Analysis of Particle Variation Effect on Flexural Properties of Hollow Glass Microsphere Filled Epoxy Matrix Syntactic Foam Composites

Syntactic foam made from hollow glass microspheres (HGM) in an epoxy matrix has proven to be a good material with a strong structural strength. Understanding filler particle size variation is important in composite material formation, especially in syntactic foam, because of its numerous application...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polymers 2022-11, Vol.14 (22), p.4848
Main Authors: Afolabi, Olusegun Adigun, Kanny, Krishnan, Mohan, Turup Pandurangan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aerospace materials
Analysis
Aspect ratio
Bend strength
Bending modulus
Composite materials
Epoxy resins
Fillers
Flexural strength
Fractions
Fracture surfaces
Mechanical properties
Microspheres
Modulus of rupture in bending
Moisture absorption
Particle size
Particle size distribution
Storage modulus
Structural strength
Syntactic foams
Viscoelasticity
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Summary:Syntactic foam made from hollow glass microspheres (HGM) in an epoxy matrix has proven to be a good material with a strong structural strength. Understanding filler particle size variation is important in composite material formation, especially in syntactic foam, because of its numerous applications such as aerospace, marine, and structural purposes. In this present work, the effects of particle variation in different sizes (20-24 µm, 25-44 µm, 45-49 µm, and 50-60 µm) on the mechanical properties of the syntactic foam composites with a focus on flexural strength, modulus, and fracture surfaces are investigated. The particle sizes are varied into five volume fractions (5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 vol%). The results show that the highest flexural strength is 89 MPa at a 5 vol% fraction of 50-60 µm particle size variation with a 69% increase over the neat epoxy. This implies that the incorporation of HGM filler volume fraction and size variation has a strong effect on the flexural strength and bending modulus of syntactic foam. The highest particle size distribution is 31.02 at 25-44 µm. The storage modulus E' increased at 30 °C, 50 °C, and 60 °C by 3.2%, 47%, and 96%, respectively. The effects of wall thickness and aspect ratio on the size of the microstructure, the fracture surfaces, and the viscoelastic properties are determined and reported accordingly.
ISSN:2073-4360
2073-4360
DOI:10.3390/polym14224848