Studies on the flexural and thermomechanical properties of woven carbon/nanoclay-epoxy laminates

A systematic study was carried out to investigate the effects of nanoclay particles on flexural and thermal properties of woven carbon fiber reinforced polymer matrix composites. Different weight percentages of Nanomer® I-28E nanoclay, a surface modified montmorillonite mineral, were dispersed in SC-15 epoxy using sonication route. The nanophased epoxy was then used to manufacture 6000 fiber tow-plain weave carbon/epoxy nanocomposites using vacuum assisted resin infusion molding (VARIM) process. Effect of post curing on these samples was also investigated. Three-point bend flexure and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) studies were carried out on eight and three layered samples, respectively. Maximum improvements in flexural strength and modulus were found for 2 wt.% nanoclay reinforced composites. Failure surface analysis of flexure samples was carried out by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed enhancement in thermomechanical properties. Glass transition temperature, Tg of room temperature cured and thermally post cured samples showed an improvement of about 9 and 13 °C, respectively for 2 wt.% nanoclay loading.