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Effect of low profile additives on thermo-mechanical properties of fibreUP composites

Low profile additives (LPA) are thermoplastics that are incorporated to unsaturated polyester (UP) resins in order to improve the surface finish of UP/fibreglass composites, widely used in automotive applications. The effect of using LPA on the thermo-mechanical properties of resin transfer moulded UP/fibreglass composites is investigated. The flexural and shear properties are measured by three-point bending tests. The trend of these mechanical properties is identified for 0% to 40% LPA content. All the mechanical properties like flexural strength, flexural modulus and short beam strength reduce upon addition of LPA. The specimens fail by tension in the flexural test and show a mixed shear/tension failure mode in case of short beam tests. From scanning electron microscopy, morphological change of the fractured surface is observed with an LPA-rich phase. Glass transition temperature (Tg) measured by thermal mechanical analysis (TMA) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) show reproducible data and compare well with each other. Tg is improved by LPA addition due to the development of a more compatible system compared to neat resin. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is also performed to detect Tg, which gives unreliable results.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.99752
Date January 2007
CreatorsChaudhuri, Rehnooma I.
PublisherMcGill University
Source SetsLibrary and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation
Formatapplication/pdf
CoverageMaster of Engineering (Department of Mechanical Engineering.)
Rights© Rehnooma I. Chaudhuri, 2007
Relationalephsysno: 002612156, proquestno: AAIMR32580, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest.

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