Enhancement of Mechanical and Thermal Characteristics of Automobile Parts using Flax/Epoxy-Graphene Nanofiller Composites

Abstract

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">With the evolving demand in the automobile industry for lightweight and sustainable components, the study of natural fiber composites has gained significance. Such fibers are economically efficient and offer advantageous weight-specific properties. Additionally, they are non-abrasive and environmentally degradable, marking them as viable alternatives to conventional automobile materials. This research emphasizes the flax-based composite, developed using the hand lay-up method and augmented with three distinct graphene nanofillers. The graphene fillers are categorized as large nanorods (dimensions 3-5 nm, lengths 150-300 nm), small nano threads (dimensions 6-12 nm, lengths under 50 nm), and spherical particulates (dimensions 29-39 nm). Reinforcement was consistently maintained at 2%, 4%, and 6% by weight. The results indicate that a 4 wt.% inclusion of spherical graphene nanoparticles is particularly effective in enhancing the ultimate tensile strength and fracture elongation of the epoxy matrix, registering improvements of 10% and 29% respectively. Reinforcements with all graphene variants noted an augmentation in the quasi-static toughness of the composites. Interestingly, a 6 wt.% infusion of the large graphene rod boosted the conductivity of the epoxy matrix by 52%. Thermal conductivity evaluations of the composite, integrated with different graphene configurations, recorded enhancements ranging from 0.22 W/mK to 0.286 W/mK at a 2 wt.% graphene concentration. At an elevated 4 wt.% graphene addition, the small rod-shaped fillers demonstrated an impressive 59.6% enhancement over the flax/epoxy baseline, while the larger rod and spherical graphene nanoparticles showcased a 22.14% enhancement. This study underscores the potential of graphene-augmented flax/epoxy composites as promising materials for automobile parts.</div></div>