Study of complex morphology of agglomerations formed by graphite nanoinclusions and its effect on the mechanical properties of the composite materials

Abstract

The effective mechanical properties of composites are affected by the distribution and formation of agglomerations of graphite nanoparticles in a polyester resin matrix. The samples were made varying the volume concentration of inclusions and their maximum tensile strength and morphology of agglomerations were measured. The morphology of agglomerations was analyzed by measuring their average area, fractal dimension and lacunarity from the micrographs. A predictive model of the effective mechanical properties based on the rule-of-mixtures (ROM) was proposed, the parameters related to the complex microstructure were incorporated into the ROM model. This modified model proved to be a good tool for describing the effect of inclusions on effective mechanical properties by changing their volume concentration. Also, a statistical model based on multiple linear regression of observable variables was proposed, which is better for predicting the effective mechanical property.