The influence of impregnation condition on reinforced ethylene–vinyl–acetate elastomer composite

Experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of impregnation conditions on glass fiber-reinforced ethylene–vinyl–acetate elastomer. Both the matrix elastomer resin and reinforcing glass fiber were premixed and compression-molded using a specially constructed mold. The mold prevents the flowing out of the matrix resin during fabrication. The impregnation time was varied between 5 and 25 min. The level of impregnation was measured through the optical micrographs of the cross section, estimation of void contents using the ignition method, and transverse bending strength. The morphology of the fractured surface was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the longer the impregnation time, the lower the void contents. Both the bending modulus and strength increased with increasing impregnation time. The SEM micrograph shows little adhesion between the matrix and the reinforcing glass fiber. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.