Jordanian clay-based heat insulator composites: Mechanical properties

In this study formulation of composite materials was made using different types and compositions of Jordanian fillers of virgin, untreated bentonite, and feldspar. Unsaturated polyester liquid blended with the filler with a given polyester/filler ratio was transformed into solid upon thermo-set process using chemical reagents to initiate the thermo-set process, and later control the propagation and termination steps. The solid samples produced were then subjected to mechanical, thermal conductivity, and water absorption tests to come up with a product formulation having best or optimum properties in terms of previously tested characteristics. In this paper, the results of the mechanical tests will be presented. In brief, it was found that mechanical properties did improve with increasing clay weight percentage up to 60 wt%. Beyond 60 wt% the product formulation was found to be inconsistent and non-reproducible. Furthermore, it was found that a composite material based on a certain type of clay (with highest content of Al₂O₃ and SiO₂), possessed superior characteristics in terms of mechanical properties and compared with calcium-carbonate-containing, polyester-based composite materials.