Analysis of the Strength Properties of Epoxy–Glass Composites Modified with the Addition of Rubber Recyclate Using Kolmogorov–Sinai Metric Entropy

Abstract

This paper presents the results of investigations of the mechanical properties of epoxy–glass composites with the addition of rubber recyclate. For the purposes of the study, seven variants of materials were designed and manufactured, which differed in terms of the percentage of recyclate content (3, 5 and 7%) and the way the recyclate was distributed in the composite (one, two and three layers with a constant share of 5%). Tests of comparative mechanical properties were carried out using a static tensile test. As a result of the conducted tests, the following values were obtained for all variants of materials: tensile strength (Rm), Young’s modulus (E) and percentage relative strain ε. In addition, for a deeper analysis of the results obtained, statistical calculations of Kolgomorov–Sinai EK-S metric entropy were performed on the experimental data sets, which were then analyzed. The results of the analysis indicate that the application of metric entropy calculations EK-S can be helpful in identifying changes in the internal structure of the composite material that occur during its loading, and which do not manifest themselves in any other tangible way. The data obtained as a result of the research can be used to optimize production processes and to determine the further direction of development of epoxy–glass composites with the addition of rubber recyclate, while saving time and resources.