Improvement in Mechanical Properties of Clay Filled Carbon-Epoxy Composite

Abstract

In the present investigation, a high intensity ultrasonic liquid processor was used to obtain a homogeneous molecular mixture of epoxy resin and K-10 MMT clay. The clay were infused into the part A of SC-15 (Diglycidylether of Bisphenol A) through sonic cavitations and then mixed with part B of SC-15 (cycloaliphatic amine hardener) using a high speed mechanical agitator. The trapped air and reaction volatiles were removed from the mixture using high vacuum. Flexural tests were performed on unfilled, 1wt. %, 2wt. %, 3 wt. % and 4 wt.% clay filled SC-15 epoxy to identify the loading effect on mechanical properties of the composites. The flexural test results indicate that 2.0 wt% loading of clay in epoxy resin showed the highest improvement in strength as compared to the neat systems. After that, the nanophased matrix with 2 wt.% clay is then utilized in a Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding (VARTM) set up with satin weave carbon preforms to fabricate laminated composites. The resulting structural composites have been tested under flexural and tensile loads to evaluate mechanical properties. 13.5% improvement in flexural strength and 5.8% improvement in tensile strength were observed in carbon/epoxy nanocomposite. TGA and DMA tests were also conducted to observe the thermal stability of the structural composite.