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Microstructural Analysis and Mechanical Behaviour of Epoxy Composites With a Very High Nanofiller Content Synthetized by High Energy Ball Milling
Authors:
S. Grairia1
, R. Slimani1
, A. Maanser2
, A. Saoudi3
, A. Ballah1
1Research Laboratory in Energy and Materials “RLEM”, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of
Tamanghasset, 11000 Tamanghasset, Algeria
2Department of Architecture, Larbi Ben Mhidi University, 4000 Oum El-Bouaghi, Algeria
3Scientific and Technical Research Center in Physico-Chemical Analyses (STRCPCA), Industrial zone BP
384, Bou-Ismail, 42000 Tipaza, Algeria
Received: 1 October 2025
Revised: 4 May 2026
Accepted: 29 May 2026
Published: 29 June 2026
Abstract:
This study examines the addition of silica sand nanoparticles at 12 wt.%, 22 wt.%, 32 wt.%, 42 wt.%, 52 wt.%, and 62 wt.% into epoxy resin matrices (DGEBA, Medapoxy HR EA, and Medapoxy HR EB) to enhance their physical, mechanical, and microstructural properties. In research, Silica was successfully incorporated up to 42 wt.%, exceeding the typical 25 wt.% inorganic threshold. This incorporation significantly boosts the compressive, flexural, and tensile strengths of the nanocomposites to 113.685 MPa, 49.723 MPa, and 33.452 MPa, respectively, showing increases of 57.49%, 40.33%, and 37.31% over pure epoxy. The optimal silica content for maximizing mechanical properties lies between 32 wt.% and 42 wt.%. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveals that pure epoxy has a smooth and brittle fracture surface, whereas epoxy/SiO₂ composites exhibit cohesive deformations and fractures due to the silica. However, silica content above 42 wt.% leads to nanoparticle agglomeration, which reduces performance. The study concludes that silica nanoparticles improve the mechanical properties of epoxy resin, making the nanocomposites more economical, durable, and suitable for various industrial and domestic applications. These findings support the development of high-performance materials from abundant natural byproducts.
Keywords:
Renewable energy, Solar energy system, GHI, ANN, Metaheuristic algorithms, Predictions
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© 2026 by the authors. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Volume 11
Number 2
June 2026
Last Edition
Volume 11
Number 1
March 2026
How to Cite
S. Grairia, R. Slimani, A. Maanser, A. Saoudi, A. Ballah, Microstructural Analysis and Mechanical Behaviour of Epoxy Composites With a Very High Nanofiller Content Synthetized by High Energy Ball Milling. Applied Engineering Letters, 11(2), 2026: 84-95
https://doi.org/10.46793/aeletters.2026.11.2.3
More Citation Formats
Grairia, S., Slimani, R., Maanser, A., Saoudi, A., & Ballah, A. Microstructural Analysis and Mechanical Behaviour of Epoxy Composites With a Very High Nanofiller Content Synthetized by High Energy Ball Milling. Applied Engineering Letters, 11(2), 84-95
https://doi.org/10.46793/aeletters.2026.11.2.3