Effect of aluminium particles on mechanical and morphological properties of epoxy nanocomposites

Abstract

Bumper is a front or rear part of automobiles. It is designed and shaped to be impact absorbing and protecting automobiles from damage in low impact collisions. Initially, they were made from heavy steels, increasing the weight of automobiles and fuel consumption. Also, high impacts of steel bumpers on pedestrians during accidental collision cause fatalities and or disabilities. An effort to enhance fuel efficiency, safety, freedom of design and shape detailing, heavy alloys for automobile applications are now being replaced with polymeric composites. Aluminium micro particles and nanoparticles were prepared from aluminium cans through sand casting, lathe machine spinning, and ball milling techniques. Both types of aluminium particles were incorporated into a mixture of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA, epoxy resin) cured with amine base hardener (ABH). Phases of the epoxy polymer and composites were identified using Xray Diffraction (XRD). Spatial arrangement of the phases within the matrix and their elemental composition were examined using Scanning Electron Microscope with attached energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX). Tensile, impact and micro hardness tests were conducted on the prepared epoxy/aluminium composites. Results of the XRD showed the presence of aluminium compounds/phases due to chemical reactions between aluminium particles and DGEBA/ABH system. SEM confirmed a homogeneous distribution of the phases within the epoxy matrix, and that there is a strong adhesion between the epoxy matrix and aluminium particles. Correlation between the mechanical properties of the prepared nanocomposite and the procured bumper materials exhibited a fair suitability of the prepared nanocomposites for automobile applications.

Keywords

• Aluminium
• nanoparticles
• correlation
• mechanical properties
• bumper material