Influence of 2D graphene nanostructures on the strength characteristics of a composite material

This paper describes the results of a study that looked at a new epoxy resin composite containing 3% of graphene powder produced from cellulose by the cost-effective and high-performance method of self-propagating hightemperature synthesis (SHS). The aim of this research was to understand the effect of graphene obtained with the help of the above novel technique on the strength of the composite by comparing different strength indicators of its specimens. For this, the authors compared the results of mechanical tests, as well as the registered acoustic emission signals, before and after activated graphene particles were included in the material. The paper also describes a multilevel model of acoustic emission pulse flow, the sample preparation process and the test procedure applied. The authors demonstrate the strengthening effect of graphene related to the optimized physical nanostructure of the material, as well as the prospects of developing non-destructive testing techniques and techniques to test the strength status of final products.