Study on Thermal Properties and Mechanical Properties of Short-cut Polyimide-Fiber Reinforced Polyphenyl Sulfone Composites

Abstract

In order to increase the thermal stability and mechanical property of PPSU, two different polyimide (PI) short cut fibers reinforced polyphenyl sulfone (PPSU) composites were prepared by melt extrusion using a threescrew extruder. In addition, the effects of fiber lengths on thermal stability, heat resistance and mechanical properties of the composites was studied. The results indicate that the addition of polyimide chopped fiber can greatly improve the heat resistance of the composites. Comparing with PPSU, with the increasing of fiber content, the heat deformation temperature (HDT) of composites increased from 205 °C to 229 °C, but the addition of polyimide fiber has limited effect on the thermal stability of the composites. Meanwhile, the addition of polyimide chopped fiber can also improve the mechanical properties of the composites. Compared with PPSU, the tensile strength of composites can be increased by 102%, and the bending strength can be raised by 117%.