Mechanical properties of graphene nanoplatelet/carbon fiber/epoxy hybrid composites: Multiscale modeling and experiments (original) (raw)
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Multiscale modeling and analysis of graphene nanoplatelet/carbon fiber/epoxy hybrid composite
Composites Part B: Engineering, 2017
The elastic response of Graphene Nano Platelet/carbon fiber/epoxy hybrid composite was investigated using multiscale modeling and analysis. The importance of volume fraction of graphene, GNP dispersion, and strain rates on the mechanical behaviors was determined. The analysis entailed the building of computational molecular dynamic model, involving multilayer graphene nano-platelets in epoxy composite, and micromechanical modeling. The predicted results show that the elastic responses of the hybrid composite increase with increased GNP volume fraction, dispersion, and strain rates.
American Society for Composites 2018
The objective of this study is to design a new nano graphene/carbon fiber/polymer hybrid composite that can be used for the NASA SLS Composite Exploration Upper Stage (CEUS) forward skirt structure. The new material will improve the resistance to open-hole compression failure of the structure relative to traditional polymer fiber composites. The material is designed rapidly and with little cost using the Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) approach. Multiscale modeling and experiments are used to synergistically optimize the material design to yield improved properties and performance by controlling key processing parameters for manufacturing nano-enhanced materials. Specifically, the nanocomposite panel showed a 22% reduction in mass relative to the traditional composite panel, while both designs are equal in terms of ease of manufacture. This potential mass savings corresponds to an estimated 45% savings in materials and manufacturing costs. The multiscale ICME workflow developed for this project can be readily applied to the development of nano-enhanced composite materials and large aerospace structures. In addition, all key aspects of ICME were employed to complete this project including multiscale modeling, experimental characterization and visualization, data management, visualization, error and uncertainty quantification, and education. The results presented herein indicate a dramatic level of success, as well as the power and potential of ICME approach and multiscale modeling for composite materials.
Fibers and Polymers, 2019
Two-dimensional functionalized graphene nanoplatelets were incorporated in carbon fiber epoxy matrix composites to prepare a novel class of hierarchical composites. The nanoplatelets were coated on the surface of fibers by electrophoretic deposition prior to the preparation of composites. Later the nanoplatelet-deposited fibers were impregnated with epoxy resin by a combination of hand layup and vacuum bagging process. The composites were characterized microstructurally by spectroscopy, and optical and electron microscopy. The mechanical characterization was performed by flexural and interlaminar shear tests. It was observed that nanoplatelets possessed different functional groups responsible for making interactions with epoxy and carbon fibers. The flexural strength of composites increased by ~41 %, flexural modulus by ~26 % while interlaminar shear strength increased by ~24 %. The observation of the fractured surfaces of composites provided qualitative evidences of the improved interfacial adhesion. The enhancement in the properties is attributed to hydrogen bonding and mechanical interlocking of nanoplatelets with carbon fibers and epoxy resin. Electron microscopy revealed the retention of nanoplatelets on carbon fibers after manufacturing the composites. Such hierarchical composites are ideal candidate materials for improved through-thickness properties especially for futuristic aerospace structural applications.
Polymers
The impact on the mechanical properties of an epoxy resin reinforced with pristine graphene nanoplatelets (GNP), highly concentrated graphene oxide (GO), and functionalized graphene oxide (FGO) has been investigated in this study. Molecular dynamics (MD) using a reactive force field (ReaxFF) has been employed in predicting the effective mechanical properties of the interphase region of the three nanocomposite materials at the nanoscale level. A systematic computational approach to simulate the reinforcing nanoplatelets and probe their influence on the mechanical properties of the epoxy matrix is established. The modeling results indicate a significant degradation of the in-plane elastic Young’s (decreased by ~89%) and shear (decreased by ~72.5%) moduli of the nanocomposite when introducing large amounts of oxygen and functional groups to the robust sp2 structure of the GNP. However, the wrinkled morphology of GO and FGO improves the nanoplatelet-matrix interlocking mechanism, which ...
Advances in Materials and Processing Technologies, 2021
In this study, laminates of neat carbon fibre/epoxy composite (A0) and graphene nanoplatelets (GNP)-filled carbon fibre/epoxy composites, designated as A-1, A-2, and A-3 (0.3, 0.5, and 0.7 wt.% of GNP, respectively) were prepared by hand layup technique. The effect of different weight percentages of GNP on mechanical, and physical properties were investigated. A-2 shows the higher tensile, flexural, shear, and impact strength and also Rockwell hardness (HRE) as compared to A-0, A-1, and A-3, respectively. It was found that above 0.5 wt.% of GNP, mechanical properties were decreased due to agglomeration of nanoparticles in the composites. The maximum value of tensile strength was obtained at 0.5 wt.% of GNP (A-2), which is 11% higher than A-0 and there is an 18% increment in flexural strength from A-2 to A-0 composite samples. For the evaluation of morphological properties, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) was performed. Proper dispersion and identification of nanoparticles were observed by SEM images of different weight percentages of composites. Water absorption and density measurements were also performed. A-2 has less void content compared to other hybrid composites.
