SPECALITY TEXTILES

HYBRID YARN STRUCTURE – COMPOSITE

PROPERTY
RELATIONS

K GOKUL RAJ
19MT02
INTRODUCTION
The distribution of reinforcing and matrix
forming fibers across the yarn cross section of
hybrid yarns decides the extent of impregnation
during consolidation.
Properties influenced by above are,

1. Void content
2. Fiber matrix distribution

 The orientation and distribution of reinforcing

fibers along the yarn axis decides the modulus
and other mechanical properties.
Voids and their distribution
voids have a big role to play, the consolidation
quality has been evaluated by means of void content.
An experiment, Klinkmuller et al. , found in GF/PP
laminates, that an increase in pressure from
atmospheric level to 0.375 Mpa gave a large
reduction in the void content. However, further
increase in pressure or holding time did not reduce
the number of voids in the laminate.
A temperature increase of up to 175°C resulted in a
large void reduction, whereas further increase did not
have major influence on the void content.
Ramasamy et al. examined voids in laminates made from
braided preforms of powder-coated and commingled tows
of carbon fiber/nylon 6.
Voids in the yarn had a size of about 12–20 μm, while
voids between the yarns were in the order of 80–120 μm.
At 260°C, the void content for the powder-coated
laminates varied from 0.8–5.4% whereas for the
commingled laminates it varied from 2.8–5.3%.
This suggested that the resin placement with respect to the
carbon fibers was well dispersed in the powder-coated
tows compared with the commingled tows.
Analysis of variance (ANOVA) carried out on the void
content data, revealed that the main effects of
consolidation temperature and pressure were significant at
99% confidence level whereas consolidation time had an
insignificant effect on void content
Fiber distribution
Homogeneity of fiber distribution within
the matrix is strongly dependent on the
hybrid yarn structure
In the family of hybrid yarns manufactured by
various techniques, the SCH (Schappe technique
yarn) and COM (commingled hybrid
yarns)composites show the best degree of mixing of
reinforcing and matrix fibers.
The degree of mixing of reinforcing and matrix fibers
in hybrid yarns has a considerable bearing on the
consolidation quality of the composite and the
reinforcing fiber distribution in the composite.
Impregnation of the reinforcing fibers with matrix
material is determined mainly by the average flow
distance of the polymer, a parameter which is
difficult to express quantitatively but which depends
on the degree of mixing.
Another parameter is the possibility of
fiber flow, i.e. the fibers themselves can
move together with the matrix.
In the compression molding of a flat
plate, this movement is negligible for
continuous yarns, which can be
considered to be fixed. Schappe yarn
consists of discontinuous fibers and thus
such movements are possible.
Mechanical properties
High strength-to-weight ratio.
In fiber-reinforced composites, the
reinforcing fibers are the main load-
bearing components in the composite
system.
Hence, it is very much dependent on the
orientation, distribution and form of the
reinforcing fibers in the composite.
Tensile properties
comparative study conducted by Li et al. on
compression-molded unidirectional composites
made by UY1 (side-by-side laying of glass fibers
and polypropylene) and UY2 (side-by-side laying
of bulked glass fibers and polypropylene) vis-à-
vis AJCY (air jet commingled yarn).
The transverse bending properties of UY1
composites, especially the bending strength, were
lowest. It is because of poor mixing of
glass/polypropylene filaments and also due to the
bulkiness of glass rovings.
Therefore, when the polypropylene filaments are melted
into the matrix, the impregnating property of UY1 is
inferior to those of the UY2 and AJCY composites.
The bending properties of UY2 composites are superior
to those of UY1 composites because of the appropriate
bulkiness of glass fiber rovings.
Owing to the better mixing of glass
fibers/polypropylene filaments in AJCY, the bending
properties of these composites are highest. With the
increase in bulkiness of glass fiber rovings, the velocity
of the matrix impregnating fibers increases, resulting in
good cohesion between fiber and matrix.
So, the bending strength and bending modulus of
composites made from commingled yarns increase with
increase in the bulkiness o glass fiber rovings.
Transverse strength and transverse modulus
depend strongly on the composite
microstructure, especially on the
homogeneity of the distribution of reinforcing
fibers, and on their directionality and
impregnation quality.
Longitudinal tensile modulus being
dependent on wettability and quality of the
fiber–matrix adhesion. The SCH and COM
yarn structures result in composites with the
highest values for transverse strength and
modulus.
Impact properties
The impact response of the fiber-reinforced composite is dependent upon its
constituents, i.e. fiber, matrix, and interphase responsible for assuring the
bond between matrix and fiber.
It has been reported that the energy required for fracture of thermoplastic
composites is greater than that required for thermoset composites
Unidirectional composites having all their fibers aligned in one direction fail
by splitting at very low energies and are therefore highly unsuitable for
applications where impact loading might occur . Composites having +/–45°
surface plies offer superior impact resistance and improved residual
strength. It has been suggested that ±45° plies increase the flexibility of the
composite, thereby improving its ability to absorb energy elasticity.
Stavonevic et al. have found that (±45°) composites are capable of
absorbing considerably more energy than (0°, 90°), (0°, ±45°) and (0°, 90°,
±45°) laminates.
Fatigue and inter-laminar fracture
Inter-laminar shear strength, depend on the level of
blending of reinforcing fibers and thermoplastic
fibers in the source material used for production of
the composites.
It was found by Ferreira et al. that the fatigue
strength is strongly influenced by the layer design.
An analysis done by them showed that the fatigue
strength of 0° laminates (where the fiber direction
is always the same as the load) is much higher (1.5
to 1.8 times) than the other laminates. This effect
is related to the change of failure mechanism.
In +45°/0°/–45° and +30°/–30°/0° laminates, the
predominant fatigue mechanism is debonding between
the fibers and matrix caused by normal stresses.
The fatigue strength obtained in +30°/–30°/0° laminates
is 10 to 15% lower than in +45°/0°/–45° laminates,
which is a consequence of the higher normal stress
component in the fibers with a 30° inclination.
The failure is observed in inclined planes along the fiber
direction. In 0° laminates, the normal stress is
predominantly absorbed by longitudinal fibers and the
failure is in transverse planes.
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