Influence of Particulate Size on the Properties of Epoxy Composites Filled With Micro‐Sized Red Stone Dust

ABSTRACT The study's primary objective is to investigate the potential utilization of waste stone dust generated during the processing of red stone as a filler material in polymer matrix composites. The main aim of the work is to develop a new class of environmentally friendly composite materials. In the present work, composites are fabricated with an epoxy matrix, and their physical and mechanical properties are analyzed. The hand lay‐up method was used to prepare the epoxy/red stone dust composite, and different sets were developed with red stone dust loadings of 10, 20, 30, and 40 wt.%. The properties evaluated in the work are a function of the loading and size of the red stone dust. For that, two different sizes of red stone dust (3.5 μm and 8 μm) and, accordingly, two sets of composites were fabricated. The density, void content, and affinity towards moisture of the samples increased with red stone dust content. The highest tensile and flexural strength is registered at 20 wt.% of red stone dust. The percentage elongation decreases with filler loading, whereas the modulus increases. The hardness and compressive strength show an increasing trend. The study also found that composites with smaller particles exhibit superior properties.