Mechanical behavior and damage evolution in E-glass vinyl ester and carbon composites subjected to static and blast loads

Fiber based composites have found extensive applications in various fields. In this study, two different fiber materials, namely, E-glass and carbon, with different architecture are chosen. Polymer (vinyl ester) based composites were designed using these fibers and were fabricated using VARTM process. These composites were subjected to quasi-static and high strain rates of loading utilizing different testing methodologies. In quasi-static testing, the tensile, compressive and shear properties were studied using existing ASTM standard testing procedures and the results are reported. The carbon composite showed higher tensile and compressive modulus. In-plane shear properties of both the composites were comparable and inter laminar shear properties of E-glass composites were observed to be better than the carbon composite because of the better nesting between the E-glass fabric layers. A shock tube and a controlled explosion tube were utilized in the study of dynamic damage behavior of these composite materials. Based on the experimental study, it is observed that the carbon fiber composites tend to achieve sudden destructive damage whereas E-glass fiber composites tend to sustain progressive damage, under dynamic loading.