Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 23, 2025

Author Spotlight: Enhancing Fiber Composite Laminate Quality with the Wet Hand Lay-Up/Vacuum Bag Process
Published on: June 30, 2023
On the Residual Stresses and Fracture Toughness of Glass/Carbon Epoxy Composites
M A Umarfarooq1, P S Shivakumar Gouda2, N R Banapurmath1,3
1Center of Excellence in Material Science, School of Mechanical Engineering, KLE Technological University, Hubballi 580031, India.
Abstract:
The resistance to delamination in polymer composite depends on their constituents, manufacturing process, environmental factors, specimen geometry, and loading conditions. The manufacturing of laminated composites is usually carried out at an elevated temperature, which induces thermal stresses in composites mainly due to a mismatch in the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of fiber and matrix. This work aims to investigate the effect of these process-induced stresses on mode-I interlaminar fracture toughness (GI) of Glass-Carbon-Epoxy (GCE) and Glass-Epoxy (GE) composites. These composites are prepared using a manual layup technique and cured under room temperature, followed by post-curing using different curing conditions. Double cantilever beam (DCB) specimens were used to determine GI experimentally. The slitting technique was used to estimate residual stresses (longitudinal and transverse direction of crack growth) inherited in cured composites and the impact of these stresses on GI was investigated. Delaminated surfaces of composites were examined using a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to investigate the effect of post-curing on the mode-I failure mechanism. It was found that GI of both GE and GEC composites are sensitive to the state of residual stress in the laminas. The increase in the GI of laminates can also be attributed to an increase in matrix deformation and fiber-matrix interfacial bond with the increase in post-curing temperature.
More Related Videos
07:15A Testing Platform for Durability Studies of Polymers and Fiber-reinforced Polymer Composites under Concurrent Hygrothermo-mechanical Stimuli
Published on: December 11, 2014
09:41Magnet Assisted Composite Manufacturing: A Flexible New Technique for Achieving High Consolidation Pressure in Vacuum Bag/Lay-Up Processes
Published on: May 17, 2018
Related Concept Videos
Stress-Strain Diagram - Brittle Materials
Residual Stresses
Residual Stresses in Bending
Fiber Reinforced Concrete
Tensile Strength Considerations of Concrete
The dimensions and shape of a concrete specimen...
Elasticity in Concrete