Abstract
Although thermoset polymers have been widely used for engineering components, adhesives and matrix for fiber-reinforced composites due to their good mechanical properties compared to those of thermoplastic polymers, they are usually brittle and vulnerable to crack. Therefore, ductile materials such as micro-sized rubber or nylon particles are added to thermoset polymers are used to increase their fracture toughness, which might decrease their strength if micro-sized particles act like defects. In this work, in order to improve the fracture toughness of epoxy adhesive, nano-particle additives such as carbon black and nanoclay were mixed with epoxy resin. The fracture toughness was measured using the single edge notched bend specimen at the room (25 degrees C) and cryogenic temperature (-150 degrees). From the experimental results, it was found that reinforcement with nano-particles improved the fracture toughness at the room temperature, but decreased the fracture toughness at the cryogenic temperature in spite of their toughening effect. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 69-77 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Composite Structures |
| Volume | 86 |
| Issue number | 1-3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Nov 2008 |
| Event | 14th International Conference on composite Structures - Melbourne, Australia Duration: 19 Nov 2007 → … |
Research Groups and Themes
- Bristol Composites Institute ACCIS
Keywords
- fracture toughness
- epoxy adhesive
- nano-particle
- carbon black
- nanoclay
- cryogenic temperatures
- MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES
- CARBON NANOTUBES
- NANOCOMPOSITES
- MATRIX