Abstract
Steel mesh has long been utilized in underground coal mines. Mesh's primary function is to offer passive confinement, especially in areas with poor ground conditions, preventing rock and coal fragments from dropping from the roof. A need for a steel mesh substitute that can be applied without the need of heavy machinery has been discovered. In this project, a polymer-based adhesive was synthesised as an alternative to replace steel mesh in underground coal mines. This minor dissertation describes the solvent mixing procedure used to prepare a polystyrene@coumarone-indene@carbon nanotubes composite. The samples were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD). Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to examine the changes in the functional groups of polystyrene with the addition of coumarone indene and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed the modifications in surface texture of polystyrene after addition of coumarone indene and CNTs. Polymer melt flow behaviour was studied using rheology showing the visco-elastic behaviour of the adhesive. This approach is used to explore the physical properties of our material, such as viscosity, tack, peel, frequency and amplitude sweep. Viscosity increased as polystyrene loading increased, owing to the concentration effect of polystyrene and tangling at high polystyrene loading. The viscosity of the solution was extremely sticky and difficult to apply to the substrate's surface. The wettability of a high-viscosity glue was low.