Exprimental investigation on effect of functionalized nano silica and nano graphene on basalt fibers-epoxy composite under high velocity impact

Various methods are required for enhancing the strength of the composites, as a lightweight and optimized replacement for common materials such as metals. Addition of nano materials is a novel method for improving the strength of composite materials. On the other hand, the importance of impact phenomena and its many applications in various industries is obvious for everyone. Therefore, in this research, a multiscale composite of epoxy-basalt fibers containing nano silica and surface-modified nano graphene with a total weight percent of 1% was evaluated under high velocity impact test. Five series of composite samples containing 6 layers of basalt fibers made by hand layup method were impacted by two types of aluminum projectile in the speed of 116 m/s. Ogival and hemispherical head projectiles with the mass of 26.7 and 26.3 grams, respectively, were used. In order to investigate the surface modification process, Fourier transform infrared analysis (FT-IR) was performed and the effect of adding nano materials on the bond between the matrix and the fibers in the microscopic scale was investigated using the SEM microscope. The results showed that the sample containing 0.7% nano silica and 0.3% nano graphene had the best performance in absorbing the energy of the high velocity impact by increasing the absorption about 7.3% for a ogival projectile and 20.4% for a hemispherical projectile compared to a sample without nano materials.