Glass Polyester Research Articles

Behaviour of reinforced columns with E_Glass fiber and carbon fiber

Externally bonded reinforcement using Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) is a good response to the concern represented by the need for rehabilitation of concrete structures. These techniques are more and more attractive because of their fast and low labour costs, very good strength to weight ratio, good fatigue properties, and non-corrosive characteristics of FRP. The present work is an experimental study investigating the mechanical behaviour under a uni-axial loading of short concrete columns reinforced by composite materials. These are constituted of glass fibers GFRP (bidirectional fabric of two surface densities 500 and 300 g/m2), carbon CFRP (unidirectional sheet of density per unit area of 230 g/m2) and polyester and epoxy resin respectively. The investigation aims at demonstrating the effectiveness of FRP reinforcement through highlighting the effect of thickness (FRP number of folds), the nature of the reinforcement (glass, carbon or Hybrid), and the orientation of the fibers. The axial lengths shortening along with the radial expansion are measured using the strain gauges glued to the outer surfaces of the composite jacket via a Wheatstone bridge. These measurements are saved to a PC through an acquisition card. The results obtained clearly show that the columns reinforced with CFRP folds allow an important increase in the compressive rupture stress in comparison with those reinforced with GFRP folds. The gains in compressive strength, in axial and in radial strains of the confined concrete with the different FRPs used are identified and quantified. It has further been demonstrated that the tested columns mechanisms depend strongly on the type of fiber reinforcements.

Statistical analysis and theoretical predictions of the tensile-strength retention of glass fiber-reinforced polymer bars based on resin type

This paper presents experimental investigation, statistical analysis, and theoretical predictions of tensile-strength retention of glass fiber-reinforced polymer bars, made with vinyl-ester, polyester, or epoxy resins. The durability of glass fiber-reinforced polymer bars was evaluated as a function of time of immersion in alkaline solution. The aging of the three glass fiber-reinforced polymer bar types consisted of immersion glass fiber-reinforced polymer bar samples in an alkaline solution (up to 5000 h) at different elevated exposure temperatures. Subsequently, the physical and tensile properties of the unconditioned bars were compared with that of the conditioned bars to assess the durability performance of the glass fiber-reinforced polymer bars. Microstructure of all of the glass fiber-reinforced polymer bar types was investigated with scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for both the conditioned and unconditioned cases, to qualitatively explain the experimental results and to assess changes and/or degradation in the glass fiber-reinforced polymer bars. In addition, the long-term performance of glass fiber-reinforced polymer bars was assessed considering the effect of service years, environmental humidity, and seasonal temperature fluctuations. The test results showed that the tensile strength of the glass fiber-reinforced polymer bars was affected by increased immersion time at higher temperatures and the reduction in tensile strength was statistically significantly dependent on the type of resin system. The prediction approach of the glass fiber-reinforced polymer bars based on the environmental reduction factor ( CE) after 200 years indicated that the CEvalues for vinyl-ester, epoxy, and polyester glass fiber-reinforced polymer bars can be conservatively recommended to 0.81, 0.75, and 0.71, respectively, for a moisture-saturated environment (relative humidity = 100%) and at 30℃. The polyester glass fiber-reinforced polymer bars experienced greater debonding at the fiber–resin interface than the vinyl-ester and epoxy glass fiber-reinforced polymer bars.

Evaluation of durability of composite materials applied to renewable marine energy: Case of ducted tidal turbine

Composite materials are used in many marine structures such as renewable marine energy conversion systems because of their fairly good mechanical properties and especially their low densities compared to traditional materials. The most advanced features currently available in finite element (FE) Abaqus/Explicit have been employed to simulate the behavior of the composite nozzle under hydrodynamic and impact loading. A hydrodynamic analysis was considered to design the nozzle turbine and the hydrodynamic pressure obtained was then implemented as boundary conditions to a FE code. The goal of this article is to evaluate the durability of composite materials of a ducted tidal turbine under critical loads (hydrodynamic and hydrostatic pressures) with the implementation of a failure criterion using the finite element analysis (FEA). The mechanical behavior was analyzed for two materials (Carbon–epoxy/ Glass–polyester). This has been accomplished by forming a user-created routine (VUMAT) and executing it in the ABAQUS software.

