DYNAMIC MECHANICAL AND STATIC ANALYSIS OF KEVLAR FIBER REINFORCED EPOXY COMPOSITES INCORPORATED WITH EGG SHELL PARTICLE

Abstract

Research on composite material has been carried out stringently by using various reinforcing elements in the matrix with an intend to replace traditional monolithic materials eventually. In this regard, the Calcium-rich egg shell, which is abundantly available as a solid waste, can be used as a possible filler material for reducing material cost, improving processability, and refining the requisite properties of composite for specific applications with simultaneous reduction of the waste. In this study, the static and dynamic mechanical characteristics of eggshell particle-filled Kevlar/epoxy composites have been investigated. Through stirring with the aid of an Ultrasonicator, different weight percent of NaOH-treated eggshell particles (0, 10, 20 wt. %) of 90 micron sizes are mixed with epoxy to fabricate the composite using the traditional hand-layup method. In comparison to the hybrid composites, the mechanical properties of Kevlar/epoxy (0 wt. % filler) composite demonstrate superior tensile and flexural strength and modulus. However, when the Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and the Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) are accomplished for evaluating the thermal deterioration and viscoelastic characteristics, the hybrid composites demonstrated improvement in overall damping properties including storage modulus and loss modulus along with the thermal stability characteristics. Also, the elongation before failure is more for composite with 10 wt. % (71%) as well as 20 wt.% (18%) filler content with substantial improvement in Inter Laminar Shear Strength. Thus, the presently prepared composite is recommended for weight-sensitive and high-performance engineering applications under elevated temperatures and intense dynamic loading.