Modification of the Dynamic Damping Behavior of Fly Ash Filled Unsaturated Polyester Resin/SBR Latex Blend Composites

An attempt has been made to develop fly ash filled polymer matrix composites with high damping behavior. Fly ash filled polymer matrix composites do not show very high damping property and this limits their application in many fields. Hence, unsaturated polyester resin (UPE) was blended with SBR latex in three proportions and this blend was used as the matrix for making the composites. Both 40 and 50 wt% fly ash loaded blend matrix composites were prepared by the room temperature casting method. Flexural properties were investigated. The damping behaviors of the composites were determined by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The presence of latex particles significantly enhanced the damping property. The combination of damping behavior with good mechanical property was optimized. UPE resin blended with 5 wt% SBR latex was found to have good strength with enhanced damping property. Very high damping can be achieved with the UPE/10 wt% SBR latex blend matrix having 50 wt% fly ash loading. The fracture surfaces examined under SEM revealed good compatibility between the various components of the systems.