Design and Analysis of a Unique Manufacturing Process of Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites Enhanced with Nanoparticles for Aerospace Applications

Abstract

As demand for composites in the aerospace industry increases, so does the need for stronger composites. One method for increasing the strength of composites is to add nanoparticles. This research proposes a manufacturing process for adding nanoparticles while comparing it to another manufacturing process. The primary goal of this thesis is to find what weight percentage and spray pressure gives the greatest increase to the ILSS and hydrophobicity. A DOE analysis was performed on the test data to create a regression model that determines the ideal weight percentage and spray pressure which increases the ILSS the most. From the analysis it was shown that the best results are achieved when the weight percentage is lower while the spray pressure is higher. Conversely, it was found that the greatest increase in hydrophobicity happens when the weight percentage is higher and that the spray pressure did not have a significant effect.