Publication

Abstract : Carbon-fiber epoxy composites show extremely high modulus and strength in the uniaxial direction. However, they fail relatively easily under flexural loading due to the weak nature of the interface between the carbon-fiber and epoxy. In the current study, the carbon fiber has been coated with the graphene nano-platelets (GNPs) with an aim to strengthen the interface/interphase between the fiber and the matrix. GNPs were coated on the carbon fibers using spray coating process before manufacturing the final laminates through vacuum assisted resin transfer moulding (VARTM). The flexural strength of the laminates has been found to improve significantly with GNP addition. Scanning electron Microscopy and optical microscopy have been used to examine the nature of interface/interphase between the fiber and the matrix as well as the mechanism of failure of the composite.