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Polymers
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Mechanical Performance and Modelling of Polymeric Materials
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Mechanical Performance and Modelling of Polymeric Materials

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Physics and Theory".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2022) | Viewed by 30697

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Sofiane Guessasma

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Research unit Biopolymers, French Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), 44300 Nantes, France
Interests: additive manufacturing; mechanical performance of polymers; mechanical modelling; image analysis; topology optimization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to provide the current landscape of the research on mechanical performance and modelling of polymeric materials. The topics of interest include the following aspects:

  • mechanical performance of polymeric materials and polymer-based composites
  • computational modelling and simulation for polymeric materials and polymer-based composites
  • advanced multiscale computational techniques and their applications
  • bio-inspired mathematical models
  • optimization of the mechanical properties
  • structures generation
  • structure-properties relationship

The goal of this Special Issue is to bring together researchers, share ideas, and provide a platform to showcase recent research advances.

Dr. Sofiane Guessasma
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Mechanical performance
  • Mechanical modelling
  • Topology optimization
  • structure-properties relationship

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 3843 KiB  
Article
Surface Response Analysis for the Optimization of Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Polypropylene Composite Drawn Fibers with Talc and Carbon Nanotubes
by Konstantinos Leontiadis, Costas Tsioptsias, Stavros Messaritakis, Aikaterini Terzaki, Panagiotis Xidas, Kyriakos Mystikos, Evangelos Tzimpilis and Ioannis Tsivintzelis
Polymers 2022, 14(7), 1329; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym14071329 - 25 Mar 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1525
Abstract
A large portion of the produced Polypropylene (PP) is used in the form of fibers. In this industrially oriented study, the development of composite PP drawn fibers was investigated. Two types of fillers were used (ultra-fine talc and single-wall carbon nanotubes). Optimization of [...] Read more.
A large portion of the produced Polypropylene (PP) is used in the form of fibers. In this industrially oriented study, the development of composite PP drawn fibers was investigated. Two types of fillers were used (ultra-fine talc and single-wall carbon nanotubes). Optimization of the thermal and mechanical properties of the produced composite drawn fibers was performed, based on the Box-Behnken design of experiments method (surface response analysis). The effect of additives, other than the filler, but typical in industrial applications, such as an antioxidant and a common compatibilizer, was investigated. The drawing ratio, the filler, and the compatibilizer or the antioxidant content were selected as design variables, whereas the tensile strength and the onset decomposition temperature were set as response variables. Fibers with very high tensile strength (up to 806 MPa) were obtained. The results revealed that the maximization of both the tensile strength and the thermal stability was not feasible for composites with talc due to multiple interactions among the used additives (antioxidant, compatibilizer, and filler). Additionally, it was found that the addition of talc in the studied particle size improved the mechanical strength of fibers only if low drawing ratios were used. On the other hand, the optimization targeting maximization of both tensile strength and thermal stability was feasible in the case of SWCNT composite fibers. It was found that the addition of carbon nanotubes improved the tensile strength; however, such improvement was rather small compared with the tremendous increase of tensile strength due to drawing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Performance and Modelling of Polymeric Materials)
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23 pages, 377 KiB  
Article
Solvability of the Non-Linearly Viscous Polymer Solutions Motion Model
by Andrey Zvyagin
Polymers 2022, 14(6), 1264; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym14061264 - 21 Mar 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1272
Abstract
In this paper we consider the initial–boundary value problem describing the motion of weakly concentrated aqueous polymer solutions. The model involves the regularized Jaumann’s derivative in the rheological relation. Also this model is considered with non-linear viscosity. On the basis of the topological [...] Read more.
