Influence of silica aerogel filler on strength-to-weight ratio of carbon/epoxy composite made by vacuum resin infusion

Influence of silica aerogel filler on strength-to-weight ratio of carbon/epoxy composite made by vacuum resin infusion

Luigi Benvenuto, Enrico Lertora, Chiara Mandolfino, Matteo Benvenuto, Marco Pizzorni

Abstract. Thermoset matrix composites are a competitive solution in high-performance applications due to their superior characteristics. Several previous studies have shown that the addition of particles to thermosetting resins – particularly epoxy resins, which are currently the most widely used – can improve many of the physical properties of composites. In this context, this study aims to investigate the effect of silica aerogel content on the mechanical and weight properties of composites made via vacuum infusion. The results have shown that the strength-to-weight ratio increases with increasing filler percentage. However, the experiments also made it possible to recognise process limits, which occur when the percentage of aerogel in the resin exceeds 2%.

Keywords
Composites, Resin Infusion, Mechanical Strength

Published online 9/5/2023, 9 pages
Copyright © 2023 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA

Citation: Luigi Benvenuto, Enrico Lertora, Chiara Mandolfino, Matteo Benvenuto, Marco Pizzorni, Influence of silica aerogel filler on strength-to-weight ratio of carbon/epoxy composite made by vacuum resin infusion, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 35, pp 367-375, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644902714-44

The article was published as article 44 of the book Italian Manufacturing Association Conference

Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.

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