Special Issue - 2019 International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)

ISSN: 2278-0181
ETEDM - 2019 Conference Proceedings

Investigation of Fracture Behavior on Glass &

Natural Fibre Reinforced Epoxy Composites
Jegan. M. M a, Sathishkumar. T P b, Anand. V c, Arun Ganesh. R c, Logesh Raja. C c , Mohanraj. K c
A,b
Assistant Professor,
C
UG Students
Mechanical Engineering, Nandha College of Technology, Erode-52, Tamil Nadu

performance rigid composites made from glass, graphite,

Abstract:- The Jute fiber woven and glass fiber random Kevlar, boron or silicon carbide fibres in polymeric
mat reinforced epoxy composites were prepared with matrices have been studied extensively because of their
different orientation of jute fiber mat. The effect of jute application in aerospace and space vehicle technology.
fiber mat orientation and number of stacking layers on the
fracture properties are investigated experimentally and
then the compared with pure glass and jute fiber 1.2. Classification of composites
reinforced epoxy composites. The top and bottom layers The classifications of composites are of four
are made up of glass fiber mat and the jute fiber mat is types namely,
placed in between the glass fiber mat during the composite ➢ Particulate reinforced composites
preparation. The epoxy and hardener are mixed by ➢ Fibre reinforced composites
mechanical stirrer and the poured on the mould with fiber ➢ Laminate reinforced composites
mats. The solidified composite plate is taken from the ➢ Hybrid reinforced composites
mould and then fracture samples are cut according to
ASTM standard. The fracture behaviours are analyzed by
Mode-I fracture with compact tension (CT) and single- 1.3. According to type of matrix materials
edge notching bending (SENB) testing method. The tensile The composite is classified based on type of
mode is used to analyze the fracture behaviours of CT material,
samples and the three pint bending mode is used to ➢ Metal Matrix Composites (MMC)
analyze the fracture behaviours of SENB samples. From ➢ Polymer Matrix Composites (PMC)
the results, the fracture load is gradually increased with ➢ Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC)
crack opening displacement of all composites. The highest
fracture toughness is obtained for pure glass fiber
composites. 1.3.1. Metal matrix composites
Higher strength, fracture toughness and
Keywords: Fracture toughness, Natural fibers, Glass fibers, stiffness are offered by metal matrices. Metal matrix can
Epoxy resin. withstand elevated temperature in corrosive
1. INTRODUCTION environment than polymer composites. Titanium,
aluminium and magnesium are the popular matrix
1.1. Composite materials metals currently in vogue, which are particularly useful
Composites are one of the most advanced and for aircraft applications. Because of these attributes
adaptable engineering materials. Progresses in the field of metal matrix composites are under consideration for
materials science and technology have given birth to wide range of applications viz. combustion chamber
these fascinating and wonderful materials. Composites nozzle (in rocket, space shuttle), housings, tubing,
are heterogeneous in nature, created by the assembly of cables, heat exchangers, structural members etc.
two or more components with fillers or reinforcing fibres
and a compactable matrix. The matrix may be metallic, 1.3.2. Ceramic matrix composites
ceramic or polymeric in origin. It gives to the composite One of the main objectives in producing ceramic
shape, surface appearance, environmental tolerance and matrix composites is to increase the toughness. Naturally
overall durability while the fibrous reinforcement carries it is hoped and indeed often found that there is a
most of the structural loads thus giving macroscopic concomitant improvement in strength and stiffness of
stiffness and strength. A composite material can provide ceramic matrix composites.
superior and unique mechanical and physical properties 1.3.3. Polymer matrix composites
because it combines the most desirable properties of its Most commonly used matrix materials are
constituents while suppressing their least desirable polymeric. In general the mechanical properties of
properties. At present composite materials play a key role polymers are inadequate for many structural purposes. In
in aerospace industry, automobile industry and other particular their strength and stiffness are low compared to
engineering applications as they exhibit outstanding metals and ceramics. These difficulties are overcome by
strength to weight and modulus to weight ratio. High reinforcing other materials with polymers. Secondly the

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Special Issue - 2019 International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)
ISSN: 2278-0181
ETEDM - 2019 Conference Proceedings

