Improving the mechanical and thermal properties of unsaturated polyester resin by adding scahe fish powder

Abstract

In this research, a composite material was developed using unsaturated polyester resin as the base matrix and zinc oxide (ZnO) as a reinforcing agent. The study focused on evaluating key mechanical properties, including hardness, compressive strength, and impact resistance. To investigate the effect of filler concentration, samples were prepared with different ZnO weight fractions ranging from (1- 10)%. The results showed that the optimal improvement in mechanical performance occurred at a 6 wt %  ZnO content of. In addition, the influence of processing temperature was examined by curing the composite samples at four different temperatures: 7°C, 25°C, 80°C, and 150°C. At 25°C, the composites demonstrated notable enhancements in impact resistance, compressive strength, and hardness, accompanied by a reduction in Young’s modulus. At other processing temperatures (7°C, 80°C, and 150°C), the mechanical properties exhibited varying trends, with some increasing while others decreased. Furthermore, it was observed that thermal conductivity increased with rising temperatures and decreased at lower temperatures. These findings suggest that both filler content and processing temperature significantly influence the mechanical and thermal behavior of ZnO-reinforced unsaturated polyester composites