Mechanical Performance on Flax Fibre Epoxy Composites Filled with Montmorillonite Nanoclay for Lightweight Applications

The objective of this study is to investigate the mechanical performance on develop flax/epoxy composite filled with montmorillonite nanoclay for lightweight applications. For this purpose, firstly, nanoclay at different weight percentages montmorillonite nanoclay such as 0.5, 1, 1.5 was dispersed homogeneously into epoxy resin with the help of ultrasanitization process. For better nanoclay distribution in composite, the montmorillonite nanoclay concentration higher than 1.5% was not analyzed. Secondly, using this mixture, flax fiber based composites were produced by vacuum bag molding process. Finally, the mechanical properties of flax/epoxy composites filled with different percentages montmorillonite nanoclay were determined with tensile, flexural, and in-plane shear test. From the experimental results obtained, the addition of montmorillonite nanoclay indicate positive effect on the performance of the composites compared with the neat composite samples, if the montmorillonite nanoclay distribute homogeneously in the epoxy. The composites added with 0.5 wt.% nanoclay showed the highest tensile modulus and tensile strength. Moreever, the elasticity modulus of composite samples with 0.5% nanoclay addition is approximately 87% higher than the pure composite. Also, the composite samples loaded with 1.5 wt.% of montmorillonite nanoclay performs better under flexural loading conditions.