Influence of multiwalled carbon nanotube on progressive damage of epoxy/carbon fiber reinforced structural composite

Abstract

The present work aims to demonstrate the effect of multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) on mechanical behavior and damage of woven carbon fiber/epoxy composites through experimental characterizations and multi-scale modeling. Tensile tests were conducted for MWCNT/epoxy nanocomposites, and carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforced laminated open hole composites with different MWCNT weight ratios. The tensile modulus in CNT/epoxy nanocomposite was enhanced by 15.0%, 37.86%, and 22.86% for MWCNT reinforcement of 0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5% wt, respectively. The corresponding improvement of tensile modulus for woven composites was 3.45%, 10.25%, and 1.53%; whereas tensile strength was increased by 19.76%, 25.78%, and 6.70%. The enhancement of tensile modulus and strength was less for 1.5% wt MWCNT laminates due to the formation of MWCNT agglomeration. The effective elastic isotropic/orthotropic properties for nanocomposite/woven composite were estimated through Mori-Tanaka approach and numerical homogenization. The finite element simulations were performed with Hashin's damage model and extended finite element method-based crack growth study. The delaminations between layers have been demonstrated through cohesive zone modeling. Damage propagation, interface delamination, and fiber/ matrix failure were demonstrated by numerical simulations in line with scanning electron microscope observations.

Effect of CNTs/nano‐TiO2 hybrid system on the drop‐weight impact response of Kevlar fiber/epoxy composites

“…Soliman et al [ 15 ] explored the low‐velocity impact response of functionalized‐CNTs/carbon fibers/EP composite and reported that the CNTs addition increased the absorbed energy. The positive effect of MWCNTs on the tensile response of carbon fiber‐EP composites was also shown by Bhowmik et al [ 18 ]…”

Mode I and mode II fracture behavior in nano‐engineered long fiber reinforced composites

“…[10][11][12][13] The addition of 1 wt% CNTs can increase the matrix's electrical conductivity by up to 10 orders of magnitude. [14,15] Introducing dispersed CNTs is known to enhance not only the strength [16,17] and stiffness of composites [18,19] but also their fracture toughness. [20][21][22] However, the formation of local agglomerations of CNTs bundles during resin impregnation process is likely to create singularities and decrease the mechanical properties of the composites.…”

Effects of functionalized graphene oxide modified sizing agent on the interfacial and mechanical properties of carbon fiber reinforced polyamide 6 composites

“…Among the various types of thermoplastic resins, polyamide 6 (PA6) is frequently selected as matrix resin for manufacturing CFRTP due to its high‐impact resistance, processability, recyclability, and low cost. [ 1 ] It is generally recognized that the interfacial properties not only determine comprehensive mechanical properties, [ 2–4 ] but also affect moisture absorption, [ 5 ] aging resistance [ 6 ] and fracture behavior [ 7 ] of the composites. However, the epoxy‐based sizing on the as‐received carbon fibers (CFs) is designed for thermosetting matrix resin, [ 8 ] which may undergo thermal degradation at the processing temperature of CFRTP [ 9,10 ] and presents weak compatibility with thermoplastic matrix resin.…”