Impact of Aluminum Trihydrate and Calcium Carbonate Filler on Pultruded Fiberglass-Reinforced Polymer

The necessity of the lightweight component with higher strength and long-term durability leads to research and development of advanced composite materials. Attempts have been made by the researchers for improving the properties of the conventional fiberglass-reinforced composites by adding different types of filler content. This paper highlights the impact of aluminum trihydrate (ATH) and calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) on the pultruded un-saturated polyester composite reinforced with E-glass. Four samples of E-glass fiber-reinforced polyester composite mixed with the powder of ATH CaCO₃ (100% un-saturated polyester, 15% ATH with un-saturated polyester, 15% CaCO₃ with un-saturated polyester, and 15% each of ATH and CaCO₃ with un-saturated polyester) with diameter of 38 mm and thickness of 4 mm is made using pultrusion process. Specific density, tensile test, compressive test, and bending test are done as per the ASTM standards. Results are evaluated and show that 15% ATH and CaCO₃ combination shows higher specific density with higher strength as compared to all samples.