International Journal of Metallurgical &

Materials Science and Engineering (IJMMSE)

ISSN 2278-2516
Vol.2, Issue 3 Sep 2012 42-52
© TJPRC Pvt. Ltd.,

THERMOPLASTIC POLYURETHANE - GLASS FIBRE MAT REINFORCED

COMPOSITE: EFFECT OF ALTERNATIVE MULTILAYER SANDWICH
MODEL ON MECHANICAL PROPERTIES

NARESH KR SHARMA
CRDT, Indian Institute of Technology, IIT Delhi, INDIA

ABSTRACT

The paper presents the structural and environmentally sustainable aspects of glass fibre
polyurethane composite as a valid construction material. Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) - glass fibre
(GF) composites had been fabricated by using compression moulding machine. This technique was used
with a specific alternative multilayer sandwich model. The multilayer sandwich model enhanced the
Tensile, Modulus and Impact properties of TPU-GF composite. The key to obtain significant properties
enhancement is to be attributed to the additional interaction site between the polymer matrix and
reinforcing agents. Use of polymer-fibre alternative layer sandwich model gives advantages of high
aspect ratio, interacted surface area and higher stiffness with better strength. The properties of the
composites were believed to be predominantly influenced by the type of processing conditions and
technique used. Glass fibre reinforced composites show a regular trend of increase in properties with
fibre loading. Mechanical properties of fabricated composites were determined by using tensile, flexural
and impact testing while surface investigated through the use of SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope)
describing fiber orientation are also reported.

KEYWORDS: Composites; Glass fibers; Multilayer model; Polyurethane (TPU), Green Building
Material.

INTRODUCTION

The present energy crisis provoked by indiscriminate industrial growth has caused increasing
concerns about managing the energy resources still available and about environmental degradation. At
present time, glass fibre reinforced polyurethane has been used in various applications, mainly,
construction of low energy consuming green buildings. Glass fibers are useful because of their higher
surface area to weight ratio. Glass-fibre-reinforced composites have seen limited use in the building and
construction industry for decades [1-3]. Because of the need to repair and retrofit rapidly deteriorating
infrastructure in recent years, the potential for using fibre-reinforced composites for a wider range of
applications is now being realized [4,5]. Polyurethane is a leading contender for several light weight
engineering applications. Much of the recent efforts have been done for the development of some
suitable commercial processes such as Reaction Injection Moulding (RIM) and Reinforced Injection
Moulding (RRIM) in making many structural materials [6]. Polyurethanes possess many advantages like
43 Thermoplastic Polyurethane - Glass Fibre Mat Reinforced Composite:
Effect of Alternative Multilayer Sandwich Model on Mechanical Properties

low viscosity, excellent bonding with the matrix material without special sizing of the fibers, relatively
low price and fast reaction time. The polyurethanes are an important and very versatile class of polymer
materials with desirable properties, such as, high abrasion resistance, tear strength, excellent shock
absorption, flexibility and elasticity [7-9]. Besides these, polyurethane is a flexible, elastic polymer with
low mechanical strength [9].

GF is one of the most utilised industrial materials. Many studies have been carried out on the
utilization of GF as reinforcing filler. In general, utilization of glass fibre in composites has been
attributed to several advantages such as lower density, greater deformability, and lesser abrasiveness to
equipment, higher stability and comparatively low cost [10-11]. Reaction Injection Moulding (RIM) is
most popular technique for preparing composites based on polyurethane and glass fibre. In our recent
studies, we have investigated that compression moulding is easier and cheaper way to prepare a
composite, in place of Reaction Injection Moulding (RIM).

However, in producing a good composite, the main obstacle is to resolve the compatibility
between the fibers and polyurethane matrix. The properties of the TPU-GF composites are dominated by
the interfacial interaction between the glass fibers and the polymer matrix [12-14]. Composites formed
by layer model technique have potentially superior mechanical properties as compared to the
conventional composites produced by the use of injection moulding. The major technological advantages
of these materials are low weight, high specific strength and stiffness, environmental resistance and long
life. Compared to metals, composite parts can be easily made with a relatively low tooling cost.
Numerous studies have been shown that the addition of glass fibres can lead to a significant enhancement
in many properties, such as stiffness and strength [15-18]. Several mechanisms act together and
contribute to the fibre composites toughness, although one particular mechanism can be dominant [19-
21]. The aim of this study is to fabricate glass fibre mat followed by compression moulding for a dual
purpose in the production of TPU composite, i.e. to study the mechanical properties as well as effect of
processing. Interestingly, investigated also, the effect of glass fibre loading, with alternative multilayer
model and for this purpose compression moulding was used in this system.

EXPERIMENTAL WORK

Materials

The glass fibre mat (GF) was supplied by Niharika enterprises, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) Grade:LPR5725EG was purchased from C.O.I.M. LARIPUR®
Company, India.