processing of polymer matrix composites need not 2.1.3 Aramid fibres

involve high pressure and doesn‟t require high Aramid is a generic term for aromatic
temperature. Also equipment‟s required for polyamide fibres. The first commercial p- Aramid fibre
manufacturing polymer matrix composites are simpler. (Kevlar) was introduced in 1971. Several aspects of
For this reason polymer matrix composites developed aramid fibre reinforcement of elastomeric matrices and
rapidly and soon became popular for structural thermoplastic elastomers were discussed by various
applications. authors. Sunan et al compared the reinforcing effect of
as received and hydrolysed Kevlar fibre reinforced
Two types of polymer composites are: thermoplastic elastomers (Santoprene) composites.
➢ Fibre reinforced polymer (FRP)
➢ Particle reinforced polymer (PRP) 2.2 Natural fiber (Jute fiber)
Jute is one type of natural fiber which is one of the
1.3.3.1. Fibre reinforced polymer cheapest fiber and is second only to cotton in amount
Common fibre reinforced composites are produced and variety of uses. Jute fibers are composed
composed of fibres and a matrix. Fibres are the primarily of the plant materials cellulose, lignin, and
reinforcement and the main source of strength while pectin. Both fiber and plant from which it comes are
matrix glues all the fibres together in shape and transfers called jute.
stresses between the reinforcing fibres. Sometimes, filler
might be added to smooth the manufacturing process, 3. EXPERIMENTAL
impact special properties to the composites, and / or
reduce the product cost. 3.1 Fabrication of composites
1.3.3.2. Particle reinforced polymer While fabricating composite products with
Particles used for reinforcing include ceramics reinforcing fibers (in form of mats or fabric)are placed
and glasses such as small mineral particles, metal layer‐by‐layer over the surface, to ensure appropriate
particles such as aluminum and amorphous materials, stacking sequence, as well as requisite thickness of the
including polymers and carbon black. Particles are used final product. Once a particular layer of fiber is placed, it
to increase the modules of the matrix and to decrease the is coated with a layer of resin through a brush. Care is
ductility of the matrix. taken to ensure that resin is
For this, serrated rollers devoid of air bubbles, as
2. MATERIALS it is applied to reinforcing fibers. may be used, which
help remove air bubbles, as well as ensure increased
2.1 Synthetic fibres wetting of fibers. This manual method of layup may also
2.1.1 Glass fibre be used for short fiber composites.
Glass fibre is the best known reinforcement in
high performance composite applications due to its 3.2 Selection of molding process
appealing combination of good properties and low cost. The bidirectional woven fabric made of jute
The major ingredient of glass fibre is silica which is fibers gives the bidirectional orthotropic behaviours. A
mixed with varying amounts of other oxides. The long woven mat was cut into different angles of laminas
different types of glass fibres commercially available are such as (0/90)°, (30/120)°, (45/135)°, (60/150)° and
E and S glass. The letter „E‟ stands for electrical as the (75/165)° respectively and the size of the laminas are 75
composition has a high electrical resistance and „S‟ mm × 75 mm. Prior composite processing, the mats were
stands for strength. Glass fibres are used successfully for dried at temperature of 33°C with the relative humidity of
reinforcing the plastics and therefore, the suitability of 65% for at least 24 hours. Epoxy and hardener were
this fibre as a reinforcing material for rubbers has been mixed in the ratio of 10:1 (by weight) by the help of
studied. High initial aspect ratio can be obtained with mechanical stirrer. The mixing was done about 4 minutes
glass fibres, but brittleness causes breakage of fibres for degasing. A layer of resin applied on the mold and
during processing. then the mats were laid one-by-one, the layers glued with
help of resin. The spring roller was rolled over the each
2.1.2 Carbon fibres layer to remove the air bubbles and distribute the resin
Carbon fibre is the one of the important high uniformly. Finally, the mold was kept closed and kept in
performance fibre used in short fibre-polymer compression moulding machine under
composite. They are commercially manufactured from 5 bar pressure for 4 hours. Hereafter, the solidified
three different precursors rayon, polyacrylonitrile (PAN) laminated composites plates was taken from the mould
and petroleum pitch. They are mainly used in aerospace and then machined for studying the fracture behaviours.
industry due to its outstanding mechanical properties
combined with low weight. Though carbon fibres are 3.3 Fracture
extensively used in polymer composites, its application A fracture is the separation of an object or
in rubber matrices is limited to specific end use, mainly material into two or more pieces under the action of
in electrically Conductive composite stress. Crack propagation in the composites is an
important reason for structure failure. The fracture of a

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Special Issue - 2019 International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)
ISSN: 2278-0181
ETEDM - 2019 Conference Proceedings

composite usually occurs due to the development of 4. MODE- I FRACTURE TESTING OF COMPOSITE
certain displacement discontinuity surfaces within the MATERIAL
composite. If a displacement develops perpendicular to
the surface of displacement, it is called a normal tensile Fracture toughness is to measure the resistance
crack or simply a crack. If a displacement develops of a material to the presence of a flaw in terms of the load
tangentially to the surface of displacement, it is called a required to cause brittle or ductile crack extension in a
shear crack, slip band, or dislocation. Fracture strength specimen containing a pre-crack.
or breaking strength is the stress when a specimen fails There are two types of test:
or fractures. ➢ Compact Tension
➢ Single-Edged Notched Bend
3.3.1 Types of fracture
Brittle fracture Ductile fracture 4.1. Compact Tension
The plane-strain fracture toughness test was
conducted by the help of Universal Testing System
according to ASTM E D5045-99 with test configurations
of Compact-tension (CT) specimen method and Single-
edge notch-bend specimens (SENB) using three-point
bending mode, at room temperature. The fracture tests
were conducted by mode I fracture behaviour
a) CT testing specimen b) Experimental setup for CT test
The stress intensity factor at the crack tip of a
compact tension specimen is calculated.
4.2. Single-Edged Notched Bend
3.3.2 Modes of fracture The plane strain-toughness value at slow

