A systematic review of pure metals reinforced plastic composites

Abstract

In conjunction with the pressing and rising needs to develop improved materials for modern tastes and demands, developing metal-reinforced plastic composites is equally a key aspect of solid waste management. In this study, the literature on pure metal-reinforced plastic composites was systematically reviewed to catalogue key findings, observe trends in results, evaluate the progress of the research area and predict future perspectives. The major metals used as fillers in plastic composites are aluminium, copper and iron and the most used polymer is epoxy. Aluminium is the most popular metal used due to its low cost, corrosion resistance, availability and excellent thermal and electrical properties. Studies preferred manual mixing, hand layup and casting for the composite production. Parametric studies have delved into the factor-response relationships for filler content against morphological, physical, electrical, thermal and mechanical properties of the composites. The nature of the base plastic resin had a greater influence on the electrical properties of the plastics and the conductivities of the composites in terms of their base resin was in the order PS > EP > PVC. Tribological investigations revealed that wear rate increased with increasing test load and speed and that increase in metal fillers was led to greater wear resistance. From the review, the need to gain further knowledge on the corrosion characteristics, flame retardation ability and effect of other process factors were noted. Metal reinforced plastic composites can be served as semiconductors, dielectric materials, ballistic protections, building panels and aircraft materials. Investigations and breakthroughs in this research area would be invaluable to many of other areas in science and technology.