In this paper we consider the initial–boundary value problem describing the motion of weakly concentrated aqueous polymer solutions. The model involves the regularized Jaumann’s derivative in the rheological relation. Also this model is considered with non-linear viscosity. On the basis of the topological approximation approach to the study of hydrodynamics problems the existence of weak solutions is proved. Also we consider an optimal feedback control problem for this initial–boundary value problem. The existence of an optimal solution minimizing a given performance functional is proved. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Performance and Modelling of Polymeric Materials)
18 pages, 7548 KiB  
Article
Effect of Gas Counter Pressure on the Surface Roughness, Morphology, and Tensile Strength between Microcellular and Conventional Injection-Molded PP Parts
by Jianping Ren, Long Lin, Jing Jiang, Qian Li and Shyh-Shin Hwang
Polymers 2022, 14(6), 1078; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym14061078 - 08 Mar 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2065
Abstract
Microcellular injection-molded parts have surface defect problems. Gas counter pressure (GCP) is one of the methods to reduce surface defects. This study investigated the effect of GCP on the surface roughness, morphology, and tensile strength of foamed and conventional injection-molded polypropylene (PP) products. [...] Read more.
Microcellular injection-molded parts have surface defect problems. Gas counter pressure (GCP) is one of the methods to reduce surface defects. This study investigated the effect of GCP on the surface roughness, morphology, and tensile strength of foamed and conventional injection-molded polypropylene (PP) products. GCP is generated by filling up the mold cavity with nitrogen during the injection-molding (IM) process. It can delay foaming and affect flow characteristics of microcellular and conventional injection-molding, which cause changes in the tensile strength, flow length, cell morphology, and surface quality of molded parts. The mechanism was investigated through a series of experiments including tuning of GCP and pressure holding duration. Surface roughness of the molded parts decreased with the increase in GCP and pressure holding duration. Compared to microcellular IM, GCP-assisted foaming exhibited much better surface quality and controllable skin layer thickness. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Performance and Modelling of Polymeric Materials)
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13 pages, 3616 KiB  
Article
The Relationship between Crystal Structure and Mechanical Performance for Fabrication of Regenerated Cellulose Film through Coagulation Conditions
by Tessei Kawano, Satoshi Iikubo and Yoshito Andou
Polymers 2021, 13(24), 4450; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13244450 - 18 Dec 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3130
Abstract
Cellulose films regenerated from aqueous alkali–urea solution possess different properties depending on coagulation conditions. However, the correlation between coagulant species and properties of regenerated cellulose (RC) films has not been clarified yet. In this study, RC films were prepared from cellulose nanofiber (CNF) [...] Read more.
Cellulose films regenerated from aqueous alkali–urea solution possess different properties depending on coagulation conditions. However, the correlation between coagulant species and properties of regenerated cellulose (RC) films has not been clarified yet. In this study, RC films were prepared from cellulose nanofiber (CNF) and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) under several coagulation conditions. Cellulose dissolved in aqueous LiOH–urea solution was regenerated using various solvents at ambient temperature to investigate the effects of their dielectric constant on the properties of RC film. The crystal structure, mechanical properties, and surface morphology of prepared RC films were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), tensile tester, and atomic probe microscopy (AFM), respectively. It is revealed that the preferential orientation of (110) and (020) crystal planes, which are formed by inter- and intramolecular hydrogen bonding in cellulose crystal regions, changed depending on coagulant species. Furthermore, we found out that tensile strength, elongation at break, and crystal structure properties of RC films strongly correlate to the dielectric constant of solvents used for the coagulation process. This work, therefore, would be able to provide an indicator to control the mechanical performance of RC film depending on its application and to develop detailed researches on controlling the crystal structure of cellulose. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Performance and Modelling of Polymeric Materials)
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14 pages, 5429 KiB  
Article
Identification of the Temperature Dependence of the Thermal Expansion Coefficient of Polymers
by Igor N. Shardakov and Aleksandr N. Trufanov
Polymers 2021, 13(18), 3035; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13183035 - 08 Sep 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4758
Abstract
In this paper, we proposed an approach to study the strain response of polymer film samples under various temperature effects and note their corresponding effects. The advantages of the developed approach are determined by the fact that thin films of material are used [...] Read more.
