A comprehensive experimental investigation to evaluate the impact of MWCNTs on the mechanical attributes of GFRP/CFRP composites for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) structure

Abstract Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology has revolutionized numerous sectors, including precision agriculture, infrastructure inspection and defense. Consequently, there is a critical need to develop a unique composite structures that offer high durability, low density, and enhanced mechanical properties for UAV airframes. This study addresses this demand by investigating the enhancement of glass and carbon fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP/CFRP) composites through the integration of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs at 0.5 and 1 wt%). The mechanical properties including tensile, flexural, and interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) were experimentally characterized and microstructural analysis was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicated that carbon fiber composites (CFRP) with 1.0 wt% MWCNTs achieved a strength of 289 MPa, representing a 9.5 % improvement in tensile strength over the 0.5 wt% CFRP. However, the CFRP with 0.5 wt% MWCNTs demonstrated better performance in both flexural and ILSS strength, exhibiting 8.8 % and 13.6 % higher than the 1.0 wt% CFRP sample, respectively the same pattern was observed for glass fiber composites (GFRP), where the 0.5 wt% MWCNTs showed higher flexural and ILSS characteristics compared to the 1.0 wt% GFRP sample. SEM analysis confirmed that the superior performance of the 0.5 wt% samples was due to better fiber-matrix adhesion and uniform dispersion. It was concluded that a 0.5 wt% MWCNTs is optimal for both CFRP and GFRP, providing the best balance of mechanical properties for weight sensitive UAV applications, while higher concentrations lead to property degradation due to agglomeration.