Characterization of material, mechanical, static bending and vibration properties of glass fiber composite panels reinforced with graphene nanofillers

Abstract

The present study investigates the material, mechanical, static bending and vibration characteristics of glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites reinforced with graphene nanofillers. The crystallinity, functional groups, morphology, and tensile and flexural strengths of GFRP and graphene reinforced GFRP composites were examined using a variety of material and mechanical characterization techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and tensile and flexural tests. The first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) based finite element (FE) model was developed to obtain the static bending and vibration characteristics of the graphene reinforced GFRP composite panels. The validity of the FE model is verified with numerical data published in the literature. Further research is conducted into the effects of the wt% of graphene, end conditions, curvature ratio, and aspect ratio on the static bending and vibration characteristics of graphene reinforced GFRP panels. The findings of this study indicate that graphene reinforced GFRP panels could be utilized in a variety of applications, particularly for parts used in the aerospace and automotive industries.