Synergistic effects of SiO2 and MWCNTs in glass/basalt-reinforced composites via BBD-RSMV. Boobalan, T. Sathish, and R. Saravanan Department of Mechanical Engineering, Saveetha School of Engineering, SIMATS, Chennai, India
E-mail: boopalanv4010.sse@saveetha.com Received: 5 June 2025 Accepted: 21 September 2025 Abstract: This study investigates the mechanical properties of hybrid polymer composites reinforced with glass and basalt fibers, and enhanced with hybrid nanofillers, silicon dioxide (SiO2) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The aim is to optimize and statistically predict mechanical performance using Box-Behnken Design (BBD) integrated with Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Four key processing parameters: filler content (0–2%), sonication time (10–30 min), molding pressure (5–15 MPa), and mold holding time (24–72 h) were varied at three levels. Using the BBD matrix, 29 composite samples were fabricated via hand lay-up and compression molding, with a stacking sequence of 01B/02G/02B/02G/02B/02G/01B. Vickers hardness and flexural modulus (GPa) were measured per ASTM D785 and D790 standards. Regression models were validated through ANOVA, showing strong alignment between experimental and predicted results. Maximum values of flexural modulus 16 GPa and hardness 22 HV were observed at filler (2%), sonication (20 min), mold pressure (15 MPa), and mold hold time (48 h.). Predicted optimized values were flexural modulus 15.975 GPa and Vickers hardness 21.950 HV using Design-Expert 13.0. Results show improvements of 45% in modulus (from 11 to 16 GPa) and 29% in hardness (from 17 to 22 HV). SEM analysis revealed typical failure modes such as matrix cracking, debonding, fiber rupture, and pull-out. Keywords: Basalt and glass fiber; Nanofillers; Hybrid nanocomposites; Flexural modulus and Vickers hardness Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com. DOI: 10.1007/s11696-025-04398-6
Chemical Papers 80 (1) 357–376 (2026) |
Sunday, April 26, 2026 
|
|||
© 2026 Chemical Papers |
|
|||
