Abstract
In the present work, attempts were made to investigate the reinforcement and treatment effect of GF on morphological and rheological behaviour of GF/epoxy vinyl ester composites. GF was incorporated into epoxy vinyl ester resin by sonication, and mechanical agitation. Rheological and morphological properties were studied as a function of particle treatment and size distributions. The dispersion morphology, agglomeration degree and homogeneity of additives were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy SEM, and optical microscopy. Effect of mixing method, surface treatment, and particle size distribution on rheological properties of composites were investigated with a modular compact rheometer. The results showed that the mechanical agitation decreases GF aspect ratio more than sonication. SEM fractography shows finer particles improve toughness properties of the composites in comparison with larger ones. GF with larger circular diameter and length is more sensitive to shear than the smaller one. Rheological investigations showed that surface treatment improves the interaction between the polymer matrix and GF. These results indicated that the finer the GF, the better the rheological properties will be displayed.
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