Mathematical Modeling and Experimental Evaluation of the Properties of an ED-20 / ETAL-45M Epoxy Nanocomposite Modified with Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Abstract

A structural-phenomenological mathematical model was developed for the engineering description of the properties of an epoxy nanocomposite based on ED-20 resin, ETAL-45M hardener, and multi-walled carbon nanotubes. The aim of the study was to establish the trends in flexural strength, Charpy impact toughness, Brinell hardness, and gravimetric wear loss as a function of nanofiller content, as well as to assess the applicability of the model to both unreinforced and glass-fabric-reinforced composites. It was shown that, for the unreinforced system, the addition of carbon nanotubes up to 1.0 phr results in an increase in flexural strength, Charpy impact toughness, and Brinell hardness. At a filler content of 1.5 phr, the flexural strength decreases slightly, which indicates the existence of an optimal filler-content range. For the glass-fabric-reinforced composite, reinforcement was found to be the dominant factor governing the improvement of mechanical properties. The model takes into account nanofiller content, the degree of its distribution within the matrix, rheological constraints, and the structural features of five-layer glass-fabric reinforcement. The practical significance of the work lies in the possibility of using the proposed approach for the preliminary selection of composition and processing conditions for epoxy nanocomposites with a specified combination of mechanical and tribological characteristics.