• Advances in nano research
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.97-111
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• 2022

In the present article, silica nanoparticles (SNPs) were exploited to improve the tribological and mechanical properties of vinyl ester/glass fiber composites. To the best of our knowledge, there hasn't been any prior study on the wear properties of glass fiber reinforced vinyl ester SiO₂ nanocomposites. The wear resistance is a critical concern in many industries which needs to be managed effectively to reduce high costs. To examine the influence of SNPs on the mechanical properties, seven different weight percentages of vinyl ester/nano-silica composites were initially fabricated. Afterward, based on the tensile testing results of the silica nanocomposites, four wt% of SNPs were selected to fabricate a ternary composite composed of vinyl ester/glass fiber/nano-silica using vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding. At the next stage, the tensile, three-point flexural, Charpy impact, and pin-on-disk wear tests were performed on the ternary composites. The fractured surfaces were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images after conducting previous tests. The most important and interesting result of this study was the development of a nanocomposite that exhibited a 52.2% decrease in the mean coefficient of friction (COF) by augmenting the SNPs, which is beneficial for the fabrication/repair of composite/steel energy pipelines as well as hydraulic and pneumatic pipe systems conveying abrasive materials. Moreover, the weight loss due to wearing the ternary composite containing one wt% of SNPs was significantly reduced by 70%. Such enhanced property of the fabricated nanocomposite may also be an important design factor for marine structures, bridges, and transportation of wind turbine blades.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2007.05a
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• pp.148-153
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• 2007

The effect of silicon carbide (SiC) and graphite fillers incorporation on the abrasive wear behaviour of glass-vinyl ester (G-V) composites have been investigated. The three-body abrasive wear behaviour was assessed by rubber wheel abrasion tests (RWAT). The worn surfaces were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The addition of SiC and graphite fillers in G-V composite improves the abrasion resistance under different loads/abrading distances. The SEM studies indicate the reasons for failure of composites and influencing parameters.

• Composite Materials and Engineering
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.167-178
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• 2021

In the present paper, the destructive behavior of distilled water, salty water, sulfuric acid, and heat on glass/vinyl ester composites was investigated by experimental methods. Hetron 922 vinyl ester resin and two types of mat and woven glass fibers as the reinforcements were used to fabricate composite test samples. All samples were immersed in distilled water, salty water, and sulfuric acid with three different concentrations. The tests were performed at 20℃ and 70℃ for the exposure duration of 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks. Bending tests were performed after aging for all composite samples to check the degradation of the bending modulus and strength. The results show that the effect of distilled water, in comparison with salty water, on the degradation of composite samples was significant. On the other hand, almost non-sensitivity of concentrations of salty water on the weight gain of specimens has been observed. In addition, it was also observed that the degradation of samples at 70℃ temperature is much more than that of at 20℃. Also, it was observed that the flexural modulus of virgin specimens exposed to salty water (2% concentration) has been recovered just after two weeks of immersion. Furthermore, in some cases, composite samples under the sulfuric acid solution have lost almost 80% of their mechanical properties.