Abstract:
An experimental investigation is performed to relate
the wetting behavior of unsized and carbon nanotube
(CNT) grafted carbon fibers to the average mechanical
properties of unsized and CNT grafted carbon fiber/
polymer multiscale composites. Contact angle measurements
and single fiber pull out tests show that the
choice of polymer matrix plays a crucial role in determining
whether the incorporation of CNTs on the fiber
surface enhances or degrades the wettability and
hence average mechanical properties of carbon fiber/
polymer composites. CNT grafting leads to a significant
improvement in interfacial shear strength as well
as flexural and tensile response of carbon fiber/polymer
composites with the epoxy resin. However, incorporation
of CNTs on fiber surface has no significant effect on the
average mechanical properties of carbon fiber/polyester
composites. Moreover, it is recorded that the relative
enhancement in properties after CNT grafting depends
on the fiber orientation in CNT grafted carbon fiber/
epoxy composites. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:E1184–E1195, 2018.
VC 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers.
