The role of additives in the manufacture of sheets of unsaturated polyester and postconsumer unsaturated polyester/glass fiber composites: Mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties

The storage of postconsumer glass fiber re-inforced unsaturated polyester composite impacts negatively on the environment because of the long lifetime and the volume/amount ratio of residuals, which are important aspects to be considered. Two types of additives were employed as an attempt to improve the mechanical properties of sheets manufactured with ground postconsumer glass fiber reinforced orthophthalic unsaturated polyester resin composite and virgin orthophthalic unsaturated polyester resin, a silane-coupling agent and an organic dispersant. Flexural and impact tests, and dynamic mechanical analyses, demonstrated that the coupling agent increased the mechanical properties, while the dispersant decreased these properties, compared to material without either additive. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.