Fly Ash as an Eco-Friendly Filler for Rigid Polyurethane Foams Modification
Monika Kuźnia,
Anna Magiera,
Beata Zygmunt-Kowalska,
Katarzyna Kaczorek-Chrobak,
Kinga Pielichowska,
Piotr Szatkowski,
Aleksandra Benko,
Magdalena Ziąbka,
Wojciech Jerzak
Affiliations
Monika Kuźnia
Department of Heat Engineering and Environment Protection, Faculty of Metals Engineering and Industrial Computer Science, AGH University of Science and Technology, Mickiewicza 30 Av., 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Anna Magiera
Department of Heat Engineering and Environment Protection, Faculty of Metals Engineering and Industrial Computer Science, AGH University of Science and Technology, Mickiewicza 30 Av., 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Beata Zygmunt-Kowalska
Department of Heat Engineering and Environment Protection, Faculty of Metals Engineering and Industrial Computer Science, AGH University of Science and Technology, Mickiewicza 30 Av., 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Katarzyna Kaczorek-Chrobak
Instytut Techniki Budowlanej, Filtrowa 1, 00-611 Warszawa, Poland
Kinga Pielichowska
Department of Biomaterials and Composites, Faculty of Materials Science and Ceramics, AGH University of Science and Technology, Mickiewicza 30 Av., 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Piotr Szatkowski
Department of Biomaterials and Composites, Faculty of Materials Science and Ceramics, AGH University of Science and Technology, Mickiewicza 30 Av., 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Aleksandra Benko
Department of Biomaterials and Composites, Faculty of Materials Science and Ceramics, AGH University of Science and Technology, Mickiewicza 30 Av., 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Magdalena Ziąbka
Department of Ceramics and Refractories, Faculty of Materials Science and Ceramics, AGH University of Science and Technology, Mickiewicza 30 Av., 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Wojciech Jerzak
Department of Heat Engineering and Environment Protection, Faculty of Metals Engineering and Industrial Computer Science, AGH University of Science and Technology, Mickiewicza 30 Av., 30-059 Krakow, Poland
There is currently a growing demand for more effective thermal insulation materials with the best performance properties. This research paper presents the investigation results on the influence of two types of filler on the structure and properties of rigid polyurethane foam composites. Fly ash as a product of coal combustion in power plants and microspheres of 5, 10, 15, and 20 wt.%, were used as rigid polyurethane foams modifiers. The results of thermal analysis, mechanical properties testing, and cellular structure investigation performed for polyurethane composites show that the addition of fly ash, up to 10 wt.%, significantly improved the majority of the tested parameters. The use of up to 20 wt.% of microspheres improves the mechanical and thermal properties and thermal stability of rigid polyurethane foams.