Browsing by Author "Bakshi, M.S."

Filter results by typing the first few letters
Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Flexural behavior of nanoclay filled glass fiber/epoxy polymer nanocomposites
    (American Institute of Physics Inc. subs@aip.org, 2020) Bakshi, M.S.; Kattimani, S.C.
    Flexural behavior of nanoparticle filled fiber reinforced polymer nanocomposite is very significant to the engineering applications. The halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) were effectively incorporated in epoxy resin and used to impregnate the unidirectional (UD) glass fiber. The flexural property was estimated by the three-point bend test as per ASTM standards, for samples containing varied loading of HNTs (0, 1, 2, 3 wt. %) in the nanocomposite. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurement was carried for room temperature and post cured samples. The effect of the addition of HNTs in shifting the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the nanocomposite was examined. Results show that maximum flexural strength and modulus values are obtained for the loading of 1 wt. % HNTs in the nanocomposite. Additionally, at this optimum loading, the Tg witnessed a notable improvement. DSC measurement of post cured samples revealed a 10.8% improvement in Tg at 1 wt. % HNT addition compared to its counter sample cured at room temperature. Scanning electron microscopy reveals a brittle failure for all the samples. © 2020 Author(s).
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Influence of moisture absorption on the compressive behavior of halloysite nanotube reinforced buoyant nanocomposite foams for maritime applications
    (John Wiley and Sons Inc, 2023) Bakshi, M.S.; Kattimani, S.
    Current research focuses on the development of buoyant nanocomposite foams comprising naturally available nanofiller-halloysite nanotubes (HNTs). Cenosphere, a waste byproduct of thermal power plants, is used to impart lightweight properties to syntactic foam composites at 0, 20, and 40 vol% in an epoxy matrix. HNTs are added to the cenosphere epoxy syntactic foam (CESF) composites at a constant 1 vol% to improve the favorable mechanical and water absorption properties of the composites. To evaluate the mechanical response of the CESF and HNTs reinforced syntactic foam (HRSF) composites, compression tests are conducted on samples immersed in water. The results of the water absorption analysis on the CESF and HRSF composites conclude that HNTs inhibit the entry of water into the epoxy matrix, resulting in lower absorption values in HRSF samples than in CESF. Outcomes from the compression tests and FTIR study support this conclusion. The modulus value of the water-immersed HRSF sample with 40% cenospheres (NSF40 W) is reduced by 26.35%, and a 48.52% reduction in the modulus is registered for CESF with a similar concentration without HNTs. Structure–property correlations are established using the crack-pinning phenomenon and planar dispersion of HNTs depicted by transmission electron microscopy. The HNTs reinforcement shows great promise as a structural, buoyant, and lightweight syntactic nanocomposite foam for maritime applications. © 2023 Society of Plastics Engineers.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Probing the effect of post-curing and halloysite nanotube reinforcement on thermo-mechanical properties of lightweight epoxy syntactic foam composites
    (SAGE Publications Ltd, 2023) Bakshi, M.S.; Kattimani, S.
    This paper deals with an investigation of the post-curing effect of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) reinforced syntactic foam (HRSF) containing cenosphere as hollow inclusion at 0, 20, and 40 vol% in an epoxy matrix. Compression, flexural, and thermal properties of HRSF (1 vol% HNTs) and cenosphere/epoxy syntactic foam (CESF) composites without HNTs are studied under the influence of post-curing. Further, the post-cured HRSF containing 40 vol% cenosphere (NSF40_H) exhibited a compressive modulus of 33.2% higher than room temperature cured neat epoxy due to improved crosslinking. Addition of HNTs in NSF40_H augments the flexural modulus up to 26.9% compared to post-cured neat epoxy. Additionally, the glass transition temperature (Tg) of CESF composites with 40 vol% cenosphere was increased by 24.3 °C compared to the room temperature cured sample. This positive shift in Tg can be attributed to the beneficial impact of post-curing, as indicated by differential scanning calorimetry study. Thermogravimetric results demonstrated better thermal stability of HRSF relative to CESF and neat epoxy composites. Transmission electron microscopy illustrated the structure-property correlations of nanotube reinforcement. The improved properties of syntactic foams could be viewed as a potential material for lightweight constructions, especially in the marine and automobile industries. © IMechE 2022.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Study of mechanical and dynamic mechanical behavior of halloysite nanotube-reinforced multiscale syntactic foam
    (John Wiley and Sons Inc, 2021) Bakshi, M.S.; Kattimani, S.
    The present study deals with the development of novel cenosphere-epoxy multiscale syntactic foam (MSF) reinforced with halloysite nanotubes (HNTs). Cenospheres with different volume fractions (0, 20, 30, 40, 50 vol%) and HNTs (1 vol%) used in the fabrication of syntactic foams. The addition of HNTs increases the tensile modulus (42%) and flexural modulus (66%) compared with plain syntactic foam (PSF). Furthermore, FTIR studies reveal the strong hydrogen bonding interaction between HNTs and epoxy. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) confirms the unique crack deflection phenomenon by HNT, which indicates the structure–property correlation. In addition, the storage and loss modulus of MSFs is 36 and 113%, respectively (at 30°C) higher than the neat epoxy. Improvement in the tensile and flexural properties along with excellent thermal stability at elevated temperature makes MSF a promising material for structural, weight-sensitive, and high-temperature applications. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC