Impact of Reinforcement Ratio on Mechanical Properties and Wear Behaviour of Graphene Nanoplatelet Reinforced Epoxy Composites

Abstract

New features are gained to the enhanced characteristic of composites with the addition of nanoscale particles. Graphene nanoplatelet has an important place among nanoparticle reinforcing elements due to its two-dimensional structure and high strength. In this study, tribological behaviour and mechanical properties of the nano particle reinforced composite material investigated. Nanoparticles were incorporated into the non-reinforced sample at varying weight ratios, ranging from 0.1% to 0.5%. The findings indicated that the addition of graphene nanoplatelet into the epoxy matrix material enhances the mechanical properties of the specimens across all reinforcement ratios.The failure load of the neat epoxy samples was determined as 415.94 N and the modulus of elasticity as 2.4 GPa. The best mechanical results in graphene nanoplatelet reinforced composites were obtained in 0.2% reinforced composites, and the failure load and elasticity modulus values were found as 903.13 N and 4.46 GPa, respectively. Furthermore, the tribological performance of the samples was examined under dry sliding conditions. The worn surfaces were examined using SEM. The incorporation of graphene nanoplatelet reinforcement has been observed to positively impact the wear resistance of the epoxy matrix material.