Effect of the nature of fillers and ultraviolet irradiation on the mechanical properties of epoxy composite coatings

The effect of ultraviolet irradiation, the physical nature and percentage of fine-grained fillers on the mechanical properties of composites has been studied. It has been found that the ultraviolet irradiation of epoxy compositions causes a decrease in the adhesive strength and an increase in the cohesive strength of protective coatings. This has been proved to be due to a change in the course of physicochemical processes at the filler/epoxy oligomer interface, owing to which external surface layers, which have a considerable extent and a high degree of cross-linking, are formed around fine particles in the matrix.