An experimental investigation on the effect of montmorillonite nanoclay on the mechanical properties of Ti6Al4V titanium‐based carbon fiber/epoxy laminates

Abstract A detailed experimental investigation was carried out to examine the effect of montmorillonite nanoclay reinforcement on the tensile, flexural, and impact behavior of Ti6Al4V titanium‐based carbon fiber/epoxy laminates. The phenomena of crack bridging, agglomeration, enhanced adhesion between the titanium‐composite layer, and mechanical locking due to the presence of nanoclay affected the mechanical and energy absorption ability of the nanoclay‐reinforced Ti6Al4V titanium‐based carbon fiber/epoxy laminates. A high nanoclay concentration bridged the crack growth, which eventually helped localize the delamination to the impacting location alone. The agglomeration phenomena lowered the energy absorption of both low and high‐weight percentages of nanoclay. At a moderate weight percentage, the nanoclay enhanced the adhesion between the titanium‐composite layer and triggered the mechanical locking, leading to high energy absorption. Rapid preformation accompanied by petal formation and localized tearing was observed in the high‐velocity impact test. Percentage escalation in impact energy was firmly in tune with the amount of nanoclay reinforcement in the matrix. Highlights Agglomeration leads to low energy absorption for low‐weight percentages of nanoclay. FML with a moderated weight percentage of nanoclay absorbed much energy. A high percentage of nanoclay triggered crack bridging away from the impact zone. Mechanical locking and improvement in adhesion between titanium and the composite layer.