AbstractPolymer-based composites have been applied in the field of automobile, aerospace, and domestic applications due to their high strength to weight ratio. These applications have been driven by the property function to widen their applicability across a wider range of industries. Reinforcements have been used to tailor the properties of polymer matrices to specific applications. In the current study, silica particles are evaluated as reinforcement for a number of polymers namely high impact polystyrene (HIPS), general-purpose polystyrene (GPPS), and recycled low-density polyethylene (rLDPE). The samples were prepared by mixing the ingredients (polymer and silica particles) in a constant heated (180°C) chamber and at a rotating speed of 10 rpm. The samples were then hot-pressed into a mold at 180°C under the pressure of 312.5 N/cm2. The mold was 240 mm by 240 mm by 3 mm thick. The composites samples were prepared by varying the weight of silica particles in relation to the polymer matrix and then tensile, impact, and thermal properties were evaluated using a universal tensile testing machine, Charpy impact, and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The mechanical results showed that for the HIPS-Silica composite, the tensile increased with increased silica content from 13.6GPa for pure HIPS to 13.9GPa at 5 % silica 14.8GPa at 31% Silica. GPPS-Silica showed a slight increase in tensile strength from 16.2GPa for pure to 33.8GPa at 5 % silica and reduced to 21.5GPa at 31%. rLDPE-silica composite showed reduced tensile strength from 10.4GPa for recycled HDPE to 10.2GPa at 5% silica and an increase at 31% silica to 11.7GPa. The modulus of elasticity for all the samples increased with the increasing silica content. The impact strength was found to increase from 5.6kj/m2 for pure PS -GPPS to 8.1kj/m2 at 5 % silica. There was no remarkable increase in impact at 31% silica for PS- GPPS. For HIPS composite, the impact reduced from 47kj/m2 for pure HIPS to 37kj/m2 at 5% silica and 11kj/m2 at 31% silica. Thermal results of composites at 31% silica were compared with pure respective polymers. In terms of thermal and mechanical properties, the general-purpose polystyrene had the highest heat absorption capacity and tensile strength. The modulus of elasticity was also reported highest in the general-purpose polystyrene composite. The results showed that heat absorption capacity was increased when silica was added to respective polymers. Based on the results, silica-based composites have the potential for applications as green construction materials, indoor insulations, door paneling, and roof in the automotive industry, and so forth. &nbsp;Keywords: Composites; Silica; Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC); polymers&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Mechanical and Thermal Characterization of Silica Particle-Reinforced Polymer Composites

Paper Proceedings: https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/IMECE/IMECE2021/volume/85543

ASME 2021 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (IMECE2021)

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