Experimental Evaluation of Thermal Conductivity in Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites for Aerospace Applications

Abstract: This paper aims to study the thermal conductivity properties of GFRP composites and their prospect in aerospace sectors. GFRP composites are gradually becoming the material of choice in aerospace, given the properties of low density, high strength, and high durability. However, it is critical to comprehend their thermal properties for efficiency in habitats characteristic of aeronautical environments. The work will seek to assess and quantify the thermal conductivity of the GFRP composites and establish the influence of fiber orientation, volume fraction and temperature in the thermal properties of the composites. Composite samples were prepared from E-glass and epoxy-amine prepreg’s with controlled layup and post curing. Some important measures in this work were thermal conductivity, which was tested by a laser flash method, and depend on conditions, offering valid information. In general, findings show that fiber orientation plays a major role in determining the thermal conductivity of the samples examined, where the highest conductivity is recorded on the samples where the fiber orientation is parallel to the direction of heat transfer. Higher fiber volume fraction was also found to improve thermal conductivity. Moreover, the temperature dependence analysis showed a fly increase of thermal conductivity at high temperatures that suggests that the material is capable of handling temperatures stress. The results indicate that GFRP composites have the right thermal characteristic appropriate for aerospace application, especially where thermal management is crucial for a particular part. Thus, more research is advised that particularly emphasizes the use of different types of fiber, various types of polymer matrices as well as different hybrid composites suited for high stress conditions. This research provides important information concerning the application of GFRP composites in the aerospace sector, including the ongoing development of lightweight, insulating materials suitable for this sector.