Effect of glass fiber surface treatment on the mechanical strength of glass fiber reinforced resin mineral composite for machine tool bed

With excellent vibration alleviating properties, resin mineral composite (RMC) has attracted special attention in the field of mechanical engineering. However, applications of RMC are restricted because of its limited mechanical strength. In this research, the glass fiber (GF) was added into RMC to increase its mechanical strength, and the effect of the length and mass fraction of GF on the mechanical strength of GF/RMC were investigated. Results showed that the compressive strength and flexural strength of RMC first increased and then decreased as the length and mass fraction of GF increased. In order to improve the interfacial bonding between GF and RMC, the GF was subsequently treated by ultrasonication, oxidation, and silanization. And three types of treated GF, i.e., ultrasonic treated GF (U‐GF), ultrasonic and oxidation treated GF (O‐GF), and ultrasonic, oxidation and silanization treated GF (S‐GF) were obtained. Among these three types of treated GF, the S‐GF exhibited superior reinforcement in RMC. In addition, the effect of oxidation parameters on the mechanical strength of S‐GF/RMC was investigated. In the case of sodium hydroxide oxidation, the optimum mechanical strength of S‐GF/RMC was achieved when the S‐GF was treated in 1.5 mol/L sodium hydroxide for 3 h at 40°C, in which the compressive strength and flexural strength of S‐GF/RMC increase by 17.5% and 20.8% compared to neat RMC, respectively. In the case of hydrogen nitrate oxidation, the best mechanical strength of S‐GF/RMC was achieved when the S‐GF was treated in 1.5 mol/L hydrogen nitrate for 5 h at 80°C, in which the compressive strength and flexural strength of S‐GF/RMC increased by 11.2% and 18.1% compared to neat RMC, respectively. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:1559–1570, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers