Effect of Surface Treatment on the Mechanical Properties of Glass Fiber/Vinylester Composites

Abstract

ABSTRACT: To study the effect of surface treatment on the mechanical properties of glass fiber/vinylester composites, glass fiber was surface-treated with polybutadiene (PB), methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane ( -MPS), and -MPSmodified polybutadiene (PB/ -MPS). The relationship between the interfacial strength and the impact strength of glass fiber/vinylester composites was also examined. PB/ -MPS was synthesized as a new surface modifier. PB/ -MPS-treated composites exhibited the optimum concentration at which the flexural strength and the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) were maximized. This was related to the role of PB/ -MPS in three interphase regions between the fiber and the matrix. Considering the relationship between the interfacial strength and the impact strength of the composites, the propagation energy and total energy showed a different trend in three regions. In region A, the propagation energy and total energy increased with an increasing shear strength, indicating that the adequate interfacial strength was required for improving the impact strength of the composites. In region B, the propagation energy and total energy decreased with an increasing shear strength. Most of impact energy was absorbed through fiber pullout and delamination. In region C, the fiber breakage was the dominant failure mode of the composites.