INVESTIGATION OF MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF GRAPHENE, NOMEX T410 & HIGH SILICA GLASS REINFORCED HYBRID POLYMER MATRIX COMPOSITE

Graphene, Nomex and High Silica Glass are predominantly used in many applications individually because of their distinct mechanical and chemical properties. Graphene, because of its ability to show a significant increase in the properties at low filler concentration, has fascinated the community working in academicand industrial fields. The main aim of this work is to study the polymer composite reinforced with graphene, Nomex and High Silica glass forits mechanical properties. The composite was fabricated using Hand layup process. Nomex and High Silica glass along with graphene nanoparticles of 1, 1.5 and 2% by weight were used as reinforcements. Mechanical tests were conducted on the fabricated laminates, according to the ASTM Standards, to test their properties. The results obtained from these tests reveal that properties such as tensile strength and hardness increase with the increase in weight percentage of graphene. It was observed that laminate with graphene concentration of 1.5% by weight returned superior flexural properties when compared to other concentrations of graphene. Further, the tested specimens were studied for its morphological appearance through SEM technique. Automobiles, construction field and manufacturing of sports equipment find the need for this polymer composite.