Impact of marble powder addition on the mechanical properties of glass-epoxy composites

The demand for enhanced operational performance in advanced science and technology has driven the use of materials with superior properties. To address this need, the industrial application of polymer composite materials filled with cost-effective industrial waste, as an alternative to expensive ceramic fillers, has gained significant attention. In this study, a novel class of glass fiber-reinforced epoxy composites incorporating varying weight fractions of marble powder was developed using a simple hand layup technique. Mechanical property tests were conducted to evaluate the performance of these composites. The results indicate that the new hybrid composites exhibit improved impact resistance and hardness compared to unfilled composites. However, tensile and flexural strengths decreased, likely due to the presence of marble particles and surface voids, which create stress concentration zones that promote crack propagation in the matrix as filler content increases.