Abstract:

Silicon dioxide was used to strengthen and toughen unsaturated polyester resin. The results show that, in the employed experimental conditions, the performances of the product are greatly affected by the dosage （ mass fraction） of silicon dioxide, that the tension fracture energy reaches the maximum value at a SiO₂ dosage of 8% , and that the curing shrinkage rate becomes low at a SiO₂ dosage of 8% - 12%. Moreover, FT-IR spectra were used to reveal the effects of the characteristic groups and hydrogen bonds on the performances of the composite. The results indicate that the absorption peaks of unsaturated double bonds and hydroxyls greatly improve with SiO2 dosage when the dosage is less than 10%.

Key words: unsaturated polyester resin, silicon dioxide, composite, tension property