Effect of crump rubber on the solid particle erosion response of epoxy composites

Present investigation characterizes solid particle erosion response of neat epoxy and crump rubber filled epoxy composites. Three types of composites were prepared by reinforcing crump rubber particles (10, 20 and 30 vol.%) in epoxy matrix. Neat epoxy samples were also prepared for comparison. Thermo gravimetric analysis revealed crump rubber composites have higher stability as compared with neat epoxy specimen. Differential scanning calorimeter tests reveal higher glass transition temperature for crump rubber composites as compared with neat epoxy specimens. Erosion rate of the samples have been studied for different angles of impingement (30, 45, 60 and 90 degrees) and erodent impact velocity (30, 45 and 60 m/s). 30 vol.% of crump rubber reinforced epoxy composites reveal better resistance to erosion in comparison with other composites and neat epoxy; attributed to the elastic nature of crump rubber particles to absorb impact energy of erodent particles. For all the specimens, maximum erosion is noted at 60 degrees angle of impingement indicating semi-ductile response to erosion. Erosion efficiency and velocity exponent of samples also substantiate the semi-ductile behavior. Morphology of the eroded surfaces was analyzed using scanning electron microscope. Property map is used to compare the results available from the literature with the present study.