Mechanical Properties of Unidirectional UHMWPE Fiber/Epoxy/ Carbon Nanofibers Mutiscale Composites

This paper presents the effect of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene fiber treatment and epoxy matrix modification on mechanical properties of unidirectional UHMWPE fiber/epoxy/ carbon nanofibers mutiscale composites. The ultra high molecular weight polyethylene fiber was treated by chemical grafting of glycidyl methacrylate onto its surface. Along with modifying fibers, the matrix was modified with adding different carbon nanofiber loadings (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 wt. %). Tensile and flexural tests were accomplished to evaluate the usefulness of carbon nanofibers addition on the mechanical properties of the composite. According to the mechanical test results, the maximum improvement in modulus for nanocomposites containing 1.5 wt. % carbon nanofibers and the maximum improvements for strength of samples containing 1 wt. % carbon nanofibers were observed