Investigation of some mechanical properties of particle reinforced epoxy based polymer matrix composite materials

In many applications where high strength and lightness are desired, the use of composite materials is a highly preferred solution to combine the superior properties of two or more different materials. The use of mechanical connections when joining composite materials; This causes problems such as opening a hole, cracking of the drilled hole and increasing weight, so the use of adhesive is of great importance. For this reason, studies to increase the mechanical properties of commercial or laboratory-scale adhesives are gaining importance. Adding different species of micro and nano particles to increase the strength of adhesive materials is a hot topic nowadays. As can be seen in the literature study, it shows that when micro and nano-sized particles are added to epoxy resin, significant increases in the strength of the adhesive are provided. In this study, B, TiO2, Al2O3 and SiC particles were added to the epoxy resin in nano and micro sizes and in different mass percent concentration ratios to examine the effect on the tensile strength of single lap joints. The geometry of single lap joints is prepared, cut and glued according to ASTM D5868 standard. Then, the tensile tests of the test samples were carried out according to the ASTM D638 standard. Average breaking loads and average displacement values of single lap joint specimens were obtained from tensile tests. According to these values, the effects of different parameters used in the thesis on the adhesion performance and mechanical properties of the material were examined and interpreted.