Enhancing pseudo-ductility in glass fiber-reinforced polymer composites via designed discontinuity and layer stacking

Fibre-reinforced polymer composites (FRPCs) are widely used for their high strength-to-weight ratio, but their inherently low ductility and abrupt failure under tensile loading remain major limitations. This study investigates the enhancement of pseudo-ductility in unidirectional (UD) glass fiber-reinforced polymer composites (GFRPCs) through structural modifications, including designed discontinuities, layer stacking, and variation in chopped fiber length. Tensile tests were conducted to evaluate failure strain across different configurations. Introducing cuts within the UD layers led to a failure strain increase of up to 0.5%, while stacking multiple layers combined with discontinuities further improved strain by 0.40–1.35%, with the highest gain observed in three-layered cut composites. Additionally, composites reinforced with longer chopped fibers (3 cm) exhibited a 0.3% higher failure strain compared to those with shorter fibers (1 cm). These findings demonstrate the potential of structural design strategies to mitigate brittle failure and improve ductility in glass fiber-reinforced composites.