E-glass Fiber Research Articles

Experimental study of hygrothermal ageing effects on failure modes of non-crimp basalt fibre-reinforced epoxy composite

Turbine blades form the main component for energy generation in renewable energy generation technologies such as wind and tidal energy. Non-crimp fabric (NCF) based fibre reinforced composite materials, with E-glass and carbon fibres have been widely used as the main materials for blades. However, sustainable composites using naturally derived fibres such as basalt, are being developed to reduce environmental impact. Basalt fibres require no chemical additives, solvents or hazardous materials for production and are recyclable. However, little information is available in the literature on the moisture ageing effects on failure modes of NCF based basalt fibre reinforced epoxy composites. Ageing is particularly important for applications in coastal wind and tidal turbine installations, which are exposed to high humidity. The current study analyses the effect of moisture ageing on flexural, interlaminar shear and in-plane shear properties and associated failure modes of NCF based basalt fibre reinforced epoxy composite at different stress levels. The results showed no significant impact on flexural stiffness of the composite, but in-plane shear stiffness and strength (flexural, interlaminar shear and in-plane shear) of the composite demonstrated a significant reduction following moisture absorption. Similar failure modes were observed in both dry and wet conditions.

Assessing Fracture Toughness and Impact Strength of PMMA Reinforced with Nano-Particles and Fibre as Advanced Denture Base Materials.

Statement of Problem: Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) denture resins commonly fracture as a result of the denture being dropped or when in use due to heavy occlusal forces. Purpose: To investigate the effects of E-glass fibre, ZrO2 and TiO2 nanoparticles at different concentrations on the fracture toughness and impact strength of PMMA denture base. Materials and Methods: To evaluate fracture toughness (dimensions: 40 × 8 × 4 mm3; n = 10/group) and impact strength (dimensions: 80 × 10 × 4 mm3; n = 12/group), 286 rectangular tested specimens were prepared and divided into four groups. Group C consisted of the PMMA specimens without any filler (control group), while the specimens in the remaining three groups varied according to the concentration of three filler materials by weight of PMMA resin: 1.5%, 3%, 5%, and 7%. Three-point bending and Charpy impact tests were conducted to measure the fracture toughness and impact strength respectively. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was utilised to examine the fractured surfaces of the specimens after the fracture toughness test. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey post-hoc tests were employed to analyse the results at a p ≤ 0.05 significance level. Results: Fracture toughness of groups with 1.5 and 3 wt.% ZrO2, 1.5 wt.% TiO2, and all E-glass fibre concentrations were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than the control group. The samples reinforced with 3 wt.% ZrO2 exhibited the highest fracture toughness. Those reinforced with a 3 wt.%, 5 wt.%, and 7 wt.% of E-glass fibres had a significantly (p < 0.05) higher impact strength than the specimens in the control group. The heat-cured PMMA modified with either ZrO2 or TiO2 nanoparticles did not exhibit a statistically significant difference in impact strength (p > 0.05) in comparison to the control group. Conclusions: 1.5 wt.%, 3 wt.% of ZrO2; 1.5 wt.% ratios of TiO2; and 1.5 wt.%, 3 wt.%, 5 wt.%, and 7 wt.% of E-glass fibre can effectively enhance the fracture toughness of PMMA. The inclusion of E-glass fibres does significantly improve impact strength, while ZrO2 or TiO2 nanoparticles did not.

Ultrasonic Attenuation Characteristics of Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Hull Structure

Glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) ship structures have hull plate thicknesses of 10 mm or more and are fabricated using a higher proportion of resin matrix systems than E-glass fiber reinforcements. Therefore, GFRP is classified as a highly attenuative material, and this characteristic is a major cause of large errors in ultrasonic nondestructive testing for quality inspections. In this study, considering the aforementioned design and fabrication characteristics of GFRP ship structures, hull plate prototypes with various glass fiber weight fractions, glass contents (Gc), and laminate thicknesses were fabricated. Then, a pulse-echo ultrasonic test was performed with the fabricated prototypes, and the attenuation characteristics of the GFRP hull plates were investigated by conducting statistical analyses. These results demonstrated that with a variation of 30–50% in the Gc used for GFRP structure design, the plate thickness variation had a greater impact than the Gc variation on the attenuation characteristics. The increase in Gc naturally increased the scattering of ultrasonic waves but did not significantly affect the attenuation coefficient. The effects of the inner voids on the ultrasonic waves were also investigated, and the results confirmed that the laminates in this Gc region did not significantly affect attenuation.