Preparation of GF mat-TPU composite

The amount of glass fibers used depends on the number of layers used in polymer fiber layer
model. GF mat of 0, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30 and 36 percentage (based on the overall weight of the composite)
was used in the study. The dimension of the square mat was approximately 24×18×0.32 cm. The
polymer layer was evenly spread on the fibers mat before being placed in a mould with dimensions of
Naresh Kr Sharma 44

24×18×0.32 cm. The mat was then pressed in a Carver Laboratory Press at 240 °C and 7000 lb pressure.
The sheet were compressed on compression moulding machine at a temperature and load of 240°C and 5
Ton respectively.

Table.1 Processing Condition of Compression Moulding

Processing condition of compression moulding

Temperature 240°C

Pressure 7000 psi

Breathing time 1 min

Compression time 10 min

Multilayer Sandwich Model

In this model, we had used thin sheets of polyurethane as an alternative layer in compress
moulding, which is shown in Fig.1. In between the polyurethane sheets, we used glass fibre mat as
reinforcing filler, because it acts as multilayer sandwich technique for our system. This sandwich model
enhanced the homogenization distribution of glass fibres in polyurethane base matrix. TPU sheets and
fibre mats were stacked and compressed in compression moulding. The mechanical enhancement in
stiffness and strength of polyurethane composites may be due to this multilayer sandwich model. To
achieve a uniform strength in all directions developed a BFRP composite with multidirectional
orientation of the fibers. Glass fiber has maximum strength along the fibers and minimum strength across
the fibers. We used multilayer processing for uniform distribution.

Fig.1 Alternative Multilayer Sandwichmodel Technique

Mechanical Testing
45 Thermoplastic Polyurethane - Glass Fibre Mat Reinforced Composite:
Effect of Alternative Multilayer Sandwich Model on Mechanical Properties

The composite sheet so produced, was cut into flexural, tensile, and impact tests samples.
Tensile testing was done in accordance with ASTM D638, using the same machine and crosshead speed
on samples with dimensions of 3.2×12.7×165 mm at 50 mm/min.

Flexural testing was conducted according to ASTM D790. The three point bending test was
carried out at 50 mm/min crosshead speed on samples with 12.7×3.2×125 mm dimensions.

The samples with dimensions of 12.7×3.2×58 mm were used for Charpy Impact Tests in
accordance with ASTM D256. The impact tests were conducted using an Impact Pendulum Tester. In
each case, minimum ten samples were tested.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

The following results show the effect of alternative multilayer sandwich processing model on
properties and morphology of TPU-GF composites.

Fig: 2 Tensile Strength Vs Glass Fiber Loading

From the fig.2, it is being cleared that as percentage of glass fibre increases, the tensile strength
of composites increases, up to an optimum amount of glass fibre. This indicates that the mat formed from
GF can dissipate the stress which is transferred from the TPU matrix. The possibility of interaction
between the fiber and the matrix would play important role in the mechanical strength of composite.
Tensile testing was done at ambient temperature of 30± 2°C on dumb-bell shaped cutted specimen
according to the ASTM D-638. The gauge length used was 60 mm and the cross-head speed was 50
mm/min. From the fig. 2, it is being cleared that as the glass fiber content increased, firstly tensile
modulus raises slowly and then rapidly increased, where as tensile strength gradually increased. This
may be due to the high interfacial adhesion between the polymer matrix and GF, which promotes
strength in the composite. Tensile modulus of TPU-GF36 increased 428% as compared to Polyurethane
Naresh Kr Sharma 46

without Glass fibers.

Fig.3 Tensile Modulus Vs Glass Fiber Loading

Fig. 3 show the effect of the percentage of GF on the tensile modulus of the TPU-GF composites and

indicate that the glass fibers which are used in the form of mat will contribute in the stiffness of the

composite. The mechanical properties of a composite material primarily depend on the strength and

modulus of the fibres, strength and the chemical stability of the matrix and the effectiveness of the

bonding between matrix and fibres in transferring stress across the interface and it also depends upon the

fibre volume fraction [13-15].

Fig.4 Elongation at Break Vs Glass Fiber Loading

Fig. 4 shows the results of elongation at break with glass fibre loading. The samples of high
modulus display lower elongation at break. The samples produced by bunch of glass fibre mat would
have more flexibility and elongation at break than those formed by alternative layer model. Composites
47 Thermoplastic Polyurethane - Glass Fibre Mat Reinforced Composite:
Effect of Alternative Multilayer Sandwich Model on Mechanical Properties

formed by layer model need more energy to produce failure as compared to the bunch of glass fibre used.
This indicates that the stress transfer in the multilayer composites is more efficient than the other one.
This may be due to the ability of the glass fibre to dissipate stress evenly in the composite. The presence
of additional cross point and proper distribution of glass fibre may serve as an effective bridge in
transferring the stress from the matrix efficiently.

