Experimental characterization of degradation of reactive resin filled with organic microparticles

Abstract

Composite materials rank among the structural materials with a highly promising trend. The main advantage of composite materials is the synergistic effect of the individual sub-components of the system, which allows great adaptation of these materials and excellent mechanical properties. In recent years, the substitution of inorganic materials with organic materials is increasingly used in the field of composite systems. From the materials engineering point of view, this substitution makes use of very interesting properties of natural fillers. These materials are environmentally friendly and their prices are usually lower than similar synthetic fillers. However, it is also necessary to mention the negative side of organic fillers and that is their natural character. Natural fillers are so different from one another and evince greater variance than the observed values of synthetic materials. In terms of long-term applications, the degradation of natural materials can rank among limits. Natural particulate fillers can be utilized in interaction with reactive resins; they can reduce the final price while maintaining the adhesive characteristics. This paper describes the adhesive characteristics of reaction resins filled with microparticles prepared from pomace seeds of Phoenix dactylifera and it also describes the degradation of these materials. A climatic chamber was used for this experiment. Describing the degradation processes it is important to define application areas. Electron microscopy was used when evaluating the failure of bonded joints. The degradation corresponding to 35 cycles resulted in a 37 % decrease in shear strength.