Stress relaxation behavior of starch powder-epoxy resin composites

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the quasi-static and the viscoelastic behavior of epoxy resin reinforced with starch powder. An increase in the elastic modulus on the order of 42% was achieved; a behavior that was predicted by the modulus prediction model (MPM). Next, the composite was subjected to flexural relaxation experiments, in order to determine the relaxation modulus, at different filler-weight fractions and flexural deflections imposed. The viscoelastic models of the standard linear solid, the power law model and the residual property model (RPM) were applied in order to simulate/predict the stress relaxation curves. Predicted values derived from the application of the above models were compared to each-other as well as to respective experimental findings. From the above comparison it was proved the superiority of the RPM model in predicting both the linear and the nonlinear viscoelastic response of the materials investigated. (c) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 41697.