Effect Of particle size ON THE deformation and fracture properties of glass bead reinforced epoxy composites. nano and micro toughening mechanisms

ARIEL L. STOCCHI, ROMINA P. OLLIER, CELINA R. BERNAL, VERA A. ÁLVAREZ

Torino

Conferencia; Mechanics of Nano, Micro and Macro Composite Structures; 2012

Politecnico de Torino

Epoxy resins are extensively used as matrices in fiber reinforced materials in a wide range of applications as yacht construction, automotive and aerospace industries. These systems have good chemical resistance, thermal stability and mechanical strength. In addition, its low viscosity makes it very attractive for liquid composite molding techniques. However, epoxy matrices have low ductility and relatively poor fracture toughness, which is an undesiderable property that limits it use in several applications. For this reason epoxy toughening has been an interesting and challenging topic for several decades. Many approaches have been developed over the years to improve the material fracture toughness. The addition of micro and nano reinforcements is one of the most commonly used. However, the effect of the particle size on the material fracture properties is still controversial in the literature. In this work, the deformation and fracture behavior of a commercial epoxy resin reinforced with spherical glass spheres was investigated. Two different particle sizes in the range of micrometers and nanometers were explored in order to compare the toughening mechanisms occurring in the micro and nano-composites, respectively. Particles of 40-70μm and 20-30nm (KISKER BIOTECH GmbH) were used. The aim of the work is to compare the reinforcement size scale on the fracture parameters and the toughening mechanisms.