An experimental study on the enhancement of mechanical properties of glass fiber reinforced polyester composite based on optimum conditions and adding multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Abstract

Glass fiber reinforced polymer composites have been utilized as alternative materials for many decades to avoid exhausting natural resources. In addition, the applications of this material have been increasing widely. Thus, improving mechanical properties of composite materials plays a critical role in satisfying needs in real-life situations. Nowadays, adding multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) has been showing as a high potential method due to their superlative mechanical properties. Motivated by this tendency, the optimum conditions were found beside adding MWCNTs to increase mechanical properties and fracture toughness of conventional composites. First of all, the simple dispersion method was chosen to mix MWCNTs into unsaturated polyester resin (UPR). Some optimal conditions were proposed such as mixing temperature, initial curing temperature, hardener content, fiber changes, composite fabrication methods, and MWCNTs content. Higher mechanical properties of separated UPR and glass fiber reinforced UPR composites were obtained. Furthermore, some other test methods were performed to verify the effects of optimum factors and adding MWCNTs such as exothermic temperature measurement, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), density measurement, and field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM). The higher mechanical properties and simple fabrication method can be recommended to develop efficiently the properties of mass products.