Preparation and Investigation of Epoxy Syntactic Foam (Epoxy/Graphite Reinforced Hollow Epoxy Macrosphere/Hollow Glass Microsphere Composite)

Abstract

Graphite reinforced hollow epoxy macrospheres (GR-HEMS) and hollow glass microspheres (HGMS) were used to prepare three phase epoxy syntactic foam (ESF) using “molding method”, and the physical and mechanical properties of ESF were also studied and investigated. An innovative “rolling ball method” was implemented in the GR-HEMS preparation process. The performance tests show that higher GR-HEMS stacking volume fraction, lower GR-HEMS thickness, higher GR-HEMS diameter, higher HGMS volume fraction, lower HGMS density are beneficial to reducing the density of ESF, but the effects of the five factors on the strength of ESF are the opposite. Therefore, in order to obtain “high strength and low density” ESF composites, the various factors should be considered to achieve a balance of the strength and the density. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) shows that the “rolling ball method” can make graphite form a graphite spherical x-y network throughout the macrosphere wall, which can make GR-HEMS and ESF have great compressive strength. The ESF (450 kg/m3, 20.75 MPa) can withstand the 2075 meters water pressure and provide 550 kg/m3 buoyancy, which can give some advice to the preparation of buoyancy material used in deepwater oil exploration.