Effect of carbon/kevlar reinforcement and hybrid order on mechanical properties of glass/epoxy composites

Materials with high strength to weight ratio are the prime focus in material development research. These lightweight materials can replace the conventional high-density materials. The mechanical properties of epoxy laminates produced from woven reinforcements (glass, kevlar, and carbon) and their hybrid configurations (sandwich, intercalated) are examined in the current study. The composites were made using hand layup and compression moulding and are sliced into coupons and characterized as per ASTM standards and the influence of different reinforcements and their hybrid arrangement on tensile, hardness, and impact parameters evaluated and reported. The result shows the carbon epoxy laminates have the highest tensile strength, while kevlar epoxy laminates have the highest impact strength. The positive response on hybridization is noted, in particular, sandwich hybrids shows better properties compared to intercalated hybrids. The composites with the higher tensile strength fibers in the outermost layer account for elevated mechanical properties. The fiber and lamina morphology on the manufactured and fractured specimens was further investigated using the field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) technique. The investigation reveals improved adhesion in the specimens. The fractured specimen shows delamination, fiber pullout (voids), and broken fibres which lower the properties of the composites.