Vibration Analysis of Composites Beams Structure: March 2020

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VIBRATION ANALYSIS OF COMPOSITES BEAMS STRUCTURE
Thesis · March 2020
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Ashad Qureshi
National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I hereby take a chance to express my sense of extreme gratitude towards my Master of

Technology Guide Er. Rahul Satbhaiya, HOD (Civil Engineering.), for his suggestions and
constant inspiration at every stage of the research.
He is an extremely sympathetic and principle-centered person. His skills, as a researcher and guide
helped me to overcome all the hurdles. Without his constant support and encouragement, I would
not have been able to complete my research work successfully.
I owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. D. Rai, Director, Infinity Management & Engineering College
(IMEC Sagar) for encouragement & the Head of Department Mr. Rahul Satbhaiya.
My parents have their own share in my success. I firmly believe that their blessings always
enlighten my path ahead. I hereby take a chance to salute my father Mr. B. P. Pathak and mother
Mrs. Kaushaliya Pathak. Without all above support and sacrifice this thesis would not have been
possible for me. At last, I thank the one and all, for the divine blessings.
Piyush Pathak
Guided by: Dr. Ashad Ullah Qureshi

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Email: [email protected]
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CERTIFICATE
I hereby certify that Er. Piyush Pathak has completed his Master of Technology Dissertation
titled “Vibration Analysis of Composites Beams Structure” under my guidance.
I further certify that the whole work, done by him is of his own, original and tends to general
advancement of knowledge. According to the best of my knowledge, I also certify that he has not
been conferred any degree, diploma and distinction by either the Infinity Management &
Engineering College or any other university for this thesis.
Date: (Er. Rahul Satbhiaya)

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DECLARATION
I, Er. Piyush Pathak hereby declare that my Master of Technology dissertation titled “Vibration
Analysis of Composites Beam Structure” is written as a partial fulfillment of the requirement
for a degree on this topic. The complete study is based on literature survey, study of periodicals,
journals and websites and building a model for proving the concept studied and designed.
I further declare that the complete thesis work, including all analysis, hypothesis, inferences and
interpretation of data and information, is done by me and it is my own and original work.
Moreover, I declare that no degree, diploma or distinction has been conferred on the basis of this
thesis by the Rajiv Gandhi Technical University or any other university to me before.
Date: (Piyush Pathak)

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प्रपत्र
(एम.ई /एम. टे क /एम. फामाा छात्रों हेतु)
मै …………………………………………..…..आत्मज…………………............... आयु……… वर्ष

निवासी…………………………. का होकर शपथपूवषक निम्ि कथि / करता करती हूूँ कक :-
1. यह कक मेिे (एम. ई /एम. टे क /एम. फामाष) के ववर्य…………………………...…… सत्र………….….

मै काउं सल ग
ं / संस्था स्तर काउं सल ग
ं (सी. ए . सी.) के माध्यम से श्रेणी (सामान्य / इस. सी. / इस. टी. /
ओ. बी. सी.) ……………. से ……………………………..…………... संस्था मै प्रवेश ल या था |
2. मै दििांक ………………… से नियलमत छात्र / छात्रा के रूप मे स्िातकोत्तर पाठ्यक्रम मै अध्ययिरत था
/ थी |
3. मै घोर्णा करता / करती हूूँ कक इस पाठ्यक्रम की अवधि मै ककसी भी अन्य निजी क्षेत्र के संस्थाि / औिोधगक
समूह / ककसी भी कायाष य मै पूणषकाल क रूप से कायषरत िहीं था / थी |
हस्ताक्षर शपथग्रहहता
गाईड एवं संचालक प्राचार्ा द्धारा सत्र्ापपत ककर्ा जावे |
सत्यावपत करते है कक छात्रा / छात्रा का िाम ……………………………………………………..

िामांकि क्रमांक ………………………..… द्िारा उपरोक्तािुसार भरी गई जािकारी प्रमाणणत एवं सही है |
गाईड के हस्ताक्षर संचालक प्राचार्ा
हस्तक्षर पदनाम सील सहहत
संस्था का िाम ………………………………………………………….
संस्था का कोड ………………………………………………………….
िरू भार् क्रमांक ………………………………………………………….

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ABSTRACT
Glass fibre reinforced polymer composites (GFRP) are being widely used in many applications
because of their light weight, high stiffness and good damping properties. Their use in both
offshore and onshore applications is becoming inevitable because of their excellent anti corrosive
behaviour. These composites are subjected to severe loading and environmental conditions during
their service. The conduct of the composites under certain ecological conditions is to be examined
for legitimate working and to stay away from conceivable disappointment of the part. Likewise
amid the lifetime of the composite there is a plausibility that the composite might be subjected to
various situations than that it is as a rule by and by utilized for. Under every one of these conditions
it gets to be distinctly basic that the conduct of the composite be considered for safe outline.
Damping is one such property that should be contemplated for evaluating the vibrational conduct
of the composites.
In the first part of the work, an attempt is made to study the variation of damping of GFRP
composite subjected to different environmental conditions. Three distinctive fluid situations;
Seawater, saline water, and ordinary water were utilized for the review to evaluate the damping
conduct of the composite. The damping variety of the composite was considered for at regular
intervals of submersion in the particular medium up to a most extreme of 60 days utilizing free
vibration rot technique. Examples treated with seawater show more damping limit than different
examples. The most extreme increment was around 37%. Saline and typical water treated examples
indicated decrease in the damping great beneath the untreated examples of the request of around
47% and 32% individually. This differentiating conduct is ascribed to the distinction in the
compound structure of the submersion mediums.

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CONTENTS
Chapter 1. Introduction 1 - 14
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Damping
1.3 Sources of damping
1.4 Effects of damping on vibration response of structures
1.5 The measurement of structural damping
1.6 Composites
1.7 Objective
1.8 Proposed work plan
1.9 Scope of study
Chapter 2. Literature Review 15 - 37
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Gaps in the existing study
2.3 Methodology

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Chapter 3. Experimental Setup and Procedure 38 - 44
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Specimen preparation
3.3 Vibration test specimens and procedure
3.4 Three Point Bend Test Specimen and Procedure
3.5 Single Edge Notched Tension Test Specimen and Procedure
3.6 Izod Impact Specimen and Test Procedure
3.7 Charpy Impact Specimen and Test Procedure
Chapter 4. Investigation and Discussion on 45 - 56
the Damping Behavior of GFRP
Composite Subjected to Different
Liquid Environment
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Damping behaviour of untreated specimens
4.3 Effect of Seawater treatment on the damping

property of GFRP composite
4.4 Effect of Normal water treatment on the damping
4.5 Effect of Saline water treatment on the damping

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4.6 Comparative study of the damping behaviour of
GFRP composite treated with normal, sea and saline water.
Chapter 5. Investigation and Discussion on 57 - 72
Three Point Bend Testing of GFRP
Composite Subjected to Different
Liquid Environment.
5.1 Variation of Fracture toughness for untreated specimens
5.2 Effect of Seawater treatment on the Fracture
toughness of GFRP composite
5.3 Variation of damping with Fracture toughness for specimens
immersed in Seawater for different immersion times in bending.
5.4 Effect of Saline water treatment on the
Fracture toughness of GFRP composite
5.5 Variation of damping with Fracture toughness for
specimens immersed in Saline water for different
immersion times in bending.

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5.6 Effect of Normal water treatment on the
Fracture toughness of GFRP composite in bending.
5.7 Variation of damping with Fracture toughness for
specimens immersed in Saline water for different
immersion times in bending.
Chapter 6. Investigation and Discussion on 73– 106
Charpy Impact Energy Testing of
GFRP Composites Subjected to
Different Liquid Environment
6.1 Effect of normal water treatment on the Chaipy
impact energy of GFRP composites
6.2 Effect of Seawater treatment on the Charpy
6.3 Effect of Saline water treatment on the Charpy
6.4 Comparative study of the Charpy behavior of GFRP

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composite treated with normal, sea and saline water for 15 days
6.7 Comparative study of the Charpy behaviour of GFRP
6.8 Variation of damping with Charpy impact energy for
specimens immersed in Seawater for different immersion times
specimens immersed in Saline water for different immersion times
specimens immersed in Normal water for different

immersion times
Chapter 7. RESULTS 107 – 110
7.1 Discussion
7.1.1 Damping behavior of the GFRP composite
subjected to different liquid media
7.1.2 Variation of Damping with Fracture toughness of the
GFRP composite subjected to different liquid media in flexure
7.1.3 Variation of Damping with Charpy impact energy

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of the GFRP composite subjected to different liquid media
Chapter 8. Conclusion 111 – 113
8.1 Conclusion
8.2 Future Enhancement

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List of Figures
Chapter 1. Introduction
Fig. 1.1 Weave styles in Fabric 9
Fig 1.2 Notched specimens for determining the 12
fracture toughness of a material:
Fig 1.3 Typical load vs. crack opening displacement 12
(COD) records obtained in tension testing of notched specimens.
Fig 1.4 Schematic arrangements 13
Chapter 2. Literature Survey
Chapter 3. Experimental Setup & Procedure
Fig. 3.1 Vibration test specimen used in 39
damping analysis
Fig. 3.2 Schematic representation of experimental 40
setup used for dampingmeasurement
Fig. 3.3 Vibration test rig 40
Fig .3.4 SENB Specimen used for 3 point bend test 41
Fig. 3.5 Three point bend testing of the composite 41
specimen
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Fig.3.6 Configuration of Charpy test Specimen 43
Fig. 3.7 Impact testing machine 43
Chapter 4. Investigation and Discussion on the Damping Behavior of GFRP

Composite Subjected to Different Liquid Environments
Fig.4,1. Variation of damping factor with 45

fibre volume for untreated specimens.
Fig.4.2. Variation of damping factor 48
with fibre volume for specimens treated with sea water.
Fig.4.3. Variation of damping factor with 50
fibre volume for specimens treated with Normal water.
fibre volume for specimens treated with Saline water.
fibre volume for specimens treated with Sea,
normal and saline water for 15 days
normal and saline water for 30 days

normal and saline water for 45 days.


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normal and saline water for 60 days.
Chapter 5. Investigation and Discussion on Three Point Bend

Testing of GFRP Composite Subjected to
Different Liquid Environments
Fig.5.1. Variation of Fracture toughness with 61
fibre volume for specimens treated with Seawater in bending
Fig.5.2. Variation of Fracture tougliness 62
with damping for specimens immersed in Seawater
with different notch lengths and fibre volume in bending.
Fig.5.3. Variation of Fracture toughness 66
with fibre volume for specimens treated
with Saline water in bending.
Fig.5.4. (a)-(e) Variation of Fracture tougiiness 67
witli damping for specimens immersed in
saline water with different notch lengths and
fibre volume in bending.
Fig.5.5. Variation of Fracture toughness 71
witli fibre volume for specimens treated
witli Normal water in bending.
Flg.5.6. Variation of Fracture toughness 72
with damping for specimens immersed in
Normal water with different notch lengths

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and fibre volume in bending.
Chapter 6. Investigation and Discussion on Charpy Impact Energy Testing

of GFRP Composite Subjected to Different Liquid
Environments
Fig. 6.1 Variation of Charpy impact energy 76

with fibre volume for specimens treated with normal water.
Fig.6.2. Variation of Charpy impact energy 80
with fibre volume for specimens treated with Seawater,
with fibre volume for specimens treated with Saline water.
with fibre volume for specimens treated with
different mediums for 15 days.
Fig 6.7 Variation of Cliarpy impact energy 96

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Seawater with different notch lengths and fibre volume.
Saline water witli different notcti lengtiis and fibre volume.
Normal water with different

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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
Any motion that repeats itself after an interval of tme is called vibration or oscillation. Most human activities
involve vibration in one form or other. For example people hear because the eardrums vibrate and see
because light waves undergo vibration. Breathing is associated with the vibration of lungs and walking
involves oscillatory motion of legs and hands. In recent times, many investigations have been motivated by
the engineering applications of vibration, such as the design of machines, foundations, structures, engines,
turbines, and control systems. Most prime movers have vibrational problems due to the inherent unbalance
in the engines. The imbalance may be due to faulty design or poor manufacture. Imbalance in engines
causes groimd waves sufficiently powerfiil to create a nuisance in urban areas. The structures designed to
support heavy centrifugal machines, like motors and turbines, or reciprocating machines, like steam and
gas engines and reciprocating pimips, are also subjected to vibration. A turbine may fail due to blade and
disk vibration. In all these situations, the structure or machine component subjected to vibration can fail
because of material fatigue resulting from the cyclic variation of the induced stress. Furthermore, the
vibration causes more rapid wear of machine parts such as bearings and gears and also creates excessive
noise. In machines, vibration causes fasteners such as nuts to become loose. In metal cutting processes,
vibration can cause chatter, which leads to a poor surface finish. Whenever the natural frequency of
vibration of a machine or structure coincides with the frequency of the external excitation, resonance occurs
which leads to excessive deflections and failure. Because of the devastating effects that vibrations can have
on machines and structures, vibration testing has become a standard procedure in the design and
development of most engineering systems. Chapter 1 Introduction and background study In many
engineering systems, a human being acts as an integral part of the system. The transmission of vibration to
human beings resuhs in discomfort and loss of efficiency. The vibration and noise generated by engines
causes annoyance to people and, sometimes, damage to property. Vibration of instrument panels can cause
their malfunction or difficulty in reading the meters. Thus one of the important purposes of vibration study
is to reduce vibration through proper design of machines and their mountings.
1.2 Damping
Damping is the phenomenon by which mechanical energy is dissipated in dynamic systems. Knowledge of
the level of damping in a dynamic system is important in the utiUzation, analysis, and testing of the system.
For example, a device with natural frequencies within the seismic range and which has relativelylow
damping could produce damaging motions under resonance conditions when subjected to a seismic
disturbance. This effect could be further magnified by lowfrequency support structures and panels with low
damping. This example shows that knowledge of damping in constituent devices, components, and support
structures is important in the design and operation of complex mechanical systems. The nature and the
level of component damping should be known in order to develop a dynamic model of the system and its
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peripherals. Knowledge of damping in a system is also important in imposing dynamic enviromnental

limitations on the system. Furthermore, knowledge of a system's damping can be useful in order to make
design modifications in a system that has failed the acceptance test. Several types of damping are inherently
present in a mechanical system. If the level of damping that is available in this manner is not adequate for
proper functioning of the system then external damping devices may be added either during the original
design or during subsequent design modifications of the system. Three primary mechanisms of damping
are important in the study of mechanical systems. They are:
1. Internal damping (of material)
2. Structural damping(at joints and interfaces)
Chapter 1 Introduction and background study
3. Fluid damping (through fluid-structure interactions)
Internal (material) damping results from mechanical energy dissipation within the material due to various
microscopic and macroscopic processes. Structural damping is caused by mechanical energy dissipation
resulting from relative motions between components in a mechanical structure that has common points of
contact, joints or supports. Fluid damping arises from the mechanical energy dissipation resulting from drag
forces and associated dynamic interactions when a mechanical system or its components move in a fluid.
1.3 Sources of damping
The damping which occurs in structures can be considered to be either inherent damping, that is, damping
which occurs naturally within the structure or its environment, or added damping which is that resulting
from specially constructed dampers added to the structure.
1.3.1 Inherent damping
1.3.1.1 Hysteretic or material damping
All materials dissipate some energy diiring cyclic deformation. The amount may be very small, however,
and is linked to mechanisms associated with internal reconstruction such as molecular dislocations and
sfress changes at grain boimdaries. Such damping effects are non-linear and variable within a material so
that the analysis of such damping mechanisms is difficult. However, experimental measurements of the
behaviour of samples of specific materials can be made to determine the energy dissipated for various strain
levels. For most conventional structural materials the energy dissipated is very small. Because of this the
actual damping mechanisms within a given material are usually of limited interest, particularly in view of
the uncertainty of describing the actual mechanisms and the difficulty with carrying out a reasonable
theoretical analysis. In order to determine the energy dissipated within a material, hysteresis load extension
loops are usually plotted. The load extension hysteresis loops for linear materials and structures are elliptical
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under sinusoidal loading, and increase in area according to the square of the extension. Although loss factor
(measure of damping) Chapter 1 Introduction and background study of a material depends upon its
composition, temperature, stress and the type of loading mechanism used, an approximate value for loss
factor can be obtained.
1.3.1.2 Damping in structural joints
Most of the damping which occurs in real structures arises in the structural joints. However, even though
over 90% of the inherent damping in most structures arises in the structural joints, little effort is made to
optimize or even control this source of damping. This is because the energy dissipation mechanism in a
joint is a complex process which is largely influenced by the interface pressure. At low joint clamping
pressures sliding on a macro scale takes place and Coulomb's law of friction is assumed to hold. If the joint
clamping pressure increases, mutual embedding of the svirfaces starts to occur. Sliding on a macro-scale is
reduced and micro-slip is initiated which involves very small displacements of an asperity relative to its
opposite surface. A further increase in the joint clamping pressure will cause greaterpenetration of the
asperities. The pressure on the contact areas will be the yield pressure of the softer material. Relative motion
causes fiirther plastic deformation of the asperities. In most joints all three mechanisms operate, their
relative significance depending upon the joint conditions. The theoretical assessment of the damping that
may occur in joints is difficult to make because of the variations in frictional force that occurs in practice.
However, it is generally accepted that the friction force generated between the joint interfaces is usually:
1) Dependent on the materials in contact and their surface preparation;
2) Proportional to the normal force across the interface;
3) Substantially independent of the sliding speed and apparent area of contact;
4) Greater just prior to the occurrence of relative motion than during uniform relative motion.
The equations of motion of a structure with friction damping are thus non-linear. A very usefiil method is
to calculate an equivalent viscous damping coefficient such that the energy dissipated by the fiiction and
viscous dampers is the same.
1.3.1.3 Acoustic radiation damping
The vibrational motions of a structure will always couple with the surrounding fluid medium, such as air
or water, so that its response is affected. Generally this effect is very small so that this source of damping
is not usually large enough to be useful. There are exceptions, however, such as aircraft panels constructed
from thin lightweight stiffened structures, but for heavy machines and structures air is much too thin to
exert any significant pressure on the vibrating surfaces so that the damping from this source is negligible.
The damping effect of the surrounding fluid medium depends upon a number of parameters such as the
medium density and the mass and stiffiiess of the structure, accordingly, acoustic radiation damping is much
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higher in water or in oil than it is in air and this type of damping is far more effective for high frequencies
than low. The analysis of acoustic damping often leads to very complicated formulae which are difficult to
evaluate except in specific cases.
1.3.1.4 Aerodynamic damping
Energy can be dissipated by the air in which a structure vibrates. This can be important for low-density
structures with large motions. Most damping forces are of a retarding nature which acts against the motion
occurring, but situations can arise when the motion itself generates a force that encourages motion. When
this happens in a structure due to relative motion of the wind, negative aerodynamic damping or
aerodynamic instability occurs. There are several methods of aerodynamic excitation, which may be
considered to be negative damping, which induce structural vibration, such as buffeting by wind eddies or
wake turbulence from an upsfream body. The most dangerous unsteady forces are those that are cyclic since
the frequency of the fluctuating part may coincide with a natural frequency.
1.3.1.5 Otlier damping sources
In general the major sources of damping in a structure are within the joints and the structural material.
Occasionally, however, structures are required to work in environments that contribute significantly to the
total damping. For example, shiphulls benefit from the considerable hydrodynamic damping of the water:
this is true for all water immersed structures; and aerodynamic damping, though itself small, may be
important in lightly damped structures
1.4 Effects of damping on vibration response of structures
It is desirable for all structures to possess sufficient damping so that their response to the expected excitation
is acceptable. Increasing the damping in a structure will reduce its response to a given excitation. Thus if
the damping in a structure is increased there will be a reduction in vibration and noise, and the dynamic
sfresses in the structure will be reduced with a resulting benefit to the fatigue life. Naturally the converse is
also true. However it should be noted that increasing the damping in a structure is not always easy, it can
be expensive and it may be wastefiil of energy during normal operating conditions.
Some structures need to possess sufficient damping so that their response to internally generated excitation
is controlled: for example, a crane structure has to have a heavily damped response to sudden loads, and
machine tools must have adequate damping so that a heavily damped response to internal excitation occurs,
so that the cutting tool produces a good and accurate surface finish with a high cutting speed. Other
structures such as chimneys and bridges must possess sufficient damping so that their response to external
excitation such as cross winds does not produce dynamic stresses likely to cause failure through fatigue. In
motor vehicles, buildings and ships, noise and vibration transmission through an inadequately damped
structure may be a major consideration.

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1.5 The measurement of structural damping
It must be appreciated that in any structure a number of mechanisms contribute to the total damping.
Different mechanisms may be significant at different stress levels, temperatures or frequencies. Thus
damping is both frequency and mode dependent, both as to its mechanism and its magnitude, hi discussing
the effect of various variables on the total damping in a structure it is essential therefore to define all the
operating conditions. Sometimes it is not possible to measure the damping occurring in a structure on its
own. For example ships have to be tested in water, which significantly affects the total damping. However,
since the ship always operates in water, this total damping is relevant; what is not clear is how changes in
the structure will affect the total in-water damping; cargos may also have some effect. On the other hand, a
structure such as a machine tool can be tested free of liquids and workpiece; indeed the damping of each
structural component can be measured in an attempt to find the most significant source of damping, and
hence the most efficient way of increasing the total damping in the structure. In all the cases when damping
measurements are being carried out, a clear idea of exactly what is being measured is essential. It must be
noted that in some tests carried out the damping within the test system itself has, unfortunately, been the
major contributor to the total damping. The free-decay method is the most popular time-response method
that is used to measure damping. The logarithmic decrement represents the rate at which the amplitude of
a free-damped vibration decreases. The structure is set into free vibration by a shock load suc
h as impact hammer; the ftindamental mode dominates the response since all the higher modes are damped
out quite quickly. It not usually possible to excite any mode other than the fundamental using this method.
By measuring and recording the decay in the oscillation, the logarithmic decrement 5 is found. It is defined
as the natural logarithm of the ratio of any two successive amplitudes. The logarithmic decrement 6 can be
obtained as
δ=ln(x,/X2) — (1)
where x1 and X2 are any two consecutive amplitudes. For small damping (1) can be approximated:
δ=2πζ if ζ «l -— (2)
The logarithmic decrement is dimensionless and is actually another form of the dimensionless damping
ratio Once 8 is known, C, can be found by the following equation:
If the damping in the given system is not known, we can determine it experimentally by measuring any two
consecutive displacements xi and X2. By taking the natural logarithm of the ratio of x 1 and X2, we can

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obtain 6. By using (3) we can compute the damping ratio C,. In fact, the damping ratio C, can also be foimd
by measuring two displacements separated by any number of complete cycles. If x 1 and xm+i denote the
amplitude corresponding to times t1 and tm+1= t1+mτd where m is an integer, we obtain
'
1.6. Composites
A composite material is a materials system composed of a mixture or combination of two or more macro
constituents in form and/or material composition and that are essentially insoluble in each other. In
principle, composites can be constructed of any combinatin of two or more materials, whether metallic,
organic, or inorganic. Although the possible material combinations in composites are virtually unlimited,
the constituent forms are more restricted. Major constituent forms used in composite materials are fibers,
particles, laminae or layers, flakes, fillers and matrixes. The matrix is the body constituent, serving to
enclose the composite and give it its bulk form. The fibers, particles, laminae, flakes, and fillers are the
structural constituents; they determine the internal structure of the composite.
1.6.1 Classification of Composites
Several classification systems have been used for classification of composites. Some classify by basic
material combinations e.g.
(1) metal-organic or metal-inorganic,
(2) by bulk-form characteristics, e. g., matrix systems or laminates,
(3) by distribution of the constituents, e.g., continuous or discontinuous and
(4) by function, e.g., electrical
The classification system based on the form of the structural constituents is:
1. Fiber composites, composed of fibers with or without a matrix
2. Flake composites, composed of flat flakes with or without a matrix
3. Particulate composites, composed of particles with or without a matrix
4. Filled (or skeletal) composites, composed of a continuous skeletal matrix filled by a second material
5. Laminar composites composed of layer or laminar constituents. Composites are also classified based.

