Fabrication, evaluation of mechanical and DMA properties of basalt and glass fiber reinforced with CNT hybrid composites

Various industrial and medicinal applications have recently exploited composite materials including fibre reinforced composites. Automobile parts must be more secure and rigid in their construction and able to withstand large impact loads. To meet the required applications, the fiber reinforced composites produced with basalt and glass fibers in combination with carbon nanotube nanoparticles are used in this work. The aim of this work is to prepare four different fiber reinforced composites using basalt fiber, glass fiber and carbon nanotube particles in the weight/volume percentage ratio of 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6% and 0.8 %. These laminates are being cut according to the ASTM standards to obtain specimens. These specimens have been tested for different mechanical tests for instance flexural, impact, transverse, tensile tests and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The tested specimens have also been analyzed under scanning electron microscope (SEM). The test results are being compared on various mechanical parameters. The maximum tensile strength at 0.4%, maximum impact strength and maximum traverse load at 0.2 % and the maximum flexural strength at 0.8 % are observed. From the dynamic mechanical analysis, 0.4 % CNT (multi-walled carbon nanotubes) of basalt and glass fiber composite indicates more loss modulus. SEM images show the dense fiber microstructure of basalt – glass reinforced with CNT composites. The split-up into individual filaments caused improved bonding among fibers and resin as the interfaces were enhanced.