In this paper, we proposed an approach to study the strain response of polymer film samples under various temperature effects and note their corresponding effects. The advantages of the developed approach are determined by the fact that thin films of material are used as samples where it is possible to generate a sufficiently uniform temperature field in a wide range of temperature change rates. A dynamic mechanical analyzer was used for the experimental implementation of the above approach for two UV-curable polymers and one type of epoxy resin. Experimental results have shown that the thermal expansion coefficients for these polymers depend significantly not only on the temperature but also on its change rate. The strain response of the polymer to heating and cooling, with the same absolute values of the rate of temperature change, differs significantly, and this dissimilarity becomes stronger with its increasing. The results of thermomechanical experiments for massive samples on traditional dilatometer are shown to compare with the results for film samples. The discovered dependences of the temperature expansion coefficient on the temperature and its change rate can be used for mathematical modeling of thermomechanical processes arising during the operation of products made of polymers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Performance and Modelling of Polymeric Materials)
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27 pages, 1543 KiB  
Article
Using Waveguides to Model the Dynamic Stiffness of Pre-Compressed Natural Rubber Vibration Isolators
by Michael Coja and Leif Kari
Polymers 2021, 13(11), 1703; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13111703 - 23 May 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2713
Abstract
A waveguide model for a pre-compressed cylindrical natural rubber vibration isolator is developed within a wide frequency range—20 to 2000 Hz—and for a wide pre-compression domain—from vanishing to the maximum in service, that is 20%. The problems of simultaneously modeling the pre-compression and [...] Read more.
A waveguide model for a pre-compressed cylindrical natural rubber vibration isolator is developed within a wide frequency range—20 to 2000 Hz—and for a wide pre-compression domain—from vanishing to the maximum in service, that is 20%. The problems of simultaneously modeling the pre-compression and frequency dependence are solved by applying a transformation of the pre-compressed isolator into a globally equivalent linearized, homogeneous, and isotropic form, thereby reducing the original, mathematically arduous, and complex problem into a vastly simpler assignment while using a straightforward waveguide approach to satisfy the boundary conditions by mode-matching. A fractional standard linear solid is applied as the visco-elastic natural rubber model while using a Mittag–Leffler function as the stress relaxation function. The dynamic stiffness is found to depend strongly on the frequency and pre-compression. The former is resulting in resonance phenomena such as peaks and troughs, while the latter exhibits a low-frequency magnitude stiffness increase in addition to peak and trough shifts with increased pre-compressions. Good agreement with nonlinear finite element results is obtained for the considered frequency and pre-compression range in contrast to the results of standard waveguide approaches. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Performance and Modelling of Polymeric Materials)
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18 pages, 1576 KiB  
Article
Mixed Mode Crack Propagation in Polymers Using a Discrete Lattice Method
by Matías Braun, Josué Aranda-Ruiz and José Fernández-Sáez
Polymers 2021, 13(8), 1290; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13081290 - 15 Apr 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1780
Abstract
The fracture behavior of polymeric materials has been widely studied in recent years, both experimentally and numerically. Different numerical approaches have been considered in the study of crack propagation processes, from continuum-based numerical formulations to discrete models, many of the latter being limited [...] Read more.
The fracture behavior of polymeric materials has been widely studied in recent years, both experimentally and numerically. Different numerical approaches have been considered in the study of crack propagation processes, from continuum-based numerical formulations to discrete models, many of the latter being limited in the selection of the Poisson’s coefficient of the considered material. In this work, we present a numerical and experimental analysis of the crack propagation process of polymethylmethacrylate beams with central and eccentric notches subjected to quasi-static three-point bending tests. The developed discrete numerical model consists of a regular triangular lattice model based on axial and normal interaction springs, accounting for nearest-neighbor interactions. The proposed model allows solving the above mentioned limitation in the selection of Poisson’s coefficient, incorporating a fracture criterion defined by a bilinear law with softening that includes the fracture energy in the formulation and allows considering a progressive damage. One of the main objectives of this work is to show the capacity of this lattice to simulate quasi-static fracture problems. The obtained results show that the proposed lattice model is capable of providing results close to the experimental ones in terms of crack pattern, peak load and initial stiffening. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Performance and Modelling of Polymeric Materials)
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17 pages, 3015 KiB  
Article
Creep Behaviour of Recycled Poly(ethylene) Terephthalate Non-Woven Geotextiles
by Mateus Porto Fleury, Lucas Deroide do Nascimento, Clever Aparecido Valentin, Jefferson Lins da Silva and Marta Pereira da Luz
Polymers 2021, 13(5), 752; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym13050752 - 28 Feb 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2531
Abstract
At the beginning of this century, due to well-established Brazilian recycling processes, geosynthetics’ manufacturers started to use recycled poly(ethylene) terephthalate (PET) yarns/filaments (from PET bottles) in geotextile production. Despite the fact that recycled products cannot act as reinforcement functions, geosynthetics are constantly under [...] Read more.
