An Assessment of Mechanical Performance of CNF Modified Glass Fiber/Epoxy Composites under Elevated Temperatures

摘要

The objective of this research is to evaluate the temperature dependent strengthening mechanism of 0.5 wt.% carbon nano-fiber reinforced glass fiber/epoxy (CNF-GE) as a function of environmental temperature. Flexural response of the CNF-GE composite has been studied at 30°C, 70°C and 110°C temperatures and compared over control glass fiber/epoxy (GE) composite. When flexural test was conducted at room temperature, CNF-GE composite exhibited about 29% improvement in strength, over control GE composite. With increase in environmental temperature, the extent of strength enhancement continued to decrease and at 110°C, the strength of the CNF-GE composite was found to be about 12% lower than control GE composite. Visco-elastic properties of CNF-GE and control GE composites have also been studied in the temperature range of 40 to 200°C.