Voon Chun Hong
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Preferred name
Voon Chun Hong
Official Name
Hong, Voon Chun
Alternative Name
Voon, C. H.
Voon, Chun Hong
Hong, Voon Chun
Hong, V. C.
Main Affiliation
Scopus Author ID
55334719400
Researcher ID
D-2050-2015

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Feasibility Study of Microwave Welding of Polypropylene Using Silicon Carbide Nanowhiskers as Microwave Susceptor

2023-01-01 , Foong P.Y. , Voon Chun Hong , Lim Bee Ying , Teh P.L. , Mohd Afendi Rojan

Currently, welding is the most efficient way for joining of plastic. Due to its rapid heating, efficiency in term of time and energy, and ability to be applied on components of any shape, microwave welding stands out from other welding methods. Additionally, SiCNWs was proposed as the microwave susceptor for the microwave welding of thermoplastic in this work due to its high dielectric loss and biocompatibility. To produce microwave welded joint, SiCNWs was first mixed with acetone to obtain a SiCNWs suspension. After that, SiCNWs was drop casted onto the targeted area of PP, allowed to dry and then microwave irradiated. In this work, the microwave heating time studied ranged from 15 s to 20 s. SEM and single lap shear test were used to characterise the microwave welded joint. From the findings, the tensile strength increased as the microwave heating duration increased from 15 s to 18 s, due to formation of SiCNWs/PP nanocomposite welded joint layer with increasing thickness. Yet, when the microwave heating time was prolonged to 20 s, the tensile strength decreased to 0.85 MPa. Besides, a void was observed at the welded joint and it is believed that the presence of void causes the welded joint to weaken when force is applied. Under properly regulated of microwave heating time, a strengthened nanocomposite welded joint can be produced which demonstrate great promise in plastic welding.

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Feasibility study on microwave welding of thermoplastic using multiwalled carbon nanotubes as susceptor

2021-01-01 , Foong P.Y. , Voon Chun Hong , Lim B.Y. , Subash Chandra Bose Gopinath , Mohd Khairuddin Md Arshad , Rahim R.A. , Foo Kai Loong , Uda Hashim

Despite manufacturers’ goal of molding single component products from plastics, the structures of some of the products are far too complex to be molded as a single piece. Therefore, assembly of subcomponents into the final products is important for the manufacturing of many plastic-based products. To date, welding is the most efficient joining method for plastics. In this study, multiwalled carbon nanotubes were proposed as the susceptor for the microwave welding of high-density polyethylene considering multiwalled carbon nanotube is a good microwave absorber. multiwalled carbon nanotubes were first dispersed in ethanol in an ultrasonic bath to obtain a homogeneous dispersion. Multiwalled carbon nanotubes dispersion was dropped on the targeted area of the prepared dumbbell-shaped sample and dried in an oven at 45°C for 30 min. The sample was then subjected to 800 W microwave irradiation in the domestic microwave oven. The strength of the weld was tested by using tensile testing. Besides, the cross section of the welded joint was characterized by using scanning electron microscopy. The effect of microwave heating duration and the multiwalled carbon nanotube concentration in the dispersion were studied. It was found that the joint strength increased as the heating duration increase from 2 s to 8 s but decreased when the heating duration was further extended to 10 s. Scanning electron microscopic images showed that voids were formed at the joint interface when 10 s was used and resulted in the lowering of joint strength. In the study of the effect of the multiwalled carbon nanotube concentration in the dispersion, joint strength increased when the multiwalled carbon nanotubes concentration increased from 0.25 wt% to 0.75 wt%. However, the joint strength of sample with 1.00 wt% multiwalled carbon nanotube concentration decreased. The presence of a thick unwelded multiwalled carbon nanotubes layer at the joint interface for sample with 1.00 wt% multiwalled carbon nanotubes concentration as shown in scanning electron microscopic image was believed to cause the lowering of joint strength.

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Formation of polypropylene nanocomposite joint using silicon carbide nanowhiskers as novel susceptor for microwave welding

2023-05-01 , Foong P.Y. , Voon Chun Hong , Lim B.Y. , Teh P.L. , Mohd Afendi Rojan , Subash Chandra Bose Gopinath , Mohd Khairuddin Md Arshad , Nor Azizah Parmin , Low F.W. , Ruslinda A. Rahim , Uda Hashim

Up to present, no study has reported on the use of silicon carbide nanomaterials (SiCNMs) as susceptor for microwave welding of thermoplastics. Therefore, in this study, silicon carbide nanowhiskers (SiCNWs) was attempted as the microwave susceptor for the microwave welding of polypropylene (PP). It was observed that SiCNWs are capable of absorbing microwave and converting them into heat, leading to a sharp increase in temperature until it reaches the melting point of PP substrates. The microwave welded joint is formed after the molten PP at the interface between PP substrates is cooled under pressure. The effect of microwave heating duration and solid loading of SiCNWs suspension was studied and reported. The formation mechanism of SiCNWs reinforced PP welded joint was proposed in this study. With these remarkable advantages of microwave welding and enhanced mechanical properties of the welded joint, it is believed that this study can provide a new insight into welding of thermoplastic and material processing through short-term microwave heating.