At the beginning of this century, due to well-established Brazilian recycling processes, geosynthetics’ manufacturers started to use recycled poly(ethylene) terephthalate (PET) yarns/filaments (from PET bottles) in geotextile production. Despite the fact that recycled products cannot act as reinforcement functions, geosynthetics are constantly under sustained tensile load and experiences evolutions of the axial strain (creep behaviour). Thus, this study aims to assess the influence of the structure of (needle-punched) non-woven geotextiles manufactured using recycled PET yarns on their creep behaviour. Two geotextiles with different fibre/filament production processes were investigated (short-staple fibres—GTXnwS—and continuous filaments—GTXnwC). Unconfined in-isolated conventional and accelerated (using the stepped isothermal method) creep tests were performed at 5%, 10%, 20%, 40% and 60% of geotextiles’ ultimate tensile strength. The geotextiles investigated provided similar creep behaviour to geotextiles manufactured with virgin PET material. The standard deviation of the axial strain tends to increase as the load level applied increase. The structure of the GTXnwS harms its tensile –strain behaviour, promoting axial deformation under sustained loads, at least 50% higher than GTXnwC for the same load level applied. The influence of the load level and geotextile structure in the initial axial strain is pointed out. Long-term predictions based on creep tests performed using the stepped isothermal method have proven to be conservative and they must be restricted for quality control of the investigated geotextiles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Performance and Modelling of Polymeric Materials)
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19 pages, 4593 KiB  
Article
Experimental and Modelling Study of the Effect of Adding Starch-Modified Natural Rubber Hybrid to the Vulcanization of Sorghum Fibers-Filled Natural Rubber
by Mochamad Chalid, Yuli Amalia Husnil, Santi Puspitasari and Adi Cifriadi
Polymers 2020, 12(12), 3017; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym12123017 - 17 Dec 2020
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3259
Abstract
Natural rubber-starch copolymer hybrid obtained from our laboratory was used as an additive for rubber compound. In this work, the effect of adding this hybrid material to vulcanization kinetics of sorghum fibers-filled natural rubber was studied. The rubber compounds were added with hybrid [...] Read more.
Natural rubber-starch copolymer hybrid obtained from our laboratory was used as an additive for rubber compound. In this work, the effect of adding this hybrid material to vulcanization kinetics of sorghum fibers-filled natural rubber was studied. The rubber compounds were added with hybrid material at various loadings, i.e., zero to two phr and thus cured at three different temperatures, i.e., 130, 140, and 150 °C. The molecular behaviors due to the hybrid addition were investigated by Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The rheological phenomena of the rubber compounds were studied by performing torque analysis in moving die rheometer. The obtained data were utilized to develop the thermodynamic modeling. The compatibility of sorghum fibers-natural rubber blends in the presence of starch-modified natural rubber were characterized using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM). FTIR results show noticeable changes in the peak intensity of particular functional groups from rubber and natural fiber as evidence of molecular interaction enhancements between rubber and natural fibers caused by incorporating the starch-modified natural rubber coupling agent to rubber-natural fiber blends. The curing time for these blends was reduced with lower required activation energy. SEM images show no visible gaps in morphology between natural rubber and the filler indicating that the addition of hybrid material to the blends also improves the compatibility between the fibers and the rubber matrix. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Performance and Modelling of Polymeric Materials)
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15 pages, 4211 KiB  
Article
On the Mechanical Behaviour of Biosourced Cellular Polymer Manufactured Using Fused Deposition Modelling
by Sofiane Guessasma, Sofiane Belhabib, David Bassir, Hedi Nouri and Samuel Gomes
Polymers 2020, 12(11), 2651; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym12112651 - 11 Nov 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1802
Abstract
The aim of this study is to investigate on the compression performance of cellular Polylactic Acid (PLA) manufacturing while using Fused Deposition Modelling. Computer Aided Design (CAD) models of cellular structures are designed using the sequential addition of spherical voids with porosity content [...] Read more.
