Compressive behavior of crump rubber reinforced epoxy composites

In the present investigation, compressive behavior of crump rubber reinforced epoxy composites was studied. Crump rubber/epoxy composites were prepared with 0, 10, 20, and 30 vol% of crump rubber. Open mold casting was adopted for the fabrication of composites. Compressive stress-strain curves depict brittle failure for neat epoxy samples whereas crump rubber reinforced composites reveal high-energy absorption. Crump rubber reinforced composites undergo higher strain in comparison with neat epoxy sample. Compression modulus (43%-61%) and strength values (53%-55%) were lower than neat epoxy sample. Energy absorption of epoxy matrix reinforced with (10, 20, and 30 vol%) crump rubber particles depict enhancement of 34% to 73% in comparison with neat epoxy sample. Further, densification stress and strain of crump rubber composites also register higher values. Scanning electron micrographs of tested samples were used to study the structure property correlations. Property map reveals crump rubber composites possess moderate compression modulus and high-energy absorption in comparison with the values extracted from literature.

Automated summary

The study found that crump rubber reinforced epoxy composites exhibit high energy absorption and higher strain capacity, but their compression modulus and strength values are lower than pure epoxy. By increasing the crump rubber content, the energy absorption of the composite can be significantly improved.