Experimental Investigation of mechanical properties of reinforced composite using titanium alloy powder

Abstract : Composite materials constitute a combination of two or more dissimilar materials. They often have different properties which work together to give unique properties different from the parent materials. The discontinuous, stiffer and stronger constituents are the reinforcements, whereas the less stiff, weaker and continuous is referred to as the matrix. The properties of a composite material depend on the weight percentage, geometry, distribution, and properties of the constituent phases, which often result in property combinations that are better when compared to the properties found in the metallic alloys, ceramics, and polymeric materials. Polymer composites constitute an important class of composite material due to their improved mechanical properties, easy fabrication and low cost. In this research work, epoxy resin, a thermosetting resin was reinforced with pure titanium powder and titanium alloy powder. The fabricated composites were characterized through Vickers microhardness test, impact test, flexural test, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction spectroscopy. The microhardness of the composites reinforced with functionalized titanium powder decreased with an increase in the weight percentage of the particles while the reverse was the case for the composites fabricated without particle functionalization. However, pure titanium powder gave better improvement for the composites reinforced with functionalized particles. The trend was reversed when the particles were functionalized. The introduction of the titanium powder as reinforcement improved the impact energy of the composites. The flexural properties of the composites were significantly improved by the reinforcement. In all, a maximum of approximately 184 % remarkable improvement was recorded in the flexural modulus compared to the composites without reinforcement. The SEM revealed that the introduction of the titanium powder increased the roughness of the surface of ...M.Ing. (Mechanical Engineering