The aim of this study is to investigate on the compression performance of cellular Polylactic Acid (PLA) manufacturing while using Fused Deposition Modelling. Computer Aided Design (CAD) models of cellular structures are designed using the sequential addition of spherical voids with porosity content varying from 10% to 60%. The three-dimensional (3D) microstructures of cellular PLA are characterised using X-ray micro-tomography to retrieve the correlation between the process-induced defects and the cellular geometrical properties. Mechanical testing is performed under severe compression conditions allowing for the reduction in sample height up to 80%. Finite element computation that is based on real microstructures is used in order to evaluate the effect of defects on the compression performance. The results show a significant drop of the process-induced defects thanks to the use of small layer thickness. Both mechanical anisotropy and performance loss are reduced due to vanishing process-induced defects more significantly when the amount of intended porosities is large. The compression behaviour of 3D printed PLA cellular structures is then found to be only guided by the amount and distribution of the intended porosity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Performance and Modelling of Polymeric Materials)
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25 pages, 8490 KiB  
Article
Experimental and Numerical Analysis for the Mechanical Characterization of PETG Polymers Manufactured with FDM Technology under Pure Uniaxial Compression Stress States for Architectural Applications
by Jorge Manuel Mercado-Colmenero, M. Dolores La Rubia, Elena Mata-Garcia, Moises Rodriguez-Santiago and Cristina Martin-Doñate
Polymers 2020, 12(10), 2202; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/polym12102202 - 25 Sep 2020
Cited by 34 | Viewed by 4767
Abstract
This paper presents the numerical and experimental analysis performed on the polymeric material Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol (PETG) manufactured with Fused Deposition Modeling Technology (FDM) technology, aiming at obtaining its mechanical characterization under uniaxial compression loads. Firstly, with the objective of evaluating the printing [...] Read more.
This paper presents the numerical and experimental analysis performed on the polymeric material Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol (PETG) manufactured with Fused Deposition Modeling Technology (FDM) technology, aiming at obtaining its mechanical characterization under uniaxial compression loads. Firstly, with the objective of evaluating the printing direction that poses a greater mechanical strength, eighteen test specimens were manufactured and analyzed according to the requirements of the ISO-604 standards. After that, a second experimental test analyzed the mechanical behavior of an innovative structural design manufactured in Z and X–Y directions under uniaxial compression loads according to the requirements of the Spanish CTE standard. The experimental results point to a mechanical linear behavior of PETG in X, Y and Z manufacturing directions up to strain levels close to the yield strength point. SEM micrographs show different structural failures linked to the specimen manufacturing directions. Test specimens manufactured along X present a brittle fracture caused by a delamination process. On the contrary, test specimens manufactured along X and Y directions show permanent plastic deformations, great flexibility and less strength under compression loads. Two numerical analyses were performed on the structural part using Young’s compression modulus obtained from the experimental tests and the load specifications required for the Spanish CTE standards. The comparison between numerical and experimental results presents a percentage of relative error of 2.80% (Z-axis), 3.98% (X-axis) and 3.46% (Y-axis), which allows characterizing PETG plastic material manufactured with FDM as an isotropic material in the numerical simulation software without modifying the material modeling equations in the data software. The research presented here is of great help to researchers working with polymers and FDM technology for companies that might need to numerically simulate new designs with the PETG polymer and FDM technology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Performance and Modelling of Polymeric Materials)
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