Investigation on effects of Nitrile Butadiene Rubber on mechanical and wear properties of glass fiber reinforced polymer composites

Abstract

The effectiveness of strengthening epoxy resin LY556 with acrylonitrile-butadiene rubbers (NBR) containing 33-35% percent acrylonitrile has been examined. In the current study, the effect of Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (NBR) on mechanical behavior and dry sliding behavior of Glass/epoxy composite was investigated. The NBR weight percentage was varied from 0 to 4% in the toughening of epoxy resin. Wear tests and mechanical experiments such as Tensile strength, flexural strength, and impact tests were carried out to characterize the matrix toughened composites. The tensile strength increased with a reduction in modulus and the strength due to bending decreased. Shear strength between laminate, high resistance to impact, and tensile strength of cross-linked monomeric NBR indicate that rubber bridging and tearing processes are responsible for the toughening effect. The specific wear rate decreased with the increase in the NBR content as the friction coefficient reduced due to the reduced wear resistance of the NBR reinforcements.