Fig. 5 Flexural strength Vs glass fiber

Fig. 5 shows the same trend for flexural strength as for tensile strength. As already mentioned in
the case of tensile strength, flexural strength is also increased due to the mutual compatibility between
the fiber and matrix. Flexural tests were done using a three point loading system utilizing centre point
loading on a simply supported rectangular bar of 3.9 × 12.9 mm2 cross-section at room temperature
according to ASTM D-790. The distance between the support span was 70 mm and the load was applied
at the centre of the sample at the rate of 50 mm/min. The values reported are average values of at least
five samples.

Fig. 6 Flexural Modulus Vs Glass Fiber

Naresh Kr Sharma 48

Flexural testing result reveals that as the GF content increased, modulus increased first slowly and then
rapidly increased as shown in fig. 6. The flexural strength gradually increased with increasing amount of
GF in composites. This may be due to the high interfacial adhesion between the polymer matrix and GF,
which promotes strength in the composite. Flexural modulus increase 1698% as compared to
Polyurethane without Glass fibers.

Fig. 7 Impact Strength Vs Glass Fiber Loading

The Impact strength test result (Unit J/m) reflects that as the GF content increased, impact
strength continuously increase [16] as shown in fig. 7. This means that more composite is required to
break; this is due to the high strength and brittleness of composite than pure PU. It is due to the high
interfacial adhesion between the polymer matrix and GF. It is demonstrated by present study that tensile
strength, flexural modulus and impact strength could be improved by inclusion of glass fiber. The surface
adhesion between the fibre and the polymer matrix plays an important role in dissipate of the stress from
matrix to reinforcement and contributes to better performance of composites. For structural applications,
good interfacial adhesion between fibres and matrix is required to achieve high strength and good
dimensional stability of composites. Because of this, the interfacial adhesion between fibre and matrix is
a key factor that determines the interlaminar shear strength of the fibre reinforced polymer matrix
composites [17, 18]. Impact test was done using a pendulum hammer type Ceast Impactometer following
ASTM D-256 standard. A notch of 2.5 mm depth with an angle 45° was made on the impact specimens
before testing. The impact strength is expressed in J/m by dividing the impact energy value by width of
specimen. All measurement was done at room temperature (30±2°C). The values reported are average
values of at least five samples.

MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION

Scanning Electron Microscope Carl Ziess EVO 50 machine was used for the morphological
characterization. Cryofractured samples were analyzed by SEM after coating with gold. SEM images of
glass-fibre composites, shown in Fig. 8 illustrate that there is a good adhesion between glass-fibres and
matrix. It is to be pointed out from the figures that when the glass-fibre bundles are stacked on each
49 Thermoplastic Polyurethane - Glass Fibre Mat Reinforced Composite:
Effect of Alternative Multilayer Sandwich Model on Mechanical Properties

other, the spaces are likely to be made at the crossover points because of their rigidity. When multilayer
compression moulding process was used, the dispersion of glass fibres in the matrix was homogeneously
distributed and the interaction between glass fibres and matrix was strong, which corresponds to the
improved tensile strength. SEM images of glass fibre reinforced TPU composites at magnification
1000X (fig.8, C and D) reveal that glass fiber is in longitudinal direction in TPU composites.

Fig: 8 (A) & (B) SEM Images of TPU Sheet and (C) & (D) SEM Images of Glass Fibre Reinforced
TPU Composites at Magnification 1000X.
CONCLUSIONS

The structural elements developed and studied could be used in many building structure
elements. The structural characteristics of glass fiber polyurethane composite together with its excellent
environmental attributes highlight the potential of polyurethane composite as a construction material.
The results show that composites with alternative multilayer model have higher modulus than those
Naresh Kr Sharma 50

without multilayer model. This indicates that the multilayer model has resulted in the increased polymer
fibre interaction site.

Flexural testing results showed that as the glass fibre content increased, modulus increased first
slowly and then rapidly increased as compared to polyurethane without Glass fibres. As the glass fibre
content increased, impact strength continuously increases. Built multilayer sandwich panels provide
thermal insulation and can fulfil main structural functions. They are very well suitable for wall and roof
construction. Multilayer sandwich model structure is used in order to improve the effective utilization of
materials and reduce the structural element weight.

The understanding of sustainability in building construction materials has also undergone

changes over the years. First attention was given to the issue of limited resources, especially energy, and
how to reduce the impact on the natural environment. Now, emphasis is placed on more technical issues
such as materials, building components, construction technologies and energy related design concepts as
well on non-technical issues such as economic and social sustainability. New building structural
components were developed using glass fibre as reinforcement of polyurethane columns, slabs and
permanent shutter forms in concrete slabs and columns.

Overall, it can be concluded that alternative multilayer glass-fibre mat reinforcing approach and
sandwich model is a modern approach for enhancing properties and durability of fibre reinforced
polymer composites.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The author is acknowledge to CSIR for giving him junior research fellowship and very thankful
to Dr Josemon Jacob for his kind advice during this research work.

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