Experimental Investigation on Mechanical Characterization of Epoxy-E-Glass Fiber-Particulate Reinforced Hybrid Composites.

The present investigation focuses on the manufacturing and mechanical evaluation of epoxy-based composites reinforced with fiberglass with and without various particle fillers. The study explores the potential use of industrial wastes, such as coal powder (CP), coal fly ash (CFA), bagasse ash (BA), palm fruit ash (PFA), ash from rice husks (RHA), bone ash (BoA), marble/granite powder (MP), combinations of coal fly ash and coal powder (CFACP), blends of coal fly ash and marble powder (CFAMP), and combinations of coal fly ash and bone ash (CFABoA).The use of industrial factory wastes as a filler in polymer composite materials is becoming more and more common due to the improvement in structural characteristics compared to the pure epoxy-e-glass fiber composites. Composite manufacturing costs might be drastically reduced by using the above industrial wastes as reinforcing material, which would also solve the problems related to their disposal and ecological pollution. In previous research investigations, the comparative mechanical characteristic analysis of hybrid composites filled with two or more fillers has not been studied, which motivated us to take up the research on incorporation of the above listed industrial wastes as fillers. Different concentrations of these fillers are investigated, and the composites are formed successfully using a manual hand-layup approach. The mechanical properties assessed in accordance with ASTM Standards include micro-Vickers hardness (Hv), impact strength (IS), bending strength (TS), flexibility or flexural strength (FS), and interlaminar shear strength (ILSS). The form and amount of filler provided to the composite are considered when comparing each property of particle-loaded glass-reinforced epoxy composites. Some key findings from the investigation include: (1) Tensile Strength: unfilled composites exhibit a tensile strength of 252.19 MPa, marble powder causes the greatest drop in tensile strength, and CFACP-filled composites at 5 wt % yield the highest tensile strength of 251.42 MPa. (2) Flexural Strength: CFABoA-filled composites exhibit the highest peak bending strength of 860.22 MPa at 10 wt % and Peak ILSS of 34.317 MPa at 5 wt % is observed with CFABoA-filled composites. (3) Impact Strength and Hardness: CFACP-filled composites at 10 wt % show the maximum impact strength (2100 J/m) and hardness (62 Hv). (4) Effect of the Filler Percentage: mechanical characteristics of composites improve with increasing weight percentage of filler material, and Glass fiber-reinforced epoxy composites can be replaced with glass fiber-reinforced and particle-filled polymer-based hybrid composites for structural purposes. (5) Cost Considerations: hybrid composites based on CFACP-filled E-glass fiber-reinforced epoxy can be used instead of E-glass fiber-reinforced epoxy composites to reduce fabrication costs and "ER" epoxy resin usage. (6) Application Recommendation: the study suggests the use of CFACP-filled E-glass fiber-reinforced epoxy composites for constructing end posts in rail insulation junctions. In conclusion, the investigation provides valuable insights into the mechanical properties of epoxy-based composites with various fillers, offering potential applications in structural components with improved characteristics and cost-effectiveness.