Investigation of mechanical characteristics of carbon-aramid fiber reinforced hybrid composite with nano graphene doped epoxy

The present study aims to investigate the effects of nano graphene on the mechanical properties of carbon aramid fiber reinforced hybrid composites. In order to understand how graphene nano particles affect the mechanical tests such as tensile, 3-point bending and Charpy impact tests were performed. Epoxy resin and nano graphene with various weight contents (0,0.1,0.25 and 0.5 wt.%) were mixed with a high-speed mechanical mixer. The vacuum-assisted hand lay-up method was used to produce composite plates. In the tensile tests, Shimadzu AG-X series testing machines were used and the stress/strain diagram was created and examined. The highest tensile strength value was observed with the addition of 0.1wt.% graphene nano particles. The 3-point bending test was conducted to understand the flexural behaviour of the composite samples. The highest flexural strength and modulus values were obtained in the samples doped with 0.5wt.% nano graphene reinforcement. The low-velocity impact behaviour of the samples was examined by implying the Charpy impact test. During the tests, the samples were examined as notched and unnotched sample forms. The highest absorbed energy and impact toughness were observed with the addition of 0.1 wt.% nano graphene. The damage characteristics were analysed and assessed under the SEM electron microscope after the testing.