Evaluation of Physical and Mechanical Properties of Woven Bamboo Glass Polyester Hybrid Composite Material

This work reveals the effect of variation in bamboo fiber percentage and polyester percentage on mechanical properties of woven bamboo glass polyester (WBGP) hybrid composite material. Hybrid composite plates were prepared using hand layup method with varying bamboo fiber percentage (3%, 6%, 9%, 12%, 15% by weight). Three layered reinforced material with top/bottom layers of E-glass fiber in chopped strand matt form and a middle layer of bamboo fiber was prepared using GP-700 resin as matrix material. The prepared plates were tested as per ASTM standard for evaluating its physical and mechanical properties like tensile strength, flexural strength, hardness, and density. Interestingly it was observed that the values of mechanical properties show a positive trend with increasing bamboo fiber percentage with optimum value at 9%. Further increase in fiber content leads to dryness in the composite as the resin is not sufficient to wet all fibers ultimately leading to diminishing mechanical properties. However, density shows a negative trend with an increase in fiber percentage due to the inherent low density of bamboo fiber as compared to polyester resin. The main purpose of this study was to prepare a lightweight low-cost hybrid composite material which can be used for the application like the roof, manhole, chemical containers etc.

An Investigation on RTM Process Parameters and their Influence on Impact Failure Behavior of FRP Laminates

The FRP industry needs certain suitable process parameters to produce sound FRP components with repeatable quality. The present investigation performed experiments on resin transfer moulding for making glass polyester laminates in the controlled volume. Experiments were conducted on chopped strand mat reinforcement with the general purpose resin, with varying process parameters, such as injection pressure and volume fraction of the reinforcement. Specimens made of various process parameters were subjected to impact test as per ASTMD256 standard. Laminates were prepared with various resin injection pressures were assessed by a ASTMD 2734-94 for the voids formation due to flow of the resin through the complex fiber architecture of the perform by RTM process. The experimental results were analyzed to correlate these results with the process parameters. The fractured surfaces are analyzed with scanning electron microscope to assess the influence of defects like voids in the laminate and to correlate the experimental results of impact test. This paper publishes the conclusions drawn from this experimental work to arrive at best process parameters for best damage tolerance of composite laminate.

Influence of Hygrothermal Environmental Conditions on the Vibratory Responses of Glass Polyester Composite Plate Impacted by a Steel Projectile

The objective of the present work is an analysis of vibratory responses due to the impact of projectile in steel against a glass/polyester composite material under hygrothermal conditions with different energy levels. In the first part of this study, by means of a data acquisition system, a signal processing analysis of the contact force and acceleration of the projectile is carried out in order to deduce the oscillations of the responses. These are generated by the vibrations induced by the contact between the plate and the impactor. The analysis of the vibrations by the calculation of the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) applied to the oscillations of the contact force allows to defining the resonance frequencies of the plate for the different energy levels. The measure of the Frequency Response Functions (FRF) from the obtained responses allows the determination of the damping of the impacted composite material.In the second part of this study highlights quantitatively and puts into evidence the influence of hygrothermal conditions on the mechanical responses such as contact force, acceleration, frequency and damping of aged and non-aged composite plates.

