Application of Mathematical and Experimental Approach in Description of Sedimentation of Powder Fillers in Epoxy Resin

Abstract

In this paper, sedimentation inhibition attempts were examined using colloidal silica in a mathematical and experimental approach. Experimental results were validated by a two-step verification process. It was demonstrated that application of quantitative metallography and hardness measurements in three different regions of samples allows us to describe the sedimentation process using modified Stokes law. Moreover, proper application of Stokes law allows one to determine the optimal colloidal silica amount, considering characteristics of applied filler (alumina or graphite). The results of mathematical calculations have been confirmed experimentally—the experimental results show good agreement with the calculated data.

Keywords

• epoxy resin
• polymer matrix composites
• graphite particles
• alumina
• Stokes’ law