Study of heat and sound insulation for polymeric composites reinforced with nano clay

Composite materials were prepared using epoxy as a matrix and nanoclay as a reinforcement with weight fractions 5% and 10%, using hand lay-up as a preparation technique. An unreinforced epoxy cast was also prepared for comparison. Heat and acoustic insulation were studied, in addition to tensile, compression, and impact tests. The results showed that the sound levels were the highest in the unreinforced specimen, and decreased gradually with nanoclay, suggesting that the nanoclay have impeded the path for sound waves transmission. The same behavior was observed with thermal conductivity. The tensile strength for the 5% wt. specimens were about 40% higher than that of the 10% wt. specimens, and about 60% higher than the unreinforced epoxy. The Young's modulus was 1.899 MPa, 3.25 MPa, and 4.143 MPa for the 5%, 10%, and unreinforced epoxy, respectively. Impact and compressive strengths were directly proportional with nano clay content. Scanning electron microscopy was used to reveal the microscopic details. The results prove that the addition of nanoparticles must be optimized to get the desired results.