Performance of the HFRC beam with E-glass and Basalt fibre under Torsion

Performance of the HFRC beam with E-glass and Basalt fibre under Torsion

Investigations on crush behavior and energy absorption characteristics of GFRP composite conical frusta with a cutout under axial compression loading

The changes in energy-absorption and deformation characteristics of thin-walled E-glass fiber reinforced composite conical frusta upon introduction cutouts were studied through quasi-static axial compression loading. The 15°, 18° and 21° semi-apical angled conical frusta with a circular, square, and elliptical cutout were axially compressed, and its crush-force-efficiency, energy-absorption, and specific-energy-absorption (SEA) characteristics were analyzed. Further, the ABAQUS® finite element software was used to simulate the crush behavior of perfect and imperfect conical frusta, and the corresponding results were compared with the experimental results, and the results are reported in this article.

Modal analysis of E-glass basalt laminated composite plates based on experimental mechanical properties using FEA

ABSTRACT The research work presents the comparative study on finite element modal analysis of 14 layers E-glass epoxy (G/E plate) and 10 layers basalt epoxy (B/E plate) composite angle-ply trapezoidal plate for various boundary conditions. The G/E and B/E plate having fiber orientations of [0°/+45°/0°/-45°/0°/+45°/0°]s and [0°/+45°/0°/-45°/0°]s are considered for fabricating plates using compression molding technique to minimize void content. Then, orthotropic properties are determined by experimental testing as per ASTM standards. The effects of different geometrical parameters including aspect ratio (a/b = 1 and 2), taper ratio (c/b = 0.25–1), and span-to-thickness ratio (a/h = 50) of trapezoidal plates on undamped modal analysis are done for G/E and B/E plates. A shell 281 element, which obeys first-order shear deformation theory, is applied in commercial finite element software to extract the natural frequencies and mode shapes for various boundary conditions using properties determined by experimental testing. The calculated mechanical properties are compared between G/E plate and B/E plate, and the results show basalt fiber as alternative material to E-glass fiber. The results of nondimensional frequency parameters and mode shapes of G/E and B/E plate also show good agreement with previous research work.

UJI KEKUATAN IMPAK TERHADAP PENAMBAHAN AGAVE SISALANA FIBER DAN E-GLASS FIBER PADA REPARASI PLAT GIGI TIRUAN RESIN AKRILIK

Introduction: Acrylic resin is the most common material for the denture base because the acrylic resin has good esthetics, ease of processing, reparability, and inexpensive. A disadvantage of acrylic resin is that it is easy to be cracked. One of the ways to resolve this problem is by adding agave sisalana fiber and E-glass fiber. The purpose of this study was to find out the effect of the addition of agave sisalana fiber and E-glass fiber on the impact strength of an acrylic resin denture plate reparation. Material and Method: The experiment involved twenty-seven plates of heat-cured acrylic with the dimensions of 55x 10 x 10 mm with the 26 x 5 x 4 mm for the cavity to measure, each measurement divided into three groups, with nine samples for each group. The first group was a control group (without fiber), the second group was a group with agave sisalana fiber addition, the third group was a group with e-glass fiber addition. All plates were soaked in distillation water for one day at 37o C. Plates were tested for impact strength using the Charpy method. All data obtained were analyzed with one-way ANOVA followed by LSD (Least Significant Difference) with p&lt;0,05. Result and Discussion: The result showed that the influences of impact strength between without fiber with agave sisalana fiber and E-glass fiber addition on acrylic denture reparation. Acrylic denture reparation in both fibers with concentration 3,3%, agave sisalana fiber has the highest impact strength rather than e-glass fiber. Conclusion: The conclusion of this study is that there is an increase in impact strength with agave sisalana fiber and E-glass fiber addition on acrylic denture reparation and agave sisalana fiber has the highest impact strength.

