Authors
Abstract
In this paper, the mechanical properties of artificial E-glass reinforced
polyester composite were evaluated; the elastic properties and the strength of the
composite were measured experimentally by tensile tests and then compared with
the predicted values by theoretical four micromechanical constitutive models. The
strength of the composite lamina and laminates were also determined
experimentally and compared with five widely used theoretical failure theories.
The lamination theory was also used to determine the strength of laminates by
applying Hill- Tsai failure criterion. The theoretical models showed that the
composite stiffness increases with increasing the fibre volume fraction and the
volume fraction which gave the best fit to the experimental results of elastic
modulus (E1) corresponds to volume fraction (Vf) equal 0.37. The stiffness of a
unidirectional lamina depends on the fiber orientation relative to the off-axis load
direction, and it drops sharply as the fiber alignment angle increases. In addition,
the prediction of thermal expansion coefficients of composite is carried out in the
present analysis, whereas the values of the coefficient that estimated to be based on
the mechanical properties of the certain composite theoretically and
experimentally.
Keywords
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