Epoxy/Fly ash from Indian soil Chulha/nano CaCO ₃ nanocomposite: Studies on mechanical and thermal properties

Abstract At present, the recycling of solid wastage Fly ash (FA) to generate high‐value products grows enormous interest. FA, micron sized powder, from Indian soil Chulha (a small earthen or brick stove), is a byproduct that can be utilized as filler in epoxy resin with different wt% due to its unique properties. The main objective of this considerable research work is to determine the thermal, mechanical, and morphological properties of epoxy resin with FA and nano CaCO ₃ . Two different sets of composite samples were fabricated for investigating purposes. The first set of samples was fabricated with FA and DGEBA epoxy resin. Another set of samples was prepared by FA, DGEBA epoxy resin, and nano CaCO ₃ . In both sets, FA was varied from 0% to 50% by weight and nano CaCO ₃ from 1% to 7% by weight. For better dispersion of FA and nano‐particles, ultrasonication technique was performed. The curing behavior of specimen has been evaluated by DSC, whereas SEM and FTIR techniques were used to analyze the morphological properties of epoxy/FA/nano CaCO ₃ nanocomposite. The observed results indicated that thermal and mechanical properties like tensile strength, Shore D hardness and impact strength were improved by an increment of FA and nano CaCO ₃ concerning that of neat epoxy. The scope of this paper is limited to FA from Indian soil Chulha.