Performance Evaluation of Carbon Nanotubes Modified Fibre Reinforced Polymer Composites

Abstract

The present study is carried out to reinforce glass fibre polymer composites using nanofillers, which facilitate enhanced mechanical performance as well as durability in hygrothermal environment. Also, the study proposes a non-contact, non-invasive, in-situ damage monitoring methodology to identify the defects introduced in composite laminates either during the manufacturing stage, while in-service or after exposure to hygrothermal conditions. The Glass-fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites form an important topic of research and are widely used for preparing components of marine structures such as canoes, fishing trawlers, patrol boats and naval mine-hunting ships. This is attributed to the fact that GFRP composites possess high strength-to-weight ratio, lower initial and maintenance costs, and excellent corrosion as well as thermal resistance as compared to traditional materials such as steel or aluminum. Apparently, the marine components consist of glass fibre mat strongly bonded by means of a thermosetting matrix, usually the epoxy resin which has excellent properties such as low shrinkage after curing, good resistance to corrosion and stability at higher temperatures. However, with recent advancement in technology, the GFRP composites are being replaced with nanocomposites, which have exceptionally high surface-area-to-volume ratio as well as high aspect ratio. For preparing nanocomposites the nano-fillers are dispersed into the matrix during the processing phase and are usually added by weight percentage of the order of 0.5 5%. Studies have confirmed that relatively lower loading of nano-fillers is sufficient to obtain composites with desired properties as compared to those obtained with higher loading of micro-fillers. There are several nano-fillers that are incorporated globally to develop multifunctional composite materials with outstanding properties.