Thermo-Mechanical and ILSS Properties of Woven Carbon/Epoxy-XD-CNT Nanophased Composites
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Thermo-Mechanical and ILSS Properties of Woven Carbon/Epoxy-XD-CNT Nanophased Composites Mohammad K. Hossain1*, Md Mahmudur R. Chowdhury1, Mahmud B. Salam1, Johnathan Malone1, Mahesh V. Hosur2, Shaik Jeelani2 and Nydeia W. Bolden3 1 Department of Mechanical Engineering and 2Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL 36088, 1*Corresponding Author: Assistant Professor, [email protected]. 3 Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate, Eglin AFB, FL 32542.
ABSTRACT Carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy composites (CFEC) were fabricated infusing 0, 0.15, 0.30, and 0.40 wt% amino-functionalized XD-grade carbon nanotubes (NH2-XDCNTs) using the compression molding process under 16 kips. The thermo-mechanical and interlaminar shear properties of CNT incorporated carbon/epoxy composite samples were evaluated by performing dynamic-mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and short beam shear (SBS) tests. XD-CNTs were infused into Epon 862 resin using a mechanical stirrer followed by a high intensity ultrasonic liquid processor for better dispersion. After the sonication, the mixture was placed in a three roll milling processor for 3 successive cycles at 140 rpm, with the gap spaces incrementally reduced from 20 to 5 μm, to obtain the uniform dispersion of CNTs throughout the resin. Epikure W curing agent was then added to the modified resin and mixed using a high-speed mechanical stirrer. Finally, the fiber was reinforced with that modified resin using the compression molding process. The results obtained from the DMTA test were analyzed based on the storage modulus, glass transition temperature, and loss modulus. The analysis indicated that the thermo-mechanical properties were linearly increasing from 0 to 0.3 wt% XDCNT loading. The SBS test results exhibited that the incorporation of XDCNTs into the composite increased the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) by up to 22% at 0.3 wt% CNT loading. Better dispersion of XDCNTs might be attributed to more crosslinking sites and better interaction between fiber and matrix resulting in an improved fiber-matrix interface, whereas, the reaction between functional groups –NH2 of XDCNTs with epoxide groups of resin and epoxy silanes of fiber surfaces improved the crosslinking and thereby ILSS properties of carbon/epoxy composites. INTRODUCTION In a fiber reinforced composite, the matrix is the first to fail upon loading because it is the weakest constituent. Hence, the improvement of matrix properties is expected to enhance the overall performance of composites. In the last two decades, researchers have successfully enhanced the matrix properties by incorporating various nanoparticles into epoxy resin and its fiber-reinforced composites.1-3 CNTs have been proven to be a potential candidate for matrix modification because of its exceptional strength and stiffness, high specific surface area, and high aspect ratio. The higher specific surface area of CNTs facilitates a strong interface for better stress transfer from the matrix to the fiber by b
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