EFFECT OF MULTIWALLED CARBON NANOTUBE ON COMPRESSION PROPERTIES OF CARBON FIBER REINFORCED EPOXY

In this study, a high-intensity ultrasonic liquid processor was used to obtain a homogeneous mixture of epoxy resin and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The CNTs were infused into epon 862 epoxy resin through sonic cavitation and then mixed with W curing agent using a highspeed mechanical agitator. The trapped air and reaction volatiles were removed from the mixture using a high vacuum. Nanophased epoxy with 0.3 wt.% CNT was utilized in a vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) set up with carbon fabric to fabricate laminated composites. The effectiveness of CNT addition on matrix dominated properties of composites has been evaluated by compression and open hole compression tests. The compression strength and open hole compression strength were improved by 31% and 39%, respectively, as compared to the neat composite.