Response of fly ash-reinforced functionally graded rubber composites subjected to mechanical loading

Abstract

A novel approach to estimate the Young's modulus of a functionally graded rubber composite (FGRC) from the damping ratio is demonstrated with the examples of unreinforced and fly ash-reinforced materials. FGRC coupons were prepared using the conventional casting technique. The occurrence of gradation in the specimens was attributed to the variable density of particles present in the fly ash, settling at different depths. The technique of free vibrations was used for experimentation. The damping response of the FGRC specimens was studied. The results obtained from the experiments showed that, with growing filler weight fraction, the Young's modulus of the composite increased. The empirical model developed to predict the magnitude of the modulus turned out to be in good agreement with experimental data. 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.