Interface fracture of sandwich composites: Influence of MWCNT sonicated epoxy resin

An experimental investigation on sandwich composite materials composed of glass-fiber face sheet and polyvinyl-chloride foam core has been carried out which demonstrates improvement in interface fracture toughness values of samples with addition of a certain percentage by weight of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) in comparison to conventional samples. An easy and cost-effective methodology of MWCNT insertion through sonication of epoxy resin followed by mixing with hardener and thereby using vacuum resin infusion technology for manufacturing of sandwich composites has been prescribed in this study. The study also identifies the optimum weight percentage of MWCNT addition in the resin system for maximum performance gain in interfacial fracture toughness. The results of observations in this study has been supported by high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) analysis as well as field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) studies.