Development of fiber-reinforced transparent composites

In this study, a continuous glass fiber-reinforced composite is manufactured using the vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) process. The composite is manufactured from an S-glass fiber acting as reinforcement and an epoxy resin as matrix. Unlike a traditional E-glass fiber reinforcement, S-glass fibers give higher stiffness and provide easier manufacturability due to the value of the refractive index of S-glass lying within the range of refractive indices of the epoxy resin. The epoxy resin is synthesized Epon 826, Epalloy 5200, and hexahydropthalic anhydride and tailored to match refractive indices of the S-glass fibers. After synthesis of the resin, composite panels are manufactured from the synthesized epoxy resin and S-glass fibers with a bi-directional [0°/90°] 8-harness satin weave. VARTM process was utilized to manufacture the composite panels. Composite panels are visually inspected for transparency, and tensile, flexural, and impact testing is performed. Mechanical tests showed consistent results for tensile modulus, tensile strength, flexural modulus, flexural strength, and impact damage resistance.

Fibre Volume Fraction and Impact Strength Analysis of Reinforced Polyester Composites

Improper fibre volume analyses in most reinforced composites poses great challenges in polymer industries which results to the production of composites with low mechanical strength. This study investigates the fibre volume fraction and impact strength analysis of reinforced polyester composites. In this study, E-Glass fibres (hard and soft mat) were mixed with polyester at different composition by volume. The E-glass serves as reinforcement to the polyester, fourteen test specimens of the reinforced composites were developed with each of them having dimension of 210mm length, 150mm width and 50mm thickness respectively. The properties of the developed reinforced composites such as volume fraction, impact energy, and impact strength were analysed from the values obtained from compact tension and Charpy impact test respectively. The results obtained shows that the effective thickness of the developed reinforced composites ranged from 60mm to 100mm at fibre fraction which ranges from 0.32 to 0.50. The results obtained also shows that the specimens containing woven roving have greater resistance to fracture and impact damages due to high fibre volume fraction. Hence, the laminates impact strength is a function of its fibre volume fraction.

Numerical and experimental study of externally reinforced RC slabs using FRPs subjected to close-in blast loads.

The use of woven Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) as strengthening material on full-scale Reinforced Concrete (RC) slabs was studied in this paper. Carbon (CFRP) and E-glass (GFRP) fibers were tested for comparison. The specimens of the trials were subjected to blast loads at scaled distances of 0.83 m/kg1/3, 0.42 m/kg1/3 and 0.21 m/kg1/3, varying both charge and distance to the slab. Furthermore, Finite Element (FE) numerical models have been developed to study, in-depth, the response of the structural elements. A non-reinforced slab facing the highest scaled distance has been used as calibration test. It was monitored with pressure gauges and accelerometers, obtaining errors of around 2% and 5%, respectively, compared with the models’ predictions. Seven other trials were carried out and used as validation tests. The explosive charge model was developed using the *LOAD_BLAST_ENHANCED (LBE) tool available in the LS-DYNA software. Two concrete material models have been tested, CSCM and RHT, achieving better results with the first one. To model the FRP reinforcement, *MAT_058 (LAMINATED_COMPOSITE_FABRIC) was used. Applying CFRP resulted in a generally reduced damage area on both surfaces especially at intermediate scaled distances. Concerning the specimens reinforced with GFRP, further investigation needs to be conducted as the field test outcomes were not entirely conclusive due to the bonding of the fiber on concrete. The experimental results were closely reproduced with the developed numerical models, with errors in terms or surface damage below 15%.

Numerical Optimization of Stress Concentration in Composite Structures for Different Material Arrangement.

