MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF HYBRID FABRICS IN PULTRUDED COMPOSITES

Abstract

Cement based composites were developed with a combination of fabric types using cast (hand lay up) process and pultrusion (impregnated) method. The influences involved with the impregnation process using the pultrusion technique was studied by pullout and tensile tests. Hybrid composite laminates with combination of low modulus PE or PP fabrics with high modulus AR glass fabric were developed and tested in tension. The effect of various fabric types in suppressing the localization and crack bridging mechanisms were studied as well as the microstructure of these composites. It was found that the processing methods and fabric type significantly affect the bond as well as the tensile performance of the composite. Hybrid composites combining low modulus and high modulus fabrics found to influence the mechanical performance of the composite. Combinations of PE and Glass fabrics gave composite with better ductility than a single glass and with greater strength than the PE single composite.