Property Evaluation and Analysis of DRI Slag Filled Polymer Composites

Abstract

The present research focuses on developing a new class of composites consisting of epoxy resin filled with different proportions of Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) slag, commonly known sponge iron slag. These particulate composites are fabricated using conventional solution casting method with incorporation of 0, 10, 20 and 30 wt.% of the slag in the resin. The cured composite samples are subjected to various physical, mechanical and micro-structural characterization tests. Properties such as composite density, void content, tensile strength, flexural strength, micro-hardness etc. are evaluated under controlled laboratory conditions. It is found that while the porosity increases marginally with the increase in the slag content, the mean hardness of the composite improves substantially. A gradual decrement is noticed in case of the strength properties (tensile and flexural) of the composites with the filler content, which may be attributed to improper wetting and stress concentration arising out of the irregular shaped slag particles. The compositional/micro-structural features are identified with the help of electron microscopy, and X-Ray diffraction etc. Scanning electron microscopy reveals the shape, size and distribution pattern of the filler particles in the composites. X-Ray diffraction curve reveals the presence of hard phases such as silica, hematite etc. in the composite. This work suggests that successful fabrication of thermoset polymer composites is possible with addition of an industrial waste like sponge iron slag and that most of the mechanical properties improve with increase in the content of slag in the composite.