MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES OF IN-SITU COMPOSITES BASED ON PARTIALLY MISCIBLE BLENDS OF GLASS-FILLED POLYETHERIMIDE AND LIQUID-CRYSTALLINE POLYMERS

The use of inorganic (glass) fiber reinforcement to enhance the mechanical properties and reduce the anisotropy of in situ composites based on blends of liquid crystalline polymers (LCPs) with polyetherimide (PEI) is discussed. It was found that the tensile and flexural moduli are increased and the anisotropy is reduced with increasing glass content (when compared at equivalent LCP weight fractions). The creep compliance of the PEI/LCP composites is reduced upon the addition of glass fibers. However, the disadvantage is that the processability worsens upon addition of glass fibers to the PEI/LCP in situ composites. The effect of adding glass reinforcement on the ultimate tensile strength is less clear, because the data do not show any consistent trend. Similarly, the elongation at break and toughness do not show any consistent improvement upon addition of glass reinforcement. Morphological studies show that there is considerable difference between the size and texture of the reinforcing glass fibers and LCP microfibrils.