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The Production and Mechanical Properties of Silicon Carbide and Alumina Whisker-Reinforced Epoxy Composites

1992; SAGE Publishing; Volume: 11; Issue: 10 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1177/073168449201101008

1530-7964

Y. Zhang, C.A. Pickles, John H. Cameron,

Epoxy Resin Curing Processes

In this paper, the flexural modulus and wear resistance of silicon carbide and alumina whisker-reinforced epoxy composites are reported. The composites were fab ricated from epoxy resins and whiskers which were produced in a plasma furnace. The resulting silicon carbide and alumina whisker-reinforced epoxy composites have low den sities, high flexural moduli and good wear resistance. The specific stiffnesses of these two composites with 16-18% weight fraction of whiskers were 1.59 and 1.50 (GPa/g/mm 3 ) respectively. These values were 46 and 37 percent higher than that of the unreinforced epoxy resins. The silicon carbide and alumina whiskers which have low densities, high strength, high length to diameter ratios, and large surface area, are effective reinforcing agents for epoxy composites. Also, the factors that determine the flexural modulus of the composite are discussed.