A study on thermal conductivity and thermogravimetric analysis of glass fiber epoxy resin composites modified with silicon carbide and copper nanoparticles

Abstract

Composite materials are futuristic materials, the strength, properties and applications decides the composition of composite materials. The study of physical, mechanical and thermal properties of composites provides the more scope for their wide applications. Silicon carbide nanoparticles (SiC-NPs) and Carbon nanoparticles (Cu-NPs) Polymer composites are prepared by hand layup machining moulding technique using epoxy resin and glass fibre. The study of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was carried using STA 7300 and TGA 8000 for varied % fillers reinforced in glass fibre polymer composites. The weight loss noticed 64.5 to 94.5% in Cu-NPs composites and 44.2 to76.8% weight loss in SiC-NPs at 750 °C. The overall thermal stability observed in SiC-NPs composites and more thermal stability observed in 15% and 20% SiC-NPs composites. There is a less weight loss in SiC-NPs composites as compared to Cu-NPs composites. The study of thermal conductivity was carried out by FOX50 heat flow meter (HFM), for both SiC-NPs and Cu-NPs composites thermal conductivity increases with increase of fillers percentage. SiC-NPs composites have shown higher thermal conductivity values compared to Cu-NPs composites. Results obtained from the FOX 50 HFM have shown that at higher percentage SiC and Cu nanoparticle fillers thermal conductivity increases by 20% compared ERGF composites without fillers.