There are three different modes of fracture

failures. They are,
➢ Mode I crack – Opening mode (a tensile stress
normal to the plane of the crack)
➢ Mode II crack – Sliding mode (a shear stress
acting parallel to the plane of the crack and
perpendicular to the crack front)
➢ Mode III crack – Tearing mode (a shear
stress acting parallel to the plane of the crack and
parallel to the crack front)
loading rate is calculated according to ASTM E D5045.
The SENB fracture test is conducted by three-point
bending mode

Modes of fracture
Crack initiation and propagation accompany
fracture. The manner through which the crack propagates
through the material gives great insight into the mode of
fracture. In ductile materials (ductile fracture), the crack
moves slowly and is accompanied by a large amount of
plastic deformation. The crack will usually not extend
unless an increased stress is applied. The cracks that
propagate in a brittle material will continue to grow and SENB testing specimen Experimental setup for
increase in magnitude once they are initiated. Another SENB
important mannerism of crack propagation is the way in test
which the advancing crack travels through the material. A The test method for conducting the test usually
crack that passes through the grains within the material is involves a specified test fixture on a universal testing
undergoing transgranular fracture. However, a crack that machine. Details of the test preparation, conditioning,
propagates along the grain boundaries is termed an and conduct affect the test results. The sample is placed
intergranular fracture. on two supporting pins a set distance apart.

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Special Issue - 2019 International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)
ISSN: 2278-0181
ETEDM - 2019 Conference Proceedings

Single-edge notch bending specimen (also the fracture load is varying and the maximum fracture
called three-point bending specimen) for fracture load is obtained for composite containing 30/120 9J
toughness testing. The fracture toughness of a specimen compared to all other orientation. The propagation of
can also be determined using a three-point flexural test. rack along the 30°/120o fiber orientation resists during
The stress intensity factor at the crack tip of a single the experiments which results in maximum fracture load.
edge notch bending specimen was calculated by equation Incorporation of jute fiber mat in-between glass
fiber random mat in the epoxy composites is increasing
the fracture load absorption. Compared to jute and
hybrid fiber epoxy composites, the pure glass fiber
random mat epoxy composite is found highest fracture
load. This is due the highest stiffness of the glass fiber
compare to the jute fiber. The crack propagation is found
to be linear and perpendicular to the loading direction. It
Schematic of the SENB fracture testing is clear that the fracture behaviours obey the LEFM. The
Where is P the applied load, B is the hybrid composites load is found to be higher than the
thickness of the specimen, a is the crack length, pure jute fiber mat reinforced epoxy composites and it is
increased to twice.
and W is the width of the specimen. In a three-point
bend test, a fatigue crack is created at the tip of In this work, the effect of different orientation
the notch by cyclic loading. The length of the crack is of Jute fibre on fracture behaviours of the epoxy
measured. The specimen is then loaded monotonically. composites was investigated. The jute fibre mat
A plot of the load versus the crack opening displacement reinforced epoxy laminated composites were fabricated
is used to determine the load at which the crack starts by compression moulding process. The fracture
growing. This load is substituted into the above formula behaviour was studied according to ATSM standard.
to find the fracture toughness equation From the results and discussions the following
conclusions were obtained based on the mode-I fracture
The ASTM E1290-08 Standard suggests the relation behaviours of SENB and CT samples.
[12],  The fracture is almost linear for all composites and
6P 1/ 2 propagation of crack was linear and perpendicular to
KI  a Y
BW the loading direction.
 Even different orientation of jute fiber mat presented
Where,
in the composites, the propagation of crack was
1.99  a / W (1  a / W )(2.15  3.93a / W  2.7( a / W ) 2 ) linear due to glass fiber random mats.
Y  .
(1  2a / W )(1  a / W )3/ 2  Overall the fracture toughness was improved by
The predicted values of K I are nearly identical for introducing the jute fiber mat in the glass fiber mat
the ASTM and Bower equations for crack lengths less epoxy composites
than 0.6 W .
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5. Result and conclusion
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[4] Rice J.R., Paris P.C., Merkle J.G., (1973) “In
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Special Issue - 2019 International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)
ISSN: 2278-0181
ETEDM - 2019 Conference Proceedings

[5] Liu a Q. and Hughes M. (2008) “The fracture

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