Thermal shock resistance of hybrid particulate-filled epoxy composites with hard and soft fillers

Abstract For improvement in toughness of epoxy casting materials, the technology of filling the epoxy with hard and soft particles is effective. In this study, thermal shock tests were carried out for a hybrid composite system that consisted of silica particulate as hard filler, methacrylate-butadiene-styrene rubber as soft filler and matrix of epoxy resin. The testing method was established by the authors, and the thermal shock resistance of materials could be evaluated by using a disc-type specimen with a sharp notch. Fracture toughness of the hybrid composite materials improved remarkably by using both silica and MBS filler. However, the contribution of particle filling effect to thermal shock resistance was relatively small. These results were mainly due to debonding of silica filler/matrix resin interface. Keywords: Thermal shockepoxy resinhybrid fillerfracture toughnessparticulate-filled compositethermal shock testsilica fillerMBS rubber