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On the matrix material used as follows:
1. Polymer matrix composites(PMC)
2. Metal matrix composites(MMC)
3. Ceramic matrix composites(CMC)
4. Carbon-carbon composites(CCC)
1.6.2. Reinforcement
The role of the reinforcement in a composite material is fundamentally one of increasing the mechanical
properties of the neat resin system. All of the different fibers used in composites have different properties
and so affect the properties of the composite in different ways. However, individual fibres or fiber bimdles
can only be used on their own in a few processes such as filament winding. For most other applications, the
fibers need to be arranged into some form of sheet, known as a fabric, to make handling possible. Different
ways for assembling fibers into sheets and the variety of fiber orientations possible lead to there being many
different types of fabrics, each of which has its own characteristics.
1.6.3. Types of Fibers
Fibers increase the modulus of the matrix material. The strong covalent bond along the fiber length gives
them a very high modulus in this direction, because to break or extend the fiber must also be broken or
moved. Fibre-reinforced composites are used in some of the advanced applications, and therefore it is most
expensive. The following sections give some of the most often used fibers in the manufacture of the
composites:
Glass fiber Fiber glass or glass fiber is a material made from extremely fine fibres of glass. It is used as a
reinforcing agent for many polymer products; the resulting composite material known as fibre-reinforced
polymer (FRP) or glass-reinforced plastic (GRP). Glass fibers are made of silicon oxide with addition of
small amounts of the oxides. By blending quarry products (sand, kaolin, limestone, and colemanite) at
1600°C, liquid glass is formed. The liquid is passed through micro fine bushings andsimultaneously cooled
to produce glass fiber filaments from 5-24^m in diameter. The filaments are drawn together into a strand
(closely associated) or roving (loosely associated), and coated with a "size" to provide filament cohesion
and protect the glass from abrasion. Glass fibers are characteristic for their high strength, good temperature
and corrosion resistance and low price. The two types of glass fibers commonly used in the fiber-reinforced
plastics (FRP) industry are E-glass and Sglass. Another type, known as C-glass, is used in chemical
applications requiring greater corrosion resistance to acids than is provided by E-glass. E-glass has the
lowest cost of all commercially available reinforcing fibers, which is the reason for its widespread use in
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the FRP industry. S-glass, originally developed for aircraft components and missile casings, has the highest
tensile strength among all fibers in use. However, the compositional difference and higher manufacturing
cost make it more expensive than E-glass. A lower cost version of S-glass, called S-2-glass, is also available.
Although S-2-glass is manufactured with less-stringent nonmilitary specifications, its tensile strength and
modulus are similar to those of S-glass. Also available is D-glass which has low dielectric constant with
superior electrical properties. It is available in limited quantities. Glass fibers are used as reinforcing
materials in many sectors like automotive, aerospace, marine, and sports. Aramid fiber Aramid fiber is a
man-made organic polymer (an aromatic polyamide) produced by spinning a solid fiber from a liquid
chemical blend. Aramid fibers are highly crystalline aromatic polyamide fibers that have the lowest density
and the highest tensile strength-to-weight ratio among the current reinforcing fibers. Kevlar 49 is the trade
name of one of the aramid fibers available in the market. As a reinforcement, aramid fibers are used in
many marine and aerospace applications where light weight, high tensile strength, and resistance to impact
damage (e.g.,caused by accidentally dropping a hand tool) are important. However, the fiber can degrade
slowly when exposed to ultraviolet light.
Carbon fiber
Carbon fiber is produced by the controlled oxidation, carbonization and graphitization of carbon rich
organic precursors which are already in fiber form. The most common precursor is polyacrylonitrile (PAN),
because it gives the best carbon fiber properties, but fibers can also be made from pitch or cellulose.
Variation of the graphitization process either high strength fibers (at 2600^C) or high modulus fibers (at
3000°C) with other types in between. Once formed, the carbon fiber has a surface treatment applied to
improve matrix bonding and chemical sizing which serves to protect it during handling. Carbon fiber has
the highest specific stifi&iess of any commercially available fiber, very high strength in both tension and
compression and a high resistance to corrosion creep and fatigue. Their impact strength however is lower
than either glass or aramid.
1.6.4. Fabric types
In polymeric composite terms, a fabric is defined as a manufactured assembly of long fibers of carbon,
aramid or glass, or a combination of these, to produce a flat sheet of one or more layers of fibers. These
layers are held together either by mechanical interlocking of the fibers themselves or with a secondary
material to bind these fibers together and hold them in place, giving the assembly sufficient integrity to be
handled. Fabric types are categorized by the orientation of the fibers used, and by the various construction
methods used to hold the fibers together. The four main fiber orientation categories are: Unidirectional,
Woven, Multiaxial, and Other/random.
Unidirectional fibers ,

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A unidirectional (UD) fabric is one in which the majority of fibers run in one direction only. A small amount
of fiber or other material may run in other directions with the main intention being to hold the primary
fibers in position, although the other fibers may also offer some structural properties. Some weavers of
0/90" fabrics term a fabric with only 75% of its weight in one direction as a unidirectional, while for others
the unidirectional designation only applies to those fabrics with more than 90% of the fiber weight in one
direction. Unidirectional usually have their primary fibers in the O*' direction (along the roll a warp UD)
but can also have them at 90° to the roll length (a weft UD). True unidirectional fabrics offer the ability to
place fiber in the component exactly where it is required, and in the optimum quantity. As well as this, UD
fibers are straight and uncrimped. This result in the highest possible fiberproperties from a fabric in
composite component construction. For mechanical properties, unidirectional fabrics can only be improved
on by prepeg unidirectional tape, where there is no secondary material at all holding the unidirectional
fibers in place. In these prepeg products, only the resin system holds the fibers in place.
Woven fabrics
For applications where more than one fiber orientation is required, a fabric combining 0° and 90° fiber
orientation is usefiil. Woven fabrics are produced by the interlacing of warp (0°) fibers and weft (90°) fibers
in a regular pattern or weave style. The fabric's integrity is maintained by the mechanical interlocking of
the fibers. Drape (the ability of a fabric to conform to a complex surface), surface smoothness and stability
of a fabric are controlled primarily by the weave style. The following is a description of some of the more
commonly found weave styles and are shown in fig. 1.1

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Chapter 1 Introduction and background study
Fig. 1.1 Weave styles in Fabric (a) Plain (b) TvtiU (c) Satin (d) Basket (e) Leno (f) Mock leno
• Plain weave
Each warp fiber passes alternately under and over each weft fiber. The fabric is symmetrical, with good
stability and reasonable porosity. However, it is the most difficult of the weaves to drape, and the high level
of fiber crimp imparts relatively low mechanical properties compared with the other weave styles. With
large fibers this weave style gives excessive crimp and therefore it tends not to be used for very heavy
fabrics.
• Twill weave
One or more warp fibers alternately weave over and under two or more weft fibers in a regular repeated
manner. This produces the visual effect of a straight or broken diagonal 'rib' to the fabric. Superior wet out

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and drape is seen in the twill weave over the plain weave with only a small reduction in stability. With
reduced crimp, the fabric also has a smoother surface and slightly higher mechanical properties.
• Satin Weave
Satin weaves are fundamentally twill weaves modified to produce fewer intersections of warp and weft.
The harness number used in the designation is the total nimiber of fibres crossed and passed under, before
the fibre repeats the pattern. A 'crow's foot' weave is a form of satin weave with a different stagger in the
repeat pattern. Satin weaves are very flat, have good wet out and a high degree of drape. The low crimp
gives good mechanical properties. Satin weaves allow fibres to be woven in the closest proximity and can
produce fabrics with a close tight weave. However, the style's low stability and asymmetry needs to be
considered. The asymmetry causes on face of the fabric to have fibre runningpredominantly in the warp
direction while the other face has fibres running predominantly in the wefl direction.
• Basket Weave
Basket weave is fundamentally the same as plain weave except that two or more warp fibres alternately
interlace with two or more weft fibres. An arrangement of two warps crossing two wefts is designated as
2X2 baskets, but the arrangement of fibre need not be symmetrical. Therefore it is possible to have 8X2,
5x4, etc. Basket weave is flatter, and though has less crimp, is stronger than a plain weave but is less stable.
It must be used on heavy weight fabrics made with thick fibre to avoid excessive crimping.
• Leno Weave
Leno weave improves the stability in open fabric which has a low fibre count. A form of plain weave in
which adjacent warp fibres are twisted around consecutive weft fibres to form a spiral pair, effectively
locking each weft in place. Fabrics in leno weave are normally used in conjunction with other weave styles
because if used alone their openness could not produce an effective composite component.
• Mock Leno Weave
A version of plain weave in which occasional warp fibres, at regular intervals but usually several fibres
apart, deviate from the alternate under-over interlacing and instead interlace every two or more fibres. This
happens with similar frquency in the weft direction, and the overall effect is a fabric with increased
thickness, rougher surface, and additional porosity.
1.6.5 Environmental Effects
The influence of environmental factors, such as elevated temperatures, high humidity, corrosive fluids, and
ultraviolet (UV) rays, on the performance of polymer matrix composites is of concern in many applications.
These environmental conditions may cause degradation in the mechanical and physical properties of a fiber-
reinforced polymer because of one or more of the following reasons:
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1. Physical and chemical degradation of the polymer matrix, for example, reduction in modulus due to
increasing temperature, volumetric expansion due to moisture absorption, and scission or alteration of
polymer molecules due to chemical attack or ultraviolet rays. However, it is important to note thatdifferent
groups of polymers or even different molecular configurations within the same group of polymers would
respond differently to the same environment.
2. Loss of adhesion or debonding at the fiber-matrix interface, which may be followed by diffusion of water
or other fluids into this area. In turn, this may cause a reduction in fiber strength due to stress corrosion.
Many experimental studies have shown that compatible coupling agents are capable of either slowing down
or preventing the debonding process even under severe environmental conditions, such as exposure to
boiling water.
3. Reduction in fiber strength and modulus. For a short-term or intermittent temperature rise up to 1508°C-
3008°C, reduction in the properties of most commercial fibers is insignificant. However, depending on the
fiber type, other envirormiental conditions may cause deterioration in fiber properties. For example,
moisture is known to accelerate the static fatigue in glass fibers. Kevlar 49 fibers are capable of absorbing
moisture from the environment, which reduces its tensile strength and modulus. The tensile strength of
Kevlar 49 fibers is also reduced with direct exposure to ultraviolet rays.
When exposed to humid air or water environments, many polymer matrix composites absorb moisture by
instantaneous surface absorption followed by diffusion through the matrix. Analysis of moisture absorption
data for epoxy and polyester matrix composites shows that the moisture concentration increases initially
with time and approaches an equilibrium (saturation) level after several days of exposure to humid
environment. The rate at which the composite laminate attains the equilibriummoisture concentration is
determined by its thickness as well as the ambient temperature. On drying, the moisture concentration is
continually reduced until the composite laminate returns to the original as-dry state, hi general, the rate of
desorption is higher than the rate of absorption, although for the purposes of analysis they are assumed to
be equal.
1.6.6 Fracture Behaviour and Damage Tolerance
The fracture behaviour of materials is concerned with the initiation and growth of critical cracks that may
cause premature failure in a structure. In fiber-reinforced composite materials, such cracks may originate
at manufacturing defects, such as microvoids, matrix microcracks, and ply overlaps, or at localized damages
caused by in-service loadings, such as subsurface delaminations due to low-energy impacts and hole-edge
delaminations due to static or fatigue loads. The resistance to the growth of cracks that originate at the
localized damage sites is firequently referred to as the damage tolerance of the material.• Crack Growth
Resistance

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Many investigators have used the linear elastic fi-acture mechanics (LEFM) approach for studying the crack
growth resistance of fiber-reinforced composite materials. The LEFM approach, originally developed for
metallic materials, is valid for crack growth with little or no plastic deformation at the crack tip. It uses the
concept of stress intensity factor Kj, which is defined as
Where, Kj =Mode I stress intensity factor (Mode I refers to the opening mode of crack propagation due to
an applied tensile stress normal to the crack plane)
Oo= applied stress
a =crack length
Y =geometric function that depends on the crack length, crack location, and mode of loading
The equation shows that the stress intensity factor increases with both applied stress and crack length. An
existing crack in a material may propagate rapidly in an unstable manner (i.e., with Httle or no plastic
deformation), when the Kj value reaches a critical level. The critical stress intensity factor, Kk, also called
the fracture toughness, indicates the resistance of the material to imstable crack growth. The critical stress
intensity factor of metals is determined by standard test methods, such as ASTM E399. No such standard
test method is currently available for fiber-reinforced composite materials.
Fig 1.2 Notched specimens for determining the fracture toughness of a material: (a) center notched, (b) single-edge
notched, and (c) double-edge notched.
Most investigators have used static tensile testing of prenotched straight-sided specimens to experimentally
determine the stress intensity factor of fiber-reinforced composite laminates. Three types of specimens,
namely, center-notched (CN), singleedge notched (SEN), and double-edge notched (DEN) specimens, are
conmionly used (Figure 1.6). Load vs. crack opening displacement records (Figure 1.7) obtained in these
tests are initially linear. However, they become increasingly nonlinear or even discontinuous as irreversible
subcritical damages appear in the vicinity of the notch tip. Since the load-displacement curve deviates fiôm
linearity, it becomes difficult to determine the load at which crack growth begins in an unstable manner.
The critical stress intensity factor calculated on the basis of the maximum load tends to depend on the notch

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size, laminate thickness, and laminate stacking sequence. Instead of using the maximum load, Harris and
Morris calculated the stress intensity factor on the basis of the load where a line drawn through the origin
with 95% of the initial slope (i.e., 5% offset from the initial slope) intercepts the load-displacement curve.
Physically, this stress intensity factor, denoted as K5, has been associated with the onset of significant notch
tip damage. Harris and Morris found the K5 value to be relatively insensitive to the geometric variables,
such as notch length, laminate thickness, and laminate stacking sequence, and called it the firacture
toughness of the composite material.
Fig 1.3 Typical load vs. crack opening displacement (COD) records
obtained in tension testing of notched specimens.
1.6.7 Impact Properties
The impact properties of a material represent its capacity to absorb and dissipate energies imder impact or
shock loading. In practice, the impact condition may range from the accidental dropping of hand tools to
high speed collisions, and the response of a structure may range from localized damage to total
disintegration. If a material is strain rate sensitive, its static mechanical properties cannot be used in
designing against impact failure. Furthermore, the fracture modes in impact conditions can be quite
different fix)m those observed in static tests. A variety of standard impact test methods are available for
metals (ASTM E23) and unreinforced polymers (ASTM D256). Some of these tests have also been adopted
for fiber-reinforced composite materials. However, as in the case of metals and imreinforced polymers, the
impact tests do not yield basic material property data that can be used for design purposes. They are useftil
in comparing the failure modes and energy absorption capabilities of two different materials under identical
impact conditions. They can also be used in the areas of quality control and materials development.

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• Charpy and Izod Impact Test
Charpy and Izod impact tests are performed on commercially available machines in which a pendulum
hammer is released from a standard height to contact a beam specimen (either notched or unnotched) with
a specified kinetic energy. A horizontal simply supported beam specimen is used in the Charpy test (Figure
1.8 (a)), whereas a vertical cantilever beam specimen is used in the Izod test (Figure 1.8(b)). The energy
absorbed in breaking the specimen, usually indicated by the position of a pointer on a calibrated dial
attached to the testing machine, is equal to the difference between the energy of the pendulum hammer at
the instant of impact and the energy remaining in the pendulum hammer after breaking the specimen.
Fig 1.4 Schematic arrangements for (a) Charpy and (b) Izod impact tests.
1.7 Objectives
The objectives of the current research work undertaken are as under:
1. To study the damping behaviour of GFRP composites by varying the fibre volume subjected to different
aqueous environments and different immersion times.
2. To evaluate the fracture toughness of GFRP composites using single edge notched bending (SENB) and
single edge notched tension (SENT) tests by varying the fibre volume subjected to different aqueous
environments and different immersion times.
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3. To study the variation of damping and fracture toughness using the data obtained in SENB and SENT
tests.
4. To evaluate the impact toughness of GFRP composites using Izod and Charpy tests by varying the fibre
volume subjected to different environmental conditions and durations.
5. To study the variation of damping with impact toughness using the data obtained in Izod and Charpy
tests.
1.8 Proposed Work Plan
Based on the above objectives, the study plan was to measure the damping of the glass fibre-reinforced
composites immersed in different aqueous environments for different soaking times using logarithmic
decrement method. Secondly, performing SENB and SENT tests using Universal Testing Machine on the
GFRP composites to evaluate the fracture toughness under different environmental conditions and
immersion periods and find its relationship with damping. Lastly, conducting Izod and Charpy tests on the
GFRP composites to evaluate impact properties under varied environmental conditions for different
immersion periods and find the variation of impact energy with damping.
1.9 Scope of Study
Glass fibre-reinforced composites are used in many onshore and offshore applications because of their
excellent corrosive resistant properties. Since these are subjected to severe environmental and dynamic
loading conditions during their service, their vibrational behaviour becomes very important for their design.
This study has been carried out to address this issue taking into consideration three environmental
conditions. The damping study made here gives an insight into the behaviour of the composite when
subjected to severe aqueous enviroimients which are very much essential for better design of composite
structures. Also the study focused on finding the variation of fi-acture toughness/impact energy with
damping. This study becomes imperative considering the importance of fracture mechanics in the design
of composites structures. The studies made here regarding the damping and fracture toughness/impact
energy can possible lead to establishing a relationship/correlation between the two parameter.

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CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
This chapter discusses about the past research work on environmental effects on vibration, Fracture
toughness and impact behavior of Glass fibre reinforced polymer composites, gap in the existing
study, proposed research plan, objectives, scope of study, methodology and outline of thesis.
2.1.1 Vibration analysis of GFRP composites
The following is the literature review on the vibration analysis of GFRP composites and in
particular the damping of GFRP composites:
R F Gibson et al. have investigated the effect of fibre aspect ratio, fibre spacing and the viscoelastic
properties of constituent materials on the damping property of discontinuous fibre-reinforced
polymer composites. They considered two analytical models to show the dependency of the above
stated parameters on the damping property of the composite. They showed that there is an optimum
fibre aspect ratio for maximum damping. They investigated that the optimum fibre aspect ratio is
between whiskers and microfibers when the damping is small and when the damping is large it
corresponds to continuous fibre reinforcement. The authors conclude that use of continuous fibres
along with discontinuous fibres in the composite to enhance damping as well as strength offers
unlimited design flexibility.
Theoretical prediction of material damping of short fibre-reinforced polymer matrix composites
subjected to off-axis loading was investigated by C T Sun et al.. The analysis was carried out using
finite element program capable of evaluating stress and strains along the length of the fibre. The
effect of fibre aspect ratio, loading angle, and stif&iess ratio on the damping of the composite was
investigated by them. Their investigations show that the damping increases with decrease in
loading angle and fibre aspect ratio.
Prediction of material damping of laminated polymer composites was carried out by C T Sun et
al.. They derive analytically the material damping using classical lamination theory. They have

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emphasized the dependency of material damping on fibre aspect ratio, stiffness ratio, and fibre
orientation. They observed that the damping and the stiffiiess of the laminate always behave in
opposite manners.
A method to predict the modulus and damping parameters by using the best theoretical and
experimental results available was proposed by R G Ni and R D Adams. The authors have
emphasized that the fibre volume and thickness calculations have great importance in predicting
the damping and modulus of the composite. They conducted experiments on composites made
from glass fibre in epoxy resin using two methods, hot compression moulding and vacuum
bagging. They conclude that specimens manufactured by hot compression moulding present better
results than vacuum bagging method for predicting dynamic mechanical properties of the
composite laminae.
The dynamic properties of carbon-glass fibre sandwich laminated composites were investigated
by R G Ni et al.. They conducted investigations on both composite hybrid beams and plates. They
used energy method for predicting the dynamic properties of hybrid beams and a finite element
analysis technique was used for predicting the mode shape, resonant frequency and damping of
the hybrid plates. They have shown that the effect of core material on the modulus and damping
of the hybrid composite was not large.
Evaluation of structural damping of complex structures, both experimental and theoretical was
carried out by M Marchetti et al.. Three types of composites were used to evaluate damping by the
authors viz. Gr/Ep, Kevlar/Ep and Glass fiber/Ep. The experimental data obtained was used to
correlate the energy dissipated in the composite to the lamination typology with analytical and
numerical study. They have concluded that for simple mode shapes the experimental data base
regarding the specific damping capacity can be used to evaluate the structural damping of plate
elements which fit the experimental ones. Also the authors conclude that the damping related to
the plate simplest modes can be used as structural damping in the finite element modelization of
large structures.

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Without increasing the mass of a plate and providing top-hat and rectangular stiffeners with
different cross-sectional configuration to increase the natural firequency was investigated by B
Attaf and L HoUaway. Design curves of fundamental frequency versus stiffener geometrical
configuration have been presented by the authors for various types of top-hat and rectangular
stiffeners, where the source for increasing frequency and reducing vibration amplitude levels, for
a specific firequency region, without introducing additional weight was considered.
Influence of fibre and matrix material as a fiinction of frequency on the damping loss factor of
glass/graphite epoxy composites was investigated by Roger M Crane and John W Gillespie Jr. The
composites fabricated were experimentally tested using impact excitation and their damping was
recorded by the authors. They found that the 90°glass/epoxy composites had higher loss factor
than graphite at fi-equencies greater than lOOHz while at low fi-equencies the graphite/epoxy had
a loss factor twofold greater than the glass/epoxy. They observed that glass/epoxy composites with
Oôrientation had loss factor which was greater than the graphite/epoxy over the entire range of
frequency. They have shown that glass composites had a loss factor that is greater than the
graphite/epoxy composites. Also the authors deduced that the damping of the composite was
relatively insensitive to specimen thickness.
Effect of fibre orientation and twist angle on the damping of turbine blade made of glass fibre
reinforced plastic material was studied by S Mohamed Nabi and N Ganesan. They have found
that the maximum frequency and maximum damping factor occur at different twist angles and at
different fibre orientations.
Numerical modeling of damping properties of laminated composites was carried out by R Rikards
et al.. They have developed an analytical mode based on the elastic-viscoelastic correspondence
principle to simulate the damping in multilayered composite materials. They conclude that the
results obtained were in good agreement with the references cited.
Study of damping of glass/carbon reinforced polymer composites was carried out by R D Adams
and M R Maheri. The effect of fibre orientation and aspect ratios on the damping was investigated

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by the authors. They have observed that the damping in low angle beams is relatively independent
of stress, and dependent on fibre angle.
Also they concluded that using basic plane stress relations for laminated composites and the
Adams-Bacon damping criterion, the specific damping capacity can be predicted with good
accuracy.
The effects of transverse shear deformation and fibre orientation on the fundamental fi-equencies
and damping characteristics of anisotropic laminates is investigated by K N Koo and I Lee. They
have shown that the fundamental fi-equencies and specific damping capacities are greatly
influenced by the fibre orientation as well as the length-to-thickness ratio. Authors observed that
the fundamental frequency decreases for every thickness of the laminates when the fibre
orientation increases and for a thin laminate the specific damping capacity increases with decrease
in frequency.
Vibration analysis of a three-layered composite plate with a viscoelastic mid-layer was carried out
by P Cupial and J Niziol. The natural frequencies and loss factors of a rectangular three-layered
plate with a viscoelastic core layer and laminated face layer was considered by the authors for
analysis. The equations of free vibration of the plate along with the boundary conditions were
derived by them. They have shown that the three-layered plate with high modulus composite faces
and highly damped viscoelastic mid-layer can have very good damping properties'.
Damping and dynamic analysis of composite structures embedded with viscoelastic layers was
carried out by Mohan D Rao et al.. The finite element and sfrain energy methods were used by the
authors to estimate the modal parameters. Seven types of beam configuration and three types of
commercially available damping materials were chosen for analysis by them. The effects of
temperature on the modal properties have been studied. They have observed that the resonant
frequency for the first four modes decrease with increase in temperature and including compliant
layer for increased damping will yield good results at higher modes.
Damping measurement and theoretical modeling of uni-directional glass/epoxy composite was
done by A S Hadi and J N Ashton. E-glass fibre with epoxy matrix was used by the authors for

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fabrication of the specimens with different fibre volume fractions. The authors also carry out
numerical analysis using finite element method to predict damping. They have observed that the
loss factor increases with decrease in the fibre volume and at each fibre orientation, loss and
storage module increased with increase in fibre volume fi-action.
Vibration analysis of orthogonal-woven fabric composites was carried out by Baoxing Chen and
Tsu-Wei Chou. Natural frequency equations and natural modes were obtained analytically by the
authors. They have shown that numerical solutions can be readily carried out for woven fabric
composites. Numerical results of the first ten natural fi-equencies for graphite/epoxy and
glass/polyester woven composites were also presented by the authors.
Damping evaluation of composites and composite structures was carried out by C Y Wei and S N
Kukureka. The authors used resonance technique for evaluation of the damping and elastic
properties of the composite. Pultruded glass fibre reinforced polymer composite specimens were
used by the authors for damping evaluation experimentally as well as theoretically. The
exponential fi-ee decay method and half power bandwidth methods were employed by them for
measurement of damping. They observed that the specimen dimensions have no influence on the
measured stif&iess and damping values within large range. They have concluded that the resonant
technique can be used as a reliable method for evaluation of dynamic behavior of composites and
high-damping, multi-element structures.
A mathematical model for multilayered composite beams using finite element analysis was
presented by A S Bassiouni et al.. The effect of changing the fibre orientation in the top and core
layers on the natural frequency was analyzed in the mathematical model by the authors. Also
experimental work was carried out by them to verify the theoretical model. They concluded that
the envelope layers have the main effect on the natural fi-equencies and changing the fibre
orientation of the envelope layers from 0° to 90° increases the natural frequencies by
approximately 55%. Also they have shown that vibration level can be controlled by increasing the
fibre orientation in the core layer.

