Abstract
The present study investigates the dynamic mechanical response of crump rubber filled epoxy composites. The effect of crump rubber content (0, 10, 20 and 30 vol.%) on the storage modulus, loss modulus and damping properties is assessed by experimental and theoretical approaches. The experimental storage modulus decreases with an increase in temperature for all the compositions while the experimental loss modulus of EC-30 registers higher values in comparison with other compositions. Damping capabilities also increase with higher filler content. The strengthening mechanism of the crump rubber composite is validated through the effectiveness of dispersion, degree of entanglement and activation energy. The increment in the degree of entanglement and activation energy are 84 and 154% higher than the neat epoxy, respectively, which implies the thermal stability of the composite. The results of theoretical modeling evaluated for the storage and loss modulus are in good agreement with the experimental results.