A New Design of Recycled Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer Rubber Modified Epoxy Based Composites Reinforced with Alumina Fiber: Fracture Behavior and Damage Analyses

Abstract

This study proposes a new design of lightweight and cost-efficient composite materials for the automotive industry using recycled fresh scrap rubbers (EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer) rubbers), epoxy resin and alumina (Al2O3) fibers (AF). Three-point bending tests were conducted to investigate fundamental mechanical characteristics and then experimentally obtained moduli were compared with a modified Halpin–Tsai model. In addition, tests were carried out to study the fracture characteristics of the composites. Then, a practical numerical study was carried out to observe the evolution of the strain energy release rate along the crack front. Mechanical test results showed that the reinforcement with AF improved the fracture toughness of these novel composites for low rubber contents. Besides, increasing recycled EPDM rubber content degraded the mechanical resistance and strain at break of the composites. Moreover, numerical studies indicated that energy release rate showed some variations along the specimen thickness. Toughening mechanisms were evaluated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) fractography. Typical toughening mechanisms observed were fiber bridging and shear yielding. By considering the advantageous effects of AF on the novel composites and cost efficiency under favor of recycled rubbers, these composites are promising candidates to manufacture the various components in automotive industry.

Investigation of Mechanical and Physical Properties of Big Sheep Horn as an Alternative Biomaterial for Structural Applications

“…Moreover, F-value and p -value are important parameters to decide whether direction and condition have significant mechanical properties; based on the value of F and p we accept or reject the null hypothesis. If F-value, which is tabulated in Table 4 and Table 5 , is greater than F-value determined by using F-table [ 51 , 52 ], then the null hypothesis is rejected. Second, the p -value is used to decide the validity of the null hypothesis.…”

Toughening Mechanism Analysis of Recycled Rubber-Based Composites Reinforced with Glass Bubbles, Glass Fibers and Alumina Fibers

“…In the literature, some works have already indicated that devulcanization cannot be achieved completely. As we have shown in our former works [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ], we have only carried out 10–12% of devulcanization. After determination of the reinforcements with matrix in wt%, a special process has been applied to complete successfully the manufacturing of the composites.…”

“…In the literature, there are several studies on design and manufacturing of recycled rubber composites. Irez, Zambelis and Bayraktar [ 6 ] have studied the fracture behavior and damage analyses of recycled rubber modified epoxy-based composites reinforced with alumina fiber. They have used recycled fresh scrap rubbers, epoxy resin and alumina fibers and conducted three-point bending tests to investigate fundamental mechanical characteristics.…”

Fracture Toughness Analysis of Epoxy-Recycled Rubber-Based Composite Reinforced with Graphene Nanoplatelets for Structural Applications in Automotive and Aeronautics

“…This structure also indicates the transition between ductile and brittle states [46]. As a consequence, if there is ductile yielding, more energy can be dissipated during the fracture which increases the fracture toughness of the composites [47]. Many factors can lead to cavitation such as the resin system, curing pressure, environmental conditions.…”