Dynamic Analysis of Heavy Vehicle Medium Duty Drive Shaft Using Conventional and Composite Material

The main highlight of this study is structural and modal analysis of single piece drive shaft for selection of material. Drive shaft is used for torque carrying from vehicle transmission to rear wheel differential system. Heavy vehicle medium duty transmission drive shaft was selected as research object. Conventional materials (Steel SM45 C, Stainless Steel) and composite materials (HS carbon epoxy, E Glass Polyester Resin Composite) were selected for the analysis. Single piece composite material drive shaft has advantage over conventional two-piece steel drive shaft. It has higher specific strength, longer life, less weight, high critical speed and higher torque carrying capacity. The main criteria for drive shaft failure are strength and weight. Maximum modal frequency obtained is 919 Hz. Various harmful vibration modes (lateral vibration and torsional vibration) were identified and maximum deflection region was specified. For single-piece drive shaft the natural bending frequency should be higher because it is subjected to torsion and shear stress. Single piece drive shaft was modelled using Solid Edge and Pro-E. Finite Element Analysis was used for structural and modal analysis with actual running boundary condition like frictional support, torque and moment. FEA simulation results were validated with experimental literature results.

An Experimental Study on Strength Characteristics of Pervious Concrete by Partial Addition of Glass Fiber and Polyester Fiber

An Experimental Study on Strength Characteristics of Pervious Concrete by Partial Addition of Glass Fiber and Polyester Fiber

Repercussion of Cenosphere Filler Size on Mechanical and Dry Sliding Wear Peculiarity of Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polyester Composites Using Taguchi Analysis and Neural Network

Abstract Filler plays a significant role in determining the properties and behavior of particulate composites. In this experimental study, mechanical and tribological behaviors of sub-micron size cenospheres filled glass-polyester composites are investigated. Cenospheres and glass fiber-reinforced polyester composites are prepared by hand lay-up technique. Composites are fabricated by filling 10 wt.% and 20 wt.% of 800 nm and 200 nm size of cenosphere filler particulate respectively along with 40 wt.% of glass fiber. Glass polyester composite without filler is also prepared for proportional analysis. A series of dry sliding wear test are conducted on a pin-on-disc machine with three sliding velocities of 1.57, 2.62 and 3.66 m/s under three different normal loading of 20, 25 and 40 N for three sliding distances of 1000, 2500 and 4000 m respectively. A statistics-based design of experiments approach is used by using Taguchi's orthogonal arrays. Results reveal that mechanical properties and wear resistance of the composites increase with a decrease in the particle size. Artificial neural network (ANN) approach is also applied to the friction and wear data for subsequent validation. Finally, optimal factor settings are determined using genetic algorithm (GA).

Characterization of Geopolymer Composite via Filament Winding

Generally, the composite pipes are fabricated using glass fiber and polyester resin matrix by hand lay-up and also by 2-axis filament winding machine. In this work, a filament winding machine was used for the fabrication of geopolymer composites pipes. In this study, raw material based geopolymer resin composites reinforced by continuous glass fiber were used for fabrication and synthesized by different types of raw materials which is fly ash, silica sand, white clay, kaolin and pozzolanic. The effects of different types of raw materials on the product were investigated. The morphological properties, density and burnout of the resulting composite were determined on an optical microscope for morphology and densimeter for bulk density. The results shows fly ash has the higher density compare to the others and kaolin has the highest reduction of weight percentage.

Effect of the Aggressive Environment on the Damage of a Glass Polyester Composite Developed by Hand Layup Process

This work treats the behavior of a glass fibre/unsaturated polyester (UP) composite with structural defects subjected to the attack of two corrosive solutions: H2SO4and NaOH. The gravimetric analysis, the uptake mass of the resin, and the interfaces in the composite are established according to the proportion of the matrix/composite. The obtained results showed that, in the acidic solution, the glass fibre and the fibre/matrix interface absorption share is more significant than the alkaline solution. While the Fourier transform infrared analysis (FT-IR) of the UP resin revealed the presence of chemical degradation phenomenon (hydrolysis), the fibre corrosion was characterized by the atomic absorption analysis (AAS). The fibres/matrix interfaces degradation was confirmed by microscopic observations (SEM). The diffusion kinetics of the both acid and alkaline solutions and chemical and mechanical degradation are affected by the presence of the pores in elaborated material.

