Effects of nanographene particles on hybrid composites

Because of the great attention of researchers with composite materials, the studies deal with them are increasing day to day to satisfy the requirements of various industrial applications. A novel class of nano fillers newly discovered is graphene which had captured the attention of researchers recently due to unique features such as high absolute strength, tensile modulus, high aspect ratio, and high surface area. The present investigation was basically performed to highlight the influence of Graphene Nano-platelets (GNPs) on tensile strength, flexural strength, impact resistance and vibration properties of carbon-glass fiber/epoxy hybrid and non-hybrid composite laminates. GNPs were dispersed with different weight contents of 0.1, 0.25 and 0.5 %wt. within epoxy matrix. All tests with and without GNPs fillers were performed comparatively. From the experimental results, it can be said that the addition of GNPs into epoxy matrix has a considerable effect on the mechanical performance of the hybrid composite laminates. The improved strength refers to high bonding between GNPs, epoxy and fibers at the interphase. Key word: Graphene Nano-platelets, impact resistance, tensile strength, flexural strength, vibration