DETERMINATION OF MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF E-GLASS EPOXY COMPOSITE”

VISVESVARAYA TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
BELAGAVI-590018
A Project Report on
“DETERMINATION OF MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF E-GLASS EPOXY
COMPOSITE”
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the Degree of
BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING
In
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
Submitted by
1. B S SUHAIL PASHA 1AC15ME003
2. S HARI KRISHNA 1AC15ME012
3. S SIVA 1AC15ME036
Under the guidance of
Mr. SOMESH SINGH
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
Alpha College of Engineering
Bengaluru-560077
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
ALPHA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
HENNUR - BAGALUR ROAD, KANNUR POST, BENGALURU,
KARNATAKA – 560077

KARNATAKA - 560077
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Mr. SIVA S bearing 1AC15ME036 is carried out Project work entitled
“DETERMINATION OF MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF E-GLASS EPOXY
COMPOSITE” in partial fulfillment for the award of Bachelor of Engineering Degree in the
Mechanical Engineering under Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belgaum, during the
Academic Year 2018-2019. The report has been approved as it satisfies the academic
requirements as prescribed by the University.
_______ ___________ _________________
Mr. Somesh Singh Coordinator Mr. Somesh Singh
Dept. of Mechanical Engineering Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
ACE, Bangalore ACE, Bangalore
_________________ __________________
HOD PRINCIPAL
Dr. Suresh Boraiah Dr. Suresh Boraiah
Dept. of Mechanical Engineering ACE, Bangalore
ACE, Bangalore

VISVESVARAYA TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
KARNATAKA – 560077
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
DECLARATION
I, SIVA S, student of final semester B.E. in Mechanical Engineering, Alpha College of
Engineering, Bangalore, declare that the Project work has been carried out by me and submitted in
partial fulfillment of the course requirements. The Project report with all the corrections/suggestions
indicated have been incorporated in the report. The matter embodied in this report has not been
submitted to any other Universities or institutions for the award of any other Degree or Diploma.
Place: Bangalore SIVA S
Date: 16/05/2019 (USN :1AC15ME036)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The satisfaction and euphoria that accompany the successful completion of any work
would be incomplete without the mention of the people who made it possible.
Foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to SOMESH SINGH,
Department of Mechanical Engineering for creating an excellent learning atmosphere in the
College.
I express my sincere thanks to Mr.Somesh Singh, internal guide, Department of
Mechanical Engineering, Alpha College of Engineering, Bangalore for all the cooperation he has
rendered.
I express my sincere and humble thanks to Mr. Somesh Singh, Internship Co-
Ordinator, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Alpha College of Engineering, Bangalore
for all the cooperation he has rendered.
I would like to thank my Parents for their co-operation and guidance through all aspects
of my life.
SIVA S

ABSTRACT
The project describes the mechanical fatigue behaviors by investigating in PMC,
in which twill type woven E-glass fibers as the fibrous reinforcement phase and
the Epoxy (Araldite) resin as the matrix phase. To enhance the mechanical and
physical characteristics of the Polymer Matrix Composite there is an addition of
Silicon Carbide (SiC3) and Calcium Carbonate (CaCo3). Once the composite are
layered by Hand Lay-Up process and cured, the specimens are specifically
geometricized for the individual Mechanical test like finding its behavior in
Tensile Test D-638 (ASTM), Flexure Test D-790 (ASTM). The specimens are
further inspected at nano-level textures to find its behavior, inspect the presence of
micro voids and relative adhesiveness between all the constituents.

CONTENT
CHAPTER PAGE NO.
1. INTRODUCTION…………………………………….…….……..1
2. MATERIALS………………………………………..….………….8
3. MANUFACTURING METHOD…………………….…………..12
4. SPECIFICATION OF COMPOSITE…………………..….………13
5. TEST STANDARDS…………………………………….……….14
6. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ……………...……………….…18
7. SAMPLES ………………………………………………….…….20
8. CONCLUSION…………………………………………..………26
9. FUTURE SCOPE…………………………………………...….…26
10. LITERATURE SURVEY ………………………..………………..27
11. LAB REPORTS……………………………….……………….…30

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure title Page no.
1.1 CLASSIFICATION OF COMPOSITES………………………………2
1.2 CLASSIFIACTION OF REINFORECEMNT MATERIAL ………….2
1.3 PARTICULATE COMPOSITE………………………………………..3
1.4 FLAKE COMPOSITE …………………………………………………3
1.5 FIBER COMPOSITE…………………………………………………..3
1.6 MATRIX CLASSIFICATION……………………………….….……..4
1.7 GLASS FIBER PROPERTIES…………………………………..….….7
1.8 EPOXY STUCTURE………………………………………….……… 9
2.1 EPOXY…………………………………………………….………….10
3.1 HAND LAY UP METHOD………………………………………….. 12
4.1 TENSILE TESTING MACHINE…………………………………….13
4.2 DOG BONE SPECIMEN……………………………………………..14
4.3 IZOD TEST SPECIMEN……………………………………..………14
4.4 IZOD SETUP………………………………………………………….15
5.1 TO 5.4 SAMPLES ……………………………………………………16

