Prediction of Mechanical Properties of Graphene Oxide Reinforced Aluminum Composites

Dasari Dasari,Brabazon Brabazon,Naher Naher

doi:10.3390/met9101077

Abstract

Estimating the effect of graphene oxide (GO) reinforcement on overall properties of aluminum (Al) matrix composites experimentally is time-consuming and involves high manufacturing costs and sophisticated characterizations. An attempt was made in this paper to predict the mechanical properties of GO/Al composites by using a micromechanical finite element approach. The materials used for prediction included monolayer and multilayer GO layers distributed uniformly on the spherical Al matrix particles. The estimation was done by assuming that a representative volumetric element (RVE) represents the composite structure, and reinforcement and matrix were modeled as continuum. The load transfer between the GO reinforcement and Al was modeled using joint elements that connect the two materials. The numerical results from the finite element model were compared with Voigt model and experimental results from the GO/Al composites produced at optimized process parameters. A good agreement of numerical results with the theoretical models was noted. The load-bearing capacity of the Al matrix increased with the addition of GO layers, however, Young’s modulus of the GO/Al composites decreased with an increase in the number of layers from monolayer to 5 layers. The numerical results presented in this paper have demonstrated the applicability of the current approach for predicting the overall properties of composites.

Highlights

Graphene, a 2D wonder material, has drawn attention of many researchers globally due to its exceptional properties
The results obtained in the current study show a good convergence with the analytical models
To develop an efficient computational model to predict the elastic properties of the graphene oxide (GO)/Al composite is a fundamental issue and motivation behind the current research work

Summary

Introduction

A 2D wonder material, has drawn attention of many researchers globally due to its exceptional properties. The unique combination of high strength and low weight [3] and an additional feature of providing strong adhesion between filler and matrix [4] makes graphene a promising material in hybrid composite systems. Graphene and its derivatives were reported to be successful reinforcement materials in literature [5] and had been applied to both metal and polymer matrices [6]. The high strength and stiffness of graphene have led to the development of new categories of advanced functional materials that can be used in energy storage and sensor applications. Numerous experimental efforts have been put forward to investigate the effect of graphene reinforcement onto the metallic matrices and producing a composite with better mechanical performance than the base materials. Liu et al [7] have managed to embed graphene nanosheets (GNS)

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion