Thermal and mechanical properties of honeycomb sandwich panel of polyurethane nanocomposite reinforced with nanoclay

Abstract

This study investigated the thermal and mechanical properties of polyurethane foam (PUF) sandwich panels reinforced with varying amounts of clay nanoparticles (0, 0.5, 1 and 2 wt%) fabricated using the compression molding process. However, these composites were fixed to cores with a honeycomb structure. The morphology of PUF sandwich panels reinforced with clay nanoparticles was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The presence of clay nanoparticles in the honeycomb structure let to a reduction in cell size and an increase in the number of cells per unit volume. The impact of clay nanoparticles on the thermal properties of PUF reinforced with clay nanoparticles was investigated using thermogravimetric and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). The results indicated that the incorporation of clay nanoparticles as reinforcement enhanced the thermal properties of the PUF sandwich panel samples. Mechanical characterization technique including compression, three-point bending and drop weight impact tests displayed that the PUF reinforced with 1 wt% clay nanoparticles exhibited the most significant improvement in mechanical properties.