Complex machine parts are characterized by different shapes, material characteristics and working loads. The simultaneous theoretical optimization of shape and material properties is difficult because the single objective functional with a unique physical interpretation is unknown for these two features. The optimization is the multi-criteria procedure or the functional is a weighted average of partial criteria with the assumed weight values. Therefore, the structure and material characteristics are optimized numerically. The main goal of the article was to model and optimize the stress distribution inside the composite plates subjected to complex load. The advanced material composition was made of four different materials: steel, ductile iron, E-glass fibers and carbon fibers. The stress distributions were optimized for the homogeneous plate, the sandwich composite made of metal and textile layers, and the plate with additional stiffening elements (ribs and another plate along the neck portion). Based on the numerical simulations, the optimal structural shapes and material arrangements were determined.

Analysis of impacts of thermal shocks on mechanical properties of E-glass fiber reinforced polyester composites

Glass fiber reinforced polyester composites are economic and high-performance composite materialsthat has gained a wide range of applications. Besides the developments in composites design, scientific studies addressing the consequences of thermal changes on the mechanical properties of fiber reinforced polymer composites(FRPCs) are scarce. Therefore, the main aim of the present work is to investigate the physical/mechanical properties of glass fiber reinforced polyester composites under thermal shocks. The effects of thermal cycle duration (2, 5 and 20 hours) on the porosity and mechanical properties (maximum stress, strain, elastic modulus and impact resistance) of polymeric composites reinforced by glass fiber, woven fabric and copper/silica nanoparticles (NPs) were investigated. The results exhibited that the porosity and mechanical properties changed obviously in long duration cycles, i.e., 20 hours. Major reduction trends were observed when the fabric reinforced samples were further reinforced by NPs. It was concluded that although NPs reduce porosity and pose filling effect in composite matrix, can also provide stress concentration locations. The composites reinforced by woven fabric and prepared by RTM method provide better mechanical properties. Moreover, after thermal shocks, the fibers within the composite structure formed curved shapes. Consequently, a reduction occurred at the elastic modulus of fibrous reinforced composites (fiber or fabric) after thermal cycles. Besides theelevated porositywas the predominant factor reducing elastic modulus, fiber deformation was also considered as a hidden factor which has never been discussed in previous research studies. A model of bicomponent structure was used to explain the effects of fiber deformation on elastic modulus of the FRPCs.

Flexural Strength and Hardness of Filler-Reinforced PMMA Targeted for Denture Base Application.

The aim of this work was to evaluate the flexural strength and surface hardness of heat-cured Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) modified by the addition of ZrO2 nanoparticles, TiO2 nanoparticles, and E-glass fibre at different wt.% concentrations. Specimens were fabricated and separated into four groups (n = 10) to measure both flexural strength and surface hardness. Group C was the control group. The specimens in the remaining three groups differed according to the ratio of filler to weight of PMMA resin (1.5%, 3%, 5%, and 7%). A three-point bending test was performed to determine the flexural strength, while the surface hardness was measured using the Vickers hardness. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was employed to observe the fractured surface of the specimens. The flexural strength was significantly improved in the groups filled with 3 wt.% ZrO2 and 5 and 7 wt.% E-glass fibre in comparison to Group C. All the groups displayed a significantly higher surface hardness than Group C, with the exception of the 1.5% TiO2 and 1.5% ZrO2 groups. The optimal filler concentrations to enhance the flexural strength of PMMA resin were between 3–5% ZrO2, 1.5% TiO2, and 3–7% E-glass fibre. Furthermore, for all composites, a filler concentration of 3 wt.% and above would significantly improve hardness.

