Abstract
The thermal and dynamic mechanical properties of epoxy composites filled with zirconium diboride/nano-alumina (ZrB2/Al2O3) multiphase particles were investigated by means of differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic thermo-mechanical analysis, and numerical simulation. ZrB2/Al2O3 particles were surface organic functional modified by γ-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane for the improvement of their dispersity in epoxy matrix. The results indicated that the curing exotherm of epoxy resin decreased significantly due to the addition of ZrB2/Al2O3 multiphase particles. In comparison to the composites filled with unmodified particles, the modified multiphase particles made the corresponding filling composites exhibit lower curing reaction heat, lower loss modulus, and higher storage modulus. Generally speaking, the composites filled with 5 wt% modified multiphase particles presented the best thermal stability and thermo-mechanical properties due to the better filler-matrix interfacial compatibility and the uniform dispersity of modified particles. Finite element analysis also suggested that the introduction of modified ZrB2/Al2O3 multiphase particles increased the stiffness of the corresponding composites.
Evaluation of Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Fique Fabric/Epoxy Composites
