Assessment of mechanical properties of nanoclay embedded GFRP composites

Abstract

In this study, GFRP composite with variable nanoclay weight percentages (0, 1.25, 2.50, and 3.75) were fabricated by using the hand lay-up approach. The effect of the wt% of nanoclay on mechanical characteristics, including tensile strength, flexural strength, and interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) was examined. The results showed that increasing the nanoclay content significantly improved the manufactured GFRP composite's mechanical characteristics. The optimum mechanical characteristics of manufactured composites were found at a nanoclay content of 2.50 wt%. Increased nanoclay wt% up to 2.50, tensile strength enhanced from 388.41 to 443.56 MPa, flexural strength enhanced from 424 to 648 MPa, and ILSS enhanced from 21.14 to 26.25 MPa.