Investigating the effects of a polyester preforming binder on the mechanical and ballistic performance of E-glass fiber reinforced polyester composites

Abstract

An experimental investigation was carried out to determine the effects of a preforming binder on the mechanical properties and ballistic performance of E-glass-fiber/polyester composite systems. The glass preforms were consolidated by application of heat and pressure over plies of the glass fabrics coated with various concentrations of a thermoplastic polyester binder. The peel strength of the preforms with various binder content was measured and the highest peel strength was obtained from preforms prepared with about 9 wt% of the binder. Composite laminates with and without binder were fabricated using VARTM technique and the effects of the binder on the composite mechanical properties were evaluated. It was found that the flexural strength and mode I interlaminar fracture toughness decreases by 15% and 40%, respectively, due to the presence of 3 wt% of the binder. Ballistic test was performed on E-glass/polyester composite panels using 1.1-g fragment-simulating projectiles and it was found that the binder amount has some considerable effect on the damage extension of the impacted composites. The results showed that the preforming binder has significant potential to tailor composite properties. r

Mode I and mode II fracture toughness of E-glass non-crimp fabric/carbon nanotube (CNT) modified polymer based composites

“…Fiber reinforced polymer composites have gained substantial attention as structural engineering materials in automotive, marine and aircraft industry as well as in civil engineering applications [1][2][3]. This interest is due to their outstanding mechanical properties, impact resistance, high durability and flexibility in design capabilities and light weight.…”

“…These composites have generally good fiber dominated in-plane properties capable of meeting the design requirements for various types of structural applications. However, Z-axis (through the thickness) properties of the composites, such as delamination resistance, have often been far below the expectations due to inadequate performance of the matrix dominated interlaminar region [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Therefore, in some special applications, these materials may exhibit lower overall structural integrity in accordance with their presumed properties.…”

“…Fracture toughness of polymer matrix and interfacial shear strength between the matrix and the fiber are of prime importance in monitoring through the thickness properties of the composites. The most common way to improve the delamination resistance of reinforced polymer composites is to incorporate some toughening agents or thermoplastic binders into the brittle matrix resins, such as epoxy, polyester or vinyl ester [2,3]. A treatment of fiber surface with matrix resin compatible sizing is another way to improve the interlaminar strength of the composites by enhancing the interfacial strength between the polymer matrix and the fiber.…”

Artificial neural network (ANN) prediction of compressive strength of VARTM processed polymer composites

“…Vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM), a derivative of the liquid molding (LM) process, has been widely employed to manufacture advanced composite structures especially for defense and civil engineering applications [1,2]. VARTM is typically a three-step process including lay-up of a fiber performs on a tool, infusion of the preform with a liquid resin, and the cure of infused resin within the preform.…”

“…Therefore, understanding the effects of preform compaction and mutually fiber volume fraction on the composite mechanical behavior is essential. The recent technique to consolidate the fiber performs is to use powdered thermoplastic binders between the adjacent plies to compact them briefly [1,4]. Binder-coated plies with various binder concentration can be stacked together under application of heat and pressure.…”