Thermomechanical characteristics of KM2PLUSKevlar nanocomposites
Woven fabric laminates have proved to have grander properties compared to those of laminates made of unidirectional prepregs. Through control/ alteration of certain additives at the nanoscale level, it is possible to maximize property enhancement of selected polymer systems to meet or exceed the requirements of current applications. The current paper studies the thermal and mechanical properties of newly developed KM2PLUS woven Kevlar composites and the effect of mixing three different types of nanomaterials, namely SiC, Al2O3 and Carbone nanotubes to the composite. The mechanical properties for the composite materials samples were tested using three-point bending and nano-indentation tests. Thermal properties of the laminated samples were investigated using Thermal GravimetricAnalysis (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The results showed that 0.5% CNT added to the laminate system increased the stiffness and the load carrying capacity significantly. Thermal analysis showed that there was no major change in the thermal properties due to the addition of the nano fillers.