Characterizing and Modeling of Mechanical Properties of Epoxy Polymer Composites Reinforced with Bentonite Clay

Polymer nano composites using clay as filler material and epoxy as matrix materials were prepared with different concentrations of clay nano particles (2.5-10 wt%) by shear mixing followed by ultra-sonication process. The mechanical properties such as compressive properties and tensile properties were characterized using ASTM standards. It was found that the addition of clay nano particles improved both compressive strength and tensile strength of pure epoxy significantly. As the clay content increased in epoxy matrix the moduli values found to increase and were further analyzed using micromechanical models. The analytical models discussed correlate well with experimental values. The models discussed include Nicolais - Narkis, Turcsanyi, Piggot Leidner and Nielsen models for the tensile strength values and for tensile modulus the models discussed include Halpin Tsai, Kerner and Sato - Furukawa models. These micromechanics models predict stiffness of nanocomposites with both aligned and randomly oriented fillers. XRD pattern revealed the interaction between clay nanoparticles and epoxy matrix. The thermal decomposition behavior revealed that there is an enhancement of onset of decomposition temperature by 31 degrees C for 10wt% clay filled epoxy than that of pure epoxy for 5% weight loss. (c) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.