Experimental and numerical investigation of nanosilica-reinforced hybrid aluminum/carbon fiber/epoxy composites: Vibrational and tensile performance

The objective of this study was to investigate the vibrational and tensile properties of hybrid aluminum/carbon fiber/epoxy composites reinforced with nanosilica, employing both experimental and numerical approaches. Rectangular plates were fabricated using aluminum, carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy, and varying weight percentages of nanosilica (0.5, 1, and 1.5 wt.%). Operational modal analysis and tensile tests were conducted on the samples under Clamped-Free-Free-Free (C-F-F-F) boundary conditions. Micromechanical relationships were utilized to estimate the material properties of the hybrid plates. Furthermore, the hybrid aluminum/nanocomposites were modeled using ABAQUS software, assuming perfect adhesion between the aluminum layer and the nanocomposites. After validating the numerical model with experimental results, using a 0.5 mm mesh, the effects of nanosilica addition on the vibrational and tensile behaviour were examined. Results indicated that tensile properties and natural frequencies increased in the sample with 1 wt.% nanosilica, but decreased in the 1.5 wt.% sample due to agglomeration of nanosilica particles. The natural frequencies were also predicted using Halpin-Tsai equations, demonstrating good agreement with experimental results, with an error of approximately 6%. Moreover, the elastic modulus of the hybrid sample with 1 wt.% nanosilica showed an approximate 16% increase compared to pure carbon-epoxy.