Enhancement of Mechanical Properties of Composites through Incorporation of CNT in VARTM - A Review

Some issues and development in the vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) technique and the use of carbon nanotubes (CNT) as additional reinforcement in laminated composite are discussed in this article. There has been considerable interest in the incorporation of CNT as secondary reinforcement in addition to the primary fiber reinforcement in laminated composites. The use of CNT is apparently able to enhance the out-of-plane material properties by improving interlaminar strength and fracture toughness of laminated composites. The addition of CNT may be done through the VARTM technique, a non-autoclave, relatively low-cost method, frequently used to fabricate parts with complex shapes. This survey shows that while the matrix-dominated interlaminar fracture toughness and shear properties may be improved, the improvement in in-plane fiber-dominated properties is very modest.