Effect of Thickness on Flexural Properties of Epoxy based Glass Fiber Reinforced Laminate

Many structures are often prone to bending loads, which can result in serious damage. Therefore, for structural integrity, structures must be efficient to resist bending. Flexural loading causes stresses in the composites, which vary through the thickness. These flexural stresses are the maximum at the outer surfaces and zero in the middle at the neutral axis. In pure bending, the composite failure initiates on either the tensile or compressive side depending upon whether the composite is stronger in compression or tension respectively. The stress in an individual ply depends upon the stiffness of that ply and its distance from the laminate’s neutral axis. By including, one or more extra components having relatively better elastic properties in the laminate can help in improving the flexural properties of the composite. This paper investigates the influence of thickness on flexural properties of glass fiber-epoxy laminated composite material. In the present study the composite laminate specimen is prepared using the vacuum baggage technique and the specimen is subjected to static 3 point bending and the investigation is carried out as per the ASTM D90 standards. Flexural properties evaluated are flexural strength and stiffness of the composites system appropriate conclusions was drawn.