Viscoelastic characterization of vinyl ester nano-composites using response surface modeling
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The effects of vapor-grown carbon nanofiber (VGCNF) weight fraction, applied stress, and temperature on the creep response of VGCNF/vinyl ester (VE) nanocomposites were studied using a central composite design (CCD). Nanocomposite test articles were fabricated by high-shear mixing, casting, curing, and post curing in an open-face mold under a nitrogen environment. Short-term creep/creep recovery experiments were conducted at prescribed combinations of temperatures (23.8-69.2C), applied stresses (30.2-49.8 MPa), and VGCNF weight fractions (0.00-1.00 parts of VGCNF per hundred parts of resin) determined from the CCD. The response surface model (RSM) for predicting the creep response was developed using the least squares method and an analysis of variance procedure. The response surface estimates indicate that increasing the VGCNF weight fraction marginally increases the creep resistance of the VGCNF/VE nanocomposites at low temperatures (i.e., 23.8-46.5C). However, increasing the VGCNF weight fraction decreased the creep resistance of these nanocomposites for temperatures greater than 50C. The latter response may be due to a decrease in the nanofiber-to-matrix adhesion as the temperature is increased. The creep strain RSM revealed the interactions between the VGCNF weight fraction, stress, and temperature on the creep behavior of thermoset polymer nanocomposites.
