Abstract
Effects of ceramic particles on thermal shock behavior of particulate-filled epoxy resins have been studied. Ceramic particles filled were silicon nitride, silicon carbide, aluminum nitride, aluminum hydroxide and others. Test results were evaluated from fracture mechanics and also fractographic point of view.
Resins filled with hard particles, such as silicon nitride and silicon carbide, showed high thermal shock resistance, while a resin with aluminum nitride filled to enhance thermal conductivity, did not achieve high resistance, and resins filled with aluminum hydroxide particles which were easy to break, showed lower resistance than the neat resin.
If the thermal shocked specimens showed morphologically different fracture surface from fracture toughness tests, the calculated nondimensional stress intensity factor was not in agreement with experimental critical condition. In order to evaluate the thermal shock resistance of particulate-filled resins, therefore, it is necessary that both thermal shock and fracture toughness test specimens show the same fracture surface morphology, which means the same mechanism of crack propagation.
