Archive | 2019
Mechanical Properties of Polyester Sandwich Composites Wood Flour Reinforced Fiberglass
Abstract
The use of wood flour as filler in thermoset polyester composites has some advantageous since it is cheap and abundant, mild, not abrasive, and environmentally friendly. In this study, these advantages are in depth explored in order to produce an innovative sandwich composite material that meets the requirements of engineering construction material for various purposes. Study of mechanical properties is focused on the preparatory process of the wood flour till the formation of a composite sandwich. The effect of pre-treatment on wood flour, size and dimensions as well as the reinforcing process using fiberglass to form the sandwich construction, then it studied experimentally. The specimens manufacturing by casting in open mould and testing are using the ASTM C 1341-06. The results showed that the treatment process at the wood flour and the addition of coupling agent MAH did not have a positive influence on the mechanical properties of wood flour polyester composite. The soft wood filler with the medium to coarse size of filler and the composition within ± 60% polyester resin has the best bending strength. Therefore, the size factor, dimensions and type of wood flour as filler has the influence on the mechanical properties, whereas the filler size of 2-3 mm eligible to be used economically and technically. While wood flour composite reinforcement with fiberglass as the sandwich type has been able to increase its bending strength up to ±45% fibres and making this material allows it to be used as construction material. The types of fiberglass also have an effect, in which the type of woven fiberglass has a reinforcing effect that up to 45% better than fiberglass type CSM, but use 2 layers of fibre CSM, gains almost the same as the first layer Roving fiberglass type.