Enhancing performance of hybrid carbon/glass textile-reinforced composites: Theoretical prediction and experimental characterization

Multi-scale analysis is of great interest to calculate the final response of hybrid textile-reinforced carbon/glass epoxy (TRCG) composites based on micromechanical tests and geometrical properties. A novel multi-scale model and experiments are utilized to enhance the performance of TRCG composites. Experiments are conducted on TR glass/epoxy, carbon/epoxy, and 7 hybrid TRCGs. The model integrated viscoplastic-material and nonlinear-geometry properties and damage initiation-propagation mechanisms to address stress-strain curves that incline with experimental data with less than 11 % deviation. The microscopic scanning is utilized to study the fracture mechanisms and delaminated areas of specimens. The tensile curves and delaminated-area of TRCG composites are affected by the local glass/carbon mixed ratio and stacking arrangement. Alternative arrangement, H3:[G/C/G/C]S, provides better mechanical properties and a lower isotropy-mismatch effect and delaminated area compared to H1:[2G/2C]S, and H2:[2C/2G]S, and H4:[C/G/C/G]S. H5:[G/2C/G/C]S with the highest possible properties provides the lowest delaminated-area, because of bridging-glass layers to mitigate brittleness and primary failures of carbon, yet is low enough to restrict premature delamination. H6:[4G/2C/4G] and H7:[2G/2C/G]s with high isotropy-mismatch hustle premature failure and fail to deliver expected performance. The fracture mechanisms of TRCG composites are utilized to propose two 10-layer composites with alternative arrangements, which they are experimented afterwards to study the damage modes. It is concluded that H8:[G/C/G/C/G] laminate has the highest mechanical properties and energy absorption amongst TRCG composites. In which with highest integrity, the delaminated area is limited to the vicinity of fracture zone.