Experimental Investigation on Tensile Property of Plain-Woven Glass/Polyester Composite

Abstract

 Due to their cost efficiency and superior mechanical properties, Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) composites are attracting increasing attention across various industrial sectors, including aeronautics, automotive, marine, chemical, and sporting goods industries. This study investigates the tensile behavior of plain-woven GFRP laminates through experimental characterization. The laminates were fabricated using unsaturated polyester resin via the Vacuum Bagging (VB) technique, employing a single stacking sequence of [0/90°]₅. Uniaxial tensile tests were conducted in accordance with ASTM standards. In addition, Hooke's law equations for two-dimensional composites were applied to determine the local stresses and strains in each ply. The results demonstrated a high sensitivity of tensile properties to fiber orientation. The [0/90°]₅ laminates tested at 0° orientation exhibited the highest tensile strength of 317 MPa and a Young's modulus of 18.94 GPa, while specimens tested at 30° orientation showed significantly reduced performance, yielding a tensile strength of 114 MPa and a Young's modulus of 10.6 GPa. Furthermore, the maximum and minimum local stresses (σ₁) in the 1st and 2nd plies were approximately 4.085 × 10⁴ Pa and −1.63 × 10⁴ Pa, respectively, for the glass/epoxy lamina, while the corresponding maximum and minimum strains (ε₁) in the 1st and 2nd plies were approximately 9.9 × 10⁻⁷ and 7.785 × 10⁻⁸, respectively.