DYNAMIC CHARACTERIZATION OF CNF-FILLED E- GLASS/POLYESTER NANOPHASED COMPOSITE

摘要

A composite nanostructured material was manufactured by infusing vapor grown carbon nanofibers (VGCNF) into the E-Glass/Polyester material system using vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM). A high intensity ultrasonic liquid processor was used to infuse VGCNF into polyester matrix which was then mixed with catalyst using a high speed mechanical agitator. The trapped air and reaction volatiles were removed from the mixture using high vacuum. Low-velocity impact (LVI) and high strain rate (HSR) tests were performed on the E-Glass/Polyester composites with and without VGCNF at different energy levels and strain rates, respectively. Thermal responses of this material system were also evaluated using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and found about 92% and 2.2℃ improvement in the storage modulus and glass transition temperature (T_g). LVI behavior of this innovative nanophased composite showed promising improvement in terms of the peak load and absorbed energy compared to the conventional one. 0.2 wt.% CNF-filled composite illustrated higher compressive peak strength and stiffness with strain rates in the HSR tests using a Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) setup. Damage mechanism examined by digital photographs and SEM of CNF filled LVI tested samples showed significant improvement in terms of matrix cracking, fiber breakage, fiber pullout and delamination.