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Fracture toughness of functionally graded nanocomposite in quasi-static loading

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Abstract

Alumina nanoparticles of two shapes (spherical and rod) were dispersed in epoxy resin by sonication technique to synthesize functionally graded polymer nanocomposites (FGPNC). Weight percentage (wt%) of nanoparticles was varied in the thickness direction to achieve the gradation in samples. In a vertical acrylic mould, nanocomposite layers containing 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1 wt% of nanoparticles were sequentially cast to prepare the samples of FGPNC. Transmission electron micrographs and in situ EDX mapping showed the uniform dispersion of alumina nanoparticles. Fracture toughness of FGPNC samples was evaluated for three different orientations of crack by three-point bending method. In two cases, the crack was created along the thickness direction, while the load was applied from either nanocomposite side or epoxy side. Crack was introduced in the perpendicular direction to gradation in the third case. In the case of nanocomposite side loading, FGPNC (spherical) and FGPNC (nanorods) had 38% and 25% higher fracture toughness, respectively, compared to that of neat epoxy (layered). 25% and 8% of improvement in fracture toughness were observed for FGPNC having nanorods and spherical particles, respectively, for the sample with the crack in the perpendicular direction to the direction of gradation.

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  1. Mechanical Engineering Department, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad, Prayagraj, 211004, India

    Sudhir Kumar Mishra, Dharmendra Kumar Shukla & Rabindra Kumar Patel

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  1. Sudhir Kumar Mishra
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  2. Dharmendra Kumar Shukla
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  3. Rabindra Kumar Patel
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Correspondence to Sudhir Kumar Mishra.

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Mishra, S.K., Shukla, D.K. & Patel, R.K. Fracture toughness of functionally graded nanocomposite in quasi-static loading. Polym. Bull. 79, 1787–1801 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-021-03594-0

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