Mechanical and thermal properties of composite material system reinforced with micro glass balloons

Abstract

The mechanical and thermal properties of polymer composites reinforced with micro glass balloons are investigated in temperature conditions. The matrix resin of the composite is epoxy resin and its dispersion is micro glassy spherical shells of Sirasu Balloon. The composite system developed is a kind of micro porous materials with lightweight. From the experimental data of bending and tension tests, mechanical behaviours of the composites were clarified, and the effects of material properties and configurations on the mechanical properties of composites were discussed from the viewpoint of micromechanical study. A homogenization theory with multi-scale analytical method has been applied in order to evaluate the composite material system in temperature conditions. Numerical calculations were performed by using a model of micro porous materials and setting properties of each material at the temperature. Analytical results for the mechanical behaviour made a good agreement with experimental result of the composites in temperature conditions.