Ath as a Filler of Vinylester Resin

The aim of this research is to evaluate the possibility of using Alumina Tri-Hydrate (ATH) as a filler of vinyl ester resin in the production process of Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic (GFRP) tanks. GFRP material sample consists of two layers, namely chemical barrier layer and structure layer. The chemical barrier layer is composed of surfacing veil and chopped strand mat 300 using pure vinylester resin (fiber/ resin weight ratio 30/70). The structure layer consists of 2 layers, namely the structure layer which is composed of chopped strand mat 450 and woven roving 600 using pure resin. The structure layer is composed of roving 2400 long yarn using matrix containing ATH (fiber/ matrix weight ratio 70/30). Variations in the matrix used consist of compounds with a percentage of the weight of the ATH to vinylester resin that is 0/100; 10/90; 15/85; 20/80 and 25/75. Physical properties namely density and water absorption and mechanical properties namely tensile strength were observed from all of the samples. The morphology of the cross section of sample pieces was observed by SEM. Data from the test results show that ATH has the potential to be used as a matrix in the structural layer of the winding process during tank production because both physical and mechanical properties show acceptable results.