Compression after Impact and Charpy Impact Characterizations of Glass Fiber/Epoxy/MWCNT Composites

Abstract

In this study, glass fiber/epoxy resin/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were used to fabricate hybrid composites with biaxial warp-knitted fabrics. The biaxial warp-knitted fabrics were grafted with various amounts of MWCNTs and the hybrid composites were fabricated using the resin transfer molding (RTM) method, subsequently. The fabricated samples were subjected to compression after impact and Charpy impact tests. The hybrid composites exhibited higher compression after impact modulus and strength with 26 % and 17 % compared to the samples without nanotubes, respectively. Moreover, the MWCNTs integrated specimens showed 17 % improvement of Charpy impact strength against specimens without carbon nanotubes in 0 ° degree direction. Fracture surface analysis revealed lower number of cracks and shorter crack propagation lengths in the MWCNTs reinforced specimens. The improvement in mechanical properties of the hybrid composites can most likely be attributed to an increase in interfacial adhesion due to the presence of the carbon nanotubes.