Issue 71

L. Varghese et alii, Fracture and Structural Integrity, 71 (2025) 49-66; DOI: 10.3221/IGF-ESIS.71.05

Particle Size

Filler Content

Tensile Strength

Flexural Strength

Impact Strength KJ/m2

Composites

Hardness

Ref.

(µm)

% 33 33

(MPa)

(MPa) 44.23 48.92

(N/mm2)

E+Sal

300 300

13.9 14.2

3.2 3.7

- -

[14] [14]

E+Teak

(150 300) (150 300)

E+Pine

25

18.2

20.03

2.2

232.7

[33]

E+Shorea robusta

25

21.8

38.58

20

191.1

[33]

HDPE +Fiberboard

-

40 15 30 40 40 40 30

13.8 45.6 22.8 34.5 25.5

31.4

- -

- - - - - -

[34] [22] [35] [36] [23] [18] [37]

E+Apple shell PP+Popular Phenolic+Cedar

212 250

78.19

-

9.7 J/m 9.7 J/m 79 J/m 91 J/m

<160

61.82

PP+Pine PP+Pine

215

42.6

64 90

24.30 24.78

41.40

Polyester+Grewia

66.2

Present Work (Ep/AS-C/10) Present Work (Ep/AS-C/10)

(300 600) (150 300)

10

24

29.28

54.7 J/m

85.8(SD)

5

14.48

37.99

25.65 J/m

84(SD)

Table 2: Representative plot of mechanical properties of composites as a filler content.

Property Map Tab. 2 presents data on the mechanical properties of various composite materials, which are fabricated by combining different types of particles (fillers) with polymer resin. The table highlights several key parameters: particle size, filler content, tensile strength, flexural strength, impact strength, and hardness. The particle sizes of the fillers used in the composites, as detailed in the table, range from 64 µm to 600 µm, significantly impacting the mechanical properties of the materials. Shakuntala et al. found that a 15-weight fraction % of apple shell-reinforced epoxy composite, with a particle size of 212 µm, had the highest tensile and flexural strength. Conversely, Narlioglu et al. reported the lowest tensile and flexural strength in a 33-weight fraction % Fiberboard HDPE composite. In this study, an Ep/AS-C/10 showed a tensile and flexural strength that falls between the strengths of these two composites, indicating its potential for use in low-load building applications, Partition panels, Ceiling Panels, and similar applications. However, a notable issue with these particulate composites is that grinding the reinforcement to the microscale results in uneven particle sizes, which diminishes the load transfer capacity from the resin to the reinforcement. Moreover, the composite material does not possess the necessary mechanical properties for high-load applications. he epoxy composites with areca sheath particulates ranging from 5 to 20% weight fraction were prepared. The study demonstrates that Ep/AS-C, significantly improve mechanical properties. The optimal tensile strength 24 MPa and modulus 1050 MPa were observed at a 10% weight fraction in the Ep/AS-C/10 composite. The highest flexural modulus 3043 MPa and impact energy 54.7 J/m were recorded in the Ep/AS-C/5 and Ep/AS-C/10 composites. However, adding more than 10% particulates AS-C,F,VF led to a decline in tensile and flexural properties due to agglomeration and poor wettability. The Ep/AS-C/10 specimen exhibited the highest natural frequency 30 Hz . The composites also showed excellent hardness, with a maximum value of 88 shore D for Ep/AS-C/20. These lightweight composites are promising alternatives to wood-based epoxy materials and are well-suited for low-load structural applications, including building panels and infrastructure like Partition panels, Ceiling Panels, and similar applications. T C ONCLUSION

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