Effect of Morphology of Fiber on Mechanical Properties of Short Fiber-Powder Composite
Akinori HASHIMOTO, Munetake SATOH and Tomohiro IWASAKI
Abstract:The effect of morphology of fiber on mechanical properties of short fiber-reinforced composite was investigated. Test piece of the composite was prepared by hot pressing the mixture of powdery materials (calcium carbonate and thermosetting resin) containing the short fiber (aramid fiber). Aramid fibers were fibrillated by milling treatment and were used for reinforcement. The mechanical properties of the composites were evaluated by the fracture energy calculated by the load-displacement curves of 3-point bending test and the wear rate of abrasion test. To estimate the fiber-reinforced region in the composite, the occupied volume of the fiber was calculated by the morphology parameter of the fiber based on image analysis. The effective fiber morphology for the fracture and the wear resistance of composite was discussed on the basis of the occupied volume of the fiber. Key Words:Aramid fiber, Fibrillated fiber, Fracture energy, Wear rate