Novel Glass Polymer Multilayer Composites With High Toughness

With a view to developing low cost glass polymer multilayer composites (GPMLC) with high toughness, four layer laminar glass-epoxy-E glass fabric composites (GEF) were fabricated by a low pressure lamination technique. To promote weaker interfaces, a thin sprayed layer of kerosene was introduced between the glass and the reinforcing layer in another group of composites fabricated in a similar manner. In both GEF and GEFK composites, a thin commercial cover slip gas disk was used as the matrix layer. The load displacement plots of the GEF and GEFK composites exhibit a significant degree of non-linearity and stepped load-unload behaviour characteristic of fibre reinforced composites.