Helical milling response of glass fiber-reinforced polymer composite with carbon nanotube buckypaper interlayer

Fiber-reinforced polymer composites are increasingly utilized in applications where both the weight and the strength of the components are critical as in the aerospace industry. However, the full utilization of these materials could be hindered by the weak out-of-plane properties which precipitate delamination. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have recently gained massive interests due to its superior mechanical properties, which are excellent for improving the fiber/matrix interface. The current study considered two specimens of glass fiber-reinforced polymer composites (with and without CNT buckypaper) and subjected them to two tests, namely interlaminar shear strength and helical milling tests. Results show that the CNTs increase the interlaminar strength of the laminates by about 25% and the images of the machined parts reveal a separation of layers (delamination) on the specimens without CNT while on the other hand uncovering a relatively good quality surface and a good fiber/matrix/CNT interface for the specimens with CNT.