• Advanced Composite Materials
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.209-219
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• 2009

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have shown great potential for the reinforcement of polymers or fiber-reinforced composites. In this study, mechanical properties of multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT)-filled plain-weave glass/epoxy composites intended for use in radar absorbing structures were evaluated with regard to filler loading, microstructure, and fiber volume fraction. The plain-weave composites containing MWNTs exhibited improved matrix-dominant and interlaminar fracture-related properties, that is, compressive and interlaminar shear strength. This is attributed to strengthening of the matrix rich region and the interface between glass yarns by the MWNTs. However, tensile properties were only slightly affected by the addition of MWNTs, as they are fiber-dominant properties.

• Composites Research
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.36-42
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• 2006

MWNT(multi-walled carbon nanotube)-filled plain-weave glass/epoxy composites were fabricated and electromagnetic characteristics of the composites were investigated. The observation of the microstructures of the composites revealed that MWNTs are mostly distributed in matrix rich region and the interface between glass fiber yarns in warp and fill direction. The permittivity of the composites, measured in X-band (8.2-12.4 GHz) frequency range, increased with weight fraction of MWNTs and remained almost constant with frequency. The measured permittivity was used to investigate the reflection loss of radar absorbing structures (RAS) composed of MWNT-filled composites according to thickness and a RAS were constructed with 10 dB absorbing bandwidth 4.2 GHz and 3.3 mm in thickness.