Effect of isothermal physical aging on creep behavior of stainless-fiber/PPE composites

In this research, the effect of isothermal physical aging on creep behavior of stainless-fiber/polyphenylene ether (PPE) composites was investigated. Metal-fiber/PPE composites are non-crystalline thermoplastics and often used in engineering plastics, which have been developed for Electro-Magnetic-Interference (EMI) shielding. The results showed creep compliance curves to shift towards both the longer physical time and lower compliance sides with an increase in pre-aging treatment time, and it was established that creep deformation is arrested due to the progression of physical aging. Thus it was clarified that pre-aged composites can withstand higher temperature and longer time. The time-aging time superposition was established in creep of stainless-fiber/PPE composite. It was also observed that within the aging-time range, the shift rate is constant at all temperatures. The results showed that the shift rate is smaller at lower temperature and greater at higher temperature, and it reaches its maximum value at a wide range of temperature.