Evaluation of mechanical properties of hybrid composite laminates reinforced with glass/carbon woven fabrics

Abstract

Polymer composites are sought for their enhanced properties and performance over conventional materials for diverse applications. Glass and carbon fibers are popularly used in polymer composites for their improved properties and lower weight. But carbon fiber being much stronger and costlier, the cost effectiveness of these composites can be ensured by optimal inclusion of carbon fiber in glass fiber composites to achieve requisite performance. This article examines the influence of stacking arrangement on mechanical properties of hybrid composite containing glass and carbon fiber of different strength and stiffness. Two hybrid composites of symmetrical pattern were fabricated; i.e. [GCGGC]S and [CGGCG]S having a fixed proportion of carbon fiber and glass fiber. Mechanical characterization was done by hardness, impact, tensile and flexural tests. It is found that hybrid composites with [GCGGC]S stacking sequence have tensile strength and flexural strength which are marginally more than [CGGCG]S. The [GCGGC]S lay-up has higher impact strength by 22.8%. However [CGGCG]S lay-up has higher hardness. The tensile modulus and flexural modulus of [CGGCG]s are higher by 20% and 36.2% respectively.