Abstract
Influence of topographical features on mechanical properties of 0.1 wt % Multi-Layer Graphene (MLG)/clay-epoxy nanocomposites has been studied. Three different compositions were made: (1) 0.1 wt % MLG-EP; (2) 0.1 wt % clay-EP and (3) 0.05 wt % MLG-0.05 wt % clay-EP. The objective of making hybrid nanocomposites was to determine whether synergistic effects are prominent at low weight fraction of 0.1 wt % causing an improvement in mechanical properties. The topographical features studied include waviness (Wa), roughness average (Ra), root mean square value (Rq) and maximum roughness height (Rmax or Rz). The Rz of as-cast 0.1 wt % MLG-EP, clay-EP and 0.05 wt % MLG-0.05 wt % clay-EP nanocomposites were 43.52, 48.43 and 41.8 µm respectively. A decrease in Rz values was observed by treating the samples with velvet cloth and abrasive paper 1200P while increased by treating with abrasive papers 320P and 60P. A weight loss of up to 16% was observed in samples after the treatment with the abrasive papers. It was observed that MLG is more effective in improving the mechanical properties of epoxy than nanoclay. In addition, no significant improvement in mechanical properties was observed in hybrid nanocomposites indicating that 0.1 wt % is not sufficient to generate conspicuous synergistic effects.
Highlights
Due to the tribological protection offered by stiff technical polymers such as epoxy, there is increased interest to employ them in mechanical engineering applications [1,2,3,4]
The 0.1 wt % Multi-Layer Graphene (MLG)/clay-epoxy nanocomposites were treated with abrasive papers and the influence of topographical features was studied on mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties
It was observed that as-cast samples had a surface roughness which was reduced by treatment with velvet cloth and abrasive paper 1200P and increased by abrasive papers 320P and 60P
Summary
Due to the tribological protection offered by stiff technical polymers such as epoxy, there is increased interest to employ them in mechanical engineering applications [1,2,3,4]. To improve the wear resistance of monolithic polymers, surface coatings are applied. It is because the preferential growth of crystallites in subsequent deposition closes the cracks and gives the option to tailor the topographical features as per the design/service requirements [6,7,8,9]. It is because the coatings have too high stiffness and too low plastic deformability to follow the substrate deformation. This disparity may be exacerbated in the presence of thermal stresses or elevated temperatures due to a disparate coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of coating and the substrate.
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