Name: Tensile Property Characterization of Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) Composite Laminates
Uploaded: 2023-06-30T14:40:00
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tensile property characterization of glass fiber-reinforced polymer (gfrp) composite laminates

Fremstilling og mekanisk egenskabsvurdering af fiberkompositlaminater

Fiber reinforced polymer composite (FRP) is a type of high-strength material manufactured by mixing fiber reinforcement and polymer matrixes1,2,3. It is widely used in the aerospace4,5,6, construction7,8, automotive9, and marine10,11 industries due to its low density, high specific stiffness and strength, fatigue properties, and excellent corrosion resistance. Common synthetic fibers include carbon fibers, glass fibers, and aramid fibers12. Glass fiber was chosen for investigation in this paper. Compared to traditional steel, glass fiber reinforcement composite laminates (GFRPs) are lighter, with less than one-third of the density, but can achieve a higher specific strength than steel.
The preparation process of FRP includes vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM)13, filament winding (FW)14, and prepreg molding, in addition to many other advanced fabrication processes15,16,17,18. Compared to other preparation processes, the wet hand lay-up/vacuum bag (WLVB) process has several advantages, including simple equipment requirements and uncomplicated process technology, and the products are not limited by size and shape. This process has a high degree of freedom and can be integrated with metal, wood, plastic, or foam.
The principle of the WLVB process is to apply greater forming pressure through vacuum bags to enhance the mechanical properties of the prepared laminates; the production technology of this process is easy to master, making it an economical and simple composite material preparation process. This process is completely manual, and it is greatly influenced by the skills of preparation personnel. Therefore, the products are prone to defects such as voids and uneven thickness, leading to unstable qualities and mechanical properties of the laminate. Hence, it is necessary to describe the WLVB process in detail, finely control steps, and quantify material proportion, in order to obtain a high stability of mechanical properties of laminates.
Most researchers have studied the quasi-static19,20,21,22,23 and dynamic behavior24,25,26,27,28, as well as the property modification29,30 of composite materials. The volume fraction ratio of fiber to matrix plays a crucial role in mechanical properties of FRP laminate. In an appropriate range, a higher volume fraction of fiber can improve the strength and stiffness of FRP laminate. Andrew et al.31 investigated the effect of fiber volume fraction on the mechanical properties of specimens prepared by the fused deposition modeling (FDM) additive manufacturing process. The results showed that when the fiber volume fraction was 22.5%, the tensile strength efficiency reached its maximum, and a slight improvement in strength was observed as the fiber volume fraction reached 33%. Khalid et al.32 studied the mechanical properties of continuous carbon fiber (CF)-reinforced 3D-printed composites with diverse fiber volume fractions, and the results showed that both tensile strength and stiffness were improved with the rise in fiber content. Uzay et al.33 investigated the effects of three fabrication methods-hand lay-up, compression molding, and vacuum bagging-on the mechanical properties of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP). The fiber volume fraction and void of the laminates were measured, tensile and bending tests were conducted. The experiments showed that the higher the fiber volume fraction, the better the mechanical properties.
Voids are one of the most common defects in FRP laminate. Voids reduce the mechanical properties of composite materials, such as strength, stiffness, and fatigue resistance34. The stress concentration generated around the voids promotes the propagation of micro-cracks and reduces the interface strength between reinforcement and matrix. Internal voids also accelerate the moisture absorption of FRP laminate, resulting in interface debonding and performance degradation. Therefore, the existence of internal voids affects the reliability of composite and restricts their wide application. Zhu et al.35 investigated the influence of void content on the static interlaminar shear strength properties of CFRP composite laminates, and found that a 1% increase in void content ranging from 0.4% to 4.6% led to a 2.4% deterioration in interlaminar shear strength. Scott et al.36 presented the effect of voids on damage mechanism in CFRP composite laminates under hydrostatic loading using computed tomography (CT), and found that the number of voids is 2.6-5 times the number of randomly distributed cracks.
High-quality and reliable FRP laminates can be manufactured by using an autoclave. Abraham et al.37 manufactured low-porosity, high-fiber content laminates by placing a WLVB assembly in an autoclave with a pressure of 1.2 MPa for curing. Nevertheless, the autoclave is a large and expensive piece of equipment, resulting in considerable manufacturing costs. Although the vacuum-assisted resin transfer process (VARTM) has been in use for a long time, it has a limit in terms of the time cost, a more complicated preparation process, and more disposable consumables such as diversion tubes and diversion media. Compared with the WL process, the WLVB process compensates for insufficient molding pressure through a low-cost vacuum bag, absorbing excess resin from the system to increase the fiber volume fraction and reduce the internal pore content, thereby greatly improving the mechanical properties of the laminate.
This study explores the differences between the WL process and the WLVB process, and details the meticulous process of the WLVB process. The fiber volume content of laminates was calculated by the formula method, and the results showed that the fiber volume content of WL laminates was 42.04%, while that of WLVB laminates was 57.82%, increasing by 15.78%. The mechanical properties of laminates were characterized by tensile and impact tests. The experimental results revealed that with the WLVB process, the strength and modulus of the laminates were enhanced by 17.4% and 16.35%, respectively, and the specific absorbed energy was increased by 19.48%.