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Theoretical and experimental damping analysis was carried out by Volnei Tita et al. on glass fibre
reinforced polymer composite. In the first part of their work a finite element analysis was carried
out to find the natural frequencies and mode shapes and in the second part of their work, an
experimental testing was done using impulsetechnique to calculate damping. They observed that
for the same geometry, mass and boundary conditions changing the stacking sequence yield
different natural frequencies and damping factor. They have concluded that the results associated
with finite element analysis can be used to estimate the natural frequency and mode shapes of
damped composite structures.
The influence of fiber orientations and stacking sequence on the damping behavior of glass-fiber
reinforced epoxy composites was investigated by V Tita et al.. Experimental and numerical
analysis using finite element method was done by them to study the damping behavior of the
composites. They found that changes in the laminate stacking sequences yield different dynamic
behavior of the composite for the same geometry, mass and boundary conditions and the FEM
results were in good agreement with the experimental results.
A comparative study of different damping models for fiber-reinforced composites was made by R
Chandra et al.. Analytical damping models proposed by various researchers were discussed by
them. The authors develop FEM models for glass fibre reinforced epoxy with various fibre volume
fractions for fibres having cylindrical and elliptical cross-section and subjected to different types
of loading conditions. The effect of micro geometry on the damping of the composite was also
studied by them. They have concluded that the longitudinal loss factor was independent of the
shape of the fibre and transverse loss factor was slightly affected by the aspect ratio for low to
moderate fiber volume.
Relation between damping and fatigue damage of unidirectional fibre composites was investigated
by Z Zhang and G Hartwig. Fibre glass reinforced epoxy and carbon fibre reinforced epoxy/PEEK
were considered for evaluation of damping by the authors. They have observed that the damping
property can be used to estimate the fatigue life of the composite and concluded that damping can
be recommended to evaluate damage process in composite materials than stiffness.

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Experimental evaluation of damping of glass fibre reinforced polymer composites was carried out
by R Chandra et al. using free decay method. They have considered three types of GFRP composite
specimens to determine the damping behavior. A beam specimen, tubular specimen and a cuboidal
specimen were used by them for damping evaluation. Six loss factors were determined
experimentally and verified analytically by the authors. They observed that for beam specimen the
loss factor increased with fibre angle from 0-45° and reduces thereafter up to 90° fibre angle and
there was reasonable matching of the theoretical and experimental results.
Damping study on fiber-reinforced composites was carried out by R Chadra et al.. The authors
calculated damping using FEM/strain energy method for two phase (fiber and matrix) and three
phase (fiber-interphase-matrix) composites. Comparison of damping calculated using finite
element/strain energy methods with other analytical model available was also made by the authors.
They found that the change in properties of fiber, matrix and interphase will lead to a change in
the magnitude of effectiveness of the interphase, but the manner in which the interphase would
affect the various loss factors depends predominately upon whether the hard or soft interphase is
chosen. They have concluded that loss factors of fiber-reinforced composites can be improved to
a great extent by incorporating highly damped interphases.
Damping of laminated composite sandwich cantilever beams with a viscoelastic layer was
investigated by Jong Hee Yim et al.. The authors carried out a theoretical analysis of damping of
a 0° laminated composite with a mid viscoelastic layer. The authors found that the material
damping increases with increasing thickness and decreasing length of the specimen and also it was
observed that thicker specimens were more sensitive than thinner ones to material damping.
Finally they have concluded that the composites having embedded viscoelastic layer gives better
damping properties than a composite without the viscoelastic layer.
Experimental and analytical evaluation of damping of unidirectional glass and Kevlar fibre
reinforced polymer composites was carried out by Jean-Marie Berthelot and Youssef Sefi-ani . A
cantilever beam test specimen and an impulse excitation technique were used by the authors to
determine the damping. The variation of damping as a function of fibre orientation has been

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analyzed by the investigators considering different damping models. They observed that the glass
fibre reinforced composite results had good agreement with both Ritz and other vibration models
and Kevlar reinforced composite results showed little deviation from the discussed models. Finally
authors concluded that the complex stuffiness model leads to a worse description of the
experimental results.
Evaluation of damping of glued laminated wood composite reinforced with glass fibre epoxy
polymer plates was carried out by M. Naghipour et al.. Different methods were used to calculate
the damping of composite by the investigators like logarithmic decrement, Hilbert transform,
moving block, and half band power method. They found that the Hilbert transform analysis
method, which is recommended by ASTM and often used to evaluate damping characteristics of
structures with a low damping ratio, could not accurately predict the damping ratio of the
composite beams. Also they have concluded that providing the GFRP composite as reinforcement
does not contribute significantly to damping of the composite.
Theoretical and experimental determination of damping of GFRP and CFRP polymer composites
carried out by C Kyriazoglou and F J Guild. The authors used finite element analysis using mass
proportional damping as numerical tool to predict the damping. They had concluded that by using
the methodology developed, damping data can be extracted for cases, where application of
continuum mechanics analytical solutions cannot provide reliable information. They have used
both unidirectional and woven fabric reinforcement for both the glass and carbon for investigation.
Longitudinal and transverse damping prediction of unidirectional fibre composites was carried out
by Jean-Marie Berthelot and Youssef Sefrani. The researchers developed theoretical models for
both transverse as well as longitudinal damping. Glass, carbon and Kevlar fibre reinforcement with
epoxy matrix were considered for prediction by the authors. The authors have emphasized that the
fibres also contribute significantly to composite damping. They have concluded that the damping
behaviors for fibres in both the longitudinal and transverse directions are different.
Damping characteristics of laminates were evaluated experimentally using beam specimens
subjected to an impulse input by Jean-Marie Berthelot et al.. Also theoretical prediction of

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damping for laminates, laminates with viscoelastic layers and sandwich materials is carried out
and compared with experimental results by the authors. The authors observed that the results
obtained by theoretical prediction were in close agreement with the experimental ones. They have
concluded that the modeling so considered can be applied to structures made of laminates,
laminates with interleaved viscoelastic layers, as well as sandwich materials.
The damping predicted by several composite laminate theories was compared by E K Billups and
M N Cavalli. The Adams-Bacon theory, Ni and Adams theory, Adams and Maheri theory and
Saravanos and Chamis theories were compared and their significance was discussed by the
authors. The authors presented several approaches to identify the performance envelope of a
specific laminate and to tailor properties such as specific damping capacity and the effective
stifGness. The investigators have concluded that the Saravanos and Chamis theory gives consistent
results with experimental results.
2.1.2 Environmental effects on damping of GFRP composites
The effect of moisture and temperature on the damping and stif & iess of laminated composites
made fi"om glass-epoxy and graphite-epoxy was investigated by Hacene Bouadi and C T Sun. The
effect of temperature and moisture on the matrix was determined by them experimentally. They
have formed that the hydrothermal environment has negligible effect on the epoxy matrix. There
analyses holds good for temperature limitation of 80°C temperature and 5% moisture content.
Dynamic properties of composite reinforced with glass and carbon fibres subjected to hot wet
conditions were investigated by R D Adams and M M Singh. They have used three types of
composites and subjected the composites to steam. The composites longitudinal shear modulus,
loss factor and inter laminar shear strength were measured along with moisture content. They
observed that both the glass fibre and carbon fibre reinforced composites experienced severe
degradation when exposed to steam along with good moisture absorption. The authors conclude
that the degradation of mechanical properties arose not only due to plasticization of the matrix, but
also from weakening of the fibre/matrix interface.

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Influence of fibre, temperature change direction, loading frequency, loading waveform, moisture
and stress level on the damping property of fibre-reinforced epoxy composites was investigated
by P Q Zhang et al.. Three fibres were used for the experimental analysis. They observed that
damping varies with different directions of temperature change and the influence of temperature
change direction on damping property at low temperature can be ignored through muhiple
temperature changes. They have found that the effect of changing loading waveform is not
significant in a large sample interval of temperature and the damping increased with increasing
moisture. Finally they conclude that the damping of composites is very sensitive to fibre volume
ratio, loading frequency, change of direction of temperature, moisture and stress levels.
The effect of temperature on the damping of polyethylene fibre composite was investigated by M
Colakoglu. Both the damping and natural frequency of the composite are measured under varied
temperatures ranging from -10° to 60°C by the author. The author has analyzed the natural
frequency of the composite using finite element method. The investigator observed that the natural
frequency decreases with increasing temperature and the damping factor has inverse relationship
with frequency.
Damping variation with temperature of unidirectional glass fibre reinforced polymer composites
was investigated by Youssef Sefi-ani and Jean-Marie Berthelot. The damping property was
analyzed as a fiunction of fibre orientation and temperature. They observed that near the glass
transition temperature of the matrix, the materials rapidly change their characteristics, becoming
highly soft and damped over a short temperature range.
Water absorption behavior of glass fibre-reinforced epoxy resin composites subjected to
accelerated ageing was studied by Dewimlle and Bunsell. They subjected the composites to
different temperatures in distilled water between 22-100°c. Water absorption and damage effect
was studied. They have found that water absorption rate was dependent on temperature above
40*'c and time. There investigations show the relation between the temperature and internal
damping of the composite.

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Dynamic mechanical analysis of glass/polyester composites exposed to seawater was carried out
by Huang Gu. The investigations were carried out by subjecting the composite to seawater
environment for 120 days and evaluating its mechanical properties. The author found that the
tensile strength and storage modulus of the composite decreased with increase in immersion period
while damping increased with increase in immersion time. The increase in damping and decrease
in tensile strength were ascribed for degradation of the fibre-matrix interphase.
2.1.3 Fracture to ugliness and impact properties of GFRP composites

The inelastic behavior, damage fatigue and fracture aspects of composite materials were reviewed
by George J Dvorak. The tensile and compressive strength, transformation and residual fields,
plasticity and viscoplasticity, damage, delamination and fracture aspects of fibrous composites
were reviewed. He suggests that environmental effects caused by moist or hot environments need
to be contained at structural surfaces and prevented from degrading the properties and integrity of
the composite material inside the structure. He concludes by outlining the future needs of research
work in the field of composites.
A review of different aspects of interlaminar Fracture toughness like test methods, analysis of test
results and the applicability of polymer composites was discussed by N Sela and O Ishai. Also
methods for effectiveness of composite toughening were discussed. They had observed that the
interlaminar fracture toughness in mode I is well determined by DCB testing provided there is no
fibre bridging driving testing. Other methods of mode 11 and mixed mode testing were also
discussed along with damage tolerance testing.
Recent developments on experimental aspects of fracture toughness of fibre reinforced polymer
composites in Mode I and Mode II were discussed by A J Brunner. Experimental aspects of
developing tests for fracture toughness like crack starter, identification of the value at which
delamination growth initiates, analysis of data from fracture toughness tests etc., were discussed
in detail by the author. Also discussed were the experimental aspects of fracture toughness tests
like scope of tests, consideration of cost, interpretation of results etc.

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Fracture toughness and impact behavior of glass-fibre reinforced polyamide injection mouldings
was investigated by M Akay et al.. They considered long glass fibres and short glass fibres for
evaluation of Fracture toughness and were compared. For Fracture toughness testing mode 1
compact tension specimens were used. For impact testing, drop weight impact testing was done.
Impact properties in terms of the crack initiation force and the total energy arising from initiation
and propagation was considered by them. They observed that the addition of fibres to matrix
increased the Fracture toughness of the composites and there was no much improvement in the
Fracture toughness values of the long fibre reinforced composites. The authors conclude that the
impact crack initiation force and total energy values increased by 25-37% and 300-600% by the
inclusion of glass fibres, respectively.
Interlaminar Fracture behavior characterization of woven fabric reinforced polymer composites
were investigated by Youjiang Wang and Dongming Zhao. Glass and Kevlar fibres in the form of
fabric woven in different styles were used by them for the experimental work. The double
cantilever beam specimens were used to assess mode I Fracture behavior of the composites. The
investigators have observed that the structure of the reinforcement had a stronger influence on the
toughness than the type of fibre in the fabric and significant increase in the values of toughness
was also observed by adding microfibers to the matrix.
Experimental investigation on glass fibre/epoxy composites to find the influence of fibre cross-
sectional aspect ratio on mechanical properties like interlaminar Fracture toughness and impact
properties were carried out by Shiqiang Deng et al.. Short beam shear test, DCB test, end-notched
flexure test and Charpy impact tests were conducted by them to calculate mode I and mode II
interlaminar Fracture toughness, interlaminar shear strength and impact properties. They have
observed that due to extensive fibre overlapping large fibre contact areas occurs and these are the
weak places for delamination. It was also shown that the composites with large cross-sectional
aspect ratios have greater tendency to delaminate rather than the conventional round fibre
composites. Also they have concluded that the energy absorbing capacity of the composites with

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glass fibres of large cross sectional aspect ratio was more than the conventional composites with
round fibres.
Effect of fibre content on the interlaminar fracture toughness of unidirectional glass fibre/
polyamide composites was investigated by J H Chen et al.. Double cantilever beam test was
performed by them to assess the mode I interlaminar fracture toughness of the composite. They
have observed that the value of Gic in stable propagation was high and have concluded that the
value of Gic at the point at which crack propagation is observed visually and the value of Gic
corresponding to the point on the load-displacement curve at which the compliance is increased
by 5% of its initial value exhibit no correlation with the fibre volume content in the range of 21%-
39%.
The influence of fibre volume fi-action on mode III interlaminar fi-acture toughness of glass fibre
reinforced polymer composites was investigated by X Li et al.. Edgecracked torsion specimen was
used by them for testing the toughness of the composites. They have observed that there was a
large increase in the mode toughness with decrease in fibre volume fi-action and have concluded
that the higher initiation fracture toughness for the low fibre volvime fraction composite was due
to the increased matrix volume allowing for increased plastic deformation energy dissipation of
the matrix resin prior to macroscopic crack propagation.
The effect of fibre spacing on the mechanical response and fracture properties of glass fibre
reinforced polymer composite was investigated by K M Gaffiiey and J Botsis. Two specimens
with single layer and multilayer reinforcements were tested using remote tensile longitudinal loads
and compact-tension configuration respectively by them. They have observed that the nonlinear
deformation behavior of the composite may be due to weak fibre/matrix interface and have
concluded that the results presented in the study may be very usefiil in characterizing the influence
of various length parameters on deformation and strength of various heterogeneous\as materials.
A review of impact resistance of composite materials was done by W J Cantwell and J Morton.
Different methods of impact testing techniques for composite materials like low velocity and high

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velocity impact testing were discussed by them. The effect of fibre, matrix, interphase, stacking
sequence, rate and geometry on the impact resistance of composite materials were also presented.
Investigations into the impact resistance and damage characteristics of glass fibre reinforced
polyester resin composites were carried out by T W Shyr and Pan Y H. Non-crimp fabric, woven
fabric and discontinuous nonwoven mat were used to understand the efficiency of impact
resistance using low velocity impact tests. Drop weight test was used for evaluation. They have
found that the layer number is one of the important parameters for the energy-absorbing
mechanism in laminated composites and have concluded that the non-crimp fabric is a good
reinforcement which can be used for increasing the impact resistance property.
Experimental investigation on the dynamic response of E-glass/epoxy composite laminates imder
low velocity impact was done by M Uyaner and M Kara. Unidirectionally reinforced glass/epoxy
laminates were used to study the impact response under different impact velocities. The effect of
size of the samples on the absorbed energy and the peak force were investigated, they have
observed that the peak force increases with increase in the width of the specimen. Also included
in the paper was an analysis on damage of the composites.
Low-velocity impact response along with dynamic response of glass-resin composites was
investigated by P Raju Mantena et al.. The specimens were made from cutting sheet molding
compound. Drop weight impact test and dynamic mechanical analysis were carried out to study
the impact and dynamic response. They have concluded that the dynamic mechanical analysis and
vibration techniques were not effective in providing any meaningful impact correlation.
Impact compressive properties of plain woven glass cloth polymer composites were investigated
by A M A El-Habak. The testing was carried out at various impact speeds for two types of fibre
treatment viz. size and finish using the split Hopkinson pressure bar apparatus. Polyester, vinyl
ester and epoxy matrices were considered by the author for the experimental analysis. The author
observes that the composites based on vinyl ester matrix showed highest strength. Also it was
shown that the GFRP composites were slightly sensitive to the rate of loading, regardless of the
number of layers and the fibre treatment. He has concluded that the impact properties are

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independent of the reinforced fibre treatments but are dependent on resin type and the fibre volume
fraction.
2.1.4 Environmental effects on dynamic properties and water absorption characteristics of
GFRP composites
Mechanical and thermal properties of E-glass fibre reinforced composites at room temperature
were investigated by L L Clements and R L Moore. Three different fibre volume percentages were
considered for the fabrication of the composites. They have found that changes in volume
percentage of fibre produce no great changes in either the mechanical or thermal properties. The
investigations show that mechanical properties alter for the same composites produced in different
batches.
Water absorption behavior of glass fibre reinforced epoxy resin composite subjected to accelerated
ageing was studied by B Dewimille and A R Bunsell. They subjected the composites to different
temperatures in distilled water between 22- 100°C and their water absorption and damage was
studied. Their analysis shows that the absorption rate is only dependent on temperature above 40°C
and time. Also they have found that higher temperatures induce damages in the composite and
changes the internal damping values of the composite.
Woven fabric fibre reinforced poly etherimide composites subjected to hydro thermome chemical
aging was investigated by R Zenasni et al.. The authors studied the fi-acture behavior using mode
I and mode II testing using DCB and ENF specimens. There investigations show the dependency
of fi-acture behavior on the fabric type. They have found that when subjected to hygrothermal
aging the twill weave fabric composites experienced loss in the delamination energy than the satin
weave fabric composites in mode I.
The effect on the mechanical properties of unidirectional glass fibre reinforced polymer and carbon
fiber reinforced polymer composite laminates of soaking in salt water and distilled water until
saturation weight gain was studied by S K Rege and S C Lakkad. Flexural strength, compressive
strength and interlaminar shear strength were found. Authors found maximum reduction in flexural

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strength than other properties. This paper establishes strong dependency of salt concentration on
mechanical properties.
Water uptake and effects of water uptake on the fatigue life and residual strength of chopped strand
mat/polyester laminate composite was investigated by B Ellis and M S Found. Both neat resin and
reinforced resin were immersed in water and the effects of water sorption on the tensile static
strength and fatigue properties of the laminate were determined. They have found that there was
an increase in residual strength of the soaked laminates after fatigue cycling.
The kinetics of water absorption for an unsaturated resin and glass fibre-reinforced laminates over
a temperature range was investigated by G Pritchard and S D Speake . The duration flf-immersion
considered by the authors was up to three years at temperatures in the range of 30 to 100°C.
Mechanical properties like tensile strength and Young's modulus were determined before and after
immersion. The investigators have found that the residual mechanical properties are functions of
true absorbed water content.
The effect of temperature and loading rate on the strength and toughness of injection moulded
short fibre polymer composites was investigated by C Lhymn and J M Schultz]. Compact tension
specimens were used for toughness testing. The samples were immersed in water for 24 hours.
There investigations show that the toughness varies with temperature and strain-rate.
The effect of moisture on mode II fi'acture toughness of glass, carbon and aramid fibre reinforced
epoxy composites was investigated by S Kenig et al., The composite specimens were subjected to
cyclic fatigue loading and moisture at 50°C. They have formed that strain energy release rates,
Gnc varied with moisture level absorbed by the matrix.
Effect of moisture on the interfacial strength of polymeric matrix composites was investigated by
W L Bradley and T S Grant. Seven composite material systems were studied to find the amount
of moisture absorbed. Interfacial shear strength was also determined for three systems. They have
formed that composites subjected to distilled water showed greater moisture absorption than other
specimens. Also they found that degradation of certain composite is associated with decrease in
the interfacial strength rather than the matrix mechanical properties.

