Delamination Studies on Fiber Reinforced Plastic Composites

Abstract

To meet out the continuous global challenge, manufacturers decide to reduce newlinethe weight of materials by developing cost-effective, high-strength, lightweight newlinematerials that reduces the weight of a product without compromising cost, newlineperformance or safety aspects of the products. Although lightweight materials, which newlineinclude composites of aluminium, magnesium alloys, titanium, nickel alloys, newlineadvanced high strength steels, metal foams and polymers, have been the subject of newlinedevelopment procedures for the past few decades, In general, polymers are newlineconstructed from so-called monomers, which in turn are created from smaller newlinecomponents by chemical synthesis. newline Recent progress in polymer technology leads to the development of newlineFiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP). Fiber reinforced plastics play a key factor in newlinereplacing conventional materials in a number of commercial, domestic and newlineengineering applications as an alternative for different components where high newlinestrength and stiffness are required with low component weight. This is because of newlinelow density matrix systems (polyesters, polyurethanes, and phenolic or epoxy resins) newlineand to the embedded fibers that provide high strength and stiffness (glass, aramid, newlineand carbon fibers). In fiber-reinforced polymer, the fibers serve as a reinforcement newlineand show high tensile strength and stiffness, while the matrix holds the fibers newlinetogether, and act as a medium to transmit the shear forces, and also functions as a newlinecoating, to ensure good impregnation of the reinforcing fibers it is required to have newlineadequately low viscosity. Very thin fibers with a large surface-to-volume ratio newlinegenerally provide good adhesion between the fibers and the matrix. Depending on newlinethe fiber orientation, the materials behavior of composites varies, in recent years; newlinenatural fibers are finding an increased interest in polymer matrices. There has been a newlinegrowing interest for the use of natural fibers in composite applications, especially in newlinethe automotive industry. These types of composites present many advantages newlinecompared to synthetic fiber reinforced plastics such as low tool wear, low density, newlinecheap cost, availability and biodegradability. They exhibit low density and the extent newlineof environmental pollution caused is less compared to synthetic fibers. The strong newlineinter-fiber bonding, which keeps the fibers together, causes poor dispersion of the newlinefibers which lead to a good performance of the composite. Natural fibers like flax, newlinehemp, kenaf, jute and sisal have a number of techno-economical and ecological newlineadvantages over E-glass fibers. The combination of interesting mechanical and newlinephysical properties together with their environmental friendly character has newlinemotivated a number of industrial sectors, notably the automotive industry, and it newlinepaves the way to the researchers to make improvements in all aspects. newline