EFFECT OF FILLING A POLYURETHANE MATRIX WITH KAOLIN ON DAMPING EFFICIENCY, MECHANICAL AND THERMAL PROPERTIES.

Abstract

One of the ways to reduce the cost of a polymermaterial is to replace the weight part of its composition with a cheaper natural filler. In this work, the objects of study are polyurethane composites synthesized by the insitumethod, containing the mineralfiller kaolin from 10 to 40 mass parts. Filling with kaolin significantly lowers the price of polyurethane material, and its cost is reduced by almost 30 percent when the content of the filler is 40 mass parts.  Morphological studies have shown that kaolin particles are uniformly dispersed in the poly­urethane matrix, but thereis a tendency for the iragglomerationas the filler concentration increases. Viscoelastic, mechanical, and thermal properties of polyurethane composites wer studied. The damping efficiency of polyurethane materials was estimated from the results of dynamic mechanical analysis. Itis found that the filler additions lightly decreases the effective damping temperature range of polyurethane composites, but their heat resistance and mechanical properties improve. The method of thermogravimetricanalysis was shown the presence of kaolin significantly changes the character of thermo-oxidative destruction of composites. The temperature interval of the intensive decomposition stage increases for filled systems and the temperature of the maximum rate of weight loss at the decomposition stage (T_max) increases with increasing kaolin content. According to the results of mechanical studies, an increase in the kaolin content in polyurethanes leads to an increase in the storage modulus (E') and a significant decrease in the relative elongation (ε). Thus, filling with kaolin significantly reduces the cost of polyurethane composites and contributes to their expansion of functional properties due to increased heat resistance and improved mechanical characteristics.