Evaluation of Mechanical Properties of Glass Fibre and Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer Composite

Abstract

Abstract

Fiber reinforced polymer composite materials are gradually substituting traditional metallic materials because of their high specific strength and better corrosion resistance. However, the cost of the composites is still higher than the traditional materials. Different fibers are used in polymer matrix composites. Glass and carbon fiber are one of the promising reinforcements in polymer matrix composites. In this project, a comparison of mechanical properties and erosion resistance has been investigated for glass and carbon fiber composites. The composites were fabricated by hand lay-up technique. Different molding loads were applied during the curing process of composites. The effects of molding loads on tensile strength, modulus and wear resistance of the composites were evaluated. It is observed that with increase in molding load the tensile strength, modulus and wear resistance decreases. In this work it is observed that the optimum molding load to achieve better mechanical properties is 10Kg.

Keywords

Carbon Fibre, Glass Fibre, Composite Materials, Mechanical Properties, Tensile Test, Air Erosion Test.