Forfatter Spotlight: Forbedring af fiberkompositlaminatkvalitet med våd håndoplægning/vakuumposeproces 

Måling af de mekaniske egenskaber af glasfiberarmeringspolymerkompositlaminater opnået ved forskellige fremstillingsprocesser

Our research focuses on enhancing the interface toughness and impaired resistance of fiber composites. We are trying to improve the impaired resistance of fiber composites by incorporating nanoparticles. One of the most common challenges in fiber composite fabrication is the lack of repeatability.Through precise control of the fabrication depth and quantification of material proportions, we can obtain laminates with very stable mechanical properties. This approach ensures highly repeatable test result across different batches. The eWLB process for fabricating composite laminates use a vacuum bag to remove air bubbles.Compared to other processes, this process has lot of advantages. It requires simple equipment, involves process technologies that is not complicated, and the products are also not limited by size or shape.

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Tensile Property Characterization of Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer GFRP Composite Laminates at JoVE.com

Tensile Property Characterization of Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) Composite Laminates  

Trækegenskabskarakterisering af glasfiberforstærket polymer (GFRP) kompositlaminater

For at starte trækprøven ved hjælp af en højpræcisionsskæremaskine udstyret med en diamantskærer skæres 250 millimeter x 25 millimeter prøver fra glasfiberforstærket polymer eller glasfiberlaminater. Mål prøvedimensioner med en verniertykkelse. Fastgør fire aluminiumsfaner i begge ender af prøven ved hjælp af epoxyklæbemiddel for at forhindre spændingskoncentration.Sprøjt et tyndt lag hvid maling på forsiden af prøven, efterfulgt af sprøjtning af sorte pletter. Placer prøven i trækprøvningsmaskinens midterklemmer. For at konfigurere billedoptagelsessystemet skal du sørge for, at prøven er lodret placeret midt i kameraets optagelsesområde.Juster kameraets brændvidde og eksponeringshastighed for tydeligt at registrere pletterne på prøven. Dernæst i Konfigurer test skal du indstille testhastigheden til 0,5 millimeter pr. Minut. Vælg Prøvedata, og indtast prøvens prøvetykkelse og prøvebredde, før du klikker på Kør test.Klik på Start, og vælg Accepter aktuel position for at registrere data om indlæsningstid. Fjern prøven og registrer dens morfologi efter testen. Mål prøvens nominelle belastning ved hjælp af trækprøven ved hjælp af digital billedkorrelation eller DIC-software.Klik først på Længde, Skaler, Billede og kalibrer pixellængden. Klik derefter på Referencebillede og vælg det første billede som referencebillede. Klik på Deformeret billede for at vælge de resterende billeder som deformerede billeder.Brug tegneværktøjer, og vælg Rektangel for at angive måleområdet. Ved at klikke på Extensometer skal du indstille extensometerlængden til 100 millimeter og vinklen til 90. Start korrelation ved at klikke på Behandling og Start korrelation.Først divideres belastningen med tværsnitsarealet for at bestemme den nominelle spænding. Kombiner derefter den nominelle belastning fra DIC-målingen og den nominelle spænding fra trækprøvningsmaskinen. Vælg hældningen af det lineære segment i belastningsspændingskurven som det elastiske modul, og vælg topværdien af trækkraft-tidskurven som styrken.Endelig skal du sammenligne prøvernes elastiske modul og styrke. Trækmodulet og styrken af laminater fremstillet ved WLVB-processen var højere end dem, der blev fremstillet ved hjælp af WL-processen. WLVB-processen øgede laminaternes trækstyrke og modul med henholdsvis 17,4% og 16,35%.Efter trækprøven viste både WLVB- og WL-prøver brud nær deres centrale dele. Delamineringslængden af WL-prøven er imidlertid længere end WLVB-prøven.

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Tensile Property Characterization of Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) Composite Laminates

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Measuring the Mechanical Properties of Glass Fiber Reinforcement Polymer Composite Laminates Obtained by Different Fabrication Processes

The traditional wet hand lay-up process (WL) has been widely applied in the manufacturing of fiber composite laminates. However, due insufficiency in the ...

﻿Fabrication of Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) Composite Laminates by Wet Hand Lay-Up/Vacuum Bag (WLVB) Method

Fabrication of Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) Composite Laminates by Wet Hand Lay-Up/Vacuum Bag (WLVB) Method  

Fremstilling af glasfiberforstærket polymer (GFRP) kompositlaminater ved våd håndlægning / vakuumpose (WLVB) metode

Impact Property Characterization of Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) Composite Laminates

Karakterisering af slagegenskaber af glasfiberforstærket polymer (GFRP) kompositlaminater