The present article investigates the effect of incorporation of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles in varied weight percentages into glass fiber‐reinforced (GFR) epoxy composites through the evaluation of mechanical properties such as flexure strength, impact strength, and ultimate tensile strength of the composite. Thermo‐gravimetric analysis for the fabricated composites has been taken up to evaluate the effect of ZnO nanoparticle on the thermal stability of the composite. The ZnO nanoparticle is loaded in different weight percentages ranging from 1 to 5 wt% and is dispersed uniformly in the epoxy resin through ultrasonication method. The required GFR epoxy‐ZnO nanocomposites are fabricated through hand layup technique and cured through vacuum bagging method. The analysis of the obtained result indicate that ZnO has a negative impact on the mechanical properties such as flexure and tensile strengths, while it had a positive impact on the impact strength of the GFR epoxy‐ZnO nanocomposites. These results indicate that ZnO has a greater affinity with the epoxy resin, which results in increase in matrix‐dominated properties. The presence of ZnO nanoparticles result in the reduction of active sites for bond formation between the matrix and the glass fibers which tends to reduce the fiber‐dominated properties such as tensile and flexure strength. The thermal responses of GFR epoxy‐ZnO nanocomposites increased up to 2 wt% addition of ZnO nanoparticles, while at 5 wt% there was a reduction in the thermal response of the nanocomposite due to an increased steric hindrance.

No abstract

The article discusses the fabrication, mechanical characterization, and heat resistance of nano ZnO-TiO 2 -filled glass fiber-reinforced LY556 epoxy composites, with focus on the synergistic effect of ZnO and TiO 2 nanofillers. The fabrication of the composite laminates is achieved by the addition of the nanofillers in different wt% ranging from 1 to 5 wt%. The composites are prepared using

The objective of present research work is to investigate the surface morphology and surface microhardness of unidirectional E-glass fiber epoxy composites filled with varying amount of ZnO nanofiller content such as 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 wt% respectively. ZnO nanofiller was added to the epoxy resin matrix in varying amount (wt%) using mechanical stirrer and followed by ultrasonication process. The laminate composites were fabricated using a compression molding press technique. Further, laminate composites were subjected to individual characterization and testing according to ASTM standards. The crystalline nature of ZnO nanofiller was studied using x-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and surface morphology of ZnO nanofiller on the resin surface was examined by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The experimental test results revealed that addition of nanofiller content by 1, 2 and 3 wt% resulted in a gradual reduction of void fraction and thereafter increase in void fraction was observed with 4 and 5 wt% of ZnO loading. The surface microhardness results indicated a linear increment with increase in ZnO nanofiller loading from 1 to 5 wt%. Further, surface topography was studied with the help of atomic force microscopy (AFM), to obtain the surface roughness values. The surface roughness values increased with increase in ZnO wt% within the epoxy resin matrix. The results of the surface analysis of the fabricated composites indicate that at higher loading of ZnO nanofiller, there is formation of clusters and agglomerates of the nanofiller which reduces the nano-scale effects of the filler and nanofillers tend to behave as micro-fillers.

No abstract

This paper discusses the fabrication of nano ZnO filled epoxy/basalt fiber composites and investigates the effect of such hybridization on the mechanical properties of the composites. The epoxy resin is modified by the addition of ZnO nanofiller in different wt.% (1-5 wt%). The dispersion of the nanofiller within the epoxy resin is brought about by sonication technique. The composites are fabricated through wet layup followed by curing under compression molding. To ascertain the effect of resin modification, flexural and tensile strengths are evaluated. The inter-laminar shear strength (ILSS) is determined to identify the compatibility of the ZnO nanofiller with the epoxy and the basalt fibers. The improvement in the ILSS indicates thorough wettability being achieved between all the composite components. The addition of ZnO nanofiller improved the flexural strength, while there was no remarkable improvement in the tensile strength of the ZnO modified epoxy/baslat (BEZ) composite. Maximum improvement in the strengths is observed for BEZ2 composite with 2 wt% of ZnO nanofiller. For BEZ2 composite, the flexural and tensile strength increased by about 22% and 9.78% respectively in comparison to unfilled BEZ0 composite. The ILSS for BEZ2 composite improved by 21.74% in comparison to BEZ0 composite. In addition, more than 2 wt% addition of the ZnO nanofiller resulted in the reduction of flexural, tensile and ILSS of the composite due to agglomeration. Such agglomeration resulted in the failure of the composite due to delamination, matrix cracking and fiber fracture as observed through scanning electron microscopy images of the fractured composites.

Aluminium metal matrix composites (AMCs) are widely employed in aerospace and automobile applications. Thus, they are required to operate reliably under a severe corrosive, high temperature and carbonaceous environments, without undergoing any deterioration in their mechanical properties. The paper is the compilation of the experimental results and analysis carried out to investigate the effect of different end chills, reinforcement content and carburization on the LM25 aluminium alloy reinforced with borosilicate glass powder. The composites are prepared via stir casting route by varying the weight percent (wt.%) of the reinforcement starting from 3 wt.% and going up till 12 wt.% with an increment of 3wt.% in every step. To obtain quality castings, end chills are placed within the sand mould. The specimens drawn from the chill-end of the castings are pack carburized in a muffle furnace for a set duration of time. The hardness of the specimens before and after carburization is recorded. The analysis of the results illustrates that the hardness increases linearly with the increase in the reinforcement content within the matrix from 3 wt.% up to 9 wt.%. It is also evident that the Volumetric Heat Capacities (VHC) of the chill material bears a strong effect not only on the quality of the castings produced but also on the hardness of the AMCs. Carburization leads to carbon deposition on the surface causing a change in the hardness of the specimens.

The effect of resin modification through the incorporation of the biomass waste in the form of seashell powder on the mechanical properties of basalt fiber–reinforced epoxy/seashell composites is examined through experimental investigations. The resin modification is done through the addition of seashell powder in 5, 10, 15, and 20 wt.%. The modified resin is then reinforced with basalt fiber mat and the required laminate is obtained through compression molding technique. The specimens required for various mechanical tests, such as flexural, tensile, inter laminar shear (ILSS), and the impact strengths, are cut from the laminate as per the standard ASTM dimensions. The mechanical test results indicate that through the addition of the seashell filler additional toughening mechanisms are introduced which improves the strength of the composite laminate. The improvement in the flexural modulus value for all the laminates made from modified resin indicates the ability of the laminate to deflect the applied load effectively and efficiently. The optimum wt.% addition of seashell filler into the resin is found to be 5% for flexural, ILSS, and impact strength while for tensile strength it was observed to be 10%. The addition of higher wt.% loading of seashell filler into the resin has rendered the resin too thick and viscous with minimum flowability. Thus, there is a reduced wettability of the modified resin with the basalt fibers due to which the strength of the laminates reduces. The SEM analysis indicates widespread delamination for higher wt.% addition of the seashell filler into the resin.