G Ashwin Prabhu,
S Raja,
S Murugapoopathi,
M Santhosh,
Aswanth Singh R,
Dhanush J,
- Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, St. Joseph’s College of Engineering, Old Mahabalipuram Road, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
- Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, PSNA College of Engineering and Technology, Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, India
- Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, PSNA College of Engineering and Technology, Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, India
- Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Nehru Institute of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
- UG Scholar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, St. Joseph’s College of Engineering, Old Mahabalipuram Road, Chennai, Tamil Nadu,
- UG Scholar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, St. Joseph’s College of Engineering, Old Mahabalipuram Road, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Abstract
This study explores the production and characterization of glass fiber-reinforced epoxy resin composites enhanced with silicon carbide (SiC) as a reinforcing filler. The primary objective is to evaluate the impact of SiC on the mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of the composites. Four different samples with varying SiC weight fractions (0%, 5%, 10%, and 15%) were prepared, keeping the glass fiber content constant. The composites were fabricated using a combination of hand lay-up and compression molding techniques. Mechanical packages were evaluated using tensile, flexural, and impact tests. SiC offers higher electron mobility, which translates to faster switching speeds and improved performance in electronic devices. The tensile and flexural strengths of the E-glass epoxy resin laminated composite plates were evaluated using a universal testing machine (UTM), with further analysis provided by impact testing. In this work, glass fiber corroborated epoxy resin mixes containing silicon carbide (SiC) padding are reused and characterized. The hand layup process was used to produce the compound material samples. SiC exhibits superior thermal conductivity compared to CNTs, alumina, and carbon black. This property is crucial for applications requiring efficient heat dissipation. The increasing demand for innovative and reliable materials has led to a growing interest in fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP). These composites have the potential to meet stringent engineering requirements across various industries. This research demonstrates that incorporating SiC into glass fiber-reinforced epoxy composites enhances their mechanical and thermal properties, making them suitable for a wide range of advanced engineering applications.
Keywords: Glass fibre reinforced epoxy, Silicon carbide (SiC), Composite materials, Tensile strength, Flexural strength, Filler material, Interfacial bonding.
[This article belongs to Special Issue under section in Journal of Polymer and Composites (jopc)]
G Ashwin Prabhu, S Raja, S Murugapoopathi, M Santhosh, Aswanth Singh R, Dhanush J. Enhancing Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Glass Fiber-Reinforced Epoxy Composites with Silicon Carbide Additives. Journal of Polymer and Composites. 2025; 13(04):69-77.
G Ashwin Prabhu, S Raja, S Murugapoopathi, M Santhosh, Aswanth Singh R, Dhanush J. Enhancing Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Glass Fiber-Reinforced Epoxy Composites with Silicon Carbide Additives. Journal of Polymer and Composites. 2025; 13(04):69-77. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/jopc/article=2025/view=0
Browse Figures
References
- Srivastava, V. K., & Verma, A. (2015). Mechanical behaviour of copper and aluminium particles reinforced epoxy resin composites. American Journal of Materials Science, 5(4), 84-89.
- Sathish, S., Ganesan, K., & Karthi, N. (2015). Fiber reinforced polymer composites – A review. Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites, 34(16), 1143-1152.
- Hussain, M., Nakahira, A., & Niihara, K. (1996). Mechanical property improvement of carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composites by Al2O3 filler dispersion. Materials Letters, 26(3), 185-191.
- Thakur, V. K., & Thakur, M. K. (2014). Processing and characterization of natural cellulose fibers/thermoset polymer composites. Carbohydrate polymers, 109, 102-117.
- Mahapatra, S. S., & Karak, N. (2007). Synthesis and characterization of polyesteramide resins from Nahar seed oil for surface coating applications. Progress in Organic Coatings, 59(1), 68-74.
- Prabhu, G. A., Muninathan, K., Kanna, O. L., Monish, G., & Arun, S. R. (2020, September). Static Analysis of Aluminum 6063 Alloy for Steering Knuckle Application in Student Formula Car. In IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering (Vol. 923, No. 1, p. 012007). IOP Publishing.
- Zhang, M., & Singh, R. P. (2004). Mechanical reinforcement of unsaturated polyester by Al2O3 nanoparticles. Materials Letters, 58(3-4), 408-412.
- Mouritz, A. P., & Gibson, A. G. (2007). Fire properties of polymer composite materials. Springer Science & Business Media.
- Zhao, S., Schadler, L. S., Duncan, R., Hillborg, H., & Auletta, T. (2008). Mechanisms leading to improved mechanical performance in nanoscale alumina filled epoxy. Composites Science and Technology, 68(14), 2965-2975.
- Wetzel, B., Haupert, F., & Zhang, M. Q. (2003). Epoxy nanocomposites with high mechanical and tribological performance. Composites Science and Technology, 63(14), 2055-2067.
