| Abstract [eng] |
Nowadays aeronautical industries all over the world focus on the advanced materials to replace the traditional materials, which has many advantages like lightweight, good material properties, cost efficient and can manufacture to desire and complex structures. Glass fiber reinforced polymer composite (GFRP) with core sandwich structure is becoming one of the important advanced material used in many fields like aircraft, ships and in civil fields, where the need of high structural strength and low weight is required, so there is an increase in demand for lightweight, high strength, stiffness properties and cost economical materials. The composite content in the aircraft has been increased, the main composites used are Carbon fiber, glass fiber, and aramid fibers. These factors motivate to analyze the mechanical behavior of Glass fiber reinforced polymer composite with foam core sandwich structure by conducting 3-point bending test (Flexure test). The aim of the master thesis is finding the mechanical properties and failure of Glass fiber reinforced polymer composite structure. The goal was implemented initially by experimental material testing of facesheet material and foam core material and conducting point bending test of composite experiments, analytically and by simulation in Abaqus by creating the appropriate model. In the experimental test, material properties of GFRP facesheet and the foam core are obtained by conducting the tensile test on facesheet, compression test and shear test on foam core. Thereby implementing the experimentally obtained material properties to analytical calculation and finite element simulation. These finite element simulations and analytical calculations are compared with the experimental result curve and obtain good agreement. The specimen used for analysis is of length=60mm, width =25mm, thickness=8mm. The thickness of the laminate is 1.5mm and core is 5mm. The distance between the supports for 3 point bending is 40mm. |