Development and Assessment of New Bioactive Glass Fiber Post. Part II: Ion’s Release

Objectives: This study was designed to develop and assess the ions release property of an innovativeexperimental bioactive fiber-reinforce composite as a new material for an intra-canal post.Study Design: An in vitro studyMaterials and Methods: Surface treated unidirectional E-glass fiber were impregnated and implanted witha triple cure, self-adhesive ACTIVA BioACTIVE resin cement to fabricate an experimental bioactive glassfiber post using hand lay-up moulding technique and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) moulds, The cylindricaland rectangular form specimens were prepared, for each specimen, ensure 3min for self-cure setting, thenlight-cured for the 40s. The specimens were individually immersed in a deionized (DI) water, and sodiumchloride solution to assess the fluoride ion release, and calcium-phosphate ions release sequentially. VirginACTIVA BioACTIVE cement was used as a reference group for all investigations.Statistical analysis used: Statistical analysis was achieved by means of independent variable t-test, onewayANOVA, and Bonferroni Pairwise comparisons utilizing IBM-SPSS software.Results: Experimental material recognized a significant reduction in F-, Ca+2, and PO43- release afterreinforcement compared to virgin ACTIVA BioACTIVE.Conclusions: The ACTIVA BioACTIVE cement’s reinforcement process reduced the ion release intensityof the material but not affected the releasing pattern.

COMPARATIVE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES STUDIES ON HEAT &amp; UNHEAT TREATED AL7075 ALLOY HYBRID COMPOSITES

In the present work, Al7075 based hybrid composites was developed using stir casting technique. Al7075 hybrid composites with different weight percentage of Mica, Graphite and E-glass fiber were developed to study the effect of these reinforcements on microstructure and mechanical properties, E-Glass fiber is kept constant at 0, 2, 4%, Mica is varied from 1-3% in steps of 1 and Graphite varied from 1-5% in steps of 2. It can be seen that the three peaks corresponding to Al were seen at 38º, 46º and 65º 2θ angles and small peaks related to all the three reinforcement mica, graphite and E-glass fiber were observed in the XRD pattern. Grain size analysis was examined using Clemex Image-Analyzer software, it was observed that decrease in grain size of Al7075 matrix was found to decrease with the increase in reinforcements, Hardness was found to increase with increase in reinforcement content whether it could E-glass fiber from 0% - 4% or mica from 1% - 3% or graphite content from 1% - 5%. Ultimate tensile strength increased with the increase in reinforcement content both before and after heat treatment.

COMPARATIVE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES STUDIES ON HEAT &amp; UNHEAT TREATED AL7075 ALLOY HYBRID COMPOSITES (IN PRESS)

In the present work, Al7075 based hybrid composites was developed using stir casting technique. Al7075 hybrid composites with different weight percentage of Mica, Graphite and E-glass fiber were developed to study the effect of these reinforcements on microstructure and mechanical properties, E-Glass fiber is kept constant at 0, 2, 4%, Mica is varied from 1-3% in steps of 1 and Graphite varied from 1-5% in steps of 2. It can be seen that the three peaks corresponding to Al were seen at 38º, 46º and 65º 2θ angles and small peaks related to all the three reinforcement mica, graphite and E-glass fiber were observed in the XRD pattern. Grain size analysis was examined using Clemex Image-Analyzer software, it was observed that decrease in grain size of Al7075 matrix was found to decrease with the increase in reinforcements, Hardness was found to increase with increase in reinforcement content whether it could E-glass fiber from 0% - 4% or mica from 1% - 3% or graphite content from 1% - 5%. Ultimate tensile strength increased with the increase in reinforcement content both before and after heat treatment.

Development of Thermoplastic Composite Reinforced Ultra-High-Performance Concrete Panels for Impact Resistance.

In order to improve flexural and impact performance, thin panels of steel fiber-reinforced ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) were further reinforced with external layers of continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) composites. CFRTP sheets were bonded to 305 × 305 × 12 mm UHPC panels using two different techniques. First, unidirectional E-glass fiber-reinforced tapes of polyethylene terephthalate glycol-modified (PETG) were arranged in layers and fused to the UHPC panels through thermoforming. Second, E-glass fiber woven fabrics were placed on the panel faces and bonded by vacuum infusion with a methyl methacrylate (MAA) polymer. Specimens were cut into four 150 mm square panels for quasi-static and low-velocity impact testing in which loads were applied at the panel centers. Under quasi-static loading, both types of thermoplastic composite reinforcements led to a 150–180% increase in both peak load capacity and toughness. Impact performance was measured in terms of both residual deformation and change in specimen compliance, and CFRTP additions were reduced both by 80% to 95%, indicating an increase in damage resistance. While both reinforcement fabrication techniques provided added performance, the thermoforming method was preferable due to its simplicity and fewer specialized tool requirements.

