Effect of Water Absorption on the Tensile Properties of Carbon-Glass/Epoxy Hybrid Composite in Low Temperature

This study investigated the effect of water absorption on the tensile properties of carbon-glass/epoxy hybrid composites at room temperature and -30 degrees C. To investigate the effect of the position of glass fabric in the hybrid composite on the tensile properties, the stacking pattern of the fiber fabrics for reinforcing was created in three different ways: (a) glass fabrics sandwiched between carbon fabrics, (b) carbon fabrics sandwiched between glass fabrics and (c) alternative layers of carbon and glass fabrics. They were manufactured by a vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) process. The results showed that there was surprisingly little difference in tensile strength at the two different temperatures with dry and wet conditions. However, the water absorption into the hybrid system affected the tensile properties of the hybrid composites at RT and -30 degrees C. When the glass fabrics were at the outermost layers, the hybrid composite had the lowest tensile properties. This is attributed to the fact that the composite had a relatively high water absorption rate.