Failure Analysis of Silane-Treated Kevlar-Reinforced Nano-silica-Toughened Epoxy Composite in Laminar Shear Strength, Drop Load Impact and Drilling Process

In this research, the role of silane surface modification on Kevlar fiber and nano-silica and their failure analysis on inter-laminar shear strength and drilling process were studied. The main objective of this research is to explicate the importance of silane surface modification on the reinforcements and their failure effects on proposed properties. The Kevlar fiber and nano-silica were surface-treated using 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane using aqueous solution method. The composites were prepared using hand layup technique followed by post-curing at 120 degrees C. The inter-laminar shear strength results show that the silane-surface-modified fiber and filler in epoxy composite give the highest strength of 32 MPa for EKS2. The highest drop load impact energy of 16.3 J was observed for surface-modified composite designation EKS2. Similarly, the surface-modified epoxy composite designations show highest dimensional stability than as-received designations in drilling process. There are no fiber pullout and edge damage observed in optical microscopy images after drilling process. These high shear strength, high energy absorption and high de-lamination-resisted Kevlar-epoxy composites could be used in defense, armor equipment, automobile bumpers and small aircraft manufacturing applications.