FRACTURE BEHAVIOUR OF MONOTONICALLY AND FATIGUE LOADED CLAY-EPOXY NANOCOMPOSITES

摘要

This work investigates the fracture mechanism and modes of failure of an epoxy resin with a dispersion of modified layered silicates in the polymer matrix. A single load and repetitive load were applied to these clay-epoxy materials and the fracture behaviour of the failed materials was studied. Clay-epoxy nanocomposites were successfully synthesized with a commercially available 1-Methylimidazole curing agent. The morphology of these materials was investigated by XRD and TEM. The findings demonstrated a pattern of clay morphology typically found in nanocomposite systems. The fractured materials were examined using an E-SEM. The appearance of the epoxy and the clay-epoxy fracture surfaces from the monotonically loaded samples were different. The micro observations of the epoxy and the clay-epoxy fracture surfaces from the fatigue loaded samples showed different patterns. In conclusion, the addition of silicate as well as the type of loading strongly determine the fracture mechanism and the modes of failure.