Nanosilica fillers were mixed with epoxy resin in the order of 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1 wt% through mechanical stirring followed by an ultrasonication method. Thin glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) composite laminates of 3 ± 0.25 mm were developed with E-Glass mats of 610 GSM and LY556 epoxy resin. Nanosilica particles were utilized as secondary reinforcement to enhance the strength of the epoxy resin matrix.

Therefore, the hybrid mode of woven carbon and glass fibers at a volume fraction of 64% with additive nanoparticles of GNPs/Al2O3 within the resin was appropriate to produce aeronautical structures with extraordinary properties. The hybrid mode mechanism depends on the interaction among the mechanical properties of fiber, the physical and chemical evolution of resin, the bonding properties of the fiber/resin interface, and the service environment. This can be attributed to the better distribution of nanoparticles in the resin polymer, which, in turn, induces proper stress transfer from the matrix to the fiber phase. Particularly, the tensile strength was improved from 133 MPa in the unreinforced specimen to 230 MPa in the reinforced specimen with 3 wt.% Al2O3. Generally, the FRPs with 3 wt.% nano-Al2O3 enhanced composites exhibit higher tensile strength as compared with all other sets of composites. The addition of GNPs/Al2O3 nanoparticles as additive reinforcements to the fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs) induced a significant increase in the hardness and tensile strength. Microstructural characterization demonstrated a good dispersion of ceramic nanoparticles of Al2O3 and GNPs in the fabricated composites. The microstructure, XRD patterns, hardness, and tensile properties of the fabricated composites were investigated here. To obtain good dispersion of additive nanoparticles within the resin matrix, the ultrasonication technique was implemented. In this study, two different kinds of hybrid fibers were selected, woven carbon and glass fiber, while two different ceramic nanoparticles, alumina (Al2O3) and graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs), were chosen to incorporate into a polymer matrix (epoxy resin). The multiscale hybridization of ceramic nanoparticles incorporated into polymer matrices reinforced with hybrid fibers offers a new opportunity to develop high-performance, multifunctional composites, especially for applications in aeronautical structures.

3 point bend test flexture