Palm Leaf Fibers: A Potential Reinforcement for Enhancing Thermal Insulation Capability of Epoxy Based Composite

ABSTRACT

The retardation of heat transfer plays an important role in the survival and efficient performance of machine components which is known as insulation. In the field of insulation, epoxy has a tremendous importance. To increase its insulation property, reinforcement of various insulative fibers produces a new class of fiber composites that greatly attracts the researchers. In the present investigation, the thermal behavior of a class of polymer composites with improved insulation capabilities, consisting of epoxy and short bismarckia palm fiber, has been reported. Epoxy composites incorporated with different loadings are prepared by solution casting method. Various thermodynamic properties of epoxy like thermal conductivity (K), glass transition temperature (T_g) and coefficient of thermal expansion were calculated for different fiber loadings. A model based on numerical method has been developed to calculate the value of effective thermal conductivity of the composites using finite element analysis. Then, the result is compared with existing analytical models and experimentally obtained values. The outcome shows that the insulative behavior of the composite has been greatly improved as we increase the fiber content in the epoxy. There is also a marked enhancement of T_g of the epoxy with the incorporation of fiber.

摘要

传热的延迟对于被称为绝缘的机器部件的生存和有效性能起着重要作用. 在绝缘领域, 环氧树脂具有巨大的重要性. 为了提高其绝缘性能, 各种绝缘纤维的增强产生了一种新型的纤维复合材料, 引起了研究人员的极大兴趣. 在本研究中, 报道了一类具有改进绝缘性能的聚合物复合材料的热行为, 该复合材料由环氧树脂和短俾斯麦棕榈纤维组成. 采用溶液浇铸法制备了不同负载量的环氧树脂复合材料. 计算了不同纤维负载量下类环氧树脂导热系数 (K), 玻璃化转变温度 (Tg) 和热膨胀系数 (CTE) 的各种热力学性质. 建立了一个基于数值方法的模型, 用有限元法计算复合材料的有效导热系数. 然后将计算结果与现有的分析模型和实验值进行了比较. 结果表明, 随着环氧树脂中纤维含量的增加, 复合材料的绝缘性能大大提高. 纤维的加入也显著提高了环氧树脂的热重.

KEYWORDS:

• Polymer composites
• thermal insulation
• bismarckia palm
• FEA

关键词:

• 聚合物复合材料
• 隔热
• 俾斯麦棕榈

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).