Ageing of particulate-filled epoxy resin under hygrothermal conditions

• Published in: Construction & building materials Vol. 249; p. 118846
• Main Authors: Khotbehsara, Mojdeh Mehrinejad, Manalo, Allan, Aravinthan, Thiru, Ferdous, Wahid, Nguyen, Kate T.Q., Hota, Gangarao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 20.07.2020
• Subjects: Epoxy polymer; Hygorthermal; Mechanical properties; Microstructures; Moisture absorption; Mechanical properties; Moisture absorption; Hygorthermal; Microstructures; Epoxy polymer
• ISSN: 0950-0618; 1879-0526
• DOI: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.118846

•Properties and microstructure of particulate-filled epoxy resin at hygrothermal conditions.•Strength retention of particulate filled epoxy polymer after 100 years of service.•Fillers make epoxy resin to have a dense microstructure after hygrothermal conditioning.•FTIR analysis revealed no chemical changes in the epoxy after hygrothermal conditioning. This paper investigated the physical, mechanical, thermo-mechanical and microstructural properties of an epoxy-based resin system containing fire retardant and fly-ash under accelerated hygrothermal ageing. The particulate-filled epoxy resin was conditioned for 1000, 2000 and 3000 h at temperatures up to 60 °C and a relative humidity of 98%. Inclusion of fillers was found to decrease the moisture absorption, increase the glass transition temperature and slight reduce the mechanical properties after hygrothermal conditioning. The prediction using the Arrhenius model suggested that the particulate-filled epoxy resin will retain at least 70% of its strength after 100 years of service in the Australian environment.