Experimental study of the mechanical properties of particulate reinforced composite

Abstract

The use of composites plays an important role in the fields of Mechanical and Civil Engineering. The idea of using composite materials in the two afore mentioned fields is no longer new. In the Fibre Composites Design and Development Centre (FCDD), University of Southern Queensland (USQ) many researches and experiments on new lightweight materials and structures have been carried out. In the previous research, FCDD found that the composites made from vinyl ester resins suffer considerable shrinkage during hardening. This problem could cause the tensile test result to not be accurate. With this issue in mind, research on the more appropriate methods have been carried out to get more accurate results and also compensate the data collected. The material used was thirty three (33) percent by weight flyash particulate reinforced vinyl ester composite [VE/FLYASH (33 per cent)]. Unfortunately, the tensile test result of the composites cured under ambient conditions is still in doubt. With the above doubt in mind, this project must be further carried out to improve the tensile test results of the composites cured under ambient conditions.