Abstract
The application of nanocomposites in several industrial applications has been increasing due to their good specific strength and stiffness. In this context, carbon nanofibers (CNFs) are the most promising carbon-based nanoparticles due to their good mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties. Therefore, because they are widely used with epoxy resins for application in various industrial sectors (railway, automotive, aeronautics, and process industries), it is necessary to understand their interaction during the manufacturing process. Consequently, the main goal of this study is to analyze the effect of suspension viscosity on mechanical properties. For this purpose, different tests were carried out, such as resin viscosity tests, measurement of the contact angle between CNFs and resin, as well as shrinkage tests. The effect of cure temperature, between 5°C and 40°C, on the mechanical performance of nanocomposites was also evaluated. It was possible to conclude that CNFs increase the viscosity between 27.3% and 74.7% depending on the resin, and the shrinkage effect decreases from 3.2% to 0.5%. For all the materials studied, an increase in cure temperature decreases the flexural strength. Considering a cure temperature of 40°C, neat Sicomin resin has a flexural strength of 91.4 MPa, but when it decreases to 5°C there is an increase of 38.4%. The same comparison for neat Ebalta resin leads to values of 92.3 MPa and 27.8%, respectively.
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