EFFECT OF MICROSILICA IN WOVEN CERAMIC FIBRE / PHENOLIC RESIN COMPOSITES

Abstract

In this study, phenolic based composite filled with ultra light microsilica is prepared by traditional hand layup method, using ceramic woven fibre as reinforcement. The effect of various percentages of microsilica is investigated on the tensile strength, compression strength, impact resistance and thermal stability of the composite. The result reveals that, up to 15% addition of microsilica enhanced the mechanical properties. However the addition of microsilica beyond 15% decreases the mechanical properties of the composites. This is mainly because, addition of microsilica increases the viscosity of phenolic resin which directly affecting the wettability of fibre. It is found that, the addition of microsilica has great positive influence on the thermal stability of the composite