Mechanical Behaviour of Glass and Carbon Fibre Reinforced Composites at Varying Strain Rates and Temperatures

Abstract

The usage of high performance polymeric composites is a valuable alternative to conventional materials due to their high mechanical properties, stiffness to weight ratio and damage tolerance. The Mechanical property of epoxy matrices can be influenced by modifying the molecular architecture and structure, thereby increasing the crosslink density to generate high stiffness and strength. In many of these practical situations, the structures are prone to high impact loads. Material and structural response vary significantly under impact loading conditions. This paper deals with the fabrication and investigation of fiber composites and compares it with GFRP and CFRP used separately. Mechanical behaviour of the composite is obtained by testing the composite laminates for tensile (at varying strain rates and temperatures), flexural (at varying strain rates) and impact. The composite is manufactured by hand layup process. It is found that the CFRP composite has better properties than the GFRP in tensile and flexural. The internal structure of the composite is observed under scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the fractures, voids and fiber delaminating are analyzed.