Response of adhesively bonded single lap joint doped with MWCNT and Fullerene C60 in the adhesive to the tensile strength of the joints

The basis for this research is to create joints that have greater joint strength and capability of carrying greater damage load. The structural damage behaviour of adhesively bonded single lap joints (ABSLJ's) was investigated. Laminates formed by carbon fibre woven in plane weave pattern and bonded by epoxy were used as adherend. Since a variety of nano materials are currently in use and are said to improve the damage strength of the composite when dispersed in them during the fabrication, two such nano materials namely multi walled carbon nano tube (MWCNT) and Fullerene C60 in different weight percentages of 0%, 1%, 3%, 5% and 7% were introduced by the method of ultrasonication to disperse them in the adhesive. A two part epoxy ROTEX EP - 416 resin and ROTEX EH - 153 hardener mixtures were used as adhesive for creating the joints. Results stipulate that the addition of MWCNT nanofillers in 1 wt % and 3 wt % in the adhesive has lead to a considerable increase in the tensile damage load of the ABSLJ's by about 93% and 199% respectively. While the addition of 1 wt % Fullerene C60 in the adhesive increased the failure load but there was not much significant improvement when compared with the same percent of MWCNT.