Abstract
There is currently a growing demand for more effective thermal insulation materials with the best performance properties. This research paper presents the investigation results on the influence of two types of filler on the structure and properties of rigid polyurethane foam composites. Fly ash as a product of coal combustion in power plants and microspheres of 5, 10, 15, and 20 wt.%, were used as rigid polyurethane foams modifiers. The results of thermal analysis, mechanical properties testing, and cellular structure investigation performed for polyurethane composites show that the addition of fly ash, up to 10 wt.%, significantly improved the majority of the tested parameters. The use of up to 20 wt.% of microspheres improves the mechanical and thermal properties and thermal stability of rigid polyurethane foams.
Highlights
IntroductionPublisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations
The reference unmodified PUR foam was taken for investigation under the optical microphotograph (Figure 3a)
The well-formed cellular structure can be seen on the crosssection of a reference sample
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. One of the most popular and commonly used thermosetting polymeric materials is rigid polyurethane (PUR) foam [1]. Due to its low thermal conductivity, it is mainly used in the building and construction industry [2]. Its good performance properties, i.e., low apparent density (25–50 kg/m3 ) [3], chemical resistance, good thermal and mechanical characteristics [4,5], resulted in the more widespread usage of PUR in other industries, including automotive, furniture for public transportation, astronautics, refrigerators and petrochemical engineering [6,7,8]
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