Mechanical properties of microcrystalline cellulose filled unsaturated polyester blend composite with various treatment

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the tensile strength, bending, density, and elastic modulus of composite materials from microcrystalline cellulose - unsaturated polyester with various treatments. Microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC) was dried in an oven at 600°C for 120 minutes. MCC was added as much as 1% wt, 2% wt, and 5% wt on unsaturated Polyester (UPRs) as matrix and rotated at 350 rpm for 30 minutes. The second variation of MCC was added to a matrix of 1% wt with a speed of 0, 150 rpm, 250 rpm and 350 rpm for 30 minutes. The third variation with the same composition is rotated at a speed of 350 rpm and changes in the time 0, 10, 20, 30 minutes. The fourth variation of the same composition is played at a speed of 350 rpm for 30 minutes with a change in the rotation temperature of 24 °C, 40°C, 60°C, and 80°C. The MCC-UPRs mixture was put in an oven for 30 minutes and cooled for 10 hours at room temperature to reduce bubbles. Add Methyl ethyl ketone (MEKPO) as much as 1% wt as a catalyst and pour on the mold with the hand lay up method, cool it for 18 hours to be used as a specimen. The test results show that the addition of microcrystalline cellulose to unsaturated polyester can increase tensile strength, bending, and elastic modulus. Giving rounds will cause MCC to be dispersed evenly on Unsaturated Polyester. The density also increases with the addition of filler concentrations.