Investigation of some mechanical and thermal properties of micro Al /polymer composites.

This study aims to assess the mechanical and thermal characteristics of epoxy/aluminum and unsaturated polyester/aluminum composite systems, using the formulations (1-x) EP+(x) Al microparticles and (1-x) UP+(x) Al microparticles, where x equals 0.00, 0.01, 0.03, and 0.05 wt%. Test specimens were created using an open mold-type die, and their impact strength, hardness, and thermal conductivity were experimentally examined. According to the results, epoxy/aluminum composites achieved their highest impact strength (15.63 KJ/m2) at 0.05 wt%, while the unsaturated polyester/aluminum composites achieved their highest impact strength (8.03 KJ/m2) at the same weight percentage. Moreover, the epoxy/aluminum composites exhibited superior impact strength compared to the unsaturated polyester/aluminum composites at the 0.05 wt% ratio. In terms of hardness, the epoxy/aluminum composites reached the highest Shore D value (78.6 H.NO.) at 0.05 wt%. On the other hand, the unsaturated polyester/aluminum composites displayed higher Shore D values (88.03 H.NO.) in the laboratory, with the 88.03 value being the highest for this type of composite, compared to 78.6 for the epoxy variant. Lastly, the thermal conductivity (K) value increased in both epoxy/aluminum and unsaturated polyester/aluminum composites as the proportion of added aluminum powder grew. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]