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Water uptake behavior of composites involving different matrix materials viz. phenolic, polyester
and vinylester reinforced with glass fibres was investigated by E P Gellert et al.. They have found
that water uptake was more in phenolic GFRP's than other composites. They also investigated the
water absorption effect on different mechanical properties like flexural strength, ILSS and creep.
Unloaded polyester and vinylester GRP's showed decrease in flexural strength as immersion period
increased while phenolic GRP's exhibited initial decrease in strength when approximately
saturated with no further decrease with increase in immersion time.
Moisture effect on flexural strength, interlaminar shear strength and impact energy of Aluminium
tri-hydrate and polyethylene particles filled and unfilled glass fibre reinforced epoxy vinylester
resin composites was investigated by V K Srivastava. The author found that the flexural strength,
interlaminar shear strength and impact energy of GFRP composites increases with the addition of
filler particles. Also the inclusion of filler particles increased the moisture content. He had
concluded that the Aluminium tri-hydrate filled GFRP composites exhibited increased values of
flexural strength, interlaminar shear strength and impact energy than the polyethylene filled and
unfilled composites.
The influence of matrix solvent content and reinforcing materials on moisture uptake was
investigated by F U Buehler and J C Seferis. Glass and carbon fabrics were used as reinforcement
with epoxy matrix. The laminates were tested before and after exposition to water until saturation.
They found that the mode I interlaminar fracture toughness of glass fibre reinforced composites
decreased upon water uptake while the carbon fibre materials showed increase in Gic under the
same conditions. Mode 11 interlaminar fracture toughness as well as flexural modulus and flexural
strength were observed to decrease upon water absorption and to recover slightiy after water
desoiption.
The fi^cture behavior of short glass fibre reinforced rubber toughened poly butylenes terephthalate
(PBT) composites was studied by Z A Mohd Ishak et al.. The effect f fibre content, testing
temperature, deformation rate and hygrothermal aging on the i-acture behavior was investigated
by them. They have found that the fi-acture behavior of PBT composites is strongly determined

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by both internal and external parameters. Also hygrothermal aging caused moisture attack
physically or chemically depending upon the immersion temperatures. They have concluded that
the combination of short glass fiber and core shell rubber impact modifiers produced synergistic
effect on the performance of PBT when subjected to hygrothermal aging.
Change in mechanical properties of braided composites immersed in hot water was investigated
by A Nakai et al.. Glass fibre reinforcement with epoxy matrix was used for fabrication of the
specimens. The specimens were immersed in hot water at 80°C and both the mechanical and
immersion tests were performed. Numerical analysis using finite element method was also
performed to quantify the effects of degradation of interfaces. They have shown that the interface
around a fibre bundle has a considerable effect on the tensile properties of braided composites.
Finally they have concluded that the effects of degradation process on the mechanical properties
of braided composites are dependent on the interphase degraded: around or inside the fibre bxmdle.
Environmental aging effects on mechanical properties of bamboo-glass fibre reinforced polymer
matrix hybrid composites was studied by Moe Moe Thwe and Kin Lia . Two types of composites
were fabricated; one using short bamboo fibre and other combination of bamboo and glass fibres
in polypropylene matrix and their mechanical properties were evaluated. Tensile test, flexural test
and immersion test was done on the composites. They have shown that increasing the fibre glass
content in the bamboo glass fibre reinforced composite, there was an increase in the tensile
modulus and tensile strength. Also they observed that environmental resistance of bamboo fibre
reinforced composites can be improved by inclusion of glass fibres.
Effect of seawater on glass fibre/polyester/vinylester and carbon fibre/polyester/vinylester was
investigated by A Kootsookos and A P Mouritz . The behaviors of the two composites were
compared. Glass fibre reinforced composite absorbed more moisture than carbon fibre composites.
This is attributed to the reason that the sizing agent used on the reinforcement caused more water
absorption. Further they investigated that the degradation was less in the case of glass/vinylester
and carbon/vinylester when compared to the other composites made up of polyester resin matrix.
Also they found that mode I interlaminar fi-acture toughness of the composites was not affected

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significantly by seawater immersion, although the flexural stiffiiess and strength decreased with
increasing amounts of water absorption.
Polymer composites subjected to elevated temperatures and seawater environment was
investigated by David R Veazie et al.. E-glass/vinylester facesheet and closed-cell polyvinyl
chloride (PVC) core sandwich composites were fabricated and their interfacial fracture toughness
was tested. Analytical method using double cantilever beam was also used to calculate the strain
energy release rate. They have found that the strain energy release rates were greatly reduced
(90%) due to hot/wet and hot/dry exposures and also the elevated temperature has significant effect
on core degradation, whereas sea-water exposure has greatest degradation effect on facesheet/core
interface of the composite.
Effect of moisture on the mechanical properties of GFRP composite tubular specimens was
investigated by EUyin F and Rachel Maser. The specimens were soaked in distilled water for four
months at normal room temperature and at 50°C. They have found that moisture absorption was
more in the case of specimens subjected to higher temperature inmiersed in distilled water. They
observed that the strength of the composite at 50°C was foimd to be lower than specimens at room
temperature.
Water aging effects on the interphase region and interlaminar fracture toughness in polymer-glass
composites was investigated by A Hodzic et al.. Two types of composites using phenolic and
polyester resins were tested using double cantilever beam test by them. Nano-hardness test and
Nano-scratch test were also performed. They have found that the fracture toughness value was
strongly influenced by properties of the interphase region. Also they observed that there was strong
correlation between the fracture toughness and the interfacial debonding. They have concluded
that the degradation of interface bond strength was mainly responsible for the decrease in the
initiation of Gic value.
Gu Huang et al. investigated the effect of water absorption on the mechanical properties of glass
polyester composites. An increase in the bending strength was observed for composites made of
glass fibre/polyester after immersion in distilled water up to 21 days at 30°C. The increase in

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bending behavior was attributed to the penetrated water molecules making the composite more an
entirety and decrease in tensile strength was due to degradation of composites.
The effect of long-term immersion on glass fibre reinforced composite material subjected to stress
corrosion in a saline medium was studied by F Segovia et al. Unsaturated polyester resin with E-
glass fibres was used to fabricate the specimens. The specimens were immersed in artificial
seawater with a salt concentration of 5%for a period of a maximum of 36000 hours and their
ultimate strength, elastic modulus, and specific fracture energy were determined. They have found
that there was decrease in the specific fracture energy by 40% with prolonged immersion along
with reduction in other properties. They have concluded that the reduction in the properties is
mainly due to the degradation of the matrix-fiber bonding.
Accelerated degradation of glass fibre reinforced polymer rebar in alkaline solution and water is
analyzed by Jong-Pil Won et al.. Tensile testing and micro structural analysis were done on the
specimens. The immersion period was 300 days. They have observed that the tensile strength
decreased significantly as the temperature of the alkaline solution increased. They also found that
the specimens soaked in the alkaline solution experienced severe degradation than the specimens
immersed in tap water which experienced negligible degradation.
Glass/polyester composites behavior subjected to distilled water was investigated by Huang Gu
and Sun Hongxia. Plain weave glass fabric with polyester resin was used to fabricate the composite
test specimens. The specimens were immersed in distilled water and the temperature was
maintained at a constant value of 29°C. They observed that the bond strength of the composite
increased with increase in immersion time and the reason for this increase was attributed to the
water molecules penetrating into the composite.
Impact of seawater and tap water on the durability of GFRP composite was studied by Saud
Aldajah et al.. Flexural test, SEM microscopic examination and analytical analysis were performed
and the test specimens and their behaviors were studied. They have observed that the specimens
immersed in seawater experienced pronounced degradation that the specimens soaked in tap water
and this was also confirmed by the analytical method.

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Behavior of glass fibre/unsaturated polyester composites under seawater environment were

investigated by Huang Gu. The specimens were fabricated using vacuum assisted resin infiision
technique. Tensile test and flexural tests were performed on the test specimens. The seawater used
was an artificial one with salinity around 3.5%. The testing was done at regular intervals of time
up to a maximimi of 120 days. He concluded that the bending and tensile strength of the composite
reduced significantly with increase in the immersion period. This decrease was attributed to the
degradation of the composite when immersed in water.
Environmental durability of glass fibre composites was reviewed by Carol L Schutte. The effect
of environment on the properties of glass fibres, matrix and interphase were discussed and
reviewed. Also the effects of environment on the macroscopic mechanical properties of the
composites were reviewed.
The water absorption behavior of unidirectional glass/epoxy laminates was investigated by K A
Kasturiarachchi and G Pritchard under hygrothermal conditions in both stressed and firee state.
They have found that water uptake behavior was not affected by stressing the specimen. A
degradation process was postulated to explain the changes found in the composite specimens.
Thomson JL investigated the effect of voids on the water absorption behavior of glass fibre-
reinforced epoxy resin composites. Different matrix and fibre materials were used to fabricate
composites. Effects of fibre coatings on the water absorption behavior have been investigated. He
found that there was no dependency of water absorption kinetics on the use of fibre coatings. He
has concluded that the major factor influencing water uptake in glass fibre-reinforced epoxy
composites is the void content in the composite and type of matrix system used.
Water diffusion process in to glass fibre/epoxy composites was investigated by C Suri and D
Perreux. The composites were immersed in demineralized water at 600C. Their diffusion behavior
was predicted using two models of diffusion viz. Pick's and Langmuir's. They have found that
Pick's law was unable to predict the absorption better than Langmuir model. Also they have
observed that damaged material absorbs water more quickly and contains more water at saturation.

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The effect of resin chemical structure on the water ageing of glass fibre reinforced polyester based
composites was investigated by A Apicella et al.. Isophthalic, vinylester, bisphenol A and
bisphenol B were used as resin materials and were reinforced with glass fibre mat and chopped
fibres. The water absorption behavior was studied at 20 and 90°C along with their mechanical
properties. They have concluded that the ageing characteristics of polyester resins and their
composites were governed by chemical as well as physical properties of the composites.
Accelerated environmental ageing study of polyester/glass fibre reinforced composites was carried
out by Dionysis E Mouzakis et al.. Polyester reinforced with random glass fibre mat was used for
preparation of the specimens and these were subjected to elevated temperature, humidity and UV
radiation. Dynamic mechanical analysis was done to assess different mechanical properties. They
have observed that the matrix got more stiffened due to exposure to UV radiation, temperature and
humidity. Interfacial degradation was also observed for the composite materials because of the
expansion of water molecules at the interface combined with hydrolysis.
The effect of aqueous environment and temperature on glass-fibre reinforced epoxy composite
was investigated by F EUyin and C Rohrbacher. Three groups of environmental conditions were
investigated: the first group was immersed in distilled water in room temperature, the second group
was immersed in hot distilled water and kept at a temperature of PO^C and the third group was
kept in a dry chamber and all the specimens were tested for absorption behavior and mechanical
properties. They have foimd that the rate of moisture absorption is highly dependent on the
immersed water temperature and the mechanical properties of the composite laminates were not
appreciably affected by moisture absorption at temperatures below 35°C. They have inferred that
the elevated temperature leads to decrease in the interface strength of the composite.
The influence of aqueous environment, temperature and cyclic loading on glass-fibre reinforced
epoxy composites was studied by EUyin F and Rohrbacher C. Three types of laminate geometries,
cross-ply, multi-directional and angle-ply were investigated. These laminates were immersed in
distilled water at ambient and at 90°C. Also fatigue tests were performed under a loaA control
mode. They have observed that the amount of moisture absorption depends on the temperature of

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the irmnersed water and there was no saturation reached in the case of specimens at 90 C. Also
they found that fatigue strength of specimens at room temperature was slightly below that of the
dry specimens. They have concluded that the high temperature has a deleterious effect on the
behavior of fibre-reinforced polymer matrix composites.
2.2 Gaps in the existing study

Damping evaluation of the glass fibre reinforced composites using different techniques has been
attempted by several investigators. Many researchers have given theoretical and experimental
methods for the measurement of damping. The authors have studied the damping variation with
temperature and moisture for a shorter exposure. The damping of the composites is a complex
phenomenon and its behavior in different service conditions needs to be evaluated for better
design. The literature review reveals that no work has been done to evaluate damping of
composites under varied environmental conditions. The investigations made by several researchers
on damping variation with temperature and moisture are inadequate to predict the damping
behavior of the composites in different service conditions. Hence an impressing need was felt to
study the damping behavior of GFRP composites subjected to different aqueous media for longer
detonations of immersion. The first hold of the work focuses on the evaluation of damping of
GFRP composites subjected to different environmental conditions.
Composites are widely used in different environments during their service and it is very essential
to know their fi-acture behavior under those service conditions for their safe design. The literature
review regarding the fi-acture behavior of composites show that, most of the investigations done
are on the evaluation of interlaminar fi'acture toughness and its variation with change in loading
rate, fibre volimie, stacking sequence, matrix material etc. Very few investigators have
concentrated on the evaluation of fracture toughness with change in moisture content. No research
has been done to evaluate the fi-actxjre toughness under different environmental conditions and
long term exposure to moisture. It is very much required to know the firacture behavior of the
composites when it is subjected to different aqueous media for longer duration of time for

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predicting the failure. In the second hold of the work, investigations were carried out to evaluate
the fi-acture toughness of GFRP composite when exposed to different liquid environments for
longer duration.
Also composites are subjected to dynamic loading in their service apart from static loading. It
becomes necessary to evaluate the dynamic properties of the composites to predict their behavior.
Low velocity impact testing can predict reasonably well, the dynamic properties of the composites.
From the literature it can be observed that no work has been done to evaluate impact properties of
composites when subjected to different environmental conditions. The previous investigations
under took by the researchers are insufficient to evaluate the dynamic behavior of the composites
when the service conditions change. The hold of the work concentrates on the evaluation of
dynamic fracture toughness of GFRP composites subjected to different environmental conditions
for longer soaking periods.
The study of variation of damping with fracture toughness/impact toughness may provide some
insight in to the dynamic behavior of the composites. The variation of damping with fracture
toughness/impact toughness has not been investigated so far. The second and third holds of the
work also investigates the variation of fracture toughness/impact toughness with damping
2.3 Methodology
The study is mostly experimental in nature and makes use of the instruments/equipments which
are well established for testing of composites especially for finding fracture toughness and impact
behavior. For damping measurement, a separate test setup was developed and the composites were
immersed in different media and tested on the apparatus developed. The immersion of the
composites was in three plastic chambers containing natural seawater, tap water and saline water
maintained at room temperature. The second stage consists of getting the fracture toughness values
using SENB and SENT tests. ASTM standards were used and tested accordingly in both the tests.
Here also the composites were soaked in three different media in the chambers explained above

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and were tested at regular intervals of time. The values obtained were used to study the variation
of damping with fracture toughness. In the third and final stage to study the variation of impact
behavior with damping of the composites subjected to different environments, Izod and Charpy
test were performed according to ASTM standards. The data obtained using impact testing was
used to study the variation of damping with the impact energy in both the tests.

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CHAPTER 3
EXPERIMENTAL SETUP AND PROCEDURE

3.1 Introduction
In this research work experimental analysis was carried out to study the vibration and fracture behavior of
GFRP composite under varied environmental conditions. Also experimental studies were conducted to
study the variation of the damping behavior of the composites with fracture toughness in bending, and
tension, and with impact energy using both Izod and Charpy tests. All the test specimens were soaked in
three different liquid media viz. Seawater, normal water and saline water to assess the vibration and fracture
behavior of the composites. Five different types of composites were fabricated by varying the fibre voliime
and all were subjected to different liquid environments. The effect of the service environments on these
composites was evaluated. The experimental work and analysis carried out as a part of this research work
is discussed in this chapter. Natural seawater from the sea was collected and used for soaking the specimens.
The saline water used for soaking was the liquid containing sodium chloride of 0.9gm per 100ml of water
used for medical applications. The normal water was the water collected directly from the tap which is used
for domestic use.
3.2 Specimen Preparation
The composite specimens were fabricated using a polymer epoxy resin and plain woven glass fabric. The
commercially available industrial polymer LY556 and HY951 hardener were used for fabrication. The
laminates were fabricated using hand lay-up technique with a stacking sequence of [0/90]s. The composite
specimens were cured at room temperature for approximately 48 hours after fabrication. The fibre volume
was varied in steps of 5% up to a maximum of 40%. Table 3.1 gives the designation and fibre volume
percentages in the composite specimens used for all experimentations.
Specimen Fibre Volume

(%)
VS1 20
VS2 25
VS3 30
VS4 35
VS5 40
Table 3.1 Specimen designation and fibre volume for composite specimens.
All the specimens were subjected to the three liquid environments for a maximum period of 60 days. The
respective tests were carried out at every 15 days of time interval to obtain damping and fracture toughness.
3.3 Vibration Test Specimens and Procedure

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The vibration specimen used for obtaining the damping of the composite is shown in Fig. 3.1. The length,
width and thickness of the specimens were 330mm, 50mm and 3mm respectively. The thickness of the
specimen varied between 2.9nun to 3.1mm for all the specimens. This variation is due to the hand lay-up
procedure.
Fig. 3.1 Vibration test specimen used in damping analysis
Table 3.2 gives the test coupon for vibration test. All the test specimens were soaked in respective media at
room temperature. Five specimens of varying fibre volimie each were immersed in Seawater, normal water
and saline water and their damping behavior was studied using fi-ee vibration decay method. Vibration test
was performed for every 15 days of time interval for each of the specimen in each medium up to a maximum
of 60 days and their logarithmic decrement plot was obtained. Damping factor was calculated fi-om the
obtained logarithmic plot. A total of three to six readings were taken for each testing and their average was
taken for calculation of the damping factor. Same specimens were used for testing at different time intervals
and their damping behavior is studied. The damping of the specimens considered here was due to air and
other internal energy dissipation mechanisms. All the tests were carried out in a closed room to obtain
constant testing conditions for the vibration of the test and at normal room temperature. Since temperature
affects the damping of the composite specimen, almost constant temperature conditions were maintained
while doing the experimentation work. Fig. 3.2 and 3.3 gives the schematic representation and photograph
of the experimental setup used for vibration testing. The setup consists of a rigid fi-ame with a holding jig
to mount the specimen. The span of the specimen fi-om the fixing position to the free end is 300mm. A pen
holder is mounted on the end of the specimen to record the logarithmic decrement plot which rides on paper
moimted on a rotating drum. The drum is rotated at 5rpm by an AC synchronous motor with a reduction
gear box connected suitably.
Specimen Untreated Seawater Normal Water Saline Water Total

(days) (days) (days)
15 30 45 60 15 30 45 60 15 30 45 60
VS1 1 1 1 1 4

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VS2 1 1 1 1 4
VS3 1 1 1 1 4
VS4 1 1 1 1 4
VS5 1 1 1 1 4
Grand Total 20
Table 3.2 Test Coupon for Vibration Test
Each time the specimens were taken out, they were wrapped in polythene cover and carried to the testing
rig. Before proceeding to testing, the specimens were cleaned by tissue paper so that no liquid is present on
the specimen. The specimen was fixed in a rigid fi-ame as depicted in Figure 3.2. An impact load was
applied to the specimen to induce vibration using a spherical ball hammer. The location of impact was at
200mm from the free end of the specimen. Care was taken to see that there was minimum friction between
pen and the drum for the entire specimens testing. Same pen and pen holder was used for all tests. The
vibration decay plot obtained was then used for measurement of damping. The amplitude of vibration for
calculation of damping was taken for 10 cycles to get a good value. Since the damping obtained was very
small, the equation used for calculation of damping factor was for under damping. For each specimen a
minimum of three readings and a maximum of six readings were taken and average damping factor was
calculated. After testing, the specimens were again wrapped in polythene cover to see that no moisture has
escaped firom them and were again soaked in the respective media.
Fig. 3.2 Schematic representation of experimental setup used for damping measurement

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Fig. 3.3 Vibration test rig
3.4 Three Point Bend Test Specimen and Procedure
To study the variation of damping with fracture toughness and to determine fracture toughness of the
composite three point bend test was carried out. Five types of composite specimens were fabricated by
varying the fibre volunie as shown in Table 3.1. Seven specimens were cut from each fabricated laminate
for each fibre volume percentage with different notch lengths. Notch length was from 4mm to 10mm with
an increment of 1mm. The specimens were prepared according to the ASTM standard and the test was
carried out according to D5045-99 ASTM standard. The dimensions of the single edge notched bend
(SENB) specimen are shown in the Fig.3.4. The span length, width and thickness of the specimen were
80mm, 20mm and 3mm respectively. The thickness of the specimens varied from 2.9mm to 3.1mm. This
thickness variation was due to hand layup fabrication process. Three different liquid environments were
used for soaking viz. normal water, Seawater and saline water. Three point bend test was carried out at
every 15 days of time interval up to a maximum of 60 days. The bend test was performed for all the
specimens irrespective of the notch length and load criteria requirements.

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Fig.3.4 SENB Specimen used for 3 point bend test
Table 3.3 gives the details of the specimen tested for three point bend test and Fig. 3.5 shows the photograph
of the bend specimen mounted on the UTM.
Fig. 3.5 Three point bend testing of the composite specimen
The bend test was perfonned on computer controlled UTM with 40 ton capacity. The load was applied at a
constant rate and the load displacement data was obtained for all the specimens. The loading rate was around
lOmm/min. From the load displacement curve, the preliminary fracture toughness was obtained. From this
data the specimens satisfying the a/w and load (Pmax/Pql-l) criteria was selected to obtain the fracture
toughness of the composites. Due care was taken to maintain the span length and alignment of rollers as
accurately as possible for all the specimens. All the specimens were taken from the container in a polythene

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cover to the test facility and were wiped clean of the liquid medium using a tissue paper and then the test
was conducted. Load was applied till the complete failure of the specimen occurred.
Specimen a/w Untreated Seawater Normal Water Saline Water Total

15 30 45 60 15 30 45 60 15 30 45 60
0.2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
0.25 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
0.3 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
VS1 0.35 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
0.4 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
0.45 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
0.5 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
0.2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
0.25 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
0.3 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
VS2 0.35 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
0.4 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
0.45 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
0.5 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
0.2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
0.25 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
0.3 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
VS3 0.35 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
0.4 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
0.45 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
0.5 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
0.2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
0.25 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
0.3 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
VS4 0.35 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
0.4 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
0.45 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
0.5 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
0.2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
0.25 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
0.3 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
VS5 0.35 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
0.4 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
0.45 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
0.5 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14
Grand Total 490

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Table 3.3 Test coupon for SENB test
3.5 Charpy Impact Specimen and Test Procedure
Charpy impact test was also performed on the GFRP composite specimens to further study the variation of
damping with impact energy in Charpy. This test was performed according to ASTM D6110-04 standard.
Five composite specimens were fabricated by varying the fibre volume. The designation and fibre volume
percentage is given in Table 3.1. For a particular value of fibre volume, five specimens were made from
the laminate and the notch length was varied from 1mm to 5mm in steps of 1mm. All the specimens were
subjected to three different liquid environments up to a maximum period of 60 days. t every 15 days of
time interval, Charpy impact testing was done and the impact energy was recorded. Fig. 3.9 shows the
Charpy test specimen configuration.
Fig.3.6 Configuration of Charpy test Specimen
The specimen was rigidly fixed in the test rig as per the standard procedure of Charpy test and testing was
done. Here also some specimens failed completely breaking in to two pieces while some specimens failed
without completely breaking. The readings were taken only for specimens which have completely failed.
This value of impact energy was used for analysis of damping. Table 3.6 gives the test coupon for the
Charpy impact test. Care was taken to see that the transverse axis of the specimen coincided with the
hammer axis. The photograph of the testing machine is shown in the Fig. 3.10.

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Fig. 3.7 Impact testing machine
Specimen a/w Untreated Seawater Normal Water Saline Water Total

15 30 45 60 15 30 45 60 15 30 45 60
0.25 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
0.3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
0.35 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
VS1 0.4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
0.45 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
0.5 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
0.25 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
0.3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
0.35 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
VS2 0.4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
0.45 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
0.5 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
0.25 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
0.3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
0.35 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
VS3 0.4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
0.45 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
0.5 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
0.25 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
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0.3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
0.35 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
VS4 0.4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
0.45 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
0.5 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
0.25 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
0.3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
0.35 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
VS5 0.4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
0.45 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
0.5 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 13
Grand Total 390
Table 3.4 Test coupon for Charpy impact test

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CHAPTER 4
INVESTIGATION AND DISCUSSION ON THE DAMPING BEHAVIOR OF GFRP
COMPOSITE SUBJECTED TO DIFFERENT LIQUID ENVIRONMENTS
4.1 Introduction
This chapter deals with the damping behavior of glass-fibre reinforced polymer composite
subjected to different environmental conditions. All the specimens were exposed to three different
liquid media for different time periods and their damping behavior is studied. Each specimen was
tested for their damping behaviour for every 15 days of soaking period and up to a maximum
soaking period of 60 days. Free vibration decay method was used to get the damping behavior of
the composite specimen. Appendix I give the damping values obtained for all the specimens
immersed in different liquid media and for different immersion times.
4.2 Damping behavior of untreated specimens

Fig.4.1. shows the variation of damping factor (Q with fibre volume for untreated specimens. The
words untreated or dry specimens here refers to the specimens at room temperature and normal
humid conditions and which are not subjected to any extreme environmental conditions. As seen
from the Figure, the damping of the specimens increases with increase in the fibre volume. The
damping values obtained here were very low. There is a steep increase in the damping value for
the 30% fibre volume specimen. This may be because of more energy dissipation at the fibre-
matrix interphase. This can result from debonding of fibres at the fibre-matrix interphase. In this
specimen this phenomenon may be large as compared to the other specimens. As the fibre volume
increased there is an increase in the damping values for the composite specimens. The damping
values obtained varied from 0.00816 to a maximum of 0.01015.

