Study On Preparation And Tribological Properties Of UP/MMT Nanocomposites And FRP Modified By O-MMT

Polymer nanocomposites are of a novel type of advanced composites, which have been studied for more than 10 years. They have unique structure, morphology as well as mechanical, thermal and gas/liquid barrier properties than their conventional counterparts. Polymer nanocomposites play an important role in scientific research and technical application. One of the aims of this study on UP/MMT intercalated nanocomposites is to improve the wear properties of UP.The organic montmorillonite is prepared successfully by adopting cation interchange after the choice of suitable intercalation agent. The result of modification and the state of intercalation of organic cation are characterized by means of TGA, FT-IR, XRD and EDS. After the organic modification of montmorillonite, the interplanar spacing of montmorillonite increased from 1.21nm to 1.78nm.UP (unsaturated polyester)\MMT (montmorillonite) nanocomposites were prepared by dispersing organically modified montmorillonite in prepromoted UP resin and subsequently cross-linked using methyl ethyl ketone peroxide catalyst at several different clay concentrations. X-ray diffraction studies revealed the formation of intercalation nanocomposite with the change of the peak corresponding to the basal spacing of the pure MMT. Transmission electron microscopy was used to study the morphology and showed the nanocomposite to be comprised of intercalated aggregates throughout the matrix. The curing kinetics of UP and its composite were studied by adopting isothermal DSC. It is showed that the addition of MMT decreases the curing velocity.The friction and wear behavior of the nanocomposites sliding against AISI-1045 steel under water-lubricated condition and dry condition was examined on an M-200 test rig in a ring-on-block configuration. The worn surfaces of the nanocomposites were examined by meansof scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometry. As the results, the nanocomposites showed much better wear resistance than the UP matrix, while the friction-reducing ability alters slightly. This was related to the changes in the wear mechanisms induced by the introduction of the MMT as the filler, under water-lubricated condition, UP was dominated by adhesion wear and fatigue peeling off in water-lubricated sliding against the steel, though the adhesion wear and fatigue peeling off were considerably abated for the nanocomposite under the same test condition. While under dry condition, the addition of MMT doesn't affect the adhesion were. The effect of the friction condition including the load and the sliding velocity on the wear of the composites was studied under water-lubricated condition and dry condition.Finally, FRP modified by MMT was studied. It is concluded that FRP with MMT exhibit increases in the electronal property and the heat resistance, while the mechanical property scarcely alter...