 24 (2005) 1985–1994. M.S. Kumar, Siddaramaiah, J. Reinf. Plast. Comp. 28 (2009) 2287–2295. S. Tejyan, A. Patnaik, A. Rawal, B.K. Satapathy, J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 123 (2012) 1698–1707. A. Patnaik, S. Tejyan, J. Ind. Text. 43 (2014) 440–457. A. Patnaik, S. Tejyan, J. Ind. Text. 43 (2014) 458–480. S. Tejyan, A. Patnaik, T. Singh, Int. J. Res. Mech. Eng. Technol. 3 (2013) 41–44. S. Tejyan, A. Patnaik, Polym. Compos. (2015). V. Mishra, S. Biswas, Int. Polym. Proc. 29 (2014) 356–363. M.M.A. Sayeed, A. Rawal, L. Onal, Y. Karaduman, Polym. Compos. 35 (2014) 1044–1050. P.K. Patnaik, S. Biswas, Int. J. Mater. Eng. Innov. 7 (2016) 200–218. P.K. Patnaik, S. Biswas, Adv. Polym. Technol. 37 (2018) 1764–1773. P.K. Patnaik, P.T.R. Swain, S. Biswas, Polym. Compos. 40 (2019) 2335–2345. A. Sharma, A. Purohit, R. Nagar, A. Patnaik, Effect of marble dust as filler on erosion behaviour of needle-punched-nonwoven jute/epoxy composite, Epoxy Composite (2018) (December 13, 2018). A. Sharma, A. Patnaik, JOM 70 (2018) 1284–1288. A. Sharma, V.R. Kiragi, M. Choudhary, S.K. Biswas, A. Patnaik, Mater. Res. Express 6 (2019) 105318. T.K. Patnaik, S.S. Nayak, Polym. Compos. 39 (2018) 1553–1561.
Please cite this article as: P. K. Patnaik, P. T. R. Swain, S. K. Mishra et al., Recent developments on characterization of needle-punched nonwoven fabric reinforced polymer composites – A review, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.12.086
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Materials Today: Proceedings journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/matpr
Recent developments on characterization of needle-punched nonwoven fabric reinforced polymer composites – A review Prabina Kumar Patnaik a, Priyadarshi Tapas Ranjan Swain b,⇑, Srimant Kumar Mishra a, Abhilash Purohit b, Sandhyarani Biswas c a b c
GIET University, Gunupur, Odisha 765022, India VSSUT, Burla, Odisha 768018, India NIT, Rourkela, Odisha 769008, India
a r t i c l e
i n f o
Article history: Received 18 November 2019 Accepted 11 December 2019 Available online xxxx Keywords: Needle-punched nonwoven fabrics Polymer composites Characterization Particulate filler Application
a b s t r a c t Needle-punched nonwoven fabrics are having ample advantages for using as reinforcement in polymer composites, such as good z-directional strength which reduces delamination problems significantly. In addition, the nonwoven fabrics absorb resin easily because of the high void volume content of the fabric and thick parts can be produced in a cost-effective way. The compressibility nature of these fabrics also gains the advantage of giving different shapes easily. Engineering application and research activity in the field of composite nonwovens is therefore expected to grow to a large extent. In this paper, current research in the composite manufacturing and characterization of needle-punched nonwoven fabricbased composites is reviewed introducing with an overview of various fabrics and scope. It then discusses the physical, mechanical, thermal and tribological behaviour of composites with different resins and with various weight percentages. This review also covers the hybridization of fabric-based composites with different particulate fillers and the simulation of composite structures with different techniques. Finally, the review states the future scope of needle-punched nonwoven based composite materials. Ó 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Selection and of the scientific committee of the 10th International Conference of Materials Processing and Characterization.
