Abstract
The objective of this paper is to analyze the effects of hygrothermal exposure on the mechanical properties of epoxy compounds modified with calcium carbonate or carbon fillers. In addition, comparative tests were carried out with the same parameters as hygrothermal exposure, but the epoxy compounds were additionally exposed to thermal shocks. The analysis used cylindrical specimens produced from two different epoxy compounds. The specimens were fabricated from compounds of epoxy resins, based on Bisphenol A (one mixture modified, one unmodified) and a polyamide curing agent. Some of the epoxy compounds were modified with calcium carbonate (CaCO3). The remainder were modified with activated carbon (C). Each modifying agent, or filler, was added at a rate of 1 g, 2 g, or 3 g per 100 g of epoxy resin. The effect of the hygrothermal exposure (82 °C temperature and 95% RH humidity) was examined. The effects of thermal shocks, achieved by cycling between 82 °C and −40 °C, on selected mechanical properties of the filler-modified epoxy compounds were investigated. Strength tests were carried out on the cured epoxy compound specimens to determine the shear strength, compression modulus, and compressive strain. The analysis of the results led to the conclusion that the type of tested epoxy compounds and the quantity and type of filler determine the effects of climate chamber aging and thermal shock chamber processing on the compressive strength for the tested epoxy compounds. The different filler quantities, 1–3 g of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) or activated carbon (C), determined the strength parameters, with results varying from the reference compounds and the compounds exposure in the climate chamber and thermal shock chamber. The epoxy compounds which contained unmodified epoxy resin achieved a higher strength performance than the epoxy compounds made with modified epoxy resin. In most instances, the epoxy compounds modified with CaCO3 had a higher compressive strength than the epoxy compounds modified with C (activated carbon).
Highlights
IntroductionEpoxy materials (compounds, adhesives, composites, coatings, cast profiles) have found widespread use in many industries [1,2,3,4,5]
Epoxy materials have found widespread use in many industries [1,2,3,4,5]
E57/PAC/100:80 and modified with calcium carbonate are shown in Figure 3, modulus), Figure 4, and Figures and 6
Summary
Epoxy materials (compounds, adhesives, composites, coatings, cast profiles) have found widespread use in many industries [1,2,3,4,5]. Most applications involve compounds based on epoxy resins and curing agents [1,5,6,7,8]. The curing agents used for epoxy resins are chemical compounds. The compounds trigger three-dimensional cross-linking of the resin, providing it with properties similar to those of epoxy compounds or chemically cured plastics. The selected combination of epoxy resin and curing agent creates a compound with specific properties [7,9]. Fillers comprise a considerable group of epoxy compound modifiers. A suitable combination of filler and epoxy resin (with a curing agent) can improve the performance of the cured plastic and reduce, for example, flammability [17,18,19]
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