Optimization on the thermal and tensile influencing factors of polyurethane-based polyester fabric composites

In order to obtain an optimal PU based polyester fabric composites orienting to applications, the composites with different ratios of bi-component PU adhesive and different structural inorganic fillers were fabricated and characterized thermally and mechanically, and the mechanisms were theoretically discussed in details; in particular, the tensile performances with different loading directions have also been studied. In the present approach, the ratios of bi-component PU adhesive, the fillers as well as the loading directions were comprehensively investigated and optimized to get the best tensile performance under constraint of the thermal properties. All the results of tensile testing have been explained by the proposed "crack propagation and encountering mechanism" which can identify the strengths of interfaces, matrixes and fibers and describe the initiation and propagation of the cracks inside the composites. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.