Research
Funded Research
Research to use model validation on nanoparticle-reinforced resins
Dr. Igor Sevostianov, associate professor of mechanical engineering, received continuing funding of $29,000 from Texas Tech University. The goal of his project is to develop nanoparticle-reinforced resins for use in fiber-reinforced polymer matrix composites that are tailored such that the assumed decrease in the value of the CTE is greater than the corresponding increase in K or E, while at the same time maintaining stiffness and strength. To this end, NMSU is performing multi-scale and theoretical modeling and validate the model using experimental data obtained at Texas Tech University. One of the main challenges in analytical modeling of nanoparticle reinforced composites (in particular, POSS/epoxy composite) is that the material properties of inclusions are unknown - material either does not exist in bulk phase or properties of the bulk are substantially different from the properties of the nanosize particles.
A possible solution to this problem is to obtain properties of particles through the measurement of the effective properties of a nanocomposite and comparison them with the corresponding properties of epoxy. The main content of the current analytical work is focused at the recovery of information on thermo-mechanical properties of POSS from experimental data on epoxy-POSS composites.