Hao Pei, Tang Ninghan, Tiscar Juan Miguel, Gilabert Francisco A
Department of Materials, Textiles and Chemical Engineering (MaTCh), Mechanics of Materials and Structures (MMS), Tech Lane Ghent Science Park-Campus A, Ghent University (UGent), Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 46, 9052 Ghent, Belgium.
Instituto de Tecnología Cerámica (ITC), Asociación de Investigación de las Industrias Cerámicas (AICE), Universitat Jaume I, Campus Universitario Riu Sec, 12006 Castellón, Spain.
Polymers (Basel). 2025 Apr 25;17(9):1168. doi: 10.3390/polym17091168.
The increasing demand for fully recyclable composites has spurred extensive research on thermoplastics, valued for their recyclability and excellent mechanical properties. High-performance thermoplastics such as PEEK and PPS have been widely adopted in aerospace applications due to their outstanding load-bearing capabilities, which are well documented. Recently, thermoplastic polymer blends have gained attention for their enhanced recyclability and sustainability, as well as their ability to improve thermal stability, viscosity, and manufacturability. However, limited data are available on the mechanical characterization of composites that incorporate these blends, particularly when recycled thermoplastics are used. In this study, we first examine the stress-strain behavior of the following three polymer blends relevant for structural applications: PES/PEEK, PPS/PEEK, and HDPE/PP. We then perform a numerical analysis to predict the mechanical performance of unidirectional fiber-reinforced composites using each blend as the matrix. This involves a micromechanical Representative Volume Element (RVE) approach combined with an advanced polymer model previously validated against experimental data. The findings are discussed to critically assess the suitability of these blends for producing fully matrix-recycled composites.
对完全可回收复合材料日益增长的需求刺激了对热塑性塑料的广泛研究，热塑性塑料因其可回收性和优异的机械性能而受到重视。聚醚醚酮（PEEK）和聚苯硫醚（PPS）等高性能热塑性塑料因其出色的承载能力而在航空航天应用中得到广泛采用，这一点已有充分记录。最近，热塑性聚合物共混物因其增强的可回收性和可持续性，以及改善热稳定性、粘度和可制造性的能力而受到关注。然而，关于包含这些共混物的复合材料的力学特性的数据有限，特别是当使用回收热塑性塑料时。在本研究中，我们首先研究了以下三种与结构应用相关的聚合物共混物的应力 - 应变行为：聚醚砜（PES）/聚醚醚酮（PEEK）、聚苯硫醚（PPS）/聚醚醚酮（PEEK）和高密度聚乙烯（HDPE）/聚丙烯（PP）。然后，我们进行数值分析，以预测使用每种共混物作为基体的单向纤维增强复合材料的力学性能。这涉及一种微观力学代表性体积单元（RVE）方法，结合一个先前已通过实验数据验证的先进聚合物模型。对研究结果进行了讨论，以严格评估这些共混物用于生产完全基体可回收复合材料的适用性。
