Improvement of Fire Resistance and Mechanical Properties of Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic (GFRP) Composite Prepared from Combination of Active Nano Filler of Modified Pumice and Commercial Active Fillers

Glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) composites have great potential to replace metal components in vehicles by maintaining their mechanical properties and improving fire resistance. Ease of form, anti-corrosion, lightweight, fast production cycle, durability and high strength-to-weight ratio are the advantages of GFRP compared to conventional materials. The transition to the use of plastic materials can be performed by increasing their mechanical, thermal and fire resistance properties. This research aims to improve the fire resistance of GFRP composite and maintain its strength by a combination of pumice-based active nano filler and commercial active filler. The nano active filler of pumice particle (nAFPP) was obtained by the sol–gel method. Aluminum trihydroxide (ATH), sodium silicate (SS) and boric acid (BA) were commercial active fillers that were used in this study. The GFRP composite was prepared by a combination of woven roving (WR) and chopped strand mat (CSM) glass fibers with an unsaturated polyester matrix. The composite specimens were produced using a press mold method for controlling the thickness of specimens. Composites were tested with a burning test apparatus, flexural bending machine and Izod impact tester. Composites were also analyzed by SEM, TGA, DSC, FT-IR spectroscopy and macro photographs. The addition of nAFPP and reducing the amount of ATH increased ignition time significantly and decreased the burning rate of specimens. The higher content of nAFPP significantly increased the flexural and impact strength. TGA analysis shows that higher ATH content had a good contribution to reducing specimen weight loss. It is also strengthened by the lower exothermic of the specimen with higher ATH content. The use of SS and BA inhibited combustion by forming charcoal or protective film; however, excessive use of them produced porosity and lowered mechanical properties.