화학공학소재연구정보센터
Polymer Bulletin, Vol.74, No.10, 4175-4194, 2017
Water absorption, residual mechanical and thermal properties of hydrothermally conditioned nano-Al2O3 enhanced glass fiber reinforced polymer composites
The durability of the nano-Al2O3 enhanced glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites in hydrothermal environment is necessary for hydro/hygro thermal applications. The present investigation emphasizes the effect of nano-Al2O3 filler concentration on moisture absorption kinetics, residual mechanical and thermal properties of hydrothermally treated GFRP nano-composites. Nano-Al2O3 particles were mixed with epoxy matrix through temperature assisted magnetic stirrer and followed by ultrasonic treatment. It has been observed that, the addition of 0.1 wt% of nano-Al2O3 into the GFRP nano-composites reduces the moisture diffusion coefficient by 10%, as well as improves the flexural residual strength by 16% and interlaminar residual shear strength by 17% as compared to the neat epoxy GFRP composites. However, the glass transition temperature has not been improved by the addition of nano-Al2O3 filler. Weibull design parameters have been determined for dry and hydrothermally conditioned nano-composites. A good agreement between the experimental and the simulated stress-strain results has been observed. The interface failure mechanism has been evaluated by field emission scanning electron microscope to support the new findings.