INFLUENCE OF SONICATION ON GRAPHITE AND GLASSY CARBON PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION IN EPOXY MATRIX AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF PRODUCED COMPOSITES

In the following study the influence of the ultrasonic treatment of graphite and glassy carbon powder reinforcement on epoxy composites was examined. Sonication treatment was applied to ethanol dispersions of graphite and glassy carbon respectively. After ultrasound treatment the dispersions were dried at the temperature of 70°C. Subsequently, the graphite and glassy carbon powders were mechanically extracted. The produced powders were then analyzed – the grain size distributions of the pre-and post-treatment powders were compared. The results show that the grain sizes of the sonicated graphite decreased, while the glassy carbon particles were not significantly influenced. Epoxy resin composites were made with the pre-and post-treatment powders as reinforcement. The mechanical properties of the prepared composites were examined using a Brinell hardness tester and a tensile tester. The results show slight changes in the mechanical properties of the composites reinforced with the sonicated powders in comparison to the non-sonicated powders and the neat resin samples.