Investigation of the properties of composite materials based on epoxy resins with microsilica additives

Abstract

The outcomes of studying epoxy-based composite materials supplemented with microsilica are provided in the article. Microsilica was used as a filler. The samples were produced on the epoxy ED-20 basis supplemented with 2, 5 and 10 mas. % of microsilica. The structure and size of finely dispersed filler particles were defined. The obtained composites were tested for resistance to the effect of variable temperatures, corrosive, and abrasion. The study outcomes proved that samples supplemented with 2% of microsilica are more resistant to acid and alkali as well as to petrol than those ones supplemented with 25% of microsilica. Besides the amount of the filler from 2 to 10% doesn’t sufficiently affect the resistance to variable temperatures. When microsilica is added to epoxy resin, it causes scuff resistance increase. The conducted testing proved that the developed composite materials are resistant to the effect of variable temperatures, corrosive, and abrasion. This enables to use these materials as coatings and anti-corrosion protection during machine maintenance.