MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES OF EPOXY-RESIN FILLED WITH CARBON POWDERS

Several mechanical properties and morphology of epoxy resins filled with various carbon powders such as natural graphite (NG), man-made graphite (MG), and petroleum coke (PC) were studied by using a Rheovibron, an Instron tensile tester, a Vickers hardness tester, and a SEM. PC was added to the epoxy resin up to 50 wt%, and NG and MG powders up to 85 wt%. The carbon powders were dispersed randomly in all the specimens. The glass transition temperature (T(g)) and storage modulus (E') for all series of the specimens increased with increasing content of carbon powders. The effect of fillers on the storage modulus was evident in the order of NG > MG > PC. The compressive strength (sigma-c) and Vickers hardness (H(v)) were influenced very strongly by the morphological factor of the carbon powders and their content. The sigma-c values of the NG-and MG-filled specimens decreased with increasing carbon content. The H(v) values of all the specimens, PC-filled specimens in particular, increased remarkably.