Mechanical behavior of 3D GFRP composite with pure and treated shear thickening fluid matrix subject to quasi-static puncture and shear impact loading

In this study, a new low-velocity shear impact test was introduced to carefully investigate the resistance of 3D E-glass fiber reinforced polymer composites with shear thickening fluid matrix. The shear thickening fluids were prepared by dispersing silica nano-particles in polyethylene glycol. Pure shear thickening fluid was modified by treating the silica surface with (3-Aminopropyl) triethoxysilane. Despite the low-velocity shear impact test, various experimental tests such as yarn pull-out, quasi-static puncture, flexibility and thickness tests were carried out to study the mechanical behavior of the composites. Results revealed the treated shear thickening fluid up to 60 wt% improves the performance of the impregnated samples against the yarn pull-out and puncture tests by 353% and 45%, respectively, and their shear impact resistance by 130% compared to the neat cases without noticeably affecting the fabric flexibility.