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Fig.4,1. Variation of damping factor with fibre volume for untreated specimens.
4.3 Effect of Seawater treatment on the damping property of GFRP composite
The effect of seawater on the damping property of GFRP composite is shown in Fig. 4.2.
Specimens treated for 15 days exhibit increase in the damping values except 30%, 35% and 40%
fibre volume specimens. The increase in the damping values is up to 15%. The decrease in the
damping values for other specimens may be due to more plasticization of the composite.
Plasticization softens the matrix material and reduces the stiffness. This may be one of the reasons
for decrease in the damping of the composites. It needs further investigation to substantiate the
above statement. The decrease in the damping values for the specimens was Jiround 31%.
Maximum decrease was observed for 30% fibre volume specimen. The increase in the damping
values can be attributed to the absorption of the water by the composite.
Specimens treated for 30 days exhibit further increase in the damping values. All the specimens
irrespective of the composition show marked increase in the damping values. The increase in the
damping values is from 18-37%. Maximum increase in the damping was found for 20% fibre
volume specimen with low fibre volume percentage. As the soaking time increases more water is
absorbed by the composites.
The water can enter in to the specimens in many ways:

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1. Through the matrix by diffusion process and proceed to fibre-matrix interphase region.
2. Through voids and microcracks present in the specimens that may be created while fabricating
the specimens.
3. Through fibre-matrix interphase directly due to the debonding of the fibres by capillarity.
Initially Fickian behavior may be exhibited by the specimens followed by non-Fickian behavior.
For initial period of soaking the water uptake is more and as the immersion period increases there
will be gradual reduction in the water uptake capacity of the composite till saturation is reached.
This water uptime increases the mass of the specimen and makes the specimen more entirety. The
water molecules can react with the matrix material and to some extent the glass fibres. The water
uptake by the composite causes swelling and causes stress to be induced in the composite. This
uneven expansion of the composite provides additional sites for energy dissipation. This may be
the possible explanation for the increase in the damping of the composite. Also the water uptake
by the composite weakens the interphase region. It may reduce the adhesion between the fibre and
the matrix. It may induce additional debonding in the composite. These factors also increase the
energy dissipation rate of the composite. This is reflected in the results obtained. Which factor has
major effect on the increase of damping needs further investigation.
Further increasing the immersion time to 45 days, the damping increased but well below the 30
days treated specimen. The increase in the damping values ranged from 4-12%. Maximum increase
in the damping was observed for 25% fibre volume specimen. As the water uptake increases
saturation in reached and we can expect reactions between the matrix/water and glass/water
molecules to be a significant factor for determining the behavior of the composite. After long
immersion of composite in water, hydrophilic groups of the glass fibre would have chemical
reactions with water molecules, soluble materials may be generated. This would cause a gradual
weight decline and eventually causes decrease in the mass of the composite. Also water molecules
can create hydrogen bonds with the molecular structure of the matrix. The O-H dipole in the water
molecule is attracted by the hydroxyl (O-H), phenol (0-C), amine (N-0), and sulphone (0-S)
groups. As the immersion time increases these chemical reactions deteriorate the resin by

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hydrolysis. As a whole the degradation of the composite begins as the saturation is reached. This
reduces the mechanical properties of the composite. This can be the reason for decrease in the
damping values of the composite.
As the soaking time is increased to 60 days, the damping values decreased below the 45 days
treated specimens. Almost all the specimens damping behavior was same except for 40% fibre
volume specimen which showed increase in the damping value. All the damping values obtained
were in and around the untreated specimen values. As the soaking time increases, degradation of
the composite is more. Also a degraded composite can absorb more water in to it and causes further
deterioration to occur at a much faster rate. Leaching may also be present apart from hydrolysis
which makes the composite to lose its strength. This can be justified by the fact that the leached
material was present in the container used to soak the specimens and was visible for the naked
eyes. Another important factor for increase in water uptake was due to microcracks formed due to
the impact of ball hammer on the specimens repeatedly. The same specimens were used for testing
at different time intervals by impacting. This may have caused microcracks and debonding of the
composite increasing the water uptake and helping the composite to deteriorate further at a faster
rate. 40% fibre volume showed an increase in the damping value and this may be due to testing
errors.
Some important observations made for specimens immersed in seawater are:
> For specimens treated for 15 days the damping increased and the increase was aroimd 15%.
> For specimens treated for 30 days the damping further increased and showed maximum increase
than other specimens. The increase in the damping values was fi-om 18-37%.
> For specimens immersed for 45 days the damping increased but well below the 30 days treated
specimens and the increase was fi-om 4-12%.
> Specimens soaked for 60 days showed no marked difference in damping values than untreated
specimens and this is due to the degradation of the composite. Small increases in damping values
were found for some specimens which was around 8%.

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Fig.4.2. Variation of damping factor with fibre volume for specimens treated with sea water.
4.4 Effect of Normal water treatment on the damping property of GFRP

Figure 4.3 shows the variation of damping for different time intervals for specimens immersed in
normal water with different fibre volume. Also shown is the variation of untreated specimens with
fibre volume. The untreated specimens exhibit increase in the damping values as the fibre volume
increased. Specimens treated for 15days show a large reduction in the damping capacity of the
composite. The reduction in the damping values is from 17-32%. Maximum reduction was
observed for 35% fibre volume specimen. This is in contrast with the seawater treated specimens
where the damping increased for 15 days immersion period. This reduction in damping may be
due to the high plasticization of the composite due to normal water. Normal water does not contain
any salt and other ingredients which can react with the matrix and fibres of the composite. Only
water molecules are available for the diffusion process. As the water molecules diffiise into the
matrix plasticization is the immediate effect. This may be prominent here than seawater treated
specimens. Plasticization results in reduction in stiffiiess of the composite and behaves as plastic.
It was observed that the specimens treated with normal water were more like plastic than other
medium treated specimens when they were taken for testing. The outside matrix was very soft
when compared to the seawater treated specimens. This can cause decrease in the damping of the
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composite. Further investigation is to be carried out to justify this reason. The damping values are
least in this case as compared with other specimens treated for different time intervals for the same
soaking medium.
Specimens treated for 30 days also exhibit same trend as before. All specimens show decrease in
the damping values than untreated specimens but well above the 15 days treated specimens. This
behavior is true due to the reason that water is absorbed by the composite and this increases the
mass of the specimen. This helps in increasing the energy dissipation capacity of the composite.
The water can enter into the specimen through matrix, voids, and microcracks. In most of the cases
water affects mainly the matrix and fibre-matrix interphase areas which are mainly responsible for
behavior of the composite under given loading conditions. Water absorption causes additional
energy dissipation sites due to which the damping of the composite increases. Uneven expansion
between matrix and the fibres due to water absorption is also a factor that can affect the damping
capacity of the composite. The decrease in the damping values ranged from 7-28%.
For specimens immersed for 45 days the damping fiirther reduced than 30days treated specimens.
The damping values obtained are similar to 15 days treated specimens. All specimens irrespective
of the fibre volume show decrease in the damping values. The decrease in the damping values
range from a minimum of 13% to a maximum of 31%. The damping values obtained are also well
below the untreated specimens. The decrease in the damping values of the composite is due to the
deterioration of the composite due to water uptake. As the immersion time increases leaching and
hydrolysis can happen which leads to loss of material and changes in the chemical structure of
matrix begins to happen. This results in decrease in the damping capacity of the composite.
Specimens treated for 60 days also show a decrease in the damping values than the untreated
specimens. The behavior is almost similar to 30 days treated specimens. All the specimens except
25% fibre volume specimen show decrease in the damping values. The increase in the damping of
25% fibre volume may be due to testing errors.
The decrease in the damping for other specimens varied from 4-30%. The reasons for decrease in
the damping values are discussed in section 4.2.

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The following are the important observation made regarding specimens treated with normal water.
> Specimens treated for 15 days show large decrease in the damping capacity of the composite.
The decrease in the damping values was from a minimum of 16% to a maximum of 32%.
> For specimens treated for 30 days damping values decreased as compared to untreated specimens
but well above the 15 days treated specimens. The reduction in damping was up to a maximum of
28%.
> For specimens immersed for 45 days the damping slightly increased when compared to 30 days
freated specimens but well below the untreated specimens. The decrease in damping values was
from 13-31%.
> Specimens soaked for 60 days exhibit decrease in damping and were almost similar to 30 days
treated specimens. The decrease in the damping values was from 3-30%.
> There was no increase in the damping values of the composites above the unfretted specimens
as compared to seawater treated specimens where there was large increase in the damping capacity
of the composite for initial period of immersion.
Fig.4.3. Variation of damping factor with fibre volume for specimens treated with Normal water.
4.5 Effect of Saline water treatment on the damping property of GFRP

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Figure 4.4 shows the variation of damping

with fibre volume for specimens immersed in
saline water for different time intervals. Also
presented is the variation of damping of
untreated specimens with fibre volume. For
specimens soaked for 15days the damping
decreased initially. The decrease in damping
values are rather small when compared to
normal water treated specimens. The decrease
in the damping values ranged from 7-39%.
Maximum decrease in the damping values was
observed for 35% fibre volume specimen. The
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decrease in the damping values may be

attributed to the high plasticization of the
matrix material of the composite. Even though
saline water contains salt molecules, the
behavior of the composite is quite different
from seawater treated specimens which
showed increase in the damping values. This
shows the dependency of damping property on
the composition of the immersion medium.
Seawater and saline water both contain salt
molecules. But natural seawater contains
different other minerals than saline water.
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Perhaps these other minerals interaction with

the composite played a major role in the
damping behavior of the composite in case of
seawater treated specimens. As observed to
naked eye plasticization was more in case of
saline water treated specimens than seawater
treated specimens. Plasticization leads to
reduction in stiffness of the composite and this
decreases the damping of the composite.
Further reduction in the damping was
observed for specimens soaked for 30 days.
This is rather in contrast with normal water
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treated specimens where the damping

increased compared to 15 days treated
specimens. In this case, may be the water
uptake was not much by the composite and
further plasticization of the composite lead to
the reduction in the damping values of the
composite. Also this shows that the water has
not reached the fibre-matrix interphase so as to
cause degradation which acts as an additional
site for energy dissipation. There needs further
investigation to justify the above comments.
The decrease in the damping values is fi-om a
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minimum of 12% to a maximum of 47%.

Maximum decrease was observed for 30% fibre
volume specimen. These specimens show great
reduction in damping than any other
specimens.
For specimens exposed for 45 days time
interval the damping values reduced
continuing the same trend as before. But the
damping increased as compared to 39 days
treated specimens. The decrease in the damping
values is from 8-33%. Maximum decrease was
shown by 30% fibre volume specimen. As the
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water uptake increases, it reaches the fibre-

matrix interphase. These water molecules start
degrading the interphase region. Also as
discussed in sections 4.2 and 4.3 water uptake
causes swelling in the composite. This results
in uneven expansion of the matrix and fibre.
These factors tend to increase the energy
dissipation capacity of the composite. Hence
there is slight increase in the damping capacity
of the composite as compared to 30 days
treated specimens. Also the mass of the
composite increases due to uptake of the water
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and adds to increase in damping capacity of

the composite.
Specimens immersed for 60 days time period
showed reduction in damping than untreated
specimens. An increase in the damping values
is observed compared to 45days treated
specimens. This is obvious of the fact that, as
saturation is reached for water uptake more
energy is dissipated from the composite
through different mechanisms. Also as
indicated in the above section the mass of the
composite increases. All these factors lead to
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increase in the damping values of the

composite. The chemical reaction occurring
between the composite and the saline water
causes leaching and hydrolysis. And to some
extent this also enhances the damping capacity
of the composite. The reaction will degrade the
composite and additional sites are available
for energy dissipation. The reduction in
damping values varied from a minimum ofll%
to a maximum of around 29%. Maximirai
decrease in the damping was observed for 40%
fibre volume specimen. Some important
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observations made for damping behavior of

composite subjected to saline water are:
> For an initial period of soaking of 15 days
the damping values decreased. The decrease in
the damping values ranged from 7-39%.
> Specimens immersed for 30 days exhibited
further decrease in the damping values and the
reduction in damping values were between 12-
47%.
> For specimens immersed for 45 days the
damping decreased but was higher than the 30
days treated specimens. The increase in the
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damping with reference to 30 days treated

specimens was around 6-27%.
> Specimens treated for 60 days showed
reduction in the damping values than
untreated specimens, but an increase in
damping compared to 45 days treated
specimens. The increase in damping with
respect to 45 days treated specimens was
around 6-45%.

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Fig.4.4. Variation of damping factor with fibre volume for specimens treated with Saline water.
4.6 Comparative study of the damping

behavior of GFRP composite treated with
normal, sea and saline water.
Figure 4.5 shows the variation of damping
different media for an immersion period of 15
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days. It is evident from the Figure that the

seawater treated specimens exhibit increase in
the damping compared to normal and saline
water treated specimens. An increase damping
values of around 15% was found for seawater
treated specimens. Normal water treated
specimens exhibit large decrease in the
damping values compared to others. Saline
water treated specimens also exhibit decrease
in the damping but well above the normal
water treated specimens. A maximum decrease
of around 32% was formed for normal water
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treated specimens. An average of 15%

reduction in damping values were observed for
saline water treated specimens. The increase in
the damping values for seawater and decrease
in the damping values in case of normal and
saline water are due to the reasons discussed in
sections 4.3, 4.4, and 4.5.
In Fig. 4.6 the variation of damping with fibre volume for specimens immersed for 30 days in
different liquid media is presented. A significant rise in damping values for seawater treated
specimens is observed than other specimens. Saline water treated specimens show the largest
reduction in damping followed by normal water treated specimens. This is in contrast with the
behavior of specimens soaked for 15 days where normal water treated specimens showed large
reduction in damping than other specimens. The reduction in the damping values for saline water
treated specimens may be due to high plasticization of the composite. A maximum increase of
damping value of around 37% was observed for seawater treated specimens. A reduction of
damping values of around 28% was formed for normal water treated specimens. Saline water
treated specimens exhibit large reduction in damping which was around 47%. The increase in

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damping values for seawater treated specimens and reduction in damping for specimens treated
with other media are due to the reasons discussed in section 4.3, 4.4 and 4.5.
Figure 4.7 shows the variation of damping with fibre volume for specimens immersed for 45 days
in different liquid media. The same trend shown by 30 days treated specimens was also observed
here. Seawater treated specimens show increase in the damping than other specimens. SaHne water
treated specimens show large reduction in damping values than other specimens followed by
normal water treated specimens. Both the normal and saline water treated specimens show almost
same variation with little difference. An increase in damping values of around 12% was found for
seawater treated specimens which is less than 30 days treated specimens. Normal water treated
specimens showed a decrease in damping values which was around 31% and this reduction value
is higher than the 30 days treated specimens. A decrease of damping values of around 33% was
observed for saline water treated specimens. The reasons for increase in damping for seawater
treated specimens and decrease in damping for normal and saline water treated specimens is
discussed in sections 4.3, 4.4 and 4.5.
The variation of damping with fibre volume for specimens treated for 60 days with different media
is shown in Fig.4.8. There is significant change in the damping values of all the composites.
Seawater treated specimens show decrease in the damping values than 45 days treated specimens
and are almost same as untreated specimens. Normal and saline water treated specimens exhibit
decrease in damping values than untreated specimens. The decrease in damping values for saline,
normal and seawater treated specimens is due to the water uptake and degradation of the
composite. The detailed reasons for the decrease in damping for the respective composites are
discussed in sections 4.3, 4.4 and 4.5. The decrease in the damping of the seawater treated
specimens is around 10%. The decrease in the damping values for saline and normal water treated
specimens compared to untreated specimens is around 29% and 30% respectively. Almost all the
curves are staggered together at the end of 60 days treatment. This shows that as the treatment time
increases there is significant change in the damping behavior of the composite.

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Some important observations made by inter comparison are:
> Seawater treated specimens exhibit increase in damping for almost all the treatment periods. As
the soaking time increased the damping approached the untreated specimens values. A maximum
increase in damping values of around 37% was observed.
> Normal water and saline water treated specimens show decrease in the damping for all the
treatment periods. For initial period of soaking the damping reduction was large and as the
immersion period increased the damping increased but well below the untreated specimens. A
maximum reduction of damping value of around 32% was found for normal water treated
specimens and around 47% was found for saline water treated specimens.
> This shows that even though the mass of the composite increases, the damping decreases in
certain media of immersion. Perhaps the chemical composition of the immersion medium and its
interaction with the composite played a major role in damping behavior of the composite. It needs
further investigation to establish the correct reasons for decrease in the damping values of the
composites.

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Fig.4.5. Variation of damping factor with fibre volume for specimens treated with Sea, normal and saline water for
15 days.
30 days.

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45 days.

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60 days.

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CHAPTER 5
INVESTIGATIONS AND DISCUSSION ON THREE POINT BEND TESTING OF GFRP
COMPOSITES SUBJECTED TO DIFFERENT LIQUID ENVIRONMENTS
5.1. Variation of Fracture toughness for untreated specimens
Figure 5.1 (a) shows the variation of Fracture toughness with fibre volume for specimens with different
notch lengths. It can be seen that as the fibre volume increases the Fracture toughness increases. Also the
Fracture toughness values obtained for the 10mm notch length specimen are higher than the 9mm notch
length specimen. There was a decrease in the Fracture toughness value for specimen with 30% fibre volume.
The Figure shows almost increase in the Kic value with the fibre volume, except for the 30% fibre volume
specimen. For 9mm notch length specimens the increase in the Fracture toughness value is from
120.67MNm-3/2 to a maximum of 124.21MNm-3/2' and for lOnmi notch length specimens the increase was
from 139.41 MNm-3/2 to 145.89 MNm.
5.2. Effect of Seawater treatment on the Fracture toughness of GFRP composite
Variation of Fracture toughness with fibre volume for specimens treated with seawater and notch length of
9mm along with untreated specimens is shown in Fig. 5.1 (b). The variation of Fracture toughness of
untreated specimens is discussed in section 5.1. For specimens immersed for 15 days the Fracture toughness
values decreased for all the specimens irrespective of the fibre volume compared to untreated Specimens.
A minimum decrease of 0.5 MNm' was observed which was for 25% fibre volume specimen and a
maximum decrease of 4 MNm-3/2 was observed which was for 40% fibre volume specimen and all other
specimens exhibiting decrease in between these two values. The decrease in strength is due to the absorption
of seawater by the composite specimen. As the diffusion process of seawater into the composite increases
the strength decreases and this is reflected in the results obtained. For specimens soaked for 30 days, the
Fracture toughness values fiirther decreased. The decrease in the Fracture toughness values ranged from a
minimum of 1.5 MNm-3/2 (for 35% fibre volume specimen) to a maximum of about 3 MNm -3/2 (for 30%
fibre volume specimen). Again this decrease in the Fracture toughness values is due to the degradation of
the composite specimen due to the absorption of the seawater. Specimens soaked for 45 days exhibit fiirther
decrease in the Fracture toughness values except for 30% fibre volume specimen which showed very
marginal increase in the toughness value of the order of 1 MNm-3/2 . Maximum decrease in the Fracture
toughness values was observed for 20% fibre voltmie specimen of the order of 5.6 MNm--3/2 and a minimum
decrease of 1 MNm-3/2 was observed for 25% fibre volume specimen. The increase in the Fracture toughness
value may be to testing errors. Further increase in the soaking time for the specimens to 60 days showed
mixed results. Some specimens showed increase in Fracture toughness values and some specimens showed
decrease in the Fracture toughness values. While 20% fibre volume specimen did not show any variation
with respect to 45 days time period soaking, 25% fibre volume specimen showed a decrease in toughness
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value of the order of 2.5 MNm--3/2. All other specimens showed increase in the Fracture toughness values.
Maximum increase was found for 35% fibre volume specimen of the order of 3 MNm" and 40% fibre
volume specimen showed a minimum increase of 2 MNm-3/2 . The increase in the Fracture toughness values
for some these specimens is being investigated. Fig. 5.1 (c) shows the variation of Fracture toughness with
fibre volume for specimens soaked in seawater with notch length of 10mm along with untreated specimens.
The variation of Fracture toughness of untreated specimens is discussed in section 5.1. For specimens
treated for 15 days the Fracture toughness almost decreased for all the specimens except for 30% fibre
volume specimen which showed an increase in the Fracture toughness value. The range for decrease in the
Fracture toughness value was from 0% to a maximum of 6.43% (9 MNm -3/2). The trend shown here is
similar to the trend exhibited by the specimens with notch length of 9mm. The decrease in the values of
Fracture toughness is due to the absorption of seawater by the specimen which reduces the mechanical
properties of the composite. The increase in the Fracture toughness value for 30% fibre voltune specimen
may due to testing errors. 35% fibre volume specimen showed no decrease (0%) in the value of Fracture
toughness. Specimens soaked for 30 days also show a similar trend as before. All the specimens except for
30% fibre volume and 35% fibre volume show decrease in the racture toughness value. The decrease in the
Fracture toughness values range from 0.5 MNm-3/2 to 6 MNm-3/2 . Maximum decrease was observed for
40% fibre volvmie specimen which is the same case for 15 days treated specimens. For specimens immersed
for 45 days the Fracture toughness decreased continuing the same trend as before. The decrease in the
Fracture toughness value ranged from 0 MNm-3/2 to 4.7 MNm-3/2 . Maximum decrease was observed for
40% fibre volume specimen. 30% fibre volume and 35% fibre volume specimens show a small increase in
the values ofFracture toughness. This common increase in these values may be due to the lower values of
Fracture toughness for the imtreated specimens. Specimens soaked for 60 days also exhibit trend as before.
Except for 30% fibre volume and 40% fibre volume specimens, all other specimens show decrease in the
Fracture toughness value. Here the decrease in the toughness values is more when compared with specimens
treated for other intervals of time. The decrease ranged from a minimum of3MNm -3/2 toa maximum of 4.7
MNm-3/2 . The increase in Fracture toughness values was from 0 MNm-3/2 to 4.1 MNm-3/2 . The reasons for
increase in the Fracture toughness values are being investigated.
5.3. Variation of damping with Fracture toughness for specimens immersed in Seawater for
different immersion times in bending.
Figure 5.2(a) shows the variation of damping with Fracture toughness for specimens immersed in Seawater
with notch lengths 9 and 10mm and with 20% fibre volume for different immersion times. As seen from
the figure, for immersion period between 0- 15 days, as the damping factor increases the Fracture toughness
value decreases. The increase in damping is around 0.00075 (9%) while decrease in the Fracture toughness
is 2.5MNm-3/2 (2%). For immersion period between 15-30 days both damping and Fracture toughness
behave in the same manner. Here both the damping as well as the Fracture toughness increased. The 9mm
notch length specimen show similar trend from this immersion period onwards. For 10mm notch length
specimen also, the same trend is observed except for 30 days behavior. This may be due to any

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experimentation error. For a time period between 15 to 30 days the damping increased by around 0.0022
(25%) and Fracture toughness increased by around 2.5 MNm-3/2 (21%) which was for 9mm specimen.
Between 30 to 45 days of time periods damping decreased by an amoimt of 0.00257 (23%) and Fracture
toughness decreased by a maximum amount of around 5.56 MNm (5%) which was for 9mm specimen. For
time period between 45 to 60 days damping decreased by aroiind 0.0026 (3%) while Fracture toughness
decreased by around 5.9 MNm-3/2 (4%) which was for 10mm specimen. Figure 5.2 (b) shows the variation
of damping with Fracture toughness for specimens having notch lengths of 9mm and 10mm with 25% fibre
volume for different soaking times. For initial period of immersion time between 0-15 days, as the damping
increased the Fracture toughness decreased. Between 15 and 30 days of soaking time, the damping
increased with fracture toughness for 10mm notch length specimen. But 9mm notch length specimen
showed slightly different result exhibiting decrease in toughness value. For immersion between 30 to 45
days the damping value decreased while there was no change in the Fracture toughness values. Finally
between 45 to 60 days of time period both the specimens show similar trend. As the damping value
decreased the fracture toughness value also decreased. For inmiersion time between 0- 15 days, the damping
increased by 0.00127 (14%) and Fracture toughness decreased by a maximum amount of 1.2 MNm-3/2 (1%).
Meiximum increase in the damping value was aroimd 0.00097(11%) while for Fracture toughness was
around 0.6 MNm-3/2 (l%) which was for 10mm notch length specimen for time period between 15 to 30
days. Decrease in damping of 0.0012(12%) was observed while there was no decrease in the Fracture
toughness value between the time period 30 to 45 days. For time period between 45 to 60 days damping
value decreased by an amount 0.00017(2%) while Fracture toughness value decreased by maximum of 3
MNm-3/2 (2%) which was for 10mm specimen. Variation of damping with Fracture toughness for fibre
volume of 30% with 9mm and 10mm notch lengths is presented in Fig.5.2 (c). These specimens presented
mixed results. For initial period of immersion between 0-15 days, the damping decreased by an amount of
0.00287 along with Fracture toughness value (2.52 MNm-3/2 ) for 9nim notch length specimen. The 10mm
notched specimen behavior was slightly different where there was an increase in the Fracture toughness
value (3.5 MNm-3/2 ). Between 15 to 30 days of inmiersion time, the damping increased by 0.0046 (69%)
while the Fracture toughness value decreased by around a maximum of 0.5 MNm -3/2 (0.5%). For immersion
time between 30 to 45 days the damping decreased by an amount of 0.00132 (12%) and Fracture toughness
decreased by 1.1 MNm-3/2 (l%) which was for 10mm notch length specimen. Finally between 45 to 60 days
of immersion time the damping decreased by an amount of 0.00124 (13%) while Fracture toughness value
increased by a maximum of 4 MNm-3/2 (1%). The reasons for this deviation in the behavior of the
composites are being investigated. In Fig. 5.2 (d) the variation of damping with Fracture toughness is
presented for specimens having fibre volume of 35% and notch lengths of 9mm and 10mm. The specimens
behavior for both damping and Fracture toughness is similar. Except for 9naan specimen between 45 to 60
days where there was increase in the Fracture toughness value with decrease in damping, other immersion
periods behavior is similar. This deviation may be due to any experimentation error. For initial period of
soaking between 0-15 days the damping and Fracture toughness decreased by 0.0001 and IMNm
respectively. For a immersion time between 15 to 30 days the damping value increased by around 0.00193
(24%) while Fracture toughness value increased 'in by approximately 2 MNm' (2%) and between 30 to 45
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days soaking time the damping value decreased by 0.00105 (11%) and Fracture toughness value decreased
by around 1.15 MNm-3/2 (1%). Between 45 to 60 days of immersion period the damping value decreased
by 0.0009 (10%) approximately while Fracture toughness decreased by around 5.3 MNm' (4%) for 10mm
notch length specimen. There was a slight increase of around 5% in the Fracture toughness value for 9mm
notch length specimen for time period between 45 to 60 days. Figure 5,2 (e) shows the variation of damping
with Fracture toughness for specimens having fibre volume of 40% and notch lengths of 9mm and 10mm.
Except for behavior between 30 and 45 days, the other time intervals behavior is similar between damping
and Fracture toughness. The initial immersion time between 0-15 days showed decrease in both damping
and Fracture toughness by 0.0006 (6%) and 9.4 MNm-3/2 (6%) respectively. For immersion time between
15 to 30 days the damping value increased by 0.00282 (30%) while Fracture toughness value increased by
a maximum of 3.5 MNm-3/2 (3%) and between 30 to 45 days of time interval, damping valuedecreasedby
0.0017 (14%) and Fracture toughness value increased by around 1 MNm-3/2 (!%)• This variation needs to
be investigated. For time period between 45 to 60 days damping value increased by an amount of 0.0019
(18%) while Fracture toughness value increased by 4.7 MNm-3/2 (4%). The discussion above shows that
there is a relation between damping of the material and Fracture toughness. This is a very important
observation made in this analysis. The following are the important observations made for specimens soaked
in seawater with regards to Fracture toughness and damping:
> For all the specimens irrespective of notch length there was decrease in the Fracture toughness values for
the initial period of soaking for 15 days. A maximum decrease of around 6% was observed.
> For specimens soaked for 30 days the Fracture toughness decreased when compared to untreated
specimens. A maximum of around 4% of decrease was observed for the specimens.
> Specimens immersed for 45 days also showed a similar trend as before showing reduction in Fracture
toughness values. Here also a maximum of around 5% of decrease was observed.
> Specimens immersed for 60 days showed an increase in the Fracture toughness value except for few
specimens where there was a slight decrease. A maximum of around 3% increase was observed.
> Analysis made for material property with regards to variation of damping with Fracture toughness reveals
that, there is a relation between both of them. In most of the cases both the properties exhibit same trend.
Some of the cases where the trend is slightly different are being investigated.
> For specimens with fibre volume 20% and initial immersion period between 0- 15 days the damping value
increased by 9% while Fracture toughness
decreased by a maximum amount of around 2%. Between 15 to 30 days of time interval, the damping
increased by a maximum amount of around 25% while Fracture toughness increased by 22% which was
for 9mm notch length specimen. For time interval between 30 to 45 and 45 to 60 days the damping values

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decreased by a maximum amount of around 23% while Fracture toughness decreased by a maximum of
around 5%.
> For the initial period of immersion between 0-15 days and 25% fibre volume the damping increased by
an amount of 14% while Fracture toughness decreased by an amount of 1%. Between 15 to 30 days of
interval, the damping increased by an amount of 11% while Fracture toughness increased by an amount of
around 1%. For time interval between 30 to 45 days the damping decreased by an amount of 12% while
Fracture toughness value increased by a maximum of 2% and between 45 to 60 days of time interval,
damping decreased by 2% while Fracture toughness also decreased by a maximum of 2%.
> Between 0-15 days of inunersion period and 30% fibre volume, the damping decreased by 30% while
Fracture toughness decreased by a maximum of 2.5%. For specimens immersed between 15 to 30 days, the
damping value increased by large amount of around 69% while Fracture toughness value decreased by 1%.
Between 30 to 45 days of soaking time damping decreased by approximately 12% while Fracture toughness
decreased by around 1% and for immersion time between 45 to 60 days the damping decreased by 13%
while Fracture toughness increased by around 1%.
> Specimens with fibre volume 35% and immersion time between 0-15 days showed reduction in damping
by 1% while the Fracture toughness reduced by 1%. Immersion time between 15 to 30 days show a increase
in the damping value of 24% and Fracture toughness value of 2% and for immersion period between 30 to
45 days the damping value decreased by around 11% while Fracture toughness value decreased by an
amount of 1%. For soaking time between 45 to 60 days there was decrease in the damping value of around
10% and Fracture toughness decreased by 4%.
> For specimens with fibre volume 40% and immersion period between 0-15 days the damping values
decreased by 6% while the Fracture toughness decreased by 6%. Between time interval 15 to 30 days, the
damping value increased by 30% and Fracture toughness value by around 3% and for soaking time between
30 to 45 days, the damping value decreased by an amount of 14% and Fracture toughness increased by a
value of 1%. For immersion time between 45 to 60 days the damping value increased by 18% and Fracture
toughness value increased by 4%.

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(a) Untreated (b) Seawater treated. 9mm notch length (c) Seawater treated. iOmni notch length
Fig.5.1. Variation of Fracture toughness with fibre volume for specimens treated with Seawater in bending.

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(a) l(Y/< Fibre volume (b) 25% Fibre volume (e) W/< Fibre volume (d) 357r Fibre volume (e) 407( Fibre volume
Fig.5.2. Variation of Fracture tougliness with damping for specimens immersed in Seawater with different notch
lengths and fibre volume in bending.
5.4. Effect of Saline water treatment on the Fracture toughness of GFRP composite
Figure 5.3 (a) shows the variation of Fracture toughness with fibre volume for specimens having a notch
length of 9mm for different immersion periods along with the untreated specimens. The variation of
Fracture toughness for the untreated specimens is discussed in section 5.1. For specimens immersed for 15
days time the Fracture toughness decreased for all fibre volume percentages. The percentage decrease in
Fracture toughness values range from 0.8% (IMNm-3/2 ) to 2.4% (3 MNm-3/2 ). Maximum decrease in
Fracture toughness value is observed for 40% fibre volume specimen. The decrease in the Fracture
toughness values is due to the reduction in strength of the composite due to the absorption of the liquid.
Specimens soaked for 30 days of time period also exhibit similar trend in reduction of Fracture toughness
values except for 40% fibre volume specimen where there is slight increase in the value of Fracture
toughness. This may be due to experimentation error. Maximum reduction of around 6.5 MNm-3/2 (5%) was
observed. A minimum reduction of 1 MNm-3/2 (0.8%) was observed for 35% fibre volume specimen. The
reason for decrease in the toughness value is discussed above. For specimens immersed for 45 days in the
saline water medium, the Fracture toughness values increase for all the specimens except for 40% fibre
volvime specimen where there is a slight decrease in the value of toughness. The increase in the Fracture
toughness values range from a minimum of 0.5 MNm-3/2 (0.4%) to a maximum of around 2.5 MNm-3/2 (2%).
The reasons for increase in the Fracture toughness values are being investigated. For specimens soaked for
60 days of time period the Fracture toughness values decreased for almost all the specimens except for 30%
fibre volume specimen where there was slight increase in the toughness value. The decrease in the Fracture
toughness values range from 0% to around 3 MNm-3/2 (2.5%). The 25% fibre volume and 35% fibre volume
specimens showed no variation in the values of Fracture toughness. Maximum decrease was observed for
20% fibre volume and 40% fibre volume specimens which are around 2.5%. In Fig.5.3 (b) the variation of
Fracture toughness with fibre volume for specimens with notch length of 10mm is presented along with
untreated specimens and for different time intervals of testing. The behavior of untreated specimens is
discussed in section 5.1. For specimens immersed in the saline water medium for 15 days, the Fracture
toughness of all the specimens irrespective of the fibre volume decreased. A maximum of around 6 MNm-
3/2
(4%) decreases in the value of Fracture toughness was observed for 40% fibre volume specimen. The
decrease in the values of Fracture toughness is due to the reason discussed above. There was no change in
the value of Fracture toughness for 30% fibre volume specimen. Specimens soaked for 30 days of time
period showed the same trend of decrease in the Fracture toughness values. The decrease in the values of
Fracture toughness in this case in more compared to 15 days treated specimens. 30% fibre volume and 35%
fibre volume specimens showed slight increase in the toughness values. The reasons for this are being
investigated. The decrease in the Fracture toughness values range from around 2 MNm-3/2 (1%) to 6.5 MNm-
3/2
(4.4%). Maximvim decrease in the toughness value was observed for 40% fibre voliune specimen. For
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specimens immersed for 45 days the values of Fracture toughness decreased for most of the specimens.
20% fibre volume and 25% fibre volume specimens show a slight rise in the values of Fracture toughness.
35% fibre volume specimen showed no variation in the value of toughness. Maximum decrease in the values
of Fracture toughness was observed for 40% fibre volume specimen which is around 3.5 MNm-3/2 (2.4%).
Maximum increase was observed for 25% fibre volxraie specimen which is around 1.7 MNm -3/2 (1.2%).
For an immersion period of 60 days, the specimens showed mixed results. Some specimens showed increase
in toughness values and some specimens showed decrease in the values of Fracture toughness. An increase
of around 3 MNm' (2%) was observed for 30% fibre volume specimen and a decrease of around 3.5 MNm -
3/2
(2.4%) was observed for 40% fibre volume specimen. The reasons for this variation are being
investigated.
5.5. Variation of damping with Fracture toughness for specimens immersed in Saline water
for different immersion times in bending.
Figures 5.4(a)-(e) show the variation of Fracture toughness with damping factor for different fibre volumes
and immersion times for specimens soaked in saline water. Figure 5.4 (a) shows the variation of Fracture
toughness with damping for specimen with fibre volume of 20%. Initial period of immersion between 0-15
days showed decrease in both damping and Fracture toughness values. Damping decreased by an amount
of 0.0074 (9%) while Fracture toughness value decreased by an amount ofl.5 MNm-3/2 (1.2%). For
immersion time between 15 to 30 days the damping value decreased by an amount of 0.00133(18%) and
Fracture toughness value by around 5 MNm-3/2 (5%) and between the time interval of 30 to 45 days the
damping value increased by 0.00037 (6%) while the Fracture toughness value increased by a maximum of
around 7 MNm-3/2 (6.2%). For time interval between 45 to 60 days the damping again decreased by 0.00043
(7%) while Fracture toughness decreased by a maximum of around 3.5 MNm-3/2 (3%) which was for 9mm
notch length specimen. In Fig. 5.4(b) the variation of Fracture toughness with damping for specimens
having a fibre volume of 25% is shown for different immersion periods. For a period of soaking between
0-15 days both the damping as well as Fracture toughness values decreased. The damping value decreased
by 0.00008(1%) while the Fracture toughness value decreased by 3.36 MNm-3/2 (2.3%). For 15 to 30 days
period of soaking the damping value decreased by an amount of 0.003 (39%) while Fracture toughness
decreased by an amount of around 1.5 MNm -3/2 (2%) and for immersion time between 30 to 45 days, the
damping value increased by an amount of approximately 0.00074 (16%) and Fracture toughness value
increased by an amount of around 6.4 MNm-3/2 (5%) which was for lOnmi notch length specimen. For
soaking time between 45 to 60 days the damping value increased by an amount of 0.0014 (26%), while the
Fracture toughness value decreased by a maximum amount of around 2.5 MNm-3/2 (3%). This contrasting
behavior needs further investigation to be explained. Figure 5.4 (c) shows the variation of damping with
Fracture toughness for specimens having a fibre volume of 30% and for different soaking times. Soaking
time between 0 to 15 days showed reduction in both the damping as well as Fracture toughness value. The
damping value reduced by 0.00076 (8%) while the Fracture toughness value reduced by 2 MNm-3/2 (1.6%).
For immersion period between 15 to 30 days the damping value decreased by a substantial amount of

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0.00368 (42%) but Fracture toughness value increased by a small amount of around 2.9 MNm -3/2 (2%) and
30 to 45 days of soaking time showed again an increase in the damping value of about 0.00133 (26%),
while Fracture toughness value increased by a maximum of 2.5 MNm-3/2 (2%) which is for 9mm specimen.
Specimen with 10mm notch showed decrease in the Fracture toughness value by 3.5 MNm -3/2 (2.5%). This
may be due to an error in experimentation. For an immersion time between 45 to 60 days the damping value
increased by an amount of 0.0016 (25%), while the Fracture toughness value increased by a maximum
amount of 3.5 MNm-3/2 (3%). Again it can be seen that both damping and Fracture toughness have the same
trend except for few cases where it needs further investigation to explain the deviation. In Fig. 5.4 (d) the
variation of Fracture toughness with damping for specimens having a fibre volume of 35% is presented.
Soaking period between 0-15 days showed reduction in damping and Fracture toughness of the specimens
continuing the same trend exhibited by other previous specimens. The damping reduced by 0.0032 (38%)
and Fracture toughness reduced by a maximum of 2.9 MNm -3/2 (2%) which was for 10mm notched
specimen. For the period of soaking between 15-30 days the damping increased by an amount of 0.00219
(43%), while Fracture toughness increased by an amoimt of around 3.5 MNm-3/2 3%). Specimen with notch
length of 9mm showed no change in the Fracture toughness value. For immersion time between 30 to 45
days the damping value decreased by small amount of around 0.00052 (7%) and Fracture toughness by an
amount of approximately 0.57 MNm-3/2 (!%)• Specimen with notch length of 9mm showed increase in the
Fracture toughness value by an amount of 1.5 MNm-3/2 (!%)• Between 45 to 60 days of inmiersion time,
the damping value increased slightly by 0.0003 (5%) and Fracture toughness value increased by a maximum
of around 2.33 MNm-3/2 (2%). Again the 9mm notch length specimen showed decrease in the Fracture
toughness value by 0.5 MNm-3/2 (0.5%). Figure 5.4(e) shows the variation of Fracture toughness with
damping for specimens with fibre volume of 40%. For the beginning period of immersion between 0-15
days, the same trend observed for other four specimens previously was also observed. Damping decreased
by an amount of 0.0016 (10%) while Fracture toughness decreased by 5.8 MN (4%). For immersion period
between 15 to 30 days, the damping value decreased slightly by 0.00036 (4%), while Fracture toughness
value decreased by around 0.6 MNm-3/2 (1%). 9mm notch length specimen showed increase in the Fracture
toughness value by 3.5 MNm-3/2 (3%) and for soaking time between 30 to 45 days the damping value
increased by an amount of 0.0006 (7%), while the Fracture toughness value increased by around 3 MNm -
3/2
(2%). Again 9mm notch length specimen showed decrease in the Fracture toughness value (2 MNm -3/2
). For soaking time between 45 to 60 days the damping value increased by an amount of around 0.00052
(6%) and in contrast to this the Fracture toughness value decreased by very small amount around 1 MNm
(1%). The 10mm notch length specimen showed no change in the Fracture toughness values. This behavior
is to be investigated for the deviation of the values. The following are the important observations made for
specimens soaked in saline , water with regards to Fracture toughness and damping:
> For specimens soaked for 15 days of time period the Fracture toughness values decreased for all the
specimens irrespective of the fibre volume and by a maximum amount of around 4%

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> Specimens soaked for 30 days showed similar decrease in the Fracture toughness value for all the
specimens except for some specimens where very small amount of increase was observed of the order of
around 2%. The maximum decrease in value of Fracture toughness in this case is around 6%.
> For an immersion period of 45 days the Fracture toughness values increased for almost all the specimens.
The maximum increase in the value of Fracture toughness is around 3%. In case of 10mm notch length
specimen, a decrease in Fracture toughness values is observed for some specimens.
> Specimens inmiersed for 60 days of time period shqwed again a decrease in the Fracture toughness values
except for some specimens where a small increase is observed. The maximum decrease in the Fracture
toughness values is around 3%.
> Soaking period between 0 to 15 days showed reduction in both the damping and Fracture toughness
values for all the specimens irrespective of the fibre volume. A maximum reduction of around 38% for
damping and 4% for Fracture toughness was observed.
> For immersion period between 15 to 30 days, the damping and Fracture toughness values decreased for
almost all the specimens. A maximum decrease of 42% was observed for damping and a maximum decrease
of around 4% was observed for Fracture toughness.
> For soaking time between 30 to 45 days, the damping and Fracture toughness values increased for almost
all the specimens. The maximum increase for the damping is of the order of 27% and for Fracture toughness
the increase was around 7%.
> For immersion period between 45 to 60 days, some specimens showed increase in damping and Fracture
toughness and some specimens showed decrease in damping and Fracture toughness. There requires further
investigation to understand the correct behavior between damping and Fracture toughness.

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(a) Saline water immersed, 9mm notch length (b) Saline water immersed, 10mm notch length.
Fig.5.3. Variation of Fracture toughness with fibre volume for specimens treated with Saline water in bending.

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(a) 20% Fibre volume (h) 25% Fibre volume (c) 30% Fibre volume (d) 35% Fibre volume (e) 40% Fibre volume
Fig.5.4. (a)-(e) Variation of Fracture tougiiness witli damping for specimens immersed in saline water with different
notch lengths and fibre volume in bending.
5.6. Effect of Normal water treatment on the Fracture toughness of GFRP composite in
bending.
Variation of Fracture toughness with fibre volume for specimens having a notch length of 9mm is shown
in Fig. 5.5(a) for different immersion times. For initial period of soaking of 15 days all the specimens
irrespective of the fibre volume exhibit decrease in the value of Fracture toughness. The decrease in the
toughness values range from 0% to around 5MNm-3/2 (4%). Maximum decrease in the Fracture toughness
value was observed for 40% fibre volume specimen. This decrease in the Fracture toughness values are due
to the reasons discussed in section 5.2. There was no change in the Fracture toughness value of 35% fibre
volume specimen. For specimens soaked for 30 days, the Fracture toughness values decreased continuing
the same trend exhibited by saline and seawater treated specimens. The decrease in Fracture toughness
values is more when compared to 15 days treated specimens. A maximum decrease of about 6 MNm -3/2
(5%) was observed for 40% fibre volume specimen. Again the decrease in the Fracture toughness values is
due to the reasons discussed in section 5.2. Specimens immersed for 45 days time period show increase in
the Fracture toughness values except 20% fibre volume where there was sight reduction in the toughness
values of around 6.5 MNm-3/2 (5%). Remaining specimens exhibit either increase or no change in the
Fracture toughness values. A maximum increase of around 0.5 MNm-3/2 (0.5%) was observed for 25% fibre
volume specimen. For specimens immersed for 60 days of time period, the Fracture toughness values show
mixed results. Except for 30% fibre volume and 40% fibre volume which have got slight decrease in the
Fracture toughness values, other specimens show good increase. A maximum of around 2.5 MNm-3/2 (2%)
increase was observed for 25% fibre volume specimen. A maximum of around 3 MNm -3/2 (3%) decrease
in Fracture toughness value was observed for 30% fibre volume specimen. In Fig. 5.5 (b) the variation of
Fracture toughness with fibre volume for different soaking periods is presented for a notch length of 10mm.
For initial period of immersion of 15 days the Fracture toughness values decrease for almost all the
specimens continuing the same trend as before. 30% fibre volume specimen showed a small increase in the
Fracture toughness value of the order of around 2 MNm" (2%). The other specimens show decrease in the
Fracture toughness values. A maximum decrease of about 7 MNm-3/2 (5%) Fracture toughness value was
observed for 40% fibre volume specimen. 25% fibre volume specimen showed no variation in the toughness
value. For specimens immersed for 30 days of time period, the Fracture toughness values decreased for all
the specimens except for 30% fibre volume specimen which show a small increase of the order of around
3 MNm-3/2 (2%). The reasons for decrease in the values of Fracture toughness are discussed in section 5.2.
Specimens immersed for 45 days time show almost increase in the Fracture toughness values. Except for
25% fibre volume and 40% fibre volume specimens where there was a slight decrease of the order of 1
MNm-3/2 (0.8% maximum) other specimens showed good increase in the values of Fracture toughness. A
maximum increase of the order of about 3 MNm-3/2 (2%) was observed for 30% fibre volume specimen.
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The reasons for increase in the Fracture toughness values are being investigated. Specimens soaked for 60
days of time show a decrease in the Fracture toughness values regardless of the fibre volume. All specimens
show good reduction in the toughness values. The reduction in Fracture toughness values ranged from 1
MNm-3/2 (0.8%) to 11 MNm-3/2 (8%). Maximum reduction was observed for 25% fibre volume specimen.
The reduction in the Fracture toughness values are for the reasons discussed section 5.2.
5.7. Variation of damping with Fracture toughness for specimens immersed in Saline water
for different immersion times in bending.
Figures 5.6 (a)-(e) show the variation of Fracture toughness with damping for different fibre volumes and
immersion times. In Fig. 5.6 (a) the variation of damping with Fracture toughness for specimens with fibre
volume 20% is shown. Soaking period between 0 to 15 days showed reduction in both the damping and
Fracture toughness of the specimen. Damping reduced by an amount of 0.00137 (16%) and Fracture
toughness reduced by a maximum of 3 MNm-3/2 (2.5%). For the immersion period between 15-30days, the
damping and Fracture toughness of the composite increased by around 0.00051 (8%) andl MNm-3/2 (1%)
respectively. For soaking time between 30 to 45 days the damping value decreased by an amount of 0.0011
(15%) while Fracture toughness decreased by 3.5 MNm -3/2 (3%). The 10mm notch length specimen showed
a small increase in the Fracture toughness value of the order of 1 MNm-3/2 (!%)• The behavior of specimens
between 45 to 60 days of immersion time shows that damping value increased by an amount of 0.00115
(20%) while the Fracture toughness increased by a maximum of around 7 MNm -3/2 (7%). The 10mm notch
length specimen showed slight reduction in Fracture toughness value of the order of 5%. The variation of
Fracture toughness with damping for specimens having a fibre volume of 25% is shown in Fig. 5.6 (b). The
trend shown by 20% fibre volume specimens is observed here also. For initial period of soaking between
0-15 days show reduction in both the damping and Fracture toughness values. The damping reduced by an
amount of 0.0015 (20%) and Fracture toughness reduced by 2.5 MNm -3/2. For the soaking time between 15
to 30 days, the damping value increased by an amount of around 0.00197 (31%), while Fracture toughness
decreased by a very small amount of the order of 0.58 MNm-3/2 (0.4%). The 9mm notch length showed no
variation the value of toughness. For the immersion time between 30 to 45 days, the damping value
decreased by an amount of 0.00173 (17%), while Fracture toughness increased by –art very small amount
of around 3 MNm' (2.5%). The 10mm notch length specimen showed no variation in the value of Fracture
toughness. For soaking period between 45 to 60 days, the damping value increased by an amount of 0.00173
(25%) while Fracture toughness value increased by aroxmd 2 MNm -3/2 (2%). The 10mm notch exhibited
decrease in the Fracture toughness value. The mismatch shown by some specimens need further
investigations for explanation of the deviations. In Fig. 5.6 (c) the variation of damping with Fracture
toughness for specimens having fibre volume of 30% is presented. Soaking time between 0 and 15 days
showed reduction in both the damping and Fracture toughness values continuing the same trend exhibited
by the other specimens explained above. The damping reduced by an amount of 0.00285 (30%) while
Fracture toughness reduced by a maximum of 4 MNm-3/2 (3%). Between the immersion time of 15 to 30
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days the damping values increased by an amount of around 0.00022 (3%) while the Fracture toughness
increased by a maximum of 4 MNm-3/2 (4%). For the immersion time between 30 to 45 days, the damping
increased by an amount of 0.0003 (4%) and the Fracture toughness remained unchanged. For the immersion
period between 45 to 60 days, the damping value decreased by around 0.00048 (8%) and the Fracture
toughness value decreased by a maximum amount of 6 MNm-3/2 (4%). The damping and Fracture toughness
properties show similar trend here also. Figure 5.6 (d) shows the variation of Fracture toughness with
damping for the specimens having fibre volume of 35% and different immersion times. For the initial
immersion period between 0 to 15 days, the same trend continued here also as the previous specimens.
Damping reduced by an amount of 0.0026 (31 %) while Fracture toughness reduced by around 1.18 MNm-
3/2
(!%)• For the immersion time between 15-30 days, the damping value increased by an amount of 0.00196
(34%) while Fracture toughness increased by a small amount of around 1.18 MNm-3/2 (!%)• The 9mm notch
length specimen showed decreased in Fracture toughness by 1%. For the soaking time between 30 to 45
days, the damping value decreased by an amount of 0.00193 (25%) while Fracture toughness increased by
a maximum amount of aroimd 2 MNm-3/2 (2%). Immersion time between 45 to 60 days showed an increase
in the damping value by an amount of 0.00226 (39%) while Fracture toughness value increased by an
amount of 1.5 MNm-3/2 (1%). In this case also both the damping and Fracture toughness values vary in a
similar trend except a few readings where it needs further investigation to study the deviation. In Fig. 5.6
(e) the variation of Fracture toughness with damping value for specimens having fibre volume of 40% is
presented. Immersion period between 0-15 days showed reduction in both the damping and Fracture
toughness values. The damping of the specimen reduced by an amount of 0.0018 (18%) while the Fracture
toughness reduced by a maximum of 7 MNm -3/2 (5%). For the soaking time between 15 to 30 days the
damping value increased by an amount of 0.00045 (5%) while Fracture toughness value increased by an
amount of around 4.7 MNm-3/2 (4%). The 9mm notch length specimen showed a small decrease in the
Fracture toughness value by an amount of around 1 MNm-3/2 (1%). For the immersion time between 30 to
45 days, the damping value decreased by an amount of around 0.00096 (11%) while, the Fracture toughness
values increased by a maximum amount of 6 MNm -3/2 (5%). This is a contrasting behavior. For soaking
period between 45 to 60 days, the damping value increased by an amount of 0.00092 (12%) and the Fracture
toughness value decreased by a very small amount of 0.5 MNm-3/2 (0.4%). The 10mm notch length
specimen showed no variation in the Fracture toughness value. The following are the important
observations made for specimens soaked in normal water with regards to Fracture toughness and damping:
> For 15 days of soaking period the Fracture toughness values decreased for all the specimens irrespective
of the fibre volume. The maximum amount of decrease was observed to be around 5%.
> Specimens soaked for 30 days showed decrease in the Fracture toughness values of around a maximum
of 5%.
> For 45 days of soaking period the Fracture toughness values increased for almost all the specimens. An
increase of around a maximum of 2% was observed.

