Thermogravimetric analysis of aluminised E-glass fibre reinforced unsaturated polyester composites

Novel aluminised E-glass fibre reinforced unsaturated polyester composites, originally formulated for enhanced thermal and electrical shielding properties were evaluated in terms of their thermal performance. The thermal degradation of these specimens was analysed using a thermogravimetric analyser (TGA). The samples were heated from ambient temperature to 500 degrees C at a heating rate of 20 degrees C/min. All specimens were decomposed under dry nitrogen (N-2) at a flow rate of 40 ml/min to yield gases and solid char. Aluminised E-glass composites were compared alongside the unmetallised E-glass and unreinforced composite. The major weight loss occurred between 200 and 400 degrees C. The unreinforced polyester had a maximum weight loss, 1.25%/degrees C, occurring at 360 degrees C. For the aluminised and unmetallised E-glass composites, the maximum rate of weight loss was 0.34 and 0.55%/degrees C, respectively. Experimental results show the degradation of the aluminised E-glass composites obtained from TGA tests is higher compared to those of unmetallised E-glass fibre and unreinforced polyester composite. This improvement is correlated to the aluminium coating. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.