Preparation of polymeric composite for antiskid flooring purpose

Abstract

Abstract Three polymeric blends were prepared using epoxy, nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), and polyurethanes (PU) to develop antiskid surfaces with the required mechanical properties. The optimum mixing ratio was decided according to the results of the coefficient of friction and impact tests. Mechanical properties, including wear, bending, compression, impact, hardness, and water uptake, were measured. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to investigate the microscopic features. The results showed variations in the values of coefficient of friction for the three blends, where the epoxy/NBR specimens showed the highest value of 0.81, followed by specimens of epoxy blended with the two types of commercial polyurethanes, Sikaflex™ and Sikaswell™ of 0.73 and 0.69, respectively. The highest wear rate was noticed for the epoxy/NBR specimen, while the epoxy+Sikaflex specimen showed the lowest wear rate compared to other specimens. The epoxy/Sikaflex also showed the highest values for hardness, compared with epoxy/Sikaswell and epoxy/NBR, respectively. The resultant blends showed improved mechanical properties with high slipping resistance, which makes the prepared blends potential alternatives compared to traditional flooring materials.