Abstract
The present study attempts to investigate the influence of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and graphite nanoplatelets (GNPs) on thermal conductivity (TC) of nanoreinforced polymers and nanomodified carbon fiber epoxy composites (CFRPs). Loading levels from 1 to 3% wt. of MWCNTs and from 1 to 15% wt. of GNPs were used. The results indicate that TC of nanofilled epoxy composites increased with the increase of GNP content. Quantitatively, 176% and 48% increase of TC were achieved in nanoreinforced polymers and nanomodified CFRPs, respectively, with the addition of 15% wt. GNPs into the epoxy matrix. Finally, micromechanical models were applied in order to predict analytically the TC of polymers and CFRPs. Lewis-Nielsen model with optimized parameters provides results very close to the experimental ones in the case of polymers. As far as the composites are concerned, the Hashin and Clayton models proved to be sufficiently accurate for the prediction at lower filler contents.
Highlights
Fiber reinforced polymers (FRPs) are increasingly in demand as structural materials in the aerospace, automotive, and marine industries due to their high specific strength and stiffness
This study focuses on the incorporation of conductive fillers, graphite nanoplatelets (GNPs) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), in bulk epoxy resin and CFRP laminates with a purpose of improving their thermal conductivity
GNPs increased by 41% the thermal conductivity of the polymer while the addition of MWCNTs at the same content resulted in an increase of the thermal conductivity of the polymer at the level of 24%
Summary
Fiber reinforced polymers (FRPs) are increasingly in demand as structural materials in the aerospace, automotive, and marine industries due to their high specific strength and stiffness. These materials have shown limitation in application due to their poor, out-of-plane, performance which is dominated by the low toughness and insulating behavior of polymer matrix. Mode II interlaminar fracture toughness for doped laminates was 2-3 times greater than base CFRP laminates. Toward this direction, Karapappas et al [2] observed that the addition of 1% wt.
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