Numerical study of the effect of different fillers on the mechanical and thermal properties of Silicone rubber polymer composite

Abstract

This research work focuses on the numerical analysis of polymer composite in the form of representative volume element (RVE) for enhancing the mechanical and thermal properties. Filler material used for the enhancement of mechanical and thermal properties are Aluminium oxide (Al 2 O 3 ), Zinc oxide (ZnO), Silicon carbide (SiC), Silica (SiO 2 ) and carbon black (CB). Different filler concentrations of particles were used in SiR polymer matrix and their effect on the mechanical and thermal properties were evaluated. The mechanical properties of the polymer composite were extracted using ABAQUS simulation software while the thermal properties were extracted using DIGIMAT simulation software. The numerical results show improvement in thermal and mechanical properties of SiR polymer composite with the addition of various fillers. In addition, it was also found that different fillers have different impact on the property enhancement. The numerical study conducted in this research was validated with experimental study conducted by previous researchers. This study also gives the indication for the suitableness of the DIGIMAT and ABAQUS simulation software in related research work.