An Investigation on the Effect of Silica Filler and Waste Tire Powder Toughener on Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Epoxy Based Adhesives

In this study, three different size (100-300-500 µm) of the rubber powder (waste tire) were used in the formulation of epoxy- phenolic adhesive. Rubber powder was modified with grafting method by acrylamide monomer. In order to prevent any loss in properties such as modulus and strength of the adhesive, which is due to the addition of rubber powder to the adhesive, the micro particles of silica were used in formulation of epoxy- phenolic adhesive.  The experiment was designed by Taguchi method, and in the experiment, the effect of the composition of rubber powder, size of rubber powder, composition of silica filler and phenolic resin on mechanical and thermal properties of epoxy adhesives were investigated. To study the mechanical properties of adhesives and adhesion properties, dumbbell-shaped specimens and single edge lap bonds that have been made of metal (stainless steel) to composite (epoxy resin / carbon fiber) were prepared and subjected to tensile test. Thermal stability and interfacial interaction between epoxy and filler in adhesive formulation were explored by thermogravimetric analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analyses, respectively.  Tensile test results showed that for lap- joint bonding with the addition of each factor in its optimal level into epoxy adhesive, strength, modulus and toughness increase by 7.5%, 27.56% and 114% respectively in comparison with  the samples bonded with the neat  epoxy adhesive. A significant increase was obtained in thermal stability for formulated adhesive samples compared with neat epoxy adhesive.