Micromechanical and experimental analysis of mechanical properties of graphene/CNT epoxy composites
Materials Today: Proceedings, 2020
Amine functionalized multilayer graphene (A f-MLG) and amine functionalized multi wall carbon nano tube (CNT) (A f-MWCNT) were fabricated by sonication method, maintaining the ratio of both the nano fillers as 1:1 and were termed as hybrid fillers due to its composition. The effects of both these fillers on the mechanical properties of epoxy composites were researched upon. Hybrid composite samples were characterized using Scanning electron microscope (SEM) for morphology study. The mechanical behaviour of graphene reinforced epoxy based composites (Gr/Ep-C) were studied using continuum based micromechanical models such as Halpin-Tsai (H-T) and Mori-Tanaka (MÀT). The mechanical properties were depicted graphically. The variation in properties have been evaluated with respect to filler weight fraction and aspect ratio using a well defined MATLAB code. The ratio of longitudinal and transverse modulus to the modulus of matrix was then plotted with weight fraction and aspect ratio. When weight fraction and aspect ratio were increased from 0 to 10% and 0-1000 for H-T and M-T models an expected enhancement in the ratio of longitudinal modulus to the modulus of matrix was noticed.
Mechanical properties of fiber/graphene epoxy hybrid composites
Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology, 2020
The aim of this study is to determine the effect of graphene nanoparticle (GNP) reinforcement on the mechanical properties of glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP), carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) and aramid fiber reinforced polymer (AFRP) composites commonly used in the space and defense industry. Accordingly, GFRP, CFRP and AFRP composites were produced by using hot pressing method. In addition, hybrid fiber composites were produced by adding 0.1 %, 0.2 % and 0.3 % GNP to these fiber reinforced composites. The tensile strength and modulus of elasticity of the composites were determined. The tensile damage fracture regions were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy distribution spectrum (EDS). It was observed that the addition of 0.2 wt. % GNP to GFRP and CFRP composites increased tensile strength and modulus of elasticity. However, the addition of 0.2 wt. % GNP to AFRP composites had no effect on the tensile strength; on the contrary, it partially reduced the tensile strength but increased the modulus of elasticity. On the fracture damage surfaces of the GFRP and CFRP composites and the GNP/GFRP and GNP/CFRP hybrid composites, the fibers were completely separated. On the damage surfaces of AFRP composite and GNP/AFRP hybrid composites, the fibers were deformed but these fibers were not separated from each other. From the EDS analysis, it was observed that the element C increased in the composites with the addition of GNP to the fiber reinforced composites.
Polymer Bulletin, 2018
Experimental method and multiscale modelling based on molecular dynamics simulation have been used to determine mechanical properties of carbon nanotube and graphene nanoplatelet hybrid nanocomposites. Samples containing two different mix ratios of hybrid nanofillers were subjected to tensile loading. Also, micrographs were obtained from samples fracture surfaces using field emission scanning electron microscope and SEM. These images showed that nanofillers were well dispersed in the matrix. In multiscale modelling, a new method has been developed to estimate the Young's moduli of hybrid nanocomposite samples. To this end, atomistic modelling has been employed to investigate the mechanical properties of molecular samples at nanoscale level. In this step, epoxy cross-linked atomic models have been constructed utilizing molecular dynamics. Next, micromechanical modelling was used to bridge elastic constants of molecular samples from nanoscale to microscale. Also, the calculated Young's moduli of the hybrid nanocomposite samples obtained from multiscale modelling were compared with experimental measurements and differences less than 7% were observed. Finally, the effects of effective fibre aspect ratio on elastic modulus of hybrid nanocomposite were investigated using the multiscale method. The results indicated an increase in hybrid nanocomposite Young's modulus with effective fibre aspect ratio. In summary, this paper presents a new method for calculating the hybrid polymer-based nanocomposite properties using a multiscale method.
Hierarchical modelling of carbon fibers graphene reinforced polymer composites materials
2016
This work aims to investigate the mechanical response of a hierarchical carbon fibres graphene reinforced polymer composite materials using analytical multiscale approaches. Therefore, a 2-phases graphene/polymer composite is computed under a boundary value problem. Mean-field homogenisation schemes for instance the Mori-Tanaka are applied to obtain the overall response. The modelling of 3-phases carbon fibres/graphene/polymer composite consists on a double-scale approach combining the 2phases composite as matrix phase in which are embedded the carbon fibres. The derivation of the effective properties remains analytical-based micromechanics formalism. Numerical results obtained for thermoset as well as thermoplastic matrix derive the overall nonlinear stress-strain response and show the contribution of the graphene in the enhancement of mechanical properties.