Flexural behavior of nanoclay filled glass fiber/epoxy polymer nanocomposites

Flexural behavior of nanoparticle filled fiber reinforced polymer nanocomposite is very significant to the engineering applications. The halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) were effectively incorporated in epoxy resin and used to impregnate the unidirectional (UD) glass fiber. The flexural property was estimated by the three-point bend test as per ASTM standards, for samples containing varied loading of HNTs (0, 1, 2, 3 wt. %) in the nanocomposite. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurement was carried for room temperature and post cured samples. The effect of the addition of HNTs in shifting the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the nanocomposite was examined. Results show that maximum flexural strength and modulus values are obtained for the loading of 1 wt. % HNTs in the nanocomposite. Additionally, at this optimum loading, the Tg witnessed a notable improvement. DSC measurement of post cured samples revealed a 10.8% improvement in Tg at 1 wt. % HNT addition compared to its counter sample cured at room temperature. Scanning electron microscopy reveals a brittle failure for all the samples.