Investigation of low speed impact behavior in nano added composites

In recent years, nanofillers have been widely preferred to enhance the impact resistance of composite materials used in advanced engineering applications. In this study, the low-velocity impact behavior of hybrid composites reinforced with nanoclay and boron carbide (B₄C) was experimentally investigated. The composites used in the study were reinforced with glass and carbon fibers, arranged in a 4 Glass + 2 Carbon + 4 Glass stacking sequence, resulting in a total of 10 layers. Three different types of hybrid composite plates were fabricated: nanoclayreinforced, boron carbide-reinforced, and unreinforced (neat) hybrid composites, each with varying filler contents (0.75 wt%, 1.25 wt%, and 1.75 wt%). The fabricated composite plates were cut into 100 mm × 100 mm specimens, and low-velocity impact tests were conducted. The impact tests were performed at three energy levels: 30 J, 50 J, and 70 J. From the test results, force–displacement, force–time, and energy–time graphs were obtained. The data were compared both among themselves and with those from unreinforced specimens. In addition, the damage types of the hybrid specimens were also determined. In this experimental study, the analysis of the force values obtained from the nanoclayreinforced, boron carbide-reinforced, and unreinforced hybrid specimens under 30 J, 50 J, and 70 J energy levels revealed that the best performance was exhibited by the nanoclay-reinforced hybrid composites. As the nanoclay content increased, the impact force values obtained at all three energy levels were significantly higher compared to those of both the unreinforced and boron carbide-reinforced specimens. The highest performance was observed in the specimen with 1.75 wt% nanoclay under 50 J impact energy, showing a 49.93% increase in force compared to the unreinforced specimen at the same energy level. However, the force values obtained from boron carbide-reinforced hybrid composites were found to be lower than those of the unreinforced specimens. In conclusion, the results of this study provide scientific reference data for the development of lightweight, mechanically enhanced composite materials resistant to low-velocity impacts. The findings highlight the potential of using nanofillers such as nanoclay and boron carbide in accordance with the application requirements. Keywords: Nanoclay, Borcarbide, Hybrid nanocomposite, Low velocity impact