High-performance Graphite-reinforced Sustainable Epoxy Composite

Kelvin O Iyebeye, Nneka I Samuel-Ekpe, Chilee M Ekwedigwe and Chidume N Nwambu*

The industry constantly looks for lightweight, high-strength parts for airplanes and wind turbine blades. Despite the possibility of substituting polymers for metal components, there is a criticality implied by the poorer mechanical and thermal performance of polymers. This study examines the microstructure and mechanical properties of distinct industrial-grade filler (graphite) concentrations added to an epoxy matrix: 3 wt.%, 6 wt.%, 9 wt.%, 12 wt.%, and 15 wt.%. The mechanical performance improved with increasing filler concentration, with Graphite-9 wt.% showing the highest enhancement with a 118.48% improvement in mechanical performance The results indicate that an optimal graphite concentration of 9 wt.% enhances tensile, and flexural strength, whereas excessive graphite concentration (15wt.%) led to local embrittlement decreasing the mechanical properties. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis of the 15 wt.% composite reveals an uneven dispersion of graphite, contributing to the properties' reduction. The findings provide insight into the influence of graphite reinforcement on the mechanical performance of epoxy composites, aiding the optimization of composite formulations for aircraft and wind turbine blade applications.

Keywords:

Published on: Jun 25, 2025 Pages: 9-13

Full Text PDF Full Text HTML DOI: 10.17352/ojc.000044
CrossMark Publons Harvard Library HOLLIS Search IT Semantic Scholar Get Citation Base Search Scilit OAI-PMH ResearchGate Academic Microsoft GrowKudos Universite de Paris UW Libraries SJSU King Library SJSU King Library NUS Library McGill DET KGL BIBLiOTEK JCU Discovery Universidad De Lima WorldCat VU on WorldCat