MECHANICAL BEHAVIOR OF GLASS FIBER-REINFORCED POLYESTER POLYMER COMPOSITE UNDER DIFFERENT STRAIN RATES AND LAMINATE THICKNESSES

Composite materials have recently been of particular interest to the transport industry due to their high strength-to-weight ratio and versatility. This study aims to investigate the tensile strength of E-glass fiber-reinforced polyester polymer (GFRP) composite laminates fabricated with the hand layup method. Three strain rates are selected to investigate their effect on the strength response of the fabricated laminate. The GFRP laminates had different thickness values (3, 4, and 5 mm) to investigate the sensitivity of the strain rate on the mechanical properties of the laminates. Laminates had a fiber volume fraction of 60%, 45%, and 36%, respectively. Even though the rate of increment is different, tensile strength was found to increase with increasing volume fraction and increasing strain rate. However, the laminate thickness had an inverse relation with the strength of the fabricated composite.