B.Eng. Christopher Wendt
Datum des Kolloquiums: 05. September 2011
In Kooperation mit: atea Composite (Shanghai) Ltd.; Shanghai, P.R.China
This bachelor thesis focuses on the research and development of an abrasion resistant additive for the chemical barrier of fibreglass reinforced plastic (FRP) equipment. As FRPs are mostly used in the chemical industry, they are meant to withstand highly corrosive media such as alkalis or acids. It is the chemical barrier of FRPs that protects the load bearing structural layer against these influences. An even higher exposure to the equipment are solid containing fluids which accelerate the steady abrasion process of the chemical barrier and thus open the way for corrosive media to attack the FRP's structural layer.
Starting with a general introduction of the structure and properties of FRP equipment, this thesis provides sufficient basic knowledge that enables the reader to follow and understand the motives and procedures that are necessary to implement the examinations.
Subsequently, the selection process of the different additives is described. The practical applicability of every additive is tested by means of miscibility- and lamination tests. Only after having passed these examinations, considered materials get confirmed as adequate test objects of this thesis.
In the following, all additives are subjected to an abrasion test following the norm "ASTM D 4060 01:2010 - Standard Test Method for Abrasion Resistance of Organic Coatings by the Taber Abraser". Each additive is tested at different mass fractions with a Taber Abraser in order to perceive an understanding of the change of properties among the different additions of powder.
Concluding the results it is recognizable that two of the powders are inappropriate additives for the purpose of providing abrasion resistance to the chemical barrier due to forming inclusions or too high brittleness. Nevertheless, both other powders show very encouraging results. Whereas one of them provides for an advancement of the abrasion resistance of more than 48 %, the other one achieves an enhancement of 40.16 % compared to the features of regular laminates.
Afterwards, the applicability of each additive for the usage in pipes or tanks gets examined and described by means of a tensile test, a bending test and a burst test. All trials are executed and the results are subsequently reviewed concerning their correspondence with the requirements of atea and its clients. Concluding the results it is to say that all additives fulfil the technical requirements of atea and their clients.
The final result of the thesis leads therefore to a powder that has proven to be the most adequate additive for the motives of atea. Added to the chemical barrier at a determined mass fraction, it provides the most favourable results of increased abrasion resistance to the chemical barrier of fibreglass reinforced plastic equipment.