Experimental fracture study of MWCNT/epoxy nanocomposites under the combined out-of-plane shear and tensile loading

In order to explore the role of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the fracture behavior of epoxy-based nanocomposites, fracture tests were conducted under the combined out-of-plane shear and tensile loading. Epoxy resin LY-5052 together with MWCNT contents of 0.1, 0.5 and 1.0 wt% were used to produce nanocomposite specimens. The results showed that increasing the contribution of out-of-plane shear from pure mode I towards pure mode III enhanced fracture toughness for both pure epoxy and nanocomposites. Additionally, it was found that in both loading conditions of pure mode III and mixed mode I/III, increasing MWCNT content up to 1.0 wt% enhanced fracture toughness with an ascending trend. The mechanisms involved in the fracture behavior of polymer-based nanocomposites were also studied in detail using the photographs taken from the fracture surfaces by scanning electron microscopy.