1. Introduction Generally, the reinforcing phase provides the strength and stiffness to the composites. In most of the cases, the reinforcement is harder, stronger, and stiffer than the matrix. The reinforcement is usually fiber or a particulate. Most of the fibers are manufactured in the forms of long and short fibers. These fibers are also reinforced by making different arrangements in two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) structures. These architectures are produced by means of textile processes such as woven, knitted, braided and non-woven [1]. The 2D fabrics are conventionally produced fabrics. If no fiber system penetrating the depth is present, then it is a 2D textile product. The fabrics which have inherently 3D structures in which the fibers are intertwined or intermeshed in the three directions i.e. lengthwise, crosswise and the thickness wise are called 3D fabrics. The application of 2D fabrics has been restricted by their low through-thickness properties, such as ⇑ Corresponding authors. Tel.: +919439000025. E-mail address: [email protected] (P.T.R. Swain).
stiffness and fatigue resistance in thick structures when subjected to different shear stresses. Most of the 2D textile structures retain the inherent weakness of laminated composites that are prone to delamination. The presence of fibers in the perpendicular direction of 3D textiles reduces the delamination problem and also provides mechanical and thermal stability along all the three spatial axes. However, there is some compromise in the ultimate stress that can be handled compared to other fabrics [2]. Since the late l960s, various types of composite materials with 3D fiber structures have been developed to overcome the shortcomings of 2D laminates. The development of 3D textile-based composites has been started largely by the aerospace industries due to the increasing demands on fiber-reinforced polymer composites in different load-bearing components. These textiles hold a promising future, especially in the areas of high-performance composites for the automobile industry, housing, constructions, etc. [3]. Among these textile structures, nonwoven fabrics attracted as an effective reinforcement for certain applications due to the fiber orientation in all directions rather than in just a few directions. In addition, this nonwoven technology introduces through-thickness reinforcement
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.12.086 2214-7853/Ó 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Selection and of the scientific committee of the 10th International Conference of Materials Processing and Characterization.
Please cite this article as: P. K. Patnaik, P. T. R. Swain, S. K. Mishra et al., Recent developments on characterization of needle-punched nonwoven fabric reinforced polymer composites – A review, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.12.086
2
P.K. Patnaik et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
without causing significant in-plane fiber damage. Nonwoven fabrics can be defined as sheet or web structures made by bonding and interlocking of fibers, yarns or filaments by mechanical, thermal, chemical or solvent means. Mechanical bonding holds the fiber assemblies in a combined structure, producing the desired strength and dimensional stability by means of fiber entanglement and friction. This process is normally carried out by means of needle-punching or hydro-entanglement (fibrous webs are bonded using high-pressure water jets). Needle-punching is a renowned nonwoven process (Fig. 1) of converting fibrous webs into selflocking or coherent structures using barbed needles. The needles pull the fibers from the surface of the web and reorient them in the downward direction leading to a complex 3D structure [2]. Needling also creates web shrinkage along the fiber direction and stretch at right angles to the fiber direction. Moreover, needling changes compactness or packing of fiber assembly. These nonwoven fibers are having ample advantages for using as reinforcement such as good z-directional strength which reduces delamination problems, significantly. In addition, the nonwoven fibers absorb resin easily because of the high void volume content of the fabric and thick parts can be produced in a cost-effective way. The compressibility nature of these fabrics also gains the advantage of giving different shapes easily [4]. Needle-punched fabrics can be made from either natural fibers (cotton, wool, sisal, jute, hemp, etc.) or synthetic fibers (polyester, polypropylene, viscose, nylon, etc.). Figs. 2 and 3 shows the image of viscose fabric-based needle-punched nonwoven fabric. Although a large number of review works have been done on the fiber reinforced polymer composites, however, the review on needle-punched nonwoven fabric reinforced polymer composites is limited. In this study, the behaviour of various needle-punched nonwoven fabric-based composites with respect of their mechanical, thermal and tribological properties has been presented.
Fig. 2. SEM image of a viscose fabric-based needle-punched non-woven fabric.