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Microwave Welding of Thermoplastic using Silicon Carbide Nanowhiskers as Susceptor: Effect of Heating Duration

2024-06-01 , Foong P.Y. , Voon Chun Hong , Lim Bee Ying , Teh Pei Leng , Yeoh Cheow Keat , Mohd Afendi Rojan , Nor Azizah Parmin , Low F.W. , Subash Chandra Bose Gopinath , Kashif M. , Rahman N.A.A. , Sam Sung Ting , Perumal V.

Microwave welding is becoming more popular than conventional joining methods due to its advantages such as rapid and localised heating as well as applicable to components with complicated geometry. Previously reported susceptor, such as carbonaceous materials and conductive polymers, are toxic and the welding process involving these susceptors is time-consuming. Because of its exceptional microwave absorption and biocompatibility, silicon carbide nanowhiskers (SiCNWs) was employed as the microwave susceptor for microwave welding. Microwave welding in this study comprises of only three simple steps: SiCNWs suspension preparation, SiCNWs application and microwave heating. The weld strength of welded joint was then characterised using tensile test and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy equipped scanning electron microscopy (EDS-SEM) to study its mechanical properties and cross-section microstructure. The influence of microwave irradiation time was studied in this study, and it is found that the weld strength rose with the extension of microwave irradiation time, until a maximum weld strength of 1.61 MPa was achieved by 17 s welded joint. The development of SiCNWs reinforced PP nanocomposite welded joint layer is responsible for the enhanced weld strength. Prolonged heating duration may also result in flaws such as void formation at the welded joint, which subsequently lowered the weld strength to 0.60 MPa when the heating duration was extended to 20 s. In sum, a strengthen welded joint can be formed with rapid microwave heating under the proper control of heating duration.

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Preparation and Characterization of Tensile Properties of PMMA/SiC Nanowhiskers Nanocomposite Films: Effect of Filler Loading and Silane Treatment

2023-10-01 , Lim Bee Ying , Voon Chun Hong , Lee L.Y. , Teh Pei Leng , Foong P.Y.

The preparation of nanocomposites through melt mixing was challenging as the nanofillers tend to form agglomeration. The silicon carbide nanowhiskers (SiCNWs) filled poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) thin film in this study was prepared by means of solution casting. Acetone with low toxicity was used as solvent to dissolve the PMMA pellets. A coupling agent, silane was used to enhance the properties of composite films. Besides, the untreated and treated SiCNWs were filled into PMMA matrix, respectively with the filler loading varied from 0.2 to 0.8 wt%. The universal testing machine was used to investigate the tensile properties of composites. It was found out that the tensile strength of the PMMA was reduced in the presence of SiCNWs. However, the tensile strength had increased with the rise of filler loading. At 0.8 wt% of SiCNWs, the composites’ tensile strength was comparable to virgin PMMA. Meanwhile, the SiCNWs had reduced the elongation at break but increased the elastic modulus of PMMA/SiCNWs nanocomposite films. In addition, silane surface treatment on SiCNWs had improved the tensile strength and ductility but lowered the elastic modulus of the nanocomposites. The improvement was due to the enhancement of interfacial adhesion between SiCNWs and PMMA.

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Effect of Microwave Power and Clamping Pressure on the Microwave Welding of Polypropylene Using Silicon Carbide Nanowhiskers as Microwave Susceptor

2022-01-01 , Foong P.Y. , Voon Chun Hong , Lim B.Y. , Teh P.L. , Mohd Afendi Rojan , Nor Azizah Parmin , Subash Chandra Bose Gopinath , Mohd Khairuddin Md Arshad , Low F.W. , Mahalingam S. , Manap A. , Ruslinda A. Rahim , Uda Hashim

Due to their excellent dielectric properties and the rapid response to microwave irradiation, silicon carbide nanowhiskers (SiCNWs) were employed as microwave susceptor in this study to absorb microwave and locally melt the surrounding polypropylene (PP) substrates for the joining of PP substrates. Complete welded joint is formed after the melted PP was cooled and resolidified. Other than microwave susceptor, SiCNWs also acted as the nanofillers in strengthening the welded joint through the formation of SiCNWs reinforced PP nanocomposite at the interface of PP substrates. Besides, the effect of microwave power on the microwave welding of PP substrates using SiCNWs as susceptor was studied and reported. It was found that the tensile strength and modulus of elasticity of the welded joint improved as microwave power increased. However, it deteriorates the flexibility of the welded joint as high stiffness SiCNWs were incorporated deeper into the PP matrix which restricted the PP chain mobility. Aside from microwave power, clamping pressure is also critical in determining the mechanical properties of a welded joint. When compared to unclamped welded joint, the tensile strength, modulus of elasticity and flexibility of welded joint subjected to clamping pressure improved drastically. Moreover, the tensile strength of welded joint increased when the clamping pressure was increased from P1 to P3, but decreased when the clamping pressure was further increased to P4 due to the occurrence of flashing at welded joint. The formation mechanism of SiCNWs reinforced PP welded joint was also proposed in this study. Compared to conventional welding, this welding process is easy, straightforward and is able to produce welded joint with outstanding mechanical properties via precise controlling of the processing parameters. Thus, microwave welding is thought to offer an option for the joining of thermoplastics and other applications.

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