Experimental-numerical analysis of kaolin-silicone biocomposites / Ahmad Faridzal Rosli

Kaolin is one of the widely uses clay in many applications such as cosmetics, pottery and ceramic, adhesives and tiles. Furthermore, kaolin is also being used as a filler for several applications for example filler for paper coatings, paint and cosmetics, because of its inertness to skin, low viscosity and good dispersion. However, there is no venture on combining kaolin into silicone rubber without curing agent. Therefore, this study aims on how to reinforce kaolin into silicone rubber without uses of hardener or curing agent. Likewise, the properties of this new biocomposites is yet to be quantified experimentally and mathematically. This problem led to the implementation of hyperelastic constitutive models. The specimens were tested using uniaxial tensile test and uniaxial compressive test using ASTM D412 and ASTM D575 as standard, respectively. The data from both experiment tests were analysed numerically using application of Neo-Hookean model and Mooney-Rivlin model as a few of several hyperelastic constitutive models. Excel Solver was executed to determine the material constant and the stress-stretch curve was fitted to mimic the experimental data curve. The result of numeral analysis showed that Mooney-Rivlin produce the best curve f it for both tensile and compressive behaviour, as it imitates the best to the experiment data curve. 4wt% of Kaolin-Silicone biocomposites exhibited the best tensile properties and 12wt% of biocomposites showed the best compressive properties. This study concluded that Kaolin-Silicone biocomposites is able to be produced without aids of hardener or curing agent, and it exhibited a non-linear behaviour as hyperelastic models especially Mooney-Rivlin is capable to quantify the mechanical properties of the biocomposites.