- Shokrieh, M. M., Kefayati, A. R., & Chitsazzadeh, M. (2012). Fabrication and mechanical properties of clay/epoxy nanocomposite and its polymer concrete. Materials & Design, 40, 443-452.
- Suresha, B., Chandramohan, G., Siddaramaiah, P. S., Samapthkumaran, P., & Seetharamu, S. (2007). Three-body abrasive wear behaviour of carbon and glass fiber reinforced epoxy composites. Materials Science and Engineering: A, 443(1- 2), 285-291.
- Prabhu, G.A., Tembhekar, T.D., Gopal, V. et al. Utilizing Machine Learning for Optimizing Composite Materials Derived from Leather Trimming and HDPE Waste. J. Inst. Eng. India Ser. D (2025).
- Cao, Y., Cameron, J., & Gao, S. (2007). Tensile strength of glass fibre reinforced epoxy composites at elevated temperatures. Materials Research Innovations, 11(4), 161-164.
- Murugapoopathi, S., Ashwin Prabhu, G., Chandrasekar, G., Selvam, R., Gavaskar, T., & Sudhagar, S. (2023). Fabrication and Characterisation of Saw Dust Polymer Composite. Journal of The Institution of Engineers (India): Series D, 1-6.
- Sapiai, N., Jumahat, A., & Mahmud, J. (2018). Tensile and compressive properties of hybrid carbon fiber/glass fiber reinforced epoxy composites. International Journal of Automotive and Mechanical Engineering, 15(1), 5001- 5014.
- Zhang, J., Deng, S., Wang, Y., Ye, L., Zhou, L., & Zhang, Z. (2013). Effect of nanoparticles on interfacial properties of carbon fibre–epoxy composites. Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, 55, 35-44.
- Ghosh, P. K., & Bhandari, S. (2014). Epoxy-glass microballoon syntactic foams: Effect of particle size on density reduction and stress-strain behavior. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 131(17), 40664.
- Subramanian PM, Balamurugan L, Ashwin Prabhu G. Novel approaches in developing sustainable and cost-effective semi-active suspension systems for smart vehicles—A review. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part E: Journal of Process Mechanical Engineering. 2024;0(0).
- Muthukumar, N., Maruthamuthu, S., Khare, A., & Radhakrishnan, N. G. (2003). Biocidal and inhibition effect of SiC on bacterial attachment of Pseudomonas sp. and Vibrio sp. in cooling water systems. Bioelectrochemistry, 61(1-2), 151-156.
- Sharma, M., Gao, S., Mäder, E., Sharma, H., Wei, L. Y., & Bijwe, J. (2014). Carbon fiber surfaces and composite interphases. Composites Science and Technology, 102, 35-50.
- Tjong, S. C. (2006). Structural and mechanical properties of polymer nanocomposites. Materials Science and Engineering: R: Reports, 53(3-4), 73- 197.
- Stalin, B., Arivukkarasan, S., & Prabhu, G. A. (2015). Microstructure and mechanical properties evaluation of aluminium matrix reinforced with tungsten carbide and silicon carbide. International Journal of Applied Engineering Research, 10(55), 3994-3999.
- Xie, Y., Hill, C. A., Xiao, Z., Militz, H., & Mai, C. (2010). Silane coupling agents used for natural fiber/polymer composites: A review. Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, 41(7), 806-819.
- Plueddemann, E. P. (2013). Silane coupling agents. Springer Science & Business Media.
- Kinloch, A. J., Mohammed, R. D., Taylor, A. C., Eger, C., Sprenger, S., & Egan, D. (2005). The effect of silica nano particles and rubber particles on the toughness of multiphase thermosetting epoxy polymers. Journal of Materials Science, 40(18), 5083-5086.
- Ashori, A. (2008). Wood–plastic composites as promising green-composites for automotive industries! Bioresource technology, 99(11), 4661-4667.
- Drzal, L. T., & Madhukar, M. (1993). Fibre-matrix adhesion and its relationship to composite mechanical properties. Journal of materials science, 28(3), 569-610.
- Prabhu, G. A., Selvam, R., & Kumar, K. M. (2024). Enhancing the Mechanical Properties of Basalt Fiber and Stainless Steel Wire Mesh Composites Incorporating Fire Retardants Through Response Surface Methodology Optimization. Fibers and Polymers, 25(4), 1443-1455.
- (2007). The effect of interfacial chemistry on molecular mobility and morphology of multiwalled carbon nanotubes epoxy nanocomposite. Polymer, 48(19), 5662-5670.
- Gojny, F. H., Wichmann, M. H., Fiedler, B., & Schulte, K. (2005). Influence of different carbon nanotubes on the mechanical properties of epoxy matrix composites – A comparative study. Composites Science and Technology, 65(15-16), 2300-2313.

Journal of Polymer and Composites
| Volume | 13 |
| Special Issue | 04 |
| Received | 03/01/2025 |
| Accepted | 20/03/2025 |
| Published | 14/05/2025 |
| Publication Time | 131 Days |
[first_name] [last_name]