Investigating the creep resistance of E-glass/polyester composite for automotive structural components

This study was focused on investigating the influence of fiber-to-matrix weight ratios on the creep behavior of a composite material made from E-glass fiber and polyester resin. The aim was to assess the practical applicability of the composites for aircraft and vehicle structural parts by checking creep strength. The test specimens were prepared using the hand layup method, combining E-glass fiber and polyester resin. Three different fiber-to-matrix weight ratios (65/35, 55/45, and 35/65) were selected and the test specimens were manufactured according to the ASTM D2990 standard. The tests were conducted on each weight ratio using creep loads of 20, 30, and 40 N., and finite element analysis (FEA) was performed to substantiate the experimental results. Based on the experimental and simulation results, it was observed that the composite with a fiber weight ratio of 65/35 has 62.43 Mpa stress and 7.59 mm deformation. This exhibited favorable creep behavior and higher deformation resistance compared to the other compositions. The finite element analysis results were in good agreement with the experimental findings. This suggests that this weight composition could be preferred for vehicle structural parts. The agreement between the experimental and finite element analysis results further validates the practical applicability of the composite material. Identifying the influence of the quantity of fiber and matrix in the composite and deciding the right weight percentage. By properly balancing each element, irrelevant material wastage could be minimized. Designing each layer of the composite with strong adhesion and achieving the required creep strength