Study of the Behavior and the Mechanical Properties of Adhesively Bonded Polymer Matrix Composites Under Mechanical Loading

Abstract

Glass fiber reinforced Polymer matrix composites (PMCs) have a complex set of properties - high specific strength and hardness, good corrosion and chemical resistance, and most of all low relative weight, making them the preferred material over metallic materials in a number of industries (aircraft, boat building, renewable energy facilities and many others). The main aim set in the present work was reduced to the obtaining of PMCs made by adhesive bonding of two composites with a matrix of different types of resin (vinyl ester and epoxy) and the study of their behaviour in determining their mechanical properties. The studies were carried out with four types of adhesively bonded PMCs made in the form of laminates produced from a combination of three types of resin (two types of vinyl ester and one type of epoxy resin) and reinforced with biaxial fiberglass. The aim is to combine the lack of shrinkage of the epoxy resin with the better mechanical properties and better productivity of the vinyl ester resin. An analysis to determine shear strength, tensile strength and bending strength of the investigated composites was made. A macrostructural fractographic analysis to investigate the material behaviour under mechanical loads was carried out.