Fracture Toughness of Glass-Carbon (0/90)<sub>s</sub> Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composite – An Experimental and Numerical Study

Abstract

Mode-I fracture behavior of glass-carbon fiber reinforced hybrid polymer composite was investigated based on experimental and finite element analysis. The compact tension (CT) specimen was employed to conduct mode-I fracture test using special loading fixtures as per ASTM standards. Fracture toughness was determined experimentally for along and across the fiber orientation of the specimen. Results indicated that the cracked specimens are tougher along the fiber orientations as compared with across the fiber orientations. A similar fracture test was simulated using finite element analysis software ANSYS. Critical stress intensity factor (K) was calculated at fracture/failure using displacement extrapolation method, for both along and across the fiber orientations. The fractured surfaces of the glasscarbon epoxy composite under mode-I loading condition was examined by electron microscope.

Mode I fracture toughness of Carbon/glass hybrid comopsite

“…The CT specimen was used to evaluate the mode-I fracture behavior of glass-carbon/epoxy hybrid composites experimental and numerically. For mode I, the stress intensity factors of the tensile sample was larger along with fiber orientation [13]. The stress intensity factor (KIC) was 24% error in results compared to the experimental work.…”

Evaluation of fracture toughness of epoxy polymer composite incorporating micro/nano silica, rubber and CNTs

“…Gouda et al [90] studied Mode I fracture behavior of glass-carbon fiber reinforced hybrid polymer composite experimentally and by finite element analysis at room temperature with curing hardener (HY 951) and woven glass and carbon bi-direction mesh. The difference in the magnitude of elastic modulus along and across the fiber orientation is 417 MPa.…”

Effect of MWCNTs addition, on the mechanical behaviour of FRP composites, by reinforcement grafting and matrix modification

“…The angled fracture shown in Figure 8(j) and (l) is actually the path taken by these stresses, along with the fiber edges, throughout the width of the coupon. The research contributed by Gouda et al [30] explains the fracture mechanism of glass-carbon fiber-reinforced hybrid composites in which the flat and smoothly fractured matrix surfaces have been associated with brittle breaking behaviour and the debonding of fiber-matrix is related with the fiber pull outs which were more in case of glass fiber [30].…”