DETERMINATION OF MECHANICAL PROPERTIES IN E-GLASS COMPOSITE
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DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, ACE, BANGALORE – 77
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
It is very tedious job for a design engineer to find a suitable material for designing
structures and machine components. Research works are in progress to develop new
materials, so that it could be used in new design situations. The intense research has led to
the development of new materials called as composite materials.
The present day trend is to have components made of material which is light in weight
and easy to handle. It must not only occupy minimum space for its service, but should
also have aesthetic value and must contain optimum strength.
Historical examples of composites are abundant in literature. Some of the examples include
the use of reinforcing mud walls in houses with bamboo shoots, glued laminated wood by
Egyptians and laminated metal in forging swords. In 20th century the modern composites were
used in 1930s when glass fibers were reinforced with resins and aircrafts were built with
these glass composites. Since the 1970s the demand for composites has increased
significantly due to the introduction of new fibers such as carbon, boron and aramids.
1.2 Composites
A composite material is a structural material created synthetically or artificially by
combining two or more materials having dissimilar characteristics. The constituents are
combined at the macroscopic level and are not soluble in each other.
One constituent is called the matrix phase and the other is called reinforcing phase.
Reinforcement forms the minor constituent of the composite. Functions of reinforcement
include, providing load carrying capacity for composite and improving the strength of
composite material. Examples for reinforcement are fibers, particulates, flakes, filler etc.
Matrix forms the major constituent of the composite. The function of the matrix is to act
as bonding member, provide protection from the environment and help in uniform load
distribution.
Advantages of composite materials over conventional materials
• Offers high strength to weight ratio.
• High stiffness to weight ratio.
• Increased fatigue resistance and impact resistance.

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• Improved resistance to corrosion and pitting.
• Higher immunity to thermal expansion.
• Excellent optical and magnetic properties.
• Excellent wear resistance.
1.2.1 Classification of Composites
Classification of composites is done based on both reinforcing material and type of matrix
material.
Fig. 1.1: Classification of Composite
Fig. 1.2: Classification of reinforcement material
COMPOSITE
REINFORCEMNT
PHASE
MATRIX
PHASE

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1.3 Reinforcement Phase
Based on the geometry of reinforcements the composites are classified as particulate,
flake and fibers:
• Particulate composites – These are the composite that consists of particles
immersed in matrices such as alloys and ceramics. They are usually isotropic
because the particles are added randomly. Particular composites have advantages
such as improved strength, increased operation temperature, oxidation resistance,
etc. Some of the examples include use of aluminum particles in rubber, silicon
carbide particles in aluminum and gravel, sand and cement to make concrete.
Fig. 1.3: Particulate Composite
• Flake Composites – Flake composites consist of flat reinforcements for matrices.
Some of the flake materials are glass, mica, aluminum and silver. These composites
provide advantages such as high out-of-plane flexural modulus, higher strength and
low cost.
Fig. 1.4: Flake Composite
• Fiber Composite – The fiber composite consists of matrices reinforced by short or
long fibers. Fibers are generally anisotropic and examples include glass, carbon
aramids, etc. Major constituents in a fiber-reinforced composite material are the
reinforcing fibers and a matrix, which acts as a binder for the fibers.
Fig. 1.5: Fiber Composite

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Fig. 1.6 : Classification of Matrix Material
1.4 MATRIX MATERIAL
Based on the type of the matrix the composites are divided into polymer matrix, metal
matrix and ceramic matrix composites:
1.4.1 METAL MATRIX COMPOSITE
The metal matrix composites are the one in which the reinforcing phase can be either
metal particles or any other thing but the matrix material should be a metal. Metal matrix
composites can be obtained by a primary liquid phase such as squeeze casting or spray
deposition, or a primary solid state processing such as powder techniques or foil
diffusion. Some of the common metal matrix composites arealuminium based MMCs,
fiber based titanium alloys. The aluminum based materials are the most commonly used
MMCs.
Advantages:
1. Higher temperature capability, particularly titanium and titanium aluminide.
2. Higher through thickness strength, impact damage resistant.
3. Higher compressive strength.

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4. High electrical and thermal conductivity.
Disadvantages:
1. Limited and costly fabrication technology.
2. Difficult and inefficient joining technology.
3. Limited to temperature capability by fiber/matrix chemical incompatibility.
4. Prone to thermal fatigue and corrosion.
1.4.2 CERAMIC MATRIX COMPOSITE
The ceramic matrix composites are basically used for the very high temperature
application. It includes inorganic silica-based glasses, crystalline ceramics, glass-
ceramics, intermetallic and carbon. All of these have implicit unifying thread in that they
are fairly high temperature structural materials. The CMCs offer the main long term
promise for high-temperature applications in gas turbine engines and air-frame structures.
The man requirement is for light weight blades able to operate uncooled in environments
around 1400ºC. The main limitation is unavailability of fibers with high-elastic moduli,
strength, chemical stability and oxidation resistant at elevated temperatures. In CMCs, the
ceramic matrix covers a wide variety of inorganic materials, which are generally
nonmetallic and are processed at high temperatures. Common ceramic matrix materials
include various glasses, glass- ceramics and ceramics, such as carbon, silicon carbide,
silicon nitride, aluminides and oxides. The reinforcements can include carbides, borides
and oxides.
Advantages:
1. High to very high temperature capability.
2. Resistant to moisture problems.
3. Low conductivity.
4. Low thermal expansion and resistance to aggressive environments.
Disadvantages:
1. Fabrication can be costly and difficult.
2. Fusion of components are difficult.
3. Relatively low toughness.

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4. Matrix develops micro cracks at low strain level.
1.4.3 POLYMER MATRIX COMPOSITE
The most common advanced composites are polymer matrix composites. The polymer
matrix composites are the composites in which the matrix part is the polymer and the
reinforcement can be anything like fibers, particulates, etc. PMCs are extensively used in
aerospace structures. However, carbon/epoxy is by far the most exploited.
Advantages:
1. Low Cost
2. High Strength.
3. Manufacturing is comparatively easy.
Disadvantages:
1. Low operating Temperature.
2. High co-efficient of thermal expansion.
3. High co-efficient of moisture expansion.
4. Low elastic properties in certain direction.
There are different fibers available for the polymer matrix composites such as
1. Glass Fiber
2. Carbon Fiber
3. Boron Fiber
4. Silicon Carbide Fiber
5. Aramid Fiber
Glass Fibers: Glass fibers are the most common of all the fibers used in PMCs. The
principal advantages of these fibers are low cost, high tensile strength, high chemical
resistance and excellent insulating properties. The disadvantages involve low tensile
modulus, high density, sensitivity to abrasion, relatively low fatigue resistance and high
hardness.
Glass is an amorphous produced by cooling a viscous liquid at a sufficiently high rate to
prevent the formation of crystalline regions. Compounds that make up glass in glass fiber

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can include oxides of aluminum, boron, calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium.
The fiber diameter is typically around 5-20μm is a function of the size of the holes in the
bushing.
There are majorly two types of glass fibers used:
• E- Glass fiber: The E-Glass or a calcium alumina-borosilicate glass is mostly used for
structural applications. E stands for electrical grade.
• S- Glass fiber: The S-Glass or a magnesium alumina-silicate glass is mostly used in the
structural applications where more stiffness is required. S stands for high strength.
Fig. 1.7 : Types of Glass Fibers
Carbon Fibers: Carbon fibers are commercially available with a variety of tensile
modulus values ranging from 207GPa on the low side to 1035GPa. In general the low
modulus fibers have low density, higher tensile and compressive strength than high
modulus fibers. Structurally carbon fibers contain a blend of carbon and graphite carbon.
Carbon fibers are most widely used for airframes, engines and other aerospace
applications. Carbon fibers are also made from various forms of pitch. Early carbon fibers
were manufactured from rayon, however, these fibers have been gradually phased out due
to their low carbon yield (20-25%) and their generally poorer mechanical properties
compared to PAN and pitch-based carbon fibers.
The two main different types are:
• Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers
• Pitch based carbon fibers

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1.5 POLYMER MATRIX
To be suitable as matrices, polymers must also have resistance to solvents such as fuel,
hydraulic fluid, and paint stripper and typically needed to perform at up to around 80°C
for civil and 160°C for military applications; however, even over 210°C may be required
in some applications. Also the matrix incorporation does not damage the reinforcement
fibers or change their orientation. The matrix serves the following functions
• Transfers the loads into and out of the fibers.
• Separates fibers to prevent failure of adjacent fiber when one fails such as
delaminating.
• Protects the fibers from environmental damage.
• Supports the fibers in the shape of the component.
The mechanical properties of the composite that are significantly affected by the
properties of the polymeric matrix (and fiber/matrix bond strength) include Longitudinal
compression strength, Transverse tensile strength, and interlaminar shear strength. These
are generally called matrix-dominated properties.
The polymers fall into two major categories
• Thermoset plastics.
• Thermo plastics.
Thermoset: These have the great advantage that they allow fabrication of composites at
relatively low temperatures and pressures because they go through a low-viscosity stage
(sometimes very low) before polymerization and cross-linking.
Of all thermosetting resins, epoxy resins are the most widely used in aircraft structures.
Epoxies have excellent chemical and mechanical properties, have low shrinkage, and
adhere adequately to most types of fiber. Importantly, they go through a low-viscosity
stage during cure and so allow for the use of liquid resin- forming techniques such as
Resin-Transfer Molding (RTM).
In general, the glass transition temperature Tg of epoxy resins increases with increasing
temperature of cure. Thereby, epoxy systems cured at 120°C and 180°C have upper (dry)
service temperatures of 100-130 °C and 150 °C, respectively). It is important to note that
Tg is reduced significantly by absorbed moisture.

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Thermoplastics: Suitable for use as matrices for high-performance composites include
polymers such as polyetheretherketone (PEEK), for applications up to approximately
120°C; polyetherketone (PEK) for up to 145°C and polyimide (thermoplastic type) for up
to 270°C. Fabrication of thermoplastic composites involves melting and forming steps.
Because these materials are already fully polymerized, their viscosity, even when melted,
is generally much higher than that of most thermosetting resins. They are thus not well
suited to conventional liquid resin techniques such as RTM. Fabrication techniques based
on resin- film infusion (RFI) or pre-preging (pre-coating the fibers by dissolving the
polymer in an appropriate solvent) and then hot-pressing are more appropriate.
An advantage of thermoplastic composites is their higher retained hot/wet properties as
they absorb less moisture (typically around 0.2%) than thermosetting resin composites.
These polymers also have a much higher strain to failure because they can undergo plastic
deformation, resulting in significantly improved impact resistance.
1.6 EPOXY RESINS:
Epoxy resins are a class of compounds containing two or more epoxide groups per
molecule. Figure shown below depicts the structures of the major epoxy systems used in
aerospace composite matrices. The epoxide is the three-membered ring formed by the
oxygen and the two carbons. It is also called an oxirane ring, or the glycidyl group.
Fig. 1.8 Structure of Epoxy
Epoxies are formed by reacting polyphenols or other active hydrogen compounds with
epichlorohydrin under basic conditions. The most common phenol used is bisphenol A
(Diphenylolpropane). It provides the basis of a whole family of aerospace epoxy resins.
These are usually complex mixtures of molecules with various values of n. The lower the
value of n or the more complex the mixture, the lower the resin viscosity but the more
brittle the final cured resin. Trade names of these resins include such materials as Epikote
or Epon 828, Dow DER 331, and Araldite F.

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CHAPTER 2
MATERIALS
This chapter explains the details about the material selection, fabrication and the
experimental methods followed to determine the interlaminar fracture toughness, tensile
strength and impact strength.
2.1 MATERIALS
The materials used for the current work are,
• Epoxy resin LY 551 with density ranging from 1.15-1.3g/cm3
• Woven glass fiber mat.
• Araldite HY 951 as hardener.
2.2 EPOXY
Epoxy is one of the types of thermoset polymer matrix, which is commonly used in
commercial industries such as structural, aerospace, electronics and several others. In
industry epoxy resins are used extensively due to its very good mechanical properties,
high hot and wet strength properties. Performance of epoxy is superior to polyester resins.
In the present research work LY-551 is used as matrix material which has good
properties, which is supplied by S&S Polymers, Bangalore.
Fig. 2.1 Epoxy

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2.3 SILICON CARBIDE POWDER- SiC (FILLER)
Silicon carbide (SiC), also known as carborundum is a semiconductor
containing silicon and carbon. It occurs in nature as the extremely rare
mineral moissanite. Synthetic SiC powder has been mass-produced since 1893 for use as
an abrasive. Grains of silicon carbide can be bonded together by sintering to form very
hard ceramics that are widely used in applications requiring high endurance, such as car
brakes, car clutches and ceramic plates in bulletproof vests. Electronic applications of
silicon carbide such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and detectors in early radios were
first demonstrated around 1907. SiC is used in semiconductor electronics devices that
operate at high temperatures or high voltages, or both. Large single crystals of silicon
carbide can be grown by the Lely method and they can be cut into gems known as
synthetic moissanite.
2.4 CALCIUM CARBONATE- CaCo3 (FILLER)
Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the formula CaCO3. It is a common
substance found in rocks as the minerals calcite and aragonite (most notably as limestone,
which is a type of sedimentary rock consisting mainly of calcite) and is the main
component of pearls and the shells of marine organisms, snails, and eggs. Calcium
carbonate is the active ingredient in agricultural lime and is created when calcium ions
in hard water react with carbonate ions to create lime scale. It is medicinally used as
a calcium supplement or as an antacid, but excessive consumption can be hazardous.
2.5 ARALDITE HY-951 HARDENER
Araldite is a registered trademark of Huntsman Advanced Materials (previously part
of Ciba-Geigy) referring to their range of engineering and structural epoxy, acrylic,
and polyurethaneadhesives. The name was first used in 1946 for a two-part epoxy
adhesive.
Araldite adhesive sets by the interaction of a resin with a hardener. Heat is not necessary
although warming will reduce the curing time and improve the strength of the bond. After
curing, the joint is claimed to be impervious to boiling water and all common organic
solvents. It is available in many different types of packs, the most common containing
two different tubes, one each for the resin and the hardener. Other variations include
double syringe-type packages which automatically measure equal parts. This type of
packaging, however, is not exact and also poses the problem of unintentional mixing of
resin and hardener.

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CHAPTER 3
MANUFACTURING METHOD
3.1 HAND LAYUP
The process of hand layup is as follows. Once the hardener is added into the resin (epoxy)
the mold is prepared as per the requirement and the process is started. The resin is poured
into the mold and the same is made to spread uniformly all over the mold using a roller.
The glass fibers are then placed over it and again the resin layer is added. The same
process is repeated until the required thickness is attained. Here in the current work we
have used four layers of glass fibers to attain the thickness of 5mm. Then the laminate is
subjected to compression molding to remove excess resin and to have better surface
finish. The laminate is the kept under compression for curing at room temperature for
around 8hrs and after the curing the composite laminate is released from the mold. The
same procedure is followed for the required number of laminates.
Fig. 3.1 Hand-Lay-Up Method
In the current work the multi-directional glass fibers as used as the reinforcement, epoxy
as a matrix material and araldite as the hardener. The manufacturing process used in this
work is the “Hand Layup process”

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CHAPTER 4
SPECIFICATION OF THE COMPOSITE
The composite was prepared with the composition consisting of 60% fiber and matrix of
40%.
4.1 E-GLASS FIBER LAMINATES
• Thickness of laminate mould : 3mm
• Thickness of each lamina : 0.24mm
• No. of lamina to be stacked : 8
• Volume of fiber(Vf) : 76,800 mm3
• Volume of total laminate (Vl): 1,20,00 mm3
• Volume of matrix(Vm): 43,200 mm3
• Density of epoxy resin: 0.0012 g/mm3
• Mass of matrix (mm): 51.84 gm
• So, for the FOS, we take epoxy mass as 100gm.
Table 4.1 Filler Compositions
Sample
Fillers
Sample 1
(0%)
Sample 2
(15%)
Sample 3
(20%)
Sample 4
(25%)
SiC 0 10 gm 15 gm 20 gm
CaCo3 0 5gm 5 gm 5 gm
Hardener 8 gm 6 gm 8 gm 8 gm

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CHAPTER 5
TEST STANDARDS
The standard followed to determine the Tensile Test is ASTM D-638 and the standard for
Flexure Test is ASTM D-790.
5.1 ASTM D- 638
This test method covers the determination of the tensile properties of unreinforced and
reinforced plastics in the form of standard dumbbell-shaped test specimens when tested
under defined conditions of pretreatment, temperature, humidity, and testing machine
speed. This test method is designed to produce tensile property data for the control and
specification of plastic materials.
This test method is applicable for testing materials of any thickness up to 14 mm (0.55
in.).
5.1.1 TEST SPECIMENS
The test specimen shall conform
to the dimensions shown in Fig.4.1. The Type IV specimen shall be used for testing
nonrigid plastics with a thickness of 4 mm (0.16 in.)
Fig. 5.1 Dumbbell-shaped specimen representation
In accordance to the standards we adopted Type IV B
For the Type IV specimen, the internal width of the narrow section of the die shall be
6.00 ± 0.05 mm (0.250 ± 0.002 in.).

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5.1.2 PROCEDURE
Measure the width and thickness of each specimen to the nearest 0.025 mm (0.001 in.)
using the applicable test methods . Measure the width and thickness of flat specimens at
the center of each specimen and within 5 mm of each end of the gage length For thin
sheeting, including film less than 1.0 mm (0.04 in.), take the width of specimens
produced by a Type IV die as the distance between the cutting edges of the die in the
narrow section. For all other specimens, measure the actual width of the center portion of
the specimen to be tested, unless it can be shown that the actual width of the specimen is
the same as that of the die within the specimen dimension tolerances.
Specimen Dimensions for Thickness, T, mm (in.)A
Table 5.1 Specimen Dimension for ASTM- D638
Place the specimen in the grips of the testing machine, taking care to align the long axis
of the specimen and the grips with an imaginary line joining the points of attachment of
the grips to the machine. Set the speed of testing at the proper rate as required in Section
8, and start the machine. 10.5 Record the load-extension curve of the specimen. 10.6
Record the load and extension at the yield point (if one exists) and the load and extension
at the moment of rupture.

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5.2ASTM D-790
These test methods cover the determination of flexural properties of unreinforced and
reinforced plastics, including high-modulus composites and electrical insulating materials
in the form of rectangular bars molded directly or cut from sheets, plates, or molded
shapes. These test methods are generally applicable to both rigid and semi rigid materials.
5.2.1 SUMMARY OF TEST METHOD
A bar of rectangular cross section rests on two supports and is loaded by means of a
loading nose midway between the supports .
A support span-to-depth ratio of 16:1 shall be used unless there is reason to suspect that a
larger span-to-depth ratio may be required, as may be the case for certain laminated
materials.
Fig. 1 Allowable Range of Loading Nose and Support Radii
5.2.2 TEST SPECIMENS
The specimens may be cut from sheets, plates, or molded shapes, or may be molded to the
desired finished dimensions.
Materials 1.6 mm [1⁄16 in.] or Greater in Thickness— For flat wise tests, the depth of the
specimen shall be the thickness of the material.
For edgewise tests, the width of specimen shall be the thickness of sheet and the depth
shall not exceed the width. For all tests, the support span shall be 16 (tolerance 61) times

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the depth of the beam. Specimen width shall not exceed one fourth of the support span for
specimens greater than 3.2 mm [1⁄8 in.] in depth. Specimens 3.2 mm or less in depth shall
be 12.7 mm [1⁄2 in.] in width.
The specimen shall be long enough to allow for overhanging on each end of at least 10 %
of the support span, but in no case less than 6.4 mm [1⁄4 in.] on each end. Overhang shall
be sufficient to prevent the specimen from slipping through the supports.
5.2.3 PROCEDURE
Use an untested specimen for each measurement. Measure the width and depth of the
specimen to the nearest 0.03 mm [0.001 in.] at the center of the support span. For
specimens less than 2.54 mm [0.100 in.] in depth, measure the depth to the nearest 0.003
mm [0.0005 in.].
Center the specimen on the supports, with the long axis of the specimen perpendicular to
the loading nose and supports.
Apply the load to the specimen at the specified crosshead rate, and take simultaneous
load-deflection data. Measure deflection either by a gage under the specimen in contact
with it at the center of the support span, the gage being mounted stationary relative to the
specimen supports, or by measurement of the motion of the loading nose relative to the
supports.
The specimen that was obtained was 3mm thickness, 12.7mm width and 48mm length of
rectangular bar 3mm*12.7mm*48 mm .

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CHAPTER 6
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
6.1 The results displayed are obtained for ATM D-638
% FILLERS
PROPERTY
0% 15% 20% 25%
PEAK LOAD 2598.9 N 2000.6 N 2128.1 N 2520.40 N
BREAK LOAD 1049.34 N 68.64 N 39.228 N 2098.698 N
PEAK
DISPLACEMET
9.080 mm 4.718 mm 8.181 mm 6.492 mm
BREAK
DISPALCEMENT 99.5105mm 4.752mm 8.274 mm 6.517 mm
% PEAK
DISPLACEMENT 18.16 % 9.436% 16.631 % 6.517 mm
% BREAK
DISPALCEMENT
18.211% 9.504% 16.548 % 13.035 %
ENG UTS 55.345N/sqmm 58.345 N/sqmm 61.1 N/sqmm 72.363 N/sqmm
STRAIN 0.183 0.095 0.165 0.131
• Its clear from the table that break load of the specimen increased exponentially
from its previous predecessor composition i.e., from 20% to 25%. This shows that
at 25% filler composition, the SiC and CaCo3 adhered to the maximum extent
with E-glass fibers along with the resin.

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• Also the Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) per area unit has shown improvement,
thus indicating wide distribution of load throughout the specimen.
6.2 The results displayed below are obtained for ATM D-790
% FILLERS
PROPERTY
0% 15% 20% 25%
PEAK LOAD 588.6 N 284.4 N 313.8 N 559.0 N
BREAK LOAD 39.24 N 68.46 N 196.164 N 205.947 N
PEAK
DISPLACEMET 4.981 mm 2.435 mm 1.926 mm 4.082 mm
BREAK
DISPALCEMENT 5.143 mm 2.792 mm 3.564 mm 4.837 mm
% PEAK
DISPLACEMENT
8.302 % 4.509 % 3.211 % 6.803 %
% BREAK
DISPALCEMENT 8.571 % 4.653 % 5.46 % 8.062 %
ENG UTS 8.750 N/sq mm 4.407 N/sq mm 4.593 N/sq mm 8.095 N/sq mm
STRAIN 0.086 0.047 0.059 0.081
• At 25% filler composition the load holding duration is increased until max peak
load is reached. This property holds good when the marine floorings, automotive
parts are subjected to long duration of failure loads under unpredictable incidents.
• If the fillers addition were to be increased from 25% to further on, improvement
of peak load might be increased gradually.

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Graph 6.1 E-glass composite load (N) vs different composition of fillers (%) (ASTM-
D638)
Graph 6.2 E-glass composite - displacement vs. different composition of fillers (%)
(ASTM-D638)
2598.9
2000.6
2128.1
2520.4
1049.349
68.649 39.228
2098.698
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
0% FILLER 15% FILLER 20% FILLER 25% FILLERS
E-GLASS COMPOSITE LOAD (N) vs DIFFERENT
COMPOSITION OF FILLERS (%) (ASTM-D638)
PEAK LOAD (N) BREAK LOAD (N)
9.08
4.718
8.181
6.492
9.105
4.752
8.274
6.517
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
0% FILLERS
15% FILLERS
20% FILLERS
25% FILLERS
E-GLASS COMPOSITE - DISPACEMENT vs.
DIFFERENT COMPOSITION OF FILLERS (%) (ASTM-
D638)
BREAK DISPLACEMENT (mm) PEAK DISPLACEMENT (mm)

Page | 21
Graph 6.3 E-glass composite - load (n) vs. different composition of fillers (%)
Graph 6.4 E-glass composite- displacement (mm) vs. different composition of fillers
(%)
588.6
284.4
313.8
559
39.24
68.646
196.41 205.946
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
0% FILLERS 15% FILLERS 20% FILLERRS 25% FILLERS
E GLASS COMPOSITE - LOAD (N) vs. DIFFERENT
COMPOSITION OF FILLERS(%)
PEAK LOAD (N) BREAK LOAD (N)
4.981
2.435
1.926
4.082
5.142
2.712
3.564
4.837
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
0% FILLERS
15% FILLERS
20% FILLERS
25% FILLERS
E-GLASS COMPOSITE- DISPLACEMENT(mm) vs.
DIFFERENT COMPOSITION OF FILLERS (%)
BREAK DISPLACEMENT (mm) PEAK DISPLACEMENT (mm)

Page | 22
CHAPTER 7
SAMPLES
7.1 LAMINATED E- GLASS COMPOSITE
Fig. 7.1 15% Filler Added Fig. 7.2 25% Filler Added
Fig. 7.3 20% Filler Added Fig. 7.4 0% Filler

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7.2 VOID PRESENCE AT LAMINATES
Fig. 7.2.1 Void at E- Glass Composite with no fillers
Fig. 7.2.2 Void at E- Glass Composite with 15% fillers

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7.3 SAMPLES AFTER ASTM – D638 TEST
(b)
(b)
Fig. 7.3.1 (a) & (b) Dog Bone specimen of E-glass composite after testing

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7.4 SAMPLES AFTER ASTM-D790
(a)
(b)
Fig.7.3.2 (a) & (b) Rectangular bar specimen after ASTM-D790 test

Page | 26
CHAPTER 8
CONCLUSION
By altering these micro filler materials from 15% to 25% with fiber composition, a
gradual adhesive bond rapport existed which can be observed from the resultant graph,
which may tend to better mechanical property like increased break load capability when
compared to the composite with no fillers. As the studies suggest that SiC and CaCo3
adhere with good non delaminating properties, the result will be exponentially high when
they are coagulated with even higher composition ratios. For the automotive parts and
marine flooring, where there is use of only E-glass fibers composites, our filler
combination can be adopted to give better mechanical property instead adopting other
materials.
CHAPTER 9
FUTURE SCOPE
• From the data and graph values, it indicates that on further addition of similar
fillers with more quantity might lead to even better results.
• Since our method of preparation of laminates were restricted to only hand layup
process, there were presence of voids on the laminates. If vacuum bag molding
method were adopted, it would tend to give even better physical structure of the
laminate even at microscopic level.
• Agitating the epoxy resin and fillers were done manually with hand tools, where
the probability of air sockets being trapped in semi solid solution or micro sized
unevenly mixed fillers is more, this can be avoided by using ultrasonic
agglomeraor machine, which would yield better results.
• The testing specimens were prepared by using abrasive cutter and polisher to
obtain accurate dimensions of ASTM , but this method generate residual stresses
within the specimen which must be eradicated.
To mitigate this constrain water jet cutting and other advanced composite cutting
method can be adopted.
• On further study of samples using microscopic imaging would result in better
understanding of the composite in this case.