The investigation of polyester composites filled by modified bentonite

In this study, organically treated montmorillonite, NanoBent ® ZR2 (SN), was used as a nano- filler for polyester composites containing 10, 12 or 15 wt % of glass reinforced polyester waste (W). The nanofiller was introduced to the compositions in the amount of 2 wt % of all the components. The com- posite matrix was unsaturated orthophthalic polyester resin (P) and dolomite dust (D) and glass rein- forced polyester waste were used as a filler. The morphology of polyester/nanofiller composites (P98/SN2) and polyester composites with dolomite dust, glass reinforced waste and nanofiller were tested by means of wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The in- fluence of the nanofiller on the strengths of the polyester composites was also examined. SEM studies re- vealed incomplete montmorillonite dispersion in the polyester matrix. After adding nanofiller to a poly- ester composite with 15 wt % of glass polyester waste, an increase in the compressive strength was ob- served. The proposed method for improving the properties of composites with glass reinforced polyester waste as a nanofiller is a new solution and to our knowledge has not been suggested so far.

Evaluation of Mechanical Behavior of Multifilament Waste Fish Net/Glass Fiber in Polyester Matrix for the Application of Mechanized Boat Deckhouse in Marine Composites

Composite material has long life, higher strength, lower weight and less maintenance cost. These properties have led to marine applications, significantly reduced energy consumption and impact to the environment. Mechanized boat deckhouses are constructed with glass fiber and polyester matrix. But the glass fiber production and utilization is hazardous. The fish net is generally made from nylon fiber and woven in a grid-like structure, which is tough possess high tensile strength, elasticity, resistant to abrasion, impact and chemicals. Fish net gets damaged and large amount of them are wasted every year. The present work focuses on the reuse of this nylon fiber, as reinforcing material, as substitute for glass fiber partially, in polyester matrix. Tensile, impact, flexural and water absorption properties of these specimens are studied according to ASTM standards. The results suggest the possibility of utilizing waste fish net in composite building for boat deckhouse.

Effect of damage progression on the heat generation and final failure of a polyester–glass fiber composite under tension–tension cyclic loading

The use of glass/polyester composite materials in wind turbines is increasing due to their low cost and favorable mechanical properties. The existing knowledge about the fatigue characteristics of such composites leads to rather conservative designs which are over dimensioned and hence costly. The aim of this work is the development of an approach for the characterization of composites under cyclic loadings. An investigation is performed on the reduction of stiffness and the heat generated during the progression of damage. It is shown that even in the matrix mode failure the fatigue limit can be above the monotonic damage criterion, where the composite losses its rigidity either due to plasticity or matrix fiber separation. Thus showing that polyester resins are rather brittle in nature and brittle material fracture models can be used for modeling these composites in fatigue. However the role of fibers in initiation or arresting of the cracks is not presented in this study.

<sup></sup>Quasi-Static Flexural and Indentation Behavior of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composite Sandwich Panel

Recently, Composite Sandwich Panel (CSP) technology considerably influenced the design and fabrication of high performance structures. Although using CSP increases the reliability of structure, the important concern is to understand the complex deformation and damage evolution process. This study is focused on the flexural and indentation behavior of CSP made of chopped strand mat glass fiber and polyester matrix as face sheets and polyurethane foam as foam core subject to flexural and indentation loading condition. A setup of three-point bending and indentation test is prepared using different strain rates of 1mm/min, 10mm/min, 100mm/min and 500mm/min to determine the effects of strain rate on flexural and indentation behavior of CSP material. The load-extension, stress-extension response and energy absorption of the panel show the relation between the flexural and indentation behavior of panels to strain rate as by increasing the strain rate, the flexural properties and the energy absorption of panel are increased.

