www.tjprc.org SCOPUS Indexed Journal editor@tjprc.org EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION AND ANALYSIS OF MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF POLYVINYL ESTER/GLASS FIBER COMPOSITE WITH ALUMINA (AL 2 O 3 ), MOLYBDENUM DISULFIDE (MOS 2 ) AND TITANIUM OXIDE (TIO 2 ) FILLERS B. DINESH PRABHU 1 , A. RAMESH 2 & J. VENKATESH 3 1 Associate Professor, PES College of Engineering, Mandya, Karnataka, India 2 Professor and Principal, B. I. T. Institute of Technology, Hindupur, Andra Pradesh, India 3 Professor, PES College of Engineering, Mandya, Karnataka, India ABSTRACT In the present research work, the experimental analysis was conducted on Polyvinyl ester/Glass Fiber composite with Alumina (Al 2 O 3 ), Molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) and Titanium oxide (TiO 2 ) fillers. Polymer composites offer numerous advantages for the high strength to weight ratio due to low density, high modulus, and better stiffness. Low strength and ductility of Polyesters, vinyl-esters, and epoxy cannot be applied for technical applications, hence reinforced by fiber and fillers to form composite matrices. The increase in % of filler has enhanced the ultimate strength monotonously except for 12.5% of Tio 2 filler in the polyvinyl ester/GF composites. The addition of Al 2 O 3 filler has better Young’s modulus compared to other fillers and maximum Young’s modulus was observed for 12.5% Al 2 O 3 and there is a drastic increase in Young’s modulus to almost 40% compared with 7.5% Al 2 O 3 polyvinyl ester composite. Flexural strength of particulate filled polyvinyl ester composite composites improved due to strong interfacial adhesion and the surface roughness act as mechanical interlocking. It is also evident that the addition of MoS 2 filler is more beneficial than that of Al 2 O 3 filler in improving the flexural strength and modulus of polyvinyl ester/GF composite. The SEM study was conducted to infer the results obtained for the tensile and flexural tests conducted for the polyvinyl ester/GF composite. KEYWORDS: Polyvinylester Polymer, Glass Fibre with Filler Composites, Al2O3 Filler, MoS2 Filler & TiO2 Filler Received: Aug 20, 2018; Accepted: Sep 10, 2018; Published: Oct 17, 2018; Paper Id.: IJMPERDDEC201814 INTRODUCTION Polymer composites offer numerous advantages for the high strength to weight ratio due to low density, high modulus and better stiffness [1, 2]. Epoxy and polyesters are the popularly used thermosetting resins which are widely used in bulk applications for reinforced composites [3, 4]. They are generally formed by a condensation reaction between a glycol and an unsaturated dibasic acid. Low strength and ductility of Polyesters, vinyl-esters, and epoxy cannot be applied for technical applications, hence reinforced by fiber and fillers to form composite matrices [5]. If chemical resistance is the most important point of view vinyl esters are the prime choice [6]. The glass fibers, especially E and S type, as reinforcing materials used in fibre reinforced thermoset composites due to their length to stiffness and are economical [7, 8]. Vinyl Ester (VE) resins are produced from epoxy resins and unsaturated monocarboxylic acids. Their low room temperature viscosity coupled with rapid curing and relatively Original Article International Journal of Mechanical and Production Engineering Research and Development (IJMPERD) ISSN (P): 2249-6890; ISSN (E): 2249-8001 Vol. 8, Issue 6, Dec 2018, 125-134 © TJPRC Pvt. Ltd.