Static and Fatigue Behavior of Epoxy/Fiberglass Composites Hybridized with Alumina Nanoparticles

Advanced composites are hybridized by the integration of alumina nanoparticles into the matrix and onto the fabric surface. Alumina was pre-dispersed by sonication. Pre-processing of alumina was carried out by resin modification or fiber modification, prior to the consolidation into composite laminates. Alumina nano-particles were also functionalized by silane coupling agent tris-2-metoxyethoxy vinyl silane (T2MEVS). Vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) was used to fabricate the composite panels for mechanical performance evaluation and characterization. Material property characterization for tensile, fatigue life and inter-laminar fracture toughness were determined for these hybrid composites and compared with the traditional fiber-matrix composite system as a baseline. Experimental characterization indicated that mode-I fracture toughness was significantly improved with the inclusion of alumina nanoparticles as well as by the functionalization of alumina nano-particles. However, the influences on the tensile behavior and tension/tension un-notched fatigue behavior in [0/90] configuration were not significant. In applications that involve only tension/ tension fatigue loading, hybrid composites with nano-particulate inclusions can provide improved delamination failure characteristics without impacting the fatigue life and tensile behavior significantly.