Caracterización de un material de resina epoxi, reforzada con el 40% de PET triturado sometido a cargas de flexión

Abstract

This research analyzes the mechanical behavior of a composite material generated with a polymeric matrix of epoxy resin reinforced with recycled PET flakes, with a volume composition of 40% crushed PET and 60% epoxy resin. In the manufacture, test pieces were made under the ASTM D 7264/D 7264M - 07 standard for bending tests on compounds with a polymeric matrix, solidified at room temperature and machined by using a milling machine, grinder and sandpaper. The specimens were made by manual mixing. The analysis of the results of the bending tests determined that pure epoxy resin and the composite material PET-resin have an average maximum stress of 46.3 MPa and 5.48 MPa, respectively. Regarding elasticity, the epoxy resin and PET-resin have an average elasticity of 1912 MPa and 946 MPa, respectively. Finally, the epoxy resin and PET-resin present an average maximum deformation of 1.98% and 0.73%, respectively. This is a significant decrease in all three properties studied. The micrographic analysis revealed that the distribution of the reinforcement is not homogeneous, due to a higher concentration of crushed PET near the top of the specimen and most of the crushed PET flakes showed a mostly horizontal orientation. The reinforcement-matrix interface showed that there is no separation between the PET and the epoxy resin and even a thin layer of homogeneity was observed.