Interlaminar fracture toughness of hybrid carbon fiber‐carbon nanotubes‐reinforced polymer composites

Abstract

In this study, a relatively low temperature synthesis technique; graphitic structure by design (GSD), was employed to grow multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) over carbon fiber fabrics. The MWCNTs forests were grown into two different morphologies, uniform and patterned. Hybrid carbon fiber‐reinforced polymer composites (CFRPs) were fabricated based on the hybrid reinforcement. Double cantilever beam tests were performed to investigate the effect of the surface grown nano‐reinforcements on the Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness (G Ic ) of the hybrid CFRPs. Results revealed that the surface grown MWCNTs enhanced the G Ic of the CFRPs by 22 and 32%, via uniform and checkerboard‐patterned growth morphologies, respectively. Fractography was also employed to reveal the MWCNTs’ role in interlaminar crack stoppage and deflection resulting in improving G Ic of the hybrid CFRPs. POLYM. COMPOS., 40:E1470–E1478, 2019. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers