Comparison of Mechanical Behaviour of Carbon and Glass Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Composites

Abstract

An experimental study has been carried out to investigate tensile and bending properties of carbon fiber (CFRE) and glass fiber-reinforced (GFRE) epoxy composites. Three different fiber orientations were applied, 0 degrees, 90 degrees and [0 degrees, 90 degrees]. The laminates were obtained by manual lay-up process. The samples were evaluated by tensile tests according to the ASTM D3039 and bending tests according to the ASTM D790. Experimental results showed that maximum tensile strengths were observed at 0 fiber direction for the both CFRE and GFRE composites. With respect to their tension properties, the CFRE samples had better performance than the GFRE samples, except for the 90 degrees orientation. Three point bending tests proved that in all orientations CFRE composites had better performance, compared to GFRE composites.