Mechanical, thermal and flame-retardant properties of epoxy–nylon fabric–clay hybrid laminates

Abstract

Epoxy–nylon fabric laminate composites containing 0.1–0.7 phr clay reinforcements were prepared using a hand layup technique. The fabricated laminates were tested for thermal stability, impact resistance, mechanical properties and flame retardancy. The results indicated an increase in impact resistance, tensile strength, flexural strength and Young’s modulus to an extent and then a decrease as the clay content is increased. Overall results show that a 0.2-phr clay reinforcement into the epoxy–nylon fabric laminate has shown better impact resistance (33.9% more than the neat epoxy–nylon fabric laminate), tensile strength (nearly two times the neat sample), flexural strength (nearly five times the neat sample) and Young’s modulus (39.4% more than the neat sample). Thermal stability is found to decrease slightly upon addition of clay. UL-94 tests conducted on the composite laminate samples have shown a reduction in the burning rate. Also, the tests performed in the present study indicate that the materials under investigation have promising applications in construction, agriculture and decorative purposes.