Carbon nanotube to enhancing mechanical properties of three-dimensional woven modified-basalt fiber composites

Abstract

3D woven composites offer various high-performance characteristics and wide applications due to their lightweight, high strength, and good integrity. However, to exploit their structural advantages, it is necessary to improve the interface properties between reinforcement and matrix, and carbon nanotubes with excellent mechanical properties provide a good solution to improve the interface properties of composites. Based on this motivation, the goal of this study is to investigate the impact of multiwalled carbon nanotubes on the tensile and bending properties of basalt fiber through-angle interlocking 3D woven composite, layered-angle interlocking 3D woven composite and orthogonal 3D woven composite. The obtained results indicated that the maximum warp and weft tensile loads of the layered-angle interlocking composites increased by 19.3% and 28.5% from 91,091.3N and 8,409.5N to 9,288.4N and 11,761.4N, respectively. The maximum warp and weft bending loads of 3D orthogonal composites were increased by 26.4% and 19.6% from 566.7N and 635.4N to 770.0N and 790.3N, respectively. O-MWCNTs contain -OH, -COOH and the unsaturated double bond can active functional groups and basalt fiber on the surface of the Si-OH and unsaturated double bonds in the reaction to form epoxy resin covalent bond to improve the interface between the fiber and matrix effect, which solved the key problem of interface outstanding performance of 3D woven modified-basalt fiber composites.