Micronized Recycle Rubber Particles Modified Multifunctional Polymer Composites: Application to Ultrasonic Materials...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Composites
• Ultrasonic Engineering

Background:

• Growing interest in multifunctional composites and recycled materials.
• Need for enhanced ultrasonic transducer properties (sensitivity, bandwidth, resolution).
• Potential of recycled materials, like end-of-life tire rubber, in advanced applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and fabricate multifunctional polymer composites incorporating recycled rubber and tungsten powders.
• To investigate the integration of these composites into ultrasonic transducers.
• To develop a modeling approach for predicting material properties and performance.

Main Methods:

• Multiphase and multiscale composite fabrication using a polymer matrix with recycled rubber and tungsten powders.
• Development of a fabrication procedure compatible with ultrasonic transducer manufacturing.
• Application of a modeling approach to calculate elastic modulus, ultrasonic damping, and particle scattering effects.

Main Results:

• Successful fabrication of polymer composites with tunable acoustic properties.
• Achieved acoustic impedance range: 2.35-15.6 MRayl.
• Ultrasound velocity range: 790-2570 m/s.
• Attenuation at 3 MHz: 0.96-27 dB/mm, with frequency-dependent power law (exponent 1.2-3.2).

Conclusions:

• The developed composites offer a wide range of tunable properties suitable for ultrasonic engineering demands.
• Recycled materials can be effectively utilized in high-performance composite applications.
• The proposed fabrication and modeling approaches are viable for creating advanced ultrasonic transducer components.