Glass-fibre-reinforced composites with enhanced mechanical and electrical properties – Benefits and limitations of a nanoparticle modified matrix

• Published in: Engineering fracture mechanics Vol. 73; no. 16; pp. 2346 - 2359
• Main Authors: Wichmann, Malte H.G., Sumfleth, Jan, Gojny, Florian H., Quaresimin, Marino, Fiedler, Bodo, Schulte, Karl
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Tarrytown, NY Elsevier Ltd 01-11-2006; Oxford Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Carbon nanotubes; Composites; Conductive composite; Exact sciences and technology; Forms of application and semi-finished materials; Fracture mechanics (crack, fatigue, damage...); Fumed silica; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Interlaminar properties; Measurement and testing methods; Physics; Polymer industry, paints, wood; Smart materials; Solid mechanics; Structural and continuum mechanics; Technology of polymers; Conductive composite; Carbon nanotubes; Fumed silica; Interlaminar properties; Smart materials; Electrical conductivity; Nanoparticle; Fiber reinforced material; Transfer molding; Modeling; Composite material; Deformation measurement; Curing(plastics); Stress measurement; Carbon black; Mechanical properties; Electrical conduction; Polymer; Fracture toughness; Filter; Glass fiber; Effective medium model; Filler; Strength; Defect detection; Electromechanical properties
• ISSN: 0013-7944; 1873-7315
• DOI: 10.1016/j.engfracmech.2006.05.015

Nanoparticles and especially carbon nanotubes (CNTs) provide a high potential for the modification of polymers. They are very effective fillers regarding mechanical properties, especially toughness. Furthermore, they allow the implication of functional properties, which are connected to their electrical conductivity, into polymeric matrices. In the present paper, different nanoparticles, as fumed silica and carbon black, were used to optimise the epoxy matrix system of a glass-fibre-reinforced composite. Their nanometre-size enables their application as particle-reinforcement in FRPs produced by the resin-transfer-moulding method (RTM), without being filtered by the glass-fibre bundles. Additionally, an electrical field was applied during curing, in order to enhance orientation of the nanofillers in
z-direction. The interlaminar shear strengths of the nanoparticle modified composites were significantly improved (+16%) by adding only 0.3
wt.% of CNTs. The interlaminar toughness
G
Ic and
G
IIc was not affected in a comparable manner. The laminates containing carbon nanotubes exhibited a relatively high electrical conductivity at very low filler contents, which allows the implication of functional properties, such as stress–strain monitoring and damage detection.