Tensile Properties of Carbon-Glass/Epoxy Hybrid Laminates Produced by VARTM

This paper presents a study of the tensile behavior of carbon and glass fiber reinforced epoxy hybrid laminates manufactured by vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM). The objective of this study was to develop and characterize carbon fiber reinforced plastic hybrid composite material that is low cost and light-weight and that possesses adequate strength and stiffness. The effect of position and content of the glass fabric layer on the tensile properties of the hybrid laminates was examined. The strength and stiffness of the hybrid laminates showed a steady decrease with an increase of the glass fabric content this decrease was almost linear. Fracture strain of these laminates showed a slight increasing trend when glass fabric content was increased up to 3 layers, but at a glass fabric content > 3 layers the strain was almost constant. When glass fabric layers were at both outer surfaces, the hybrid laminate exhibited a slightly higher tensile strength and elastic modulus due to the small amount of glass yarn pull-out.