INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECT OF INCONEL PARTICULATE FILLER ON THE MECHANICAL AND FIRE-RETARDANT CHARACTERISTICS OF GFRP COMPOSITES

This paper reports the effect of incorporating Inconel particles as filler for enhancing the delamination and mechanical strength of glass-fiber-reinforced epoxy composites. It is intended for application in renewable energy. Glass fiber plays a vital role in renewable-energy industries for its non-corrosiveness and lower maintenance cost. The mechanical properties of glass fibers make the renewable industry for effective utilization in the manufacturing of turbine blades in onshore and offshore environments, as well as the addition of fillers enhances the mechanical properties of the material. This study comprises validating three different compositions of Inconel blended with epoxy resin for the preparation of laminates using a vacuum-infusion process. The tensile and flexural properties of the composites were experimentally examined and validated for the enhanced use of structural applications in the field of renewable energy. In addition to the mechanical characterization, a finite-element validation was used to determine the delamination effect. The Ansys Composite PrePost (ACP) module was used to validate the Inconel-blended composite materials. The flammability characteristics were determined as per the UL-94 standard for both vertical and horizontal flame tests. The water-absorption characteristics were also estimated for the three different proportions of the Inconel-filled laminates. The study reveals that the incorporation of Inconel powder enhanced the mechanical properties, contact angle and the fire-retardant characteristics of the glass-fiber epoxy-blended laminates.