Hardness of Laminated Composite for Different Angle Cured Positions under Influence of Gravity Effects

Utilization of high tech engineering materials such as composites has been extensively applied in the industries of civil, mechanical and aerospace due to their favourable characteristic such as high stiffness to weight ratio, improve corrosion and environmental resistance and potential reduction of processing. This research is carried out to study the feasibility of laminated composite after cured at different angle due to gravity effects to enhance the curing space required. Vertically cured laminate having similar or improved properties with common horizontally cured laminate to save much space bringing huge advantage especially to the developing Small and Medium Industries / Entrepreneurs (SMI/E). The horizontal cured laminate composite no doubt will fill up the spaces which SMI/E lacks of. Polyester and E-type fiber glass were the main raw materials used in the research via vacuum bagging technique to drain out the excess resin applied as well as minimize the void or air in the laminated composite. The laminated composite fabricated is cured at different curing angle positions in room temperature for 24 hours under the gravity effects. Five samples were prepared according to the ASTM standard to undergo hardness test. From the testing, SN6 which cured at 75˚ had the closest hardness to the horizontal cured control sample.

Studies on thermal characteristics of cow dung powder filled glass–polyester hybrid composites

In the present work Studies on thermal characteristics of cow dung powder filled glass–polyester hybrid composites were prepared. Cow dung is a animal based fiber which is also biodegradable and glass fiber is a synthetic fiber. These two natural and synthetic fibers are combined in the same matrix (unsaturated polyester) to make cow dung powder filled glass–polyester hybrid composites and the thermal characteristics of these hybrid composites was studied. A significant improvement seen in decrease thermal conductivity of cow dung filled glass-polyester hybrid composites has been found. The cow dung powder is added to the resin (unsaturated polyester) in proportions of 3%, 6%, and 9% by weight of resin respectively and cow dung/glass fiber hybrid composites were prepared by using this resin to study the effect thermal resistivity character of cow dung on heat capacity of these hybrid composites. It is also observed that as the cow dung powder quantity decreases thermal conductivity. A good co-relation between surface morphology and thermal conductivity of composite is derived from scanning electron microscopy.

Mechanical Behavior of New Composite Materials Reinforced by Waste Glass Fibre

In this paper the authors propose a new material which includes waste composites reinforced with glass fibres, sand and polyester matrix. Through a new manufacturing method were obtained composites plaques. The experimental tests of compressive strength to the material were presented. Also, the authors presented a study of reinforcement degree.

Strength characterization of fibers and fibrous materials: Experimental-reliability based novel approach

Fibers and fibrous materials are not isotropic and, therefore, posseses diverse mechanical properties in different directions, there is no specific strength, value to represent their mechanical properties. It is important to define the fibers and fibrous materials with its reliability based mechanical properties for the design of parts. In present work the simulation program is developed using Two Parameter Weibull Distribution and method of Maximum Likelihood Estimation (TPWDUMLE) to find the Weibull parameters for strength characterization in fiber and fibrous materials using experimental-reliability based novel approach. The fracture strength of glass fiber, banana fiber and glass–polyester composite are experimentally (ASTM: D3039/3039M-08) determined and statistically analyzed by the TPWDUMLE. The reliability in terms of its fracture strength presented as reliability plot and it is observed that Weibull distribution allows to describe the fracture strength of a fiber/composite material in terms of a reliability function. It also provides composite material manufacturers with a tool that will enable them to present the necessary mechanical properties with certain confidence to end users.

Effect of CaCO<sub>3 </sub>Content in Resin Transfer Molding Process

Composite material can be defined as a combination of two or more materials on a macroscale to form a useful material, often showing properties that none of the individual independent components shows. Resin Transfer Molding (RTM) is one of the most widely known composite manufacturing technique of the liquid molding family, being extensively studied and used to obtain advanced composite materials comprised of fibers embedded in a thermoset polymer matrix. This technique consists in injecting a resin pre-catalysed thermosetting in a closed mold containing a dry fiber preform, where the resin is impregnated. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect caused by the use of CaCO3 filled resin on the characteristics of the RTM process. Several experiments were conducted using glass fiber mat and polyester resin molded in a RTM system with cavity dimensions of 320 x 150 x 3.6 mm, at room temperature, and different CaCO3 content (0, 10, 20, 30 and 40% in weight). The results show that the use of filled resin with CaCO3 influences the resin viscosity and the porous media permeability, making it difficult to fill the porous media during the molding process, however it is possible to make composite with a good quality and low cost.