Blast erosion behavior of alumina particulate-filled epoxide resins

The blast erosion behavior of epoxide composites was investigated by using a blasting apparatus with Al2O3 particles and this was compared with that of an epoxide resin with no fillers. Three kinds of Al2O3 powders with the average particle size of 0.66, 5.7 and 24.2 μm were used as the filler. The experimental results showed that the lower was the ductility of epoxide composites, the higher was the volume erosion rate. The erosion damage peak of epoxide composites existed at nearly 30° of the blast angle and the main erosion mechanisms were observed to be cutting and cracking-like detachment. It is considered that the blast erosion behavior of epoxide composites with Al2O3 filler may be mainly determined by the fracture toughness. It is also shown that the tensile strength of epoxide composites can be estimated simply by fracture mechanics analysis, based on the assumption of flaw introduction effect by the Al2O3 filler.