Numerical study of the effect of glass fiber sizing reinforcement by randomly distributed CNTs on the glass/epoxy composite transverse mechanical properties

In this study, the effect of mechanical reinforcement of glass fiber sizing on the transverse mechanical properties of the glass/epoxy composite, due to the significant impact of this region on the overall mechanical properties of reinforced composites with fibers, has been investigated. To predict the transverse elastic modulus and tensile strength of the glass/epoxy composite, a representative volume element (RVE) and a three-dimensional shell model are simulated respectively, in ABAQUS commercial software. Sizing mechanical properties are held non-homogeneous and non-uniform along its thickness in the simulation. Furthermore, sizing reinforcement is done by a Random-Distribution method using carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Different lengths, diameters and, volume fractions are considered for the CNTs in sizing reinforcement in this simulation, and then the results are compared. The comparison between the results obtained from simulation and available experimental data illustrates that the sizing simulated by non-uniform mechanical properties provides more precise results than the sizing assumed by constant mechanical properties. Also, it is shown that increasing in CNTs length or decreasing in their diameter, which are distributed in sizing, would lead to improving the transverse elastic modulus and tensile strength of the glass/epoxy composite.