Effects of Additives on Thermomechanical Properties of Composites Formed from Thermoset Polymers

Automotive and heavy-duty friction materials are complex multimaterial composites that contain, besides polymers and fibers, a number of constituents whose exact role is not well delineated. Since the performance of these composites requires not only uniform frictional properties but also complex shapes, advanced formation techniques are required. However, before these techniques can be harnessed, we attempted to understand how nitrile rubber-modified phenolic polymer's structural and thermal behaviors were modified by the incorporation of materials such as BaSO4, graphite, coal tar pitch, slag fibers, alumina, and silicon carbide, typical friction composite ingredients. The formed composites were examined by FTIR, DSC, and DMA techniques at 300 K < T < 600 K. Our results suggested that the incorporation of ingredients, singly and additively, strongly affected the thermomechanical properties of the formed