Experimental description of the aging of the coconut shell powder/epoxy composite

Abstract

The Substitution of synthetic filler with fillers prepared from renewable sources is a current trend in the field of composite materials. Natural plant sources provide a very interesting alternative to synthetic reinforcements. They are economically acceptable and the resulting materials provide satisfactory mechanical characteristics. The paper focuses on the description of adhesive properties of epoxy resin filled with coconut microparticles – coconut shell powder (CSP) in the range 0–100 μm and a description of aging of these composites. Aging can be considered as one of the key factors that affects the application area of composite materials. Adhesion and cohesion characteristics were described by shear tensile strength on steel adherents and tensile strength. The morphology of the particles used and the interfacial interaction were described by electron microscopy. The presence of the used particles does not significantly reduce the adhesion characteristics of the used epoxy resin.