Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of barium sulfate on the mechanical properties of glass/epoxy resin composite. Eight groups of glass fibre-reinforced resin bar and barium sulfate/epoxy resin bar specimens containing 0%, 9.7%, 13.9%, 17.7%, 21.2%, 24.4%, 27.3%, and 30.1 w.t% barium sulfate were fabricated. The three-point bending test and Charpy impact test were employed to measure the flexural strength, modulus, and impact strength of the composite. It was found that the flexural strength value increased about 30% from 0% (635.75 MPa) to 30.1% (822.82 MPa) as the amount of barium sulfate increased. The elastic modulus values of all group specimens varied from 23–27 GPa but there was no statistical significance among the groups (P = 0.524). The impact strength decreased noticeably with the addition of barium sulfate to the epoxy resin, while there was no significant difference among the filler-containing groups. In conclusion, barium sulfate reduced the impact strength of the resin; but on combining with glass fibre reinforcement, the barium sulfate improved the flexural strength of the composite.