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Mechanical Behaviour and Morphological Studies of Infused Carbon Fillers with Different Weight Ratios in Polyurethane Foam

International Journal of Mechanical Engineering
© 2025 by SSRG - IJME Journal
Volume 12 Issue 10
Year of Publication : 2025
Authors : Rajesh Addanki, Sanjay Anand Rao Khalane
10.14445/23488360/IJME-V12I10P111
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How to Cite?

Rajesh Addanki, Sanjay Anand Rao Khalane, "Mechanical Behaviour and Morphological Studies of Infused Carbon Fillers with Different Weight Ratios in Polyurethane Foam," SSRG International Journal of Mechanical Engineering, vol. 12,  no. 10, pp. 129-137, 2025. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23488360/IJME-V12I10P111

Abstract:

Polyurethane foams with short carbon fiber materials are being used in shape memory, aerospace, sports goods, and biomedical applications. This study emphasises the tensile behaviour of Polyurethane (PU) foam added with Chopped Carbon Fibers (CCF) mixture of 250 microns with different weight ratios 0.25%, 0.5% and 1%. Four configurations are cast in a mould, tensile samples are prepared and experimentally validated in a universal testing machine by capturing cross-head displacements and gauge strains. A load displacement drop is noticed to 1.61 times for a maximum weight percentage of 1% CCF mixture. Experimental results showed that the addition of chopped carbon fibers to PU foam has improved the tensile strength. CCF content of 0.5 wt% % showed a tensile strength increase to 73% and a tensile modulus increase to 56% compared to specimens with 0 wt% of CCF content. A morphological examination was carried out, and the developments in TS25C, TS50C, and TS100C specimens showed improvement in cell density from 1.95 to 6 times and a drop in cell size from 13.68 to 75.89%. Maximum density increased in TS100C specimens is upto 19.6% as compared to TS0C. Agglomeration is noticed with a percentage increase of CCF in PUF with more than 0.5 wt%.

Keywords:

Chopped carbon fibers, Polyurethane foam cast, Tensile behavior study, Displacement and strain characteristics, SEM morphology.

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