1.1. On mechanical, thermal and tribological properties of needle-punched nonwoven composites The potential of nonwoven fabric reinforced composites attracted some researchers to study their various properties. The reported works were presented the variation of properties with respect to variation in structural parameters of fabrics, fiber types, fiber dimensions and matrix material. Similarly, the reported papers emphasized on different properties of composites such as mechanical, thermal, physical, tribological, etc. In this context, Epstein and Shishoo [5] prepared polymer composites with nonwoven mats of different structures such as needlebonded, chemically bonded, and water-jet-bonded. The effect of fiber type, fiber dimensions, and fiber content on the matrix flow during impregnation was studied and reported that the polymer
Fig. 1. Needle-punching process.
Fig. 3. Picture of a viscose fabric-based needle-punched non-woven fabric.
flow distance is inversely proportional and the flow time is directly proportional to the fiber content and the weight of the reinforcement mat. Epstein and Shishoo [6] reported that the flow rate along the fiber direction is significantly higher than the flow rate crosswise to the fiber direction in case of nonwoven mats with fibers laid lengthwise. Nonwoven mats made of coarser fibers showed greater matrix polymer flow rate as compared with finer fibers. Epstein and Shishoo [7] studied the influence of fiber type, fiber-surface properties, and matrix type on the strength properties in elastomeric composites reinforced with nonwoven fabrics of PET, LLDPE, and p-aramid fiber. It is reported that the fiber volume fraction and the surface treatment have a strong influence on the performance of the composite. Acar and Harper [8] prepared the impregnating hydro-entangled fibrous structure with a suitable polymer and evaluated the composite properties through a number of tests, such as tensile strength and impact resistance. John and Anandjiwala [9] prepared composites with nonwoven flax and polypropylene on the basis of varying fiber content and studied their mechanical properties. Tensile strength and flexural strength were found to increase with the increase in fiber loading. Viscoelastic properties like storage modulus increased while damping properties were found to decrease with the incorporation of flax nonwovens.
Please cite this article as: P. K. Patnaik, P. T. R. Swain, S. K. Mishra et al., Recent developments on characterization of needle-punched nonwoven fabric reinforced polymer composites – A review, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.12.086
P.K. Patnaik et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
Sengupta et al. [10] evaluated the properties such as tensile strength and modulus, flexural strength and modulus and impact strength of needle-punched nonwoven jute fiber reinforced composites with respect to punch density, depth of needle penetration, fiber orientation and area density of the fabric (as shown in Fig. 4). Needle-punched nonwoven produced better composites than the woven fabric due to better wetting and higher interface. Nonwoven with 10 mm depth of needle penetration, 250 punches/cm2 punch density and 700 gsm area density produced composite with better properties. Kang and Lee [11] reported on the characterization of needle-punched nonwoven E-glass fiber based polyester composites at different punching densities, fiber orientation and fiber length using image analysis system. Similarly, Lee and Kang [12] investigated the mechanical behaviour of needle-punched webs of E-glass fiber with unsaturated polyester composites. The study reported that the tensile strength and mode-I interlaminar fracture toughness was increased with increase in punching densities due to the increased fiber entanglement. The flexural strength, impact strength, fatigue strength and wear properties were decreased with the punching density due to damage to fibers during the punching process which resulted in the reduction of fiber length. Dhakal et al. [13] studied the effect of water absorption on the mechanical properties of needle-punched nonwoven hemp fabric of 330 gsm reinforced unsaturated polyester composites. The study revealed that the moisture uptake increased with the increase in fiber volume fraction due to increased voids and cellulose content. Kumar and Siddaramaiah [14] fabricated a series of composites by impregnating the needled polyester nonwoven fabric of 400 gsm in polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) latex. The effect of different amounts of melamine-formaldehyde (MF) into PVAc on the physic-mechanical properties of the composites was studied. The composites have shown improved mechanical properties and increased chemical resistance compared to the unfilled composites.
