Mechanical and thermal properties of glass fiber reinforced polymer-clay nanocomposites

Abstract

The effect of Montmorillonite (MMT) nanoclay on static mechanical and thermal characteristcs of glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites is studied. The static tensile properties of epoxy/MMT nanoclay, which are important properties of GFRP composites, are investigated. The predicted stress-strain curves of epoxy with 0 and 1 wt.% of nanoclay follow experiments. The predicted elastic modulus and tensile strength of epoxy with 3 wt.% of nanoclay are 74 and 230% higher than neat epoxy. For GFRP composites with 0, 1, 3, and 5 wt.% of MMT nanoclays, the measured tensile strengths are 587, 600, 628, and 724 MPa, and flexural strengths are 626, 726, 906, and 542 MPa. For composites with former nanoclays, interlaminar shear strengths are 23, 25, 31, and 28 MPa, and Izod impact strengths are 83, 94, 207, and 145 kJ/m². Thus, mechanical strengths of composites with 0–5 wt.% of nanoclays improve considerably than pristine sample. The predicted static tensile stress-strain curves of GFRP composites with above nanoclays follow experimental behavior. For GFRP composites with 0 and 1 wt.% of MMT nanoclays, glass transition temperatures are 91 and 101°C, and storage moduli at ambient temperature are 35 and 41 GPa. The thermal conductivities of GFRP composites with 0, 1, and 3 wt.% of MMT nanoclays at ambient temperature are 0.32, 0.36, and 0.42 W/(m·K). Thus, thermal properties of composites are affected significantly on addition of nanoclays.