Page | 27
CHAPTER 10
LITERATURE SURVEY
1. “Impact Characterization of Epoxy LY556/E-Glass Fiber/ Nano Clay Hybrid
Nano Composite Materials”
Srinivasnan.S, Ph.D, Dept. Of Mechanical & Production Engineering,
Sathyabama Univ.
V.K. Bupesh Raja, Professor & HOD of Automobile Engineering, Sathyabama
Univ.
Manikandan Student, Mechanical & Production Engineering, Sathyabama Univ.
Here the investigation was performed on Epoxy/Glass Fiber/ Nano Clay by using
Hand-Layup technical. The E-Glass fiber used were of bi-directional:
450
orientation. The nanoclays were agitated by sonication process. Various
Weight % of nanoclay were added in preparation of sample and was varied,
ranging from 1weight% to 5weight% The samples made in shape of plate as
specimens for testing. From Izod Impact Testing they had come to a conclusion
that addition of 5 Weight% nanoclay with the epoxy resin procured the best
results for the enhanced overall mechanical properties.
2. “An Experimental Study On Mechanical Properties Of Epoxy-Matrix
Composite Containing Graphite Fillers”
Ricardo Baptista, Dept. Of Mechcanial EngineeringInstituto Politecnico de
Setubal,Campus IPS
Ana Mendao, IDMECA, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Universidade de Lisbao, Portugal
Rosa Marat-Mendes, IDMECA, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Universidade de Lisbao,
Portugal
This work was done on incorporating different amount of graphite fillers on the
mechanical properties of the epoxy resin matrix phase and carbon fiber as the
reinforcement phase. A known quantity of 7.5, 10, and 15 weight% - graphite
materials showed an increase in ultimate stress value with increasing fillers. The
homogenous dispersion of graphite fillers was the primary factor for the best
balance of mechanical properties. The specimen was molded using the vacuum
bagging technique.

Page | 28
3. “Effect Of Epoxy Modifiers (Al2O3/SiO2/TiO2) On Mechanical Performance
Of Epoxy/Glass Fiber Hybrid Composites”
Ramesh K. Nayak, School Of Mechanical, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, India
Alina Das & B.C. Ray, Dept. of Metallurgical & Materials Engineering, NIT,
Rourkela,India
A study was conducted wherein, to find the behavior in mechanical properties of
FRP composite. Here the epoxy resins where modified with the presence of
Al2O3, SiO2 and TiO2 micro particles in glass fiber/ Epoxy composite to
improvement the mechanical properties. The composite where manufactured
using hand lay-up process. After all the testing and observations , they came up to
an conclusion that the addition of SiO2 modified epoxy composite showed
improved ILSS, flexure modulus and flexure strength than the other micro
modifiers: Alumina modified epoxy composite increases hardness and impact
energy compared to other modifiers; Al2O3 causes agglomeration in matrix phase.
4. “Effect Of Epoxy Functional Group On The Properties Of Carbon Fiber-
Epoxy Composite”
Yoshida S, Honda R&D Co Ltd, Aircraft Engine R&D Center, Wako-shi, Japan
Matrix resins of carbon- fiber- epoxy composites with different numbers of epoxy
functional groups were prepared and their properties were compared to optimize
the matrix resin composition. Bonding strengths T800SC carbon fibers was
maximized for 50;50 (wt/wt) ratio of epoxy resins containing 4 and 3 epoxy
groups per molecule, respectively and that for IMS60 carbon fibers was
maximized for a 70:20:5 (wt/wt/wt) ratio of epoxy resins containing 4,3 and 2
epoxy groups per molecule, respectively. The transverse tensile, in-plane shear,
interlaminar shear and compression strengths were higher for IFSS exhibits
T800SC- epoxy mixture than for the T800SC-100% basic biphenyl A epoxy
material.
5. “Mechanical property improvement of carbon fiber reinforced epoxy
composites by Al2O3 filler dispersion”
Manwar Hussain & Atushi Nakahira & Koichi Niihara, The Institute of Scientific
and Industrial Reasearch, Osaka university, Osaka 567, Japan
The work was done with carbon fiber reinforcement composite and Al2O3
particles dispersed carbon fiber hybrid reinforced composite were investigated.

Page | 29
Mechanical properties were improved by incorporating 10 vol% nano-or-sized
Al2O3 in epoxy matrix. By incorporating Al2O3 filler resulted in higher fracture
toughness by improving significantly the toughness of the matrix and crack
deviating by the presence of filler particles.
6. “Characterization Of Glass Fiber Reinforcement Polymer Composite
Prepared By Hand Lay-Up Method”
Abdullah Al Mahmood, Abdul Mobin, Rezwon Morshed, Tasmia Zaman – Dept. of
Glass & Ceramic Engineering, Rajshahi Univ. of Engineering & Technology ,
Rajshahi, Bangladesh
This paper dealt with the involvement of TiO2 as filler material for the Epoxy
resin phase and Glass fiber as the reinforcement phase. Different types of
composition were made with and without fillers material keeping the glass fiber
constant and changing epoxy resins with respect to filler materials addition of 15
wt%, 20 wt% and 25 wt% of TiO2, causing maximum tensile strength, maximum
impact strength and maximum compression strength respectively to that of a stock
composite.

Page | 30
CHAPTER 11
LAB REPORTS

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DETERMINATION OF MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF E-GLASS EPOXY COMPOSITE”

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