Enhancing mechanical properties of biaxial E-glass fabric/epoxy composite using cellulose nanocrystals: Impact of mixing medium

Epoxy, a thermoset resin with myriad applications, suffers from drawbacks such as brittleness and lack of fracture toughness. A breakthrough in reinforcing epoxy-based composites can be achieved by developing cost-effective and environment-friendly nanoparticles with high elastic modulus and low density such as cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs). In this research work, CNCs were used to reinforce biaxial E-glass fabric/epoxy composite. The impact of CNCs mixing medium, i.e. hardener or a mixture of epoxy and hardener, was highlighted, as also illustrated in the graphical abstract. Biaxial E-glass fabric/CNCs/epoxy (BE2CE) nanocomposite containing optimum content of CNCs exhibited significantly enhanced mechanical properties, i.e. tensile strength and modulus, fracture toughness and Charpy impact strength. This was discussed considering synergistic contribution of CNCs and E-glass fibers to reinforce epoxy-based composite, which was manifested by increased E-glass fiber-epoxy interfacial shear strength (IFSS) at the presence of CNCs. The IFSS was measured using single fiber micro-droplet pull-out test. Additionally, regardless of CNC content, considering hardener as the mixing medium yielded superior results in manufacturing BE2CE nanocomposite.

Effect of face sheet on the flexural and tensile characteristics in GLARE laminates

ABSTRACT The present study is carried out to study Glass Fibre Reinforced Aluminium Laminate (GLARE) structures and to evaluate their flexural and tensile properties. The GLARE specimens were fabricated using hand layup with vacuum bag moulding process wherein the aluminium sheets and E-Glass fibre woven mats of fixed thickness are bonded together by application of epoxy resins. Three different thicknesses of aluminium alloy (0.2 mm, 0.3 mm and 0.4 mm) Al-2024 T3 are used for the purpose of the study. The aluminium sheets are stacked together by application of epoxy resin between the sheets and are cured under a compression moulding machine under constant pressure. The overall thickness of the specimen is maintained constant for 2 mm. The samples were subjected to a three-point bending and tensile test as per ASTM D790 and ASTM D3039 standards, respectively, to evaluate their mechanical properties. The results indicate that the tensile strength of the composites is maximum for the specimen with aluminium 2024 T3 face sheet with a minimum thickness of 0.2 mm; however, with the increase in the thickness, the tensile strength is found to be decreasing.

Effect of cascara/testa natural fiber reinforced (epoxy based) hybrid composites

In this investigation, cascara/testa has been chosen as the particulate reinforcement agent along with the E-Glass fiber support, upon the epoxy matrix material. To carry out the experimental analysis, the standard ratio of cascara, testa and combinations of both have been selected as the particulate reinforcement, as 10% weight ratio of each respectively. Moreover to completely exploit mechanical behaviourism of the fabricated composite, physical analysis like tensile, flexural, impact and water absorption tests have been conducted as per the ASTM standards. In the pretext of the analysis, the strain rate of the tensile and flexural analysis has shown the increase of 3.5% and 2.75% respectively. In the same way, the impact analysis has also shown the hike in the absorption value as 1.25%, 1.12%. Furthermore the obtained results have shown that, the addition of cascara/testa have considerably increases the strain value and impact resistance of the fabricated specimens in sizeable manner by compromising the water uptake behaviour. Out of all standard tests, the hybrid composites (combination of cascara and testa) have shown the good conformity with all set of remaining specimens.