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> Specimens immersed for 60 days showed decrease in the Fracture toughness values for all the specimens
irrespective of the fibre volume. A maximum of aroimd 8% decrease was observed.
> The immersion period between 0 to' 15 days showed reduction in both the damping and Fracture
toughness values irrespective of the fibre volume. The maximum reduction in the damping value is of the
order of 31% while the Fracture toughness values reduced by a maximum of 4%.
> For an immersion period between 15 to 30 days, the damping value of the composite increased by a
maximum amount of 40%, while the Fracture toughness value increased by an amoxmt of approximately
4%.
> For soaking time between 30 to 45 days, the damping value decreased for almost all the specimens and
was of the order of around a maximum of 17% and the Fracture toughness value decreased by an amount
of around 3%.
> Immersion period between 45 to 60 days showed increase in the damping value of about 39% while, the
Fracture toughness value decreased by an amount of around 6%.

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(a) Normal water immersed. 9mm notch length (b) Norinal water immersed, 10mm notch length.
Fig.5.5. Variation of Fracture tougliness witli fibre volume for specimens treated witli Normal water in bending.

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(a) 20% Fibre volume (b) 25% Fibre volume (c) 30% Fibre volume (d) 35% Fibre volume (e) 40%r Fibre volume
Flg.5.6. Variation of Fracture toughness with damping for specimens immersed in Normal water with different
notch lengths and fibre volume in bending.

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CHAPTER 6
INVESTIGATIONS AND DISCUSSION ON CHARPY IMPACT ENERGY
TESTING OF GFRP COMPOSITES SUBJECTED TO DIFFERENT LIQUID
ENVIRONMENTS.
6.1. Effect of normal water treatment on the Charpy impact energy of GFRP composites.
Figures 6.1(a)-(e) show the variation of Charpy impact energy for different notch lengths and for
different treatment times. Figure 6.1 (a) shows the variation of the Charpy impact energy with fibre
volume for 1mm notch length along with ntreated specimens. For untreated specimens, the Charpy
impact energy increased for increasing fibre volume. The increase in the impact strength is more
or less gradual with increase in fibre volume. The minimum value obtained is 2.6J and the aximum
is 4.76J. Specimens treated for 15 days time showed an increase in energy absorbed for all the
specimens than untreated specimens irrespective of the fibre volume. The increase is almost
gradual and the values vary from 2.8J to a maximum of 4.8J. The highest increase in the energy
value is for 30% fibre volume specimen, the value being 0.26J. The increase in the impact energy
for specimens treated for 15 days may be due to the absorption of water molecules by the
composite which occupies the space between two molecules or in voids or in fibre-matrix
interphase. Since the soaking time is less, the degradation of the composite may have not started.
Thus the water molecule. combined with the composite structure behaves as entirety and offers
greater resistance for impact. The increase in impact value for 20% fibre volume specimen is 0.2J.
Remaining specimens also exhibited similar trend. 25% and 35% fibre volume specimens had an
increase of 0.15J and 0.2J respectively while 40% fibre volume had an increase of 0.04J. Further,
as the duration of soaking increased for 30 days, the impact behavior of the composite changed.
The specimens treated for 30 days exhibited decrease in impact energy than untreated specimens.
The specimen 40% fibre volume showed maximum decrease in impact energy of the order of
0.76J. The 20% and 35% fibre volume specimens showed a decrease of O.IJ each. The 25% and
30% fibre volume specimens impact energy decreased by an amoimt of 0.45J and 0.14J
respectively. As the soaking time increases, the water uptake by the composite increases till it
reaches saturation. The water absorption by the composite has been shown to lead to a general
reduction in the mechanical properties of composites and in part, to degradation of the fibre-matrix
interfacial bond. The mechanical properties to a certain extent are altered by the void content of
the composite. If void content is more, the water absorption capacity increases steeply. The
degradation of the composite starts very early in this case. This total effect can be seen in the

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composites as reduction in the strength of the composite. Another factor which also leads to
decrease in the mechanical strength is the microcracks present in the composite. These may be
formed during the composite production or caused by service condition. These microcracks
increase the water uptake by the composite and leads to reduction in the strength of the composite.
These are the reasons attributed to the decrease in the impact strength of the composite. Specimens
treated for 45 days showed a similar trend as before. The impact strength of the composite
specimens further reduced when compared to 30 days treated specimens. The decrease in the
impact energy ranged from 0.2J to 0.76J. The maximum decrease was observed for 40% fibre
volume specimen having the highest fibre volume. The decrease in the impact strength is due to
the degradation of the composite due to exposure to liquid environment. As the soaking time
increases, the composite experiences different degradation mechanisms like hydrolysis, leaching,
swelling etc. which leads to decrease in the strength of the composite. On fiirther soaking the
specimens for 60 days, the strength of the composites further decreased significantly. The decrease
in the impact strength varied from 1.1 J to 1.25J. The maximum decrease in this case was observed
for 25% fibre volume specimen. The decrease in the impact strength of the composite is due to the
reasons discussed above. Figure 6.1 (b) shows the variation of impact energy with fibre volume
for a notch length of 2mm. For untreated specimens, the Charpy impact energy increzised with
increasing fibre volume continuing the same trend as shown by previous specimens. The highest
impact energy was exhibited by 40% fibre volume specimen containing the highest fibre volume.
Specimens treated for 15 days exhibited the same trend as specimens with notch length 1mm. The
impact energy increased and ranged fi"om OJ to 0.6J, the maximum value being shown by 20%
and 25% fibre volume specimens. The increase in the impact energy is due to the reasons discussed
in the above section. On fiuther increasing the soaking time to 30 days, the impact energy of all
the specimens decreased below the untreated specimens. The decrease in impact energy ranged
from 0.2J to 0.4J. The maximum decrease was exhibited by 40% fibre volume specimen. The
decrease in impact energy may be becaiise of the reasons discussed in above section. Further
decrease in impact energy was observed for specimens treated up to 45 and 60 days. The maximum
decrease in impact energy value is observed for 40% fibre volume specimen with 0.6J and 2.6J for
45 and 60 days respectively. Specimens 20% and 25% fibre volume also shows a maximum
reduction in the impact strength for the case of 45 days treatment time. The reduction in the impact
energy is attributed to the reasons discussed in the above section. Specimens treated for 60 days
exhibited greater reduction in the strength than specimens with 1mm notch length for the same
time period. In Fig.6.1 (c) the variation of impact energy for specimens with notch length of 3mm
is presented. Untreated specimens show an increase in impact energy for increasing fibre volume.
The values ranged from 2.2J to 3.8J. For initial period of 15 days soaking, the impact energy
increased from a minimum of 0.2J to maximum of 0.64J. The maximum energy increase was
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observed for 35% fibre volume specimen. Specimens soaked for 30 days showed a similar trend
as exhibited by 1mm and 2mm specimens. The impact energy decreased for all the specimens and
varied from a minimum of 0.16J to a maximum of 0.3J. Maximum decrease in the impact energy
was observed for 40% fibre volume specimen and minimum decrease was observed for 35% fibre
volume specimen. The reasons for decrease in the impact energy can be attributed to the factors
explained in the above section. On further extension of soaking period to 45 days, the impact
energy decreased and varied from a minimum of 0.36J to a maximum of 0.8J. The 35% fibre
volume specimen exhibited minimum decrease in impact energy value and maximum decrease
was observed for 40% fibre volume specimen. As the degradation of composite proceeds, the
strength of the composite begins to decrease. The water molecules, as the time progresses, reach
the fibre matrix interphase and then diffuse in to the fibre and decrease the strength. This effect
can be clearly seen from the results obtained. For 60 days of soaking time, the impact energy
ftirther decreased and ranged from a minimum of 1.4J to a maximum of 2J. The maximum decrease
in the impact energy is observed for 40% fibre volume specimen and minimum decrease for 30%
fibre volume specimen. The decrease in the impact energy values may be because of the reasons
discussed in the above section. Figure 6.1 (d) shows the variation of impact energy with fibre
volume for specimens having notch length of 4mm. Untreated specimens showed the same
behavior as discussed in the above sections and the impact energy values varied from minimum of
2J to a maximum of 3.2J. For 15 days freated specimens, the impact energy increased showing the
same trend as shown by other notched specimens. The increase in impact energy varied from a
minimum of 0.2J to a maximum of 0.5J. The maximimi increase in impact energy was observed
for 30% fibre volume specimen. On fiirther increase in soaking time to 30 days, the impact energy
decreased for all the specimens and the decrease in impact energy values ranged from a minimum
of 0.2J to a maximum of 0.3J. The 30% fibre volume specimen exhibited maximum decrease in
the impact energy. For 45 days freatment time the impact energy decreased from a minimum of
0.4J to a maximum of 0.5J. The 30% fibre volume specimen showed maximum decrease in impact
energy. Further soaking the specimens for 60 days resulted in fixrther decrease in the impact
energy. Here the maximum decrease of impact energy was observed for 35% and 40% fibre
volume specimens. The decrease in the impact energy ranged from 1.5J to 2J. Specimens treated
for 60 days showed a large decrease in the impact energy values than the other specimens treated
for 45 and 30 days. For specimens having a notch length of 5mm, the variation of Charpy impact
energy with fibre volume is shown in the Fig.6.] (e). The untreated specimen impact energy values
varied from 1.5J to 2.8J. The impact energy increased for increasing fibre volume, showing the
same trend as discussed in the above sections. Specimens soaked for 15 days showed increase in
the impact energy, similar to the trend shown by previous specimens with different notch lengths.
The increase in the impact energy is from a minimum value of 0.2J to a maximum value of 0.7J.
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Here the maximum increase in impact energy was observed for 20% fibre volume specimen and
minimum increase for 25% and 30% fibre volume specimens. This increase in impact energy is
due to the reasons enumerated in the above sections. Further increasing the soaking time to 30
days decreased the impact energy of the specimens and varied between O.IJ to 0.4J maximum.
Specimen 40% fibre volume exhibited maximum decrease in impact energy. Soaking time for 45
days fiirther decreased the impact energy values, showing similar trend as discussed for specimens
earlier. The decrease in impact energy ranged from 0.3J to 0.6J maximum. The maximum decrease
was shown by 25% and 40% fibre volume specimens. Further increase in freatment period reduced
the impact energy values and ranged from 1.1 J to 1.8J maximum. Maximum decrease was
observed for 40% fibre volume specimen.
The following important observations were made for specimens treated with normal water
specimens.
> All specimens irrespective of notch length exhibited an increase in the impact energy for 15 days
initial period of soaking. Maximum increase in the impact energy was up to 47%.
> All specimens showed decrease in impact energy values for 30 days soaking period. The
maximum decrease in impact energy was up to 18%. > For specimens freated for 45 days and 60
days, the impact energy fiirther reduced by a large amount. For 45 days treated specimens, the
maximum decrease was found to be around 27% and for 60 days treated specimens, the maximum
decrease was found to be around 73%.

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Fig. 6.1 Variation of Charpy impact energy with fibre volume for
specimens treated with normal water.]

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Fig. 6.1 (contd...) Variation of Charpy impact energy with fibre volume
for specimens treated with normal water.
6.2. Effect of Sea water treatment on the Charpy impact energy of GFRP composites.
Figures 6.2 (a)-(e) show the variation of Charpy impact energy with fibre volume for different
notch lengths. In Fig.6.2 (a), the variation of Charpy impact energy for specimens having a notch
length of 1mm is presented. For untreated specimens, the impact energy values remain same as
discussed in section 6.1. For specimens treated for 15 days, the impact energy increased for all the
specimens. The increase in the impact energy values ranged from 0.24J to 0.46J. The maximum
increase in the impact energy values is for 30% fibre volume specimen. The increzise in the impact
energy values is due to the reasons discussed in section 6.1. As the soaking time was increased to
30 days, the specimens showed a decrease in the impact energy values. The decrease in impact
energy value ranged from a minimum of 0.1 J to a maximum of 0.76J. The 40% fibre volume
specimen having the maximum fibre volume exhibited maximum decrease in impact energy of
about 16%. The decrease in the impact energy values can be attributed to the reasons discussed in
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section 6.1. For specimens soaked for 45 days, the impact energy value fiirther decreased and
ranged from 2.5J to 3.2J. The maximum decrease in impact energy was observed for 40% fibre
volume specimen having the highest fibre volume of about 29%. Further, as the soaking time
increased to 60 days, the specimens further degraded and the impact energy values reduced and
varied between 2.8J to 4.0J. Here again, the maximum decrease in impact energy value was
observed for 40% fibre volume specimen of about 47%. This shows the effect of fibre volume on
impact energy values. Figure 6.2 (b) shows the variation of Charpy impact energy with fibre
volume for specimens with notch length of 2mm. For specimens treated for 15 days, the impact
energy increased and varied from a minimum of OJ to a maximum of 0.2J. All specimens show
almost equal increase in the impact energy values except for 30% fibre volume specimen which
show no increase in the impact energy value. The increase in impact energy values was small. On
further increase in soaking time to 30 days, the impact energy decreased and the decrease in impact
energy ranged from 0.25J to 0.6J. Maximum percentage decrease in impact energy was observed
for 20% and 40% fibre volume specimens with around 16% and 14% respectively. The decrease
in the impact energy is due to the reasons discussed in section 6.1. Further increase in the soaking
time to 45 days showed fiirther reduction in the impact energy
values. The maximum decrease in the impact energy value was observed to be for 40% fibre
volume specimen, of the order of 1.2J coming around 28%. This decrease in the impact energy
value can be attributed to the reasons discussed in section 6.1. For specimens soaked for 60 days,
the impact energy further reduced to a large extent. Again the maximum decrease in impact energy
value was observed for 40% fibre volume specimen containing the highest fibre volume
percentage. Maximum decrease in impact energy was of the order of 1.7J. Figure 6.2 (c) presents
the variation of Charpy impact energy with fibre volume for specimens having notch length of
3mm. Specimens soaked for 15 days showed an increase in the impact energy exhibiting the same
trend shown by previous specimens. The increase in impact energy was fi"om a minimum of OJ
to a maximum of 0.2J. This increase in the impact energy is due to the reasons discussed in section
6.1. The maximum percentage increase was of the order of 9%. Further treating the specimens for
30 days duration, the impact energy values were foimd to decrease and a maximum value of 0.6J
was shown by 40% fibre volume specimen which was around 15%. For specimens treated for 45
days, the impact energy values fiirther decreased. The decrease in impact energy values was firom
a minimum of 0.2J to a maximiun of 0.8J. The maximum decrease in the impact strength was
observed for 40% fibre volxime specimen which is around 21%. Specimens exposed to 60 days
time duration showed fiirther reduction in the impact energy values. This is due to the
environmentally assisted degradation mechanism occurring in the composite. Maximum decrease
in the impact energy values was observed for 40% fibre volume specimen, of the order of 2 J. In
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Fig. 6.2 (d), the variation of Charpy impact energy value with fibre volume is presented for
specimens having a notch length of 4mm. The impact energy increased for increasing fibre
volume. For specimens treated for 15 days, the impact energy increased from a minimum of OJ to
a maximum of 0.4J. Maximum increase in impact energy was observed for 40% fibre volume
specimen which was around 12.5%. On further increasing the treatment to 30 days, the impact
energy decreased, the maximum decrease being 0.2J. The 20%, 25%, 35% and 40% fibre volume
specimens showed maximum decrease in the impact energy values. Impact energy values further
reduced for specimens treated for 45 days. The decrease in the impact energy was
from a minimum of 0.3J to a maximum of 0.4J. The 20%, 25%, 35% and 40% fibre volume
specimens showed maximum decrease in the impact energy. Specimens treated for 60 days showed
further reduction in the impact energy. Maximum decrease o of impact energy was about 1.8J and
minimum decrease was of the order of 1.5J. Maximum percentage decrease was around 75%.
Figure 6.2 (e) shows the variation of Charpy impact energy with fibre volume for specimens having
a notch length of 5mm. Specimens treated for 15 days showed an increase in impact energy values
showing the same trend shown by previous specimens. The impact energy values ranged from a
minimum of 0.2J to a maximum of 0.5J. The increase in impact energy values is due to the reasons
discussed in the section 6.1. Specimens treated for 30 days showed a reduction in impact energy
values from a minimum value of 0.1 J to a maxim\mi of 0.3J. Maximum decrease in impact energy
was shown by 40% fibre volume specimen which was aroimd 10%. Specimens freated for 45 days
showed fiorther reduction in the impact strength values. The decrease in the impact energy values
ranged from 0.3J to 0.6J. In this case the maximum decrease was observed for 25% fibre volume
specimen which is arovind 27%. On fiirther freating the specimens for 60 days, the impact strength
values reduced significantly. The reduction in impact energy values ranged from 0.4J to 1.4J. The
maximum decrease was observed for 40% fibre voliime specimen. The decrease in the impact
sfrength values is due to the reasons discussed in section 6.1. The following important observations
were made for specimens freated with sea water:
> All specimens irrespective of notch length showed an increase in the impact energy for initial
treatment period of 15 days. Maximum percentage increase in the impact energy value was around
33%.
> All specimens exhibited decrease in impact energy values for 30 days treatment. The decrease
in impact energy was small. Maximum percentage decrease in this case was around 17%.
> For specimens treated for 45 days and 60 days, the impact energy fiirther reduced by a large
amount. For 45 days treated specimens, the maximum percentage decrease was around 29%. For
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60 days treated specimens the decrease in the impact strength was significantly low and the
maximum percentage decrease was around 77%.
Fig.6.2. Variation of Charpy impact energy with fibre volume for specimens treated with Seawater,

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Fig.6.2. (contd...) Variation of Charpy impact energy with fibre volume for specimens treated with Seawater.
6.3. Effect of Saline water treatment on the Charpy impact energy of GFRP composites.
Figures 6.3 (a)-(e) show the variation of Charpy impact energy with fibre volume for different
notched specimens subjected to saHne water environment. In Fig.6.3 (a), the variation of impact
energy with fibre volume is presented for a notch length of Imm. For untreated specimens the
impact energy increased for increasing fibre volume. For specimens treated for 15 days the impact
energy either decreased or slightly increased. There was very small increase in the case of 30%
fibre volume specimen only. Remaining specimens showed small reduction in the impact energy
values. This behavior is different firom the behavior shown by the same specimens when subjected
to other environments. The decrease in impact energy may be because of imcured resin or testing
errors. Any specimens having uncured resin will not exhibit good impact resistance because of
reduction in the strength of the specimen. Maximum decrease in the strength is observed for 40%
fibre volume specimen which is 0.56J. Increasing the soaking time to 30 days fiirther reduced the
impact strength. The reduction of impact energy ranged from OJ to 0.96J. Highest reduction in the
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impact energy values is found for 40% fibre volume specimen. This reduction in the impact
strength is due to the water absorption by the composite. Water absorption makes the composite
to degrade and decreases its strength. Water absorption mainly affects the fibre-matrix interphase
area which is mainly responsible for the strength of the composite. Moisture can directly reduce
the chemical bonding strength at the interface and affect the matrix properties and this result in the
decrease of strength of the composite. The weakening of bonding between fibre and matrix and
softening of matrix material are also reasons of the decreased composite strength. Specimens
soaked for 45 days showed fiarther reduction in the impact strength. The reduction in the impact
energy ranged from a minimum of 0.4J to a maximum of 1.16J. The maximum decrease in the
strength was observed for 40% fibre volume specimen which is around 24% reduction percentage.
This decrease in the impact strength of the composite is due to the degradation of the composite
due to the environment to which it is subjected to. On further treating the specimens for 60 days,
the impact strength further reduced to a large extent. The reduction in the impact strength is from
a minimum of 1.5J to a maximum of 2.96J. Here also the maximum decrease in the impact energy
value is observed for 40% fibre volume specimen. This shows the strong dependency of fibre
volume on the impact strength of the composite. Over a large period of exposure of composites to
liquid environment, the composite strength decreases and hence there is a decrease in the impact
energy strength of the composite. In Fig. 6.3(b) the variation of impact energy with fibre volume
for specimens having a notch length of 2mm is presented. Untreated specimens showed the same
behavior of increase in the impact strength as the fibre volume increased. For specimens treated
for 15 days, the impact energy increased for all the specimens. Increase in the impact energy ranged
from 0.15J to 0.8J. The maximum increase was shown by 40% fibre ) volume specimen. This
increase in the impact strength is due to the reasons discussed in section 6.1. Water uptake by the
specimen initially increases and all the voids and micro cracks are filled by the water molecules.
This makes the composite laminate a more entirety. This is also a possible reason for increase in
the impact strength. On fiarther soaking the specimens for a period of 30 days, the impact energy
decreased. The decrease in the impact energy varied from OJ to 0.8J. Maximum decrease was
observed for 40% fibre volume specimen which is around 19% percentage reduction. Further
treating the specimens for 45 days, the impact strength fijrther reduced. The reduction in impact
energy varied fi"om 0.2J to IJ. The maximum reduction was observed for 40% fibre volume
specimen. This reduction in the strength is due to the reasons discussed in section 6.1. The
specimens treated for 60 days exhibited further decrease in the impact strength to a large extent.
The reduction in the impact energy values ranged from 1.65J to 2.2J. The maximum reduction in
the impact strength was observed for 40% fibre volume specimen having the highest fibre volume.
Figure 6.3 (c) shows the variation of impact energy with fibre volume for specimens having the
notch length of 3 mm. Untreated specimens exhibit the same trend as discussed above. For
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specimens treated for 15 days the impact energy increased and the increase in impact energy is
from a minimum of OJ to a maximum of 0.4J. Maximum increase in the impact strength was
observed for 25% and 30% fibre volume specimens. The increase in impact energy is due to the
reasons discussed in the section 6.1. On fiirther increasing the soaking period to 30 days the impact
strength reduced well below the untreated specimens. The decrease in the strength was from 0.2J
to 0.6J. Maximum decrease was observed for 40% fibre volume specimen. The decrease in impact
strength is due to the start of degradation process of the composite. For specimens treated for 45
days the impact energy further reduced except for 20% fibre volume specimen. This non reduction
in the impact strength for 20% fibre volume specimen may be due to improper testing. The
decrease in the strength of other specimens is due to the deterioration of the composite when
subjected to liquid environment. The decrease in impact strength varied fiôm OJ t 0.8J, and the
maximum decrease was shown by 40% fibre volume specimen. Further treating the specimen for
60days, the impact strength reduced fiirther to a large extent. The reduction in impact energy was
from a minimum of 1.6J to a maximum of 2.3J. The maximum decrease in the impact strength was
exhibited for 40% fibre volume specimen with highest fibre volume. In Fig.6.3 (d) the variation
of impact energy with fibre volume for specimens having a notch length of 4mm is shown.
Untreated specimen showed the same behavior as discussed above. The specimens soaked for 15
days time period exhibited increase in the impact energy values. The increase in the impact energy
values ranged from 0.1 J to 0.4J. The maximiun increase in the impact energy was shown by 20%
and 35% fibre volume specimens. This increase in the impact energy can be attributed to the
reasons disciissed in the above paragraphs. On fiirther increasing the soaking period for 30 days,
the impact strength reduced well below the untreated specimens. The decrease in the impact
strength varied fix)m OJ to a maximum of 0.3J. Maximum decrease in the impact energy value is
for 35% fibre volume specimen which is around 10% reduction. For specimens freated for 45 days,
the impact energy fiirther reduced. This reduction in the impact energy is due to the degradation
of the composite due to exposure to liquid environment. The decrease in impact energy ranged
from 0.2J to 0.4J. The maximum decrease in the impact strength was observed for 25%, 30% and
40% fibre volume specimens. Specimens treated for 60 days time period showed fiirther reduction
in their strength to a large extent. The decrease in the impact strength varied from 1.4J to 1.6J. The
maximum decrease in the impact strength was observed for 40% fibre volume specimen. This
decrease in the impact energy is due to the reasons discussed in the above section. Figure 6.3 (e)
shows the variation of impact energy with fibre volume for specimens having a notch length of
5mm. For untreated specimens the impact energy increased as the fibre volume increased. For
specimens treated for 15 days the impact energy increased and varied from 0.04J to 0.5J. The
maximum increase in the impact energy was shown by 20% fibre volume specimen which is
aroxrnd 33%. The increase in the impact energy is because of the reasons discussed in the above
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section. For specimens soaked for 30 days the impact energy decreased well below the untreated
specimens. The decrease in impact strength varied from 0.1 J to 0.4J. Maximum decrease in impact
strength was observed for 40% fibre volume specimen. This decrease in impact energy is due to
starting of the degradation process in the composite. On fiarther treating the specimens for 45 days,
the impact strength fiarther reduced and varied from O.IJ to 0.5J. The maximum decrease in the
impact strength was observed for 30% fibre volume specimen. The 60 days treated specimens
showed fiirther reduction in the impact strength largely. The reduction in the impact strength varied
from 1.1 J to 1.7J. The maximum reduction in impact energy was shown by 25% fibre volume
specimen which is around 77%. This decrease in the sfrength is due to the degradation of the
composite when it is subjected to liquid environment. The following important observations were
made regarding the impact behavior of specimens treated with saline water:
> All specimens treated for 15 days exhibited increase in the impact energy values except for
specimens having notch length of 1mm where the variation was very small. This variation may be
due to the improper testing of the specimens. The maximum increase in the impact strength is of
the order of 33%.
> Specimens treated for 30 days exhibited decrease in the impact strength well below the untreated
specimens. The decrease in the impact strength is from 0- 0.96J. The maximum percentage
reduction is of the order of 20%.
>• For specimens treated for 45 and 60 days, there was a large reduction in the impact strength.
Specimens treated for 45 days showed a reduction in the impact energy from 0%-24% and for
specimens treated for 60 days the reduction is from 46%-77%.

