Investigation on tensile properties of plain and nanoclay reinforced syntactic foams

Tensile properties of plain and nanoclay reinforced epoxy matrix syntactic foams with three different sizes of ceramic microballoons are investigated experimentally. Nine series of plain syntactic foams with 20, 40 and 60 volume fractions of microballoons are prepared and tested to study the volume fraction and size effects. Also nano syntactic foams specimens with six different weight fractions of nanoclay (0, 1, 2, 3, 5 & 7%) are tested and the effect of nanoclay content on the tensile properties is investigated. In addition to tensile tests, fracture modes of all syntactic foams are considered thoroughly by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM)

Improving the fracture toughness and the strength of epoxy using nanomaterials : a review of the current status

The incorporation of nanomaterials in the polymer matrix is considered to be a highly effective technique to improve the mechanical properties of resins. In this paper the effects of the addition of different nanoparticles such as single-walled CNT (SWCNT), double-walled CNT (DWCNT), multi-walled CNT (MWCNT), graphene, nanoclay and nanosilica on fracture toughness, strength and stiffness of the epoxy matrix have been reviewed. The Young's modulus (E), ultimate tensile strength (UTS), mode I (GIC) and mode II (GIIC) fracture toughness of the various nanocomposites at different nanoparticle loadings are compared. The review shows that, depending on the type of nanoparticles, the integration of the nanoparticles has a substantial effect on mode I and mode II fracture toughness, strength and stiffness. The critical factors such as maintaining a homogeneous dispersion and good adhesion between the matrix and the nanoparticles are highlighted. The effect of surface functionalization, its relevancy and toughening mechanism are also scrutinized and discussed. A large variety of data comprised of the mechanical properties of nanomaterial toughened composites reported to date has thus been compiled to facilitate the evolution of this emerging field, and the results are presented in maps showing the effect of nanoparticle loading on mode I fracture toughness, stiffness and strength

On the extent of fracture toughness transfer from 1D/2D nanomodified epoxy matrices to glass fibre composites

In this study, the effects of adding nanofillers to an epoxy resin (EP) used as a matrix in glass fibre-reinforced plastic (GFRP) composites have been investigated. Both 1D and 2D nanofillers were used, specifically (1) carbon nanotubes (CNTs), (2) few-layer graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs), as well as hybrid combinations of (3) CNTs and boron nitride nanosheets, and (4) GNPs and boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs). Tensile tests have shown improvements in the transverse stiffness normal to the fibre direction of up to about 25% for the GFRPs using the ‘EP + CNT’ and the ‘EP + BNNT + GNP’ matrices, compared to the composites with the unmodified epoxy (‘EP’). Mode I and mode II fracture toughness tests were conducted using double cantilever beam (DCB) and end-notched flexure (ENF) tests, respectively. In the quasi-static mode I tests, the values of the initiation interlaminar fracture toughness, GCIC, of the GFRP composites showed that the transfer of matrix toughness to the corresponding GFRP composite is greatest for the GFRP composite with the GNPs in the matrix. Here, a coefficient of toughness transfer (CTT), defined as the ratio of mode I initiation interlaminar toughness for the composite to the bulk polymer matrix toughness, of 0.68 was recorded. The highest absolute values of the mode I interlaminar fracture toughness at crack initiation were achieved for the GFRP composites with the epoxy matrix modified with the hybrid combinations of nanofillers. The highest value of the CTT during steady-state crack propagation was ~ 2 for all the different types of GFRPs. Fractographic analysis of the composite surfaces from the DCB and ENF specimens showed that failure was by a combination of cohesive (through the matrix) and interfacial (along the fibre/matrix interface) modes, depending on the type of nanofillers used