EVALUATION OF TEMPERATURE-DEPENDENT MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF HNT AND RUBBER REINFORCED EPOXY COMPOSITES

Polymers are widely used under varying temperature conditions, with their applications influenced by properties such as glass transition temperature (Tg), melting point, thermal stability, and environmental resistance. The Tg is a critical temperature where polymers shift from a rigid glass-like state to a flexible, rubber-like state, impacting their mechanical performance. To enhance these properties, polymers are combined with reinforcements to create polymer matrix composites, which offer improved mechanical and thermal characteristics. This study focuses on examining the temperature-dependent mechanical behaviour of epoxy-based polymer matrix composites. Epoxy is used as the matrix material, reinforced with halloysite nanotubes (HNT) and carboxyterminated nitrile butadiene (CTBN) rubber to investigate changes in mechanical behaviour with changing mass fractions. Additionally, the synergistic effect of using HNT and CTBN rubber together is analysed. Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA), utilising TA Instruments DMA850, is employed, following the ASTM D7028-07 standard, to assess the composites’ storage modulus, loss modulus, and tanδ values across varying temperatures and reinforcement types. This research aims to provide insights into the thermo-mechanical performance of epoxy-based composites and the effects of individual and combined reinforcements. The results contribute to understanding how reinforcement influences the temperature-dependent mechanical properties of polymer composites.