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Elbadry et al. [15] used recycled needle-punched jute fiber mats with the unsaturated polyester matrix for fabricating composites and tested their mechanical properties. The study revealed that the tensile and bending properties were improved with the increase in fiber weight content. Kumar and Siddaramaiah [16] studied the physic-mechanical properties of polyester nonwoven fabric reinforced corn starch filled copolymer latex composites. Kumar and Siddaramaiah [17] prepared a series of composites by impregnating the needle-punched polyester fabric in polyaniline filled polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) latex. The effect of different amounts of polyaniline on the mechanical properties such as tensile strength, percentage elongation, hardness, and burst strength were studied. The study revealed that the electrical properties such as conductivity, dielectric constant, and dissipation factor of the composites increased with the increase in the polyaniline content. A number of articles also presented, the tribological behaviour of composites in different environments in coupled with design of experiment (DOE) along with the mechanical and thermal properties. Tejyan et al. [18] fabricated polypropylene based needlepunched nonwoven fabric (400 gsm) reinforced epoxy composites and evaluated their thermo-mechanical response and dry erosion performance. DOE approach-based Taguchi analysis was carried out to establish the interdependence of operating parameters and erosion rate. Impingement angle and impact velocity have been found to be the most significant factor of erosive wear. The composite with 30 wt% and 40 wt% of nonwoven materials have exhibited the highest and lowest erosion rates, respectively. The thermomechanical attributes have enhanced with the increase in nonwoven fiber mat content. Patnaik and Tejyan [19] fabricated laminated composites using hand lay-up technique with viscose fiber based needle-punched nonwoven fabric mat. The physical and thermomechanical performance of composite were studied with varying area density and weight percentages. The study also reported on the solid particle erosion wear behaviour using irregular shaped
Fig. 4. Effect of area density on composite properties.
Please cite this article as: P. K. Patnaik, P. T. R. Swain, S. K. Mishra et al., Recent developments on characterization of needle-punched nonwoven fabric reinforced polymer composites – A review, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.12.086
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P.K. Patnaik et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
silica sand particles of the size of 250, 350 and 450 mm with a varying stand-off distance (65 mm, 75 mm and 85 mm), impingement angle (30°, 60°, and 90°) and impact velocity (45 m/s, 54 m/s and 65 m/s). The results showed that the impact velocity, fiber content and impingement angle are the operative factors influencing the erosion rate of viscose fiber based needle-punched nonwoven reinforced composites [20]. Tejyan et al. [21] analyzed the thermomechanical behaviour of polyester fiber based needle-punched nonwoven fabric mat of 200 gsm reinforced epoxy composites with varying weight fraction (20 wt%, 30 wt% and 40 wt%). It was reported that the storage modulus decreased upon an increase in the temperature due to the increased segmental mobility as shown in Fig. 5. The glass transition temperature (Tg) of the composites is found to be shifted to lower temperature with addition of fabric mat and can be attributed to the presence of voids in composites. The damping properties of the composites were decreased by the addition of fabric mat. Tejyan and Patnaik [22] studied the physical and mechanical behaviour of polypropylene fiber based needlepunched nonwoven fabric mat having a mass per unit area of 600 gsm based composites. Mechanical and physical properties of composites were evaluated experimentally and the storage modulus, loss modulus and damping factor characteristics were analyzed with the help of dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA) in the temperature range of 20–200 °C. The mechanical properties are improved with the incorporation of fabric mat weight percentage in composites. The solid particle erosion wear behaviour also assessed using different silica sand particles. Taguchi analysis was also carried out on the basis of the DOE approach to establish the interdependence of operating parameters. Mishra and Biswas [23] introduced the needle-punch nonwoven jute fiber reinforced epoxy composites for the investigation of three-body abrasion wear behaviour. The wear resistance was increased with the addition of fiber as compared to neat epoxy. In steady state condition, it was observed that composites with 36 wt% fiber loading shows minimum specific wear rate. Sayeed and Rawal [24] prepared the jute/PP (polypropelene) nonwoven reinforced composites using compression molding technique by film stacking method. The study revealed that with the increase of the alkali treated jute fiber content in nonwoven composites had enhanced their tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural strength, and flexural modulus. On the other hand, the breaking elongation of jute/PP nonwoven composites was reduced with an increase in the jute content. It was also observed that the
