Study of Tensile Strength of Glass Epoxy Laminates with Varied Multiple Open Hole Configurations

Abstract

Composite materials, particularly fiber reinforced polymers are vastly utilized in the aerospace and automobile sectors to increase their fuel efficiency by reducing the weight of the vehicle. When compared to the other conventional metal materials they exhibit high strength to weight ratio. The holes present in the composites are the principal reason for the failure of the structure owing to the concentration of stress that the components undergo during the time of the loading. It is crucial to examine the reaction of holes on the properties of the structural components. The tensile strength of glass fiber reinforced plastic which were prepared by Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Infusion Method (VARTM) with the diameter of 4mm incorporated with different hole patterns by increasing the distance between them with the loading rate of 2 mm/min are examined with respect to ASTM D3039 to anticipate the ultimate strength, stress concentrations of Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic (GFRP), to find the good notched design allowable strengths and the results are studied to know the damage criteria that give rise to the failure of the structure. The results show that peak stress happens at the periphery of the hole with respect to the hole pattern. The specimens were subjected to a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) to scrutinize the failure.