Development and characterization of thermal and electro-active shape memory polymer composites using polyester fabric to obtain a large bending effect

In this work, thermally active (TA) and electro-active (EA) shape memory polymer composites (SMPCs) were prepared. The recycled polyester fabric (RPF) with three different areal weights (low, medium, and high) was used as a reinforcement to get a large bending effect in SMPC, due to its low rigidity. The TA-SMPCs were fabricated by hand layup, while unidirectional (UD) carbon tow inserts were used between two layers of poly-ester fabric for EA-SMPCs. The shape memory (SM) and shape recovery (SR) capability of all TA-SMPCS were investigated at different temperatures (50 degrees, 75 degrees, and 100 degrees C). Whereas the EA-SMPCs were investigated at 50 degrees C. The maximum achieved SR and shape fixity ratios of developed TA-SMPCs were 100 % and 99 %, respectively. The EA-SMPCs also showed 100 % SR ratios. The surface morphology of the developed composites was studied using an optical microscope. Delamination was observed in 3-layered TA-SMPCs and EA-SMPCs at 50 degrees C after cyclic loading when prepared with higher areal-weight fabrics.