effect of layering sequence has no significant effect on tensile strength and breaking elongation. Patnaik and Biswas [25] fabricated the polyester fibre-based needle-punched nonwoven fabric mat reinforced epoxy composites, with different area density (100 gsm, 200 gsm, 300 gsm, 400 gsm) and at constant fabric loading of 30 wt%. It was observed from the experimental results that 400 gsm reinforced composite showed the highest mechanical property values. The wear behaviour study under the slurry abrasion (ASTM G105) condition revealed that the specific wear rate increased with increase in sliding velocity and decreases gradually with increase in normal load. The 400 gsm fabric reinforced composite showed better wear resistance among all composites in steady state conditions due to its relatively high hardness and fibrous structure. Similarly, the authors had also prepared blast furnace slag particulate reinforced polyester fabric reinforced epoxy hybrid composites by varying the BFS content (0, 5, 10, 15 wt%) and 400 gsm fabric of 30 wt%. The mechanical and wear resistance performance of these hybrid composites was increased significantly [26]. In another work with viscose fabric and BFS, Patnaik et al. [27] reported that the properties were increased in comparison with the polyester fabric and BFS reinforced hybrid composites. Sharma et al. [28] analysed the effect of marble dust as filler on erosion behaviour of needle-punched nonwoven jute/epoxy composite which were fabricated in controlled condition using vacuum-assis ted-resin-transfer-molding (VARTM) technique. In another article Sharma et al. [29] characterized these hybrid composites and reported that marble dust up to 30 wt% increases the flexural strength, ILSS, and thermal conductivity, but decreases the tensile strength. These composite also utilized for studying the erosion wear behavior in slurry conditions and with the addition of marble dust the wear resistance enhanced significantly [30]. Patnaik and Nayak [31] investigated the needle-punched nonwoven jute fiber reinforced epoxy composites filled with alumina particulates with different weight percentage (0–15 wt%). The physical, mechanical and thermal tests were performed and the study revealed that with the addition of alumina particulates, hardness increased by 13.15%, tensile strength by 30%, flexural strength by 20%, and impact strength by 9.01%, respectively, whereas thermal conductivity gets decreased with the addition of alumina particulates. 2. Conclusion The introduction of needle-punched nonwoven fabrics as reinforcement has presented the composites community with some novel options in material selection. It is confirmed by different researchers that fiber sizes, fiber-types, needle-punched felt structures, filler addition, chemical treatment and needle punching parameters can influence the mechanical properties of the composites. The thermal and tribological behavior also greatly influenced by these parameters. The potential applications of needlepunched composites appear to be promising in the marine industry, civil aviation industry, civil infrastructure, land transportation industries and sport products. Needle-punched fabrics have been trialed with considerable success for engineering applications. For full acceptance of any material a strong database is required, but for these composites still more studies and analysis need to be performed. The prediction models and close correlation with the experimental results are required in the future studies. Declaration of Competing Interest
Fig. 5. Variation of Storage Modulus with temperature for PE200 gsm (polyester) composites [21].
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Please cite this article as: P. K. Patnaik, P. T. R. Swain, S. K. Mishra et al., Recent developments on characterization of needle-punched nonwoven fabric reinforced polymer composites – A review, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.12.086
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Please cite this article as: P. K. Patnaik, P. T. R. Swain, S. K. Mishra et al., Recent developments on characterization of needle-punched nonwoven fabric reinforced polymer composites – A review, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.12.086