Effect of Mechanical Properties on Glass Fiber reinforced Composites by Incorporating Nano TiO2 at Acidic Environment

Abstract

This research work presents diverse environmental engineering applications of Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composite materials with significance on their environmental benefits, followed by discussions on durability of composites. Enhancement of mechanical properties of FRP composites are modified by either matrix or reinforcement. Reliable and sustainable in interface durability by incorporating the nano particles in polymer matrix. The mechanical behavior of FRP composites are major affected by various environment conditions like humidity, UV radiations, high temperature and acidic environments. This work aims to evaluate the effect of nano TiO2 at acidic environment. Samples of glass/epoxy (GE) composites and nano TiO2 filled glass composites (0.1wt% and 0.2wt %) are prepared by hand layup method and conditioned in acidic medium (H2SO4) for 4weeks and 8 weeks. The tensile and hardness tests are conducted as per ASTM standards on both GE and nano filled GE composites. The stress-strain graph will shows the effect of nano filler at ambient condition and acidic environment. The experimental results showed that 0.1 wt. % nano TiO2 glass/epoxy composite showed the maximum strength among all the other composites at ambient condition due good interfacial adhesion of nano filler with epoxy matrix. When samples are exposure to acidic environment for different time intervals, all samples shows degrading the tensile properties. The result showed that the rate of degradation reduced by incorporating optimum weight percentage of nano filler due to homogenous dispersion of nano fillers among the composite.