Effect of water absorption on Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness of flax/basalt reinforced vinyl ester hybrid composites

F. A. Almansour, Hom Dhakal, Zhong Yi Zhang

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    504 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    In this study, the influence of water absorption on the Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness of flax and basalt fibre reinforced vinyl ester hybrid composites is presented. Three types of composite laminates namely, flax fibre reinforced vinyl ester (FVE), flax fibre hybridised basalt unstitched (FBVEu) and flax hybridised basalt stitched (FBVEs), fabricated by vacuum infusion technique are investigated. Double cantilever beam (DCB) tests were performed to evaluate the Mode I critical energy release rate (GIC) and the crack length (R-curve) by using three different data reduction methods. It was found from the experimental results that the Mode I fracture toughness initiation and propagation of water immersed FVE composites were decreased by an average of 27% and 10% respectively, compared to the dry specimens, whereas the fracture toughness propagation of water immersed FBVEu and FBVEs composites were improved by approximately 15% and 17% compared to dry specimens. The fractured surface and delamination of different composites were evaluated by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x-ray computed micro-tomography (μCT). The results showed that basalt fibre hybridisation has positive effects on durability and the moisture resistance of natural fibre composites.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)813-825
    Number of pages13
    JournalComposite Structures
    Volume168
    Early online date20 Feb 2017
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 15 May 2017

    Keywords

    • natural fibre reinforced composites (NFRCs)
    • interlaminar fracture toughness
    • Mode I
    • delamination

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Effect of water absorption on Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness of flax/basalt reinforced vinyl ester hybrid composites'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this