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Fig.6.3. Variation of Charpy impact energy with fibre volume for specimens treated with Saline water.

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Fig.6.3. (contd...) Variation of Charpy impact energy with fibre volume for specimens treated with Sahne water.
6.4. Comparative study of the Charpy behavior of GFRP composite treated with normal, sea
and saline water for 15 days.
Figures 6.4 (a)-(e) show the variation of Charpy impact energy with fibre volume for specimens
treated with different liquid mediums for 15 days and for different notch lengths. Fig.6.4 (a) shows
the variation of impact energy with fibre volume for specimens having notch length of Imm treated
with different liquid mediums. Seawater treated specimen exhibit very good increase in the impact
strength when compared with other treated specimens. There is a small decrease in the impact
strength for specimens treated with saline water. The percentage increase in the impact energy
values for sea water treated specimens is from 5%-15%. This case is different fi*om other cases
where the impact energy increased for all specimens irrespective of the treating medium. The
reason for this is being investigated. The increase in the impact energy for the normal water treated
specimens was firom 0.8%-7.7%. The decrease in the impact strength for the saline water treated
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specimens was from 0%-ll%. Figure 6.4 (b) shows the variation of impact energy with fibre
volume for specimens having a notch length of 2mm. The entire specimens exhibit increase in the
impact strength. Both saline water and normal water treated specimens showed maximum increase
in the impact strength followed by sea water treated specimens. The percentage increase in the
impact strength for normal water ranged firom 0%-25% and for saline water treated specimens
from 4%-19%. The sea water treated specimens showed an increase in the impact strength from
0%- 8%. This increase in the impact strength is due to the reasons discussed in sections 6.1,6.2,
and 6.3. In Fig. 6.4 (c) the variation of impact energy with fibre volume for specimens having a
notch length of 3mm is shown. All the specimens show an increase in the impact strength
irrespective of the treating medium. Saline water treated and normal water treated specimens
exhibit the highest increase in the impact strength followed by sea water treated specimens. The
increase in the impact energy values ranged from 0%-15% for saline water treated specimens. An
increase of 0%-9% impact energy values were found for sea water treated specimens. Nonnal water
treated specimens showed an increase of 5%-15% impact energy values. This increase in the
impact strength is due to the reasons discussed in sections 6.1, 6.2, and 6.3. Figure 6.4 (d) shows
the variation of impact energy with fibre volume for specimens having a notch length of 4mm. The
same trend continued in the behavior of all the specimens as discussed above. Saline water treated
and normal water treated specimens' exhibit maximum increase in the impact strength followed by
sea water treated specimens. An increase from 4%-20% impact energy values was observed for
saline water treated specimens. An increase from 0%-12% and 6%-20% impact energy values were
found for sea water and normal water treated specimens respectively. The increase in the impact
strength can be attributed for the reasons discussed in sections 6.1, 6.2 and 6.3. Variation of impact
energy with fibre volume for specimens having a notch length of 5mm is shown in Fig.6.4 (e).
Seawater treated and normal water treated specimens show maximum increase in the impact
energy values followed by saline water treated specimens. An increase from 1.5%-33% impact
energy values were found for saline water treated specimens. For normal and sea water treated
specimens an increase from 8%-46% and 9%-33% respectively was recorded. The reasons for
increase in the impact energy values are discussed in sections 6.1, 6.2 and 8.3. Following
observations were made regarding the behavior of the specimens treated for 15 days.
> Saline water treated specimens showed good increase in the impact strength than other
specimens treated with normal water and sea water. The maximum percentage increase in the
impact strength was up to 33%.
> Normal water and sea water treated specimens' exhibit almost same behavior. For specimens
having notch length of 1mm, sea water treated specimens showed maximum increase. An increase

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in impact values up to 46% were recorded for normal water treated specimens. Sea water treated
specimens showed an increase up to 33% in impact energy values.
> The above discussion shows that the impact energy values depend on the medium of immersion.
This variation may be due to the variation of chemical structure of the molecules in each medium
and their interaction with the composite material. The chemistry between the immersion medium
and the composite plays a major role in deciding the impact strength of the composite.
Fig.6.4. Variation of Charpy impact energy with fibre volume for specimens treated with different mediums for 15
days.

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Fig.6.4. (contd...) Variation of Charpy impact energy with fibre volume for specimens treated with different
mediums for 15 days.
Figures 6.5 (a)-(e) show the variation of Charpy impact energy with fibre volume for specimens
treated with different mediums for 30 days. In Fig.6.5 (a) the impact energy variation with fibre
volume is presented for specimens having a notch length of I mm. All the specimens irrespective
of the soaking medium exhibit decrease in the impact strength. The highest decrease in the impact
strength is shown by sea water treated specimens. The lowest decrease in the impact strength is
observed for saline water treated specimens. The decrease in the impact strength for saline water
treated specimens is firom 0%-20%. The decrease in impact strength for other specimens is firbm
3%-16% and 3%-15% for sea water and normal water treated specimens respectively. This
decrease in the impact energy values is due to the reasons discussed in sections 6.1, 6.2 and 6.3.
Figure 6.5 (b) shows the variation of impact energy with fibre volume for specimens having a
notch length of 2mm. Specimens treated with saline water exhibit increase in the impact strength

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when compared to other specimens. All the specimens irrespective of the soaking medium exhibit
decrease in the impact energy values. Almost all the specimens show similar variation in the
decrease of impact strength. The decrease in the impact strength is fi"om 7%-16% for sea water
treated specimens and firom 6%- 10% for normal water treated specimens. For saline water treated
specimens a decrease from 0%-19% was found for impact energy values. The decrease in the
impact strength can be attributed to the reasons discussed in sections 6.1, 6.2 and 6.3. Figure 6.5
(c) shows the variation of impact strength with fibre volxime for specimens having a notch length
of 3mm. All specimens irrespective of the soaking medium show decrease in the impact energy
values. Almost all the specimens show same variation in the decrease of impact energy values.
The decrease in the impact energy values for sea water and normal water treated specimens is from
0%-16% and 5%-9% respectively. Saline water treated specimens show a decrease in impact
energy values firom 7%-16%. The reasons for decrease in the impact strength for the specimens
soaked for 30 days can be attributed to the reasons discussed in sections 6.1, 6.2, and 6.3.
In Fig. 6.5(d) the variation of impact energy with fibre volume is presented for specimens having
a notch length of 4nim. The same trend shown by other specimens is also been showed here. All
the specimens show decrease in the impact strength regardless the soaking medium. The variation
between the impact energy values is small. Normal water treated specimens show a decrease in
impact energy values from 6%-12%. A decrease from 4%-10% and 0%-ll% was observed for sea
water and saline water treated specimens respectively. The decrease in the impact strength is due
to the reasons discussed in sections 6.1, 6.2, and 6.3. The variation of impact energy with fibre
volume for specimens having a notch length of 5mm is shown in the Fig. 6.5 (e). All the specimens
show decrease in the impact energy values. Maximum decrease in the impact strength was
observed for normal water treated specimens followed by sea water and saline water treated
specimens. The decrease in the impact strength values is from 4%-14% and 4%-ll% for saline
water and sea water treated specimens respectively. A maximum decrease fi"om 6%- 19% was
observed for normal water treated specimens. The reasons for decrease in the impact energy values
are discussed sections 6.1, 6.2 and 6.3. Some important observations made for specimens treated
for 30 days of time period are:
> All specimens show a decrease in the impact energy values when compared to 15 days treated
specimens well below the untreated specimens. The variation of the impact energy values between
specimens treated with different liquid mediums is very small.
> Saline water treated specimens showed a decrease in impact strength from 0%-20%.

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> Normal water treated specimens show a decrease in the impact strength values oftheorderof0%-
19%.
> Sea water treated specimens also show decrease in impact strength. These specimens exhibit
almost same decrease in the impact strength for all the specimens. The decrease in the impact
strength is from 0%-16%.
days.

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Figures from 6.6 (a) to 6.6 (e) show the variation of Charpy impact energy with fibre volume for
specimens having different notch lengths and treated for 45 days. In Fig.6.6 (a), the variation of
impact energy with fibre volume is presented for specimens having a notch length of 1mm. It is
observed that the impact strength of all the specimens irrespective of the treating medium show
decreasing trend with respect to the imtreated specimens. The highest decrease in the impact
strength is shown by saline water treated specimens. The least decrease in the impact strength was
shown by the sea water treated specimens. The decrease in the impact strength for the saline water
treated specimens is from 11%-24%. The decrease in the impact energy values for sea and normal
water treated specimens is fix)m 3%-28% and 5%-17% respectively. The decrease in the impact
sfrength for all the specimens is due to the degradation of the composite due to exposure to the
moisture environment for longer time period. The degradation process may occur due to leaching,
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hydrolysis, and swelling of the matrix. These processes weakens the bonding between fibre and
matrix and results in the decrease in the strength of the composite. Other mechanisms may also be
involved in the degradation process which has to be investigated further. In Fig. 6.6 (b) the
variation of impact strength with fibre volume for specimens having a notch length of 2mm is
shown. The trend shown by previous specimens is also found here. All the specimens show
decrease in the impact strength irrespective of the soaking medium. Saline water freated and sea
water freated specimens show least decrease and specimens treated with normal water show
minimum decrease. But the variation between each specimen treated with different medium is very
narrow. The decrease in the impact strength for saline water treated specimens is from 8%-23%.
For the specimens treated with sea and normal water the decrease in the impact strength is from
8%-29% and 7%-25% respectively. This decrease in the impact strength is for the reasons
discussed in the above section. The variation of impact energy with fibre volume for specimens
having a notch length of 3mm is shown in Fig. 6.6 (c). All the specimens exhibit decrease in the
impact strength values regardless of the environment to which it is subjected to. The variation in
decrease of strength between the specimens treated with different mediums is very
small. Saline water treated specimens show a decrease in impact strength from 0%- 18%. For sea
water treated specimens the decrease in impact strength was from 9%- 21%. Normal water treated
specimens showed a decrease from ll%-23%. The decrease in the impact strength is due to the
reasons discussed in the above section. In Fig. 6.6(d) the variation of Charpy impact energy with
fibre volume for specimens having a notch length of 4mm is shown. The trend exhibited by other
specimens is also seen here. All the specimens show decrease in the impact strength regardless the
mediiim of soaking. There is very small difference between the impact energy values shown by all
the specimens. Saline water treated specimens show a decrease in impactenergy values from 10%-
17%. The specimens treated with sea water showed a decrease in impact energy values from 12%-
20%. Normal water freated specimens showed a decrease in the impact energy values from 12%-
20%. The decrease in the impact strength of the composite can be attributed to the degradation
process involved between the composite and the exposure medium which are discussed in the
above section. Figure 6.6 (e) shows the variation of impact energy with fibre volume for specimens
having a notch length of 5mm. All the specimens exhibit decrease in the impact strength
irrespective of the medium of soaking continuing the same frend as before. The difference between
the impact energy values between the specimens is very small. Saline water treated specimens
showed a decrease in impact energy values from 6%-22%. The decrease in impact strength for
specimens treated with sea water is from 13%-27%. The specimens freated with normal water
showed a decrease in impact strength from 20%-27%. The decrease in the impact sfrength is due

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to the reasons discussed in the above section. Some of the important observations made for the
specimens treated for 45 days are:
> All the specimens irrespective of the soaking medium show decrease in the impact strength when
treated for 45 days.
> Charpy test gave a decreased percentage reduction in impact strength compared to Charpy
impact test for 45 days treatment period.
> Saline water treated specimens show decrease in impact energy values from 0%-24%.
> Sea water treated specimens show decrease in impact energy values from 3%- 29%.
> Normal water treated specimens show decrease in impact energy values from 5%-27%.
> It observed that for almost all the specimens with high fibre volume show maximum decrease in
the impact strength after exposure to the different mediums.

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days.

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Figures from 6.7 (a) to 6.7 (e) show the variation of Charpy impact energy with fibre volume for
specimens treated for 60 days and for different notch lengths along with untreated specimens, hi
Fig. 6.7(a) the variation of impact energy with fibre volume is shown for specimens having a notch
length of 1mm. All the specimens irrespective of the medium being treated show a marked
decrease in the impact strength. The decrease in the impact strength for all the specimens is very
large. Saline water treated specimens show large decrease in the impact strength than other
specimens. Normal water treated specimens show a decrease in the impact strength from 20%-
42%. A decrease from 23%-47% was observed for sea water treated specimens. For saline water
treated specimens the decrease in the impact strength was from 50%-63%. The decrease in the
impact strength is due to the degradation process of the composite when it is subjected to the
moisture environment. Figure 6.7 (b) shows the variation of Charpy impact energy with fibre

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volimie for specimens having a notch length of 2mm. The same frend is observed as in the previous
specimens. All the specimens exhibit decrease in the impact strength regardless the soaking
medium. Also the variation between the different treated specimens is very small. All the curves
are staggered together showing marginal variation between them. Normal water freated show a
decrease in impact strength from 53%-62%. A reduction from 36%-67% of impact sfrength was
observed for sea water freated specimens. Saline water freated specimens exhibit a decrease in
impact strength from 47%-75%. This decrease in the impact strength is due to the reasons
discussed in the above section. The variation of impact energy with fibre volume for specimens
having a notch length of 3mm is shown in Fig. 6.7 (c). The same trend is observed here also as
before. All the specimens show a reduction in the impact strength regardless the soaking medium.
All the curves for different specimens are clustered indicating the variation between them is very
small. Normal water treated specimens show a decrease in the impact strength from 50%-77%. A
decrease from 47%-72% of impact strength was observed for sea water treated specimens. Saline
water treated specimens show a decrease in impact energy from 55%-77%. This decrease in the
impact strength can be attributed to the degradation process involved in the composite when it is
subjected to Uquid environment. In Fig. 6.7 (d) the variation of impact energy with fibre volume
for specimens having a notch length of 4mm is shown. All the specimens exhibit the same trend
as shown by the previous specimens. All the specimens show a large decrease in the impact
strength values when compared to the untreated specimens. The variation between the different
treated specimens is small. Normal water treated specimens show a decrease in strength firom
62%-75%. Sea water treated specimens show a reduction in the impact energy values from 50%-
75%. A decrease in impact energy values from 50%- 70% was observed for saline water treated
specimens. The decrease in the impact strength is due to the reasons discussed in the above section.
Figure 6.7 (e) shows the variation of impact energy with fibre volume for specimens having a
notch length of 5mm. All the specimens show a decrease in the impact sfrength values showing
the same trend that is shown by other specimens. Irrespective of the soaking medium all the
specimens show large decrease in the impact sfrength. For specimens treated with normal water,
a decrease in impact energy values from 64%-73% was observed. Sea water treated specimens
show a decrease in the impact energy values from 50%-77%. Specimens soaked in the saline water
showed a decrease in impact energy values fix)m 46%-77%. The reasons for decrease in the impact
strength are due to the environmental effects on the composite. Exposure of composite to moisture
causes loss of strength when exposed for longer duration due to degradation. Leaching and
hydrolysis are two mechanisms primarily responsible for decrease in the impact strength of the
composite. This was clearly observed in the soaking trays used to soak the specimens. The leached
material was present in the liquid when observed even for naked eyes. The following are the
observations made for the specimens treated for 60 days of time period:
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> All the specimens regardless the environment to which it is subjected to exhibit a large decrease
in the impact energy values.
> The variation between the specimens treated with different mediums was very small. > Normal
water treated specimens show a decrease in the impact strength from 20%-77%.
> Sea water treated specimens show a decrease in the impact strength values from 23%-77%
> Saline water freated specimens show a decrease in the impact strength values from 46%-77%.
As seen from the above observation, the variation of impact energy between the specimens
freated with different liquid mediums is very small. As the freating time increases all the
specimens almost exhibit the same impact sfrength behavior.
Fig 6.7 Variation of Cliarpy impact energy with fibre volume for specimens treated with different mediums for 60
days.

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6.8. Variation of damping with Charpy impact energy for specimens immersed in Seawater
for different immersion times.
Figures 6.8 (a)-(e) show the variation of Charpy impact energy with damping for specimens with
different notch lengths and immersion times soaked in seawater. In Fig. 6.8 (a) the variation of
damping with Charpy impact energy is presented for specimens having fibre volume of 20%. As
seen from the figure, for immersion period between 0-15 days, as the damping factor increases the
impact energy value also increases irrespective of the notch length. The increase in damping is
around 0.00075 (9%) while increase in the impact energy is around 0.5J (33%). For immersion
period between 15-30 days, there was increase in the damping value but impact energy values for
all the specimens decreased regardless the notch length. For a time period between 15 to 30 days
the damping increased by around 0.0022 (25%) and impact energy decreased by around 0.6J (30%)
which was for 5mm specimen. Between 30 to 45 days of immersion time both the damping and
the impact energy for all the specimens decreased. The damping decreased by an amount of
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0.00257 (23%) and impact energy decreased by a maximum amount of around 0.2J (14%) which
was for 5nun specimen. Specimen with notch length of 2mm showed slight increase in the impact
energy value of the order of 0.2J. For time period between 45 to 60 days damping decreased by
around 0.0026 (3%) while impact energy decreased by around a maximum of 1.4J (70%) which
was for 3mm specimen. Except between the immersion time of 15 to 30 days, remaining soaking
times showed similar trend between the damping and the impact energy of the specimens. Figure
6.8 (b) shows the variation of damping with impact energy for specimens having different notch
lengths with 25% fibre volume for different soaking times. For initial period of immersion time
between 0-15 days, as the damping increased the impact energy also increased. Between 15 and
30 days of soaking time, the damping of the composite increased while impact energy decreased
for all the specimens. For immersion time between 30 to 45 days both the damping and the impact
energy values for all the specimens decreased. Finally between 45 to 60 days of time period both
the specimens show similar trend. As the damping value decreased the impact energy value also
decreased. For immersion time between 0-15 days, the damping increased by 0.00127 (14%) and
impact energy increased by a maximum amount of
0.25 J (8%). Maximum increase in the damping value of around 0.00097(11%) while the impact
energy decrease of around 0.7J (20%) was observed for the specimens for time period between 15
to 30 days. Decrease in damping of 0.0012(12%) and impact energy by 0.4J was observed for
specimens soaked between the time period 30 to 45 days. For time period between 45 to 60 days
damping value decreased by an amount 0.00017(2%) while impact energy value decreased by
maximum of 1.4J (70%). Variation of damping with impact energy for fibre volume of 30% with
different notch lengths is presented in Fig.6.8 (c). For initial period of immersion between 0-15
days, the damping decreased by an amount of 0.00287 and impact energy value increased by a
maximum amount of 0.46J. Between 15 to 30 days of immersion time, the damping increased by
0.0046 (69%) while the impact energy value decreased by around a maximum of 0.6J (16%). For
immersion time between 30 to 45 days the damping decreased by an amount of 0.00132 (12%)
and impact energy decreased by 0.3 J (11%) which was for 3mm notch length specimen. Finally
between 45 to 60 days of immersion time the damping decreased by an amount of 0.00124 (13%)
while impact energy value decreased by a maximum of 1.3 J (52%). The specimens here also
presoit similar trend as shown by the previous specimens. In Fig. 6.8 (d) the variation of damping
with impact energy is presented for specimens having fibre volume of 35% and for different notch
lengths. The specimens behavior for both damping and impact energy for initial immersion period
is different. For initial period of soaking between 0-15 days the damping value decreased while
the impact energy increased by 0.0001 and 0.4J respectively. For an immersion time between 15
to 30 days the damping value increased by around 0.00193 (24%) while impact energy value
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decreased by approximately by a maximum amount of 0.6J (15%) and between 30 to 45 days

soaking time the damping value decreased by 0.00105 (11%) and impact energy value decreased
by around 0.4J (12%). Between 45 to 60 days of immersion period the damping value decreased
by 0.0009 (10%) approximately while impact energy decreased by around 1.3J (46%) which was
for 3mm notch length specimen. Here again the same trend is observed as with the other specimens
with different fibre volumes. Figure 6.8 (e) shows the variation of damping with impact energy for
specimens having fibre volume of 40% and different notch lengths for different immersion times.
The initial immersion time between 0-15 days showed decrease in damping values and increase in
the impact energy by 0.0006 (6%) and 0.4J (14%) respectively. For immersion time between 15
to 30 days the damping value increased by 0.00282 (30%) while impact energy value decreased
by rf maximum of 1J(20%) and between 30 to 45 days of time interval, damping value decreased
by 0.0017 (14%) and impact energy value decreased by around 0.6J (17%). For time period
between 45 to 60 days damping value increased by an amount of 0.0019 (18%) while impact
energy value decreased by 1J (42%). As seen ifrom the above discussion both the damping and
the impact energy values vary in a similar trend except for time period between 15-30 days of
immersion time. The reason for this deviation is to be investigated. The following are the important
observations made for specimens soaked in seawater Avith regards to impact energy and damping:
> For specimens with fibre volume 20% and initial immersion period between 0- 15 days the
damping value increased by 9% while impact energy increased by a maximum amount of aroimd
33%. Between 15 to 30 days of time interval, the damping increased by a maximum amount of
around 25% while impact energy decreased by 30%. For time interval between 30 to 45 and 45 to
60 days the damping values decreased by a maximum amount of aroimd 23% while impact energy
decreased by a maximum of aroimd 70%.
> For the initial period of immersion between 0-15 days and 25% fibre volume the damping
increased by an amount of 14% while impact energy increased by an amount of 9%. Between 15
to 30 days of interval, the damping increased by an amount of 11 % while impact energy increased
by an amount of around 20%. For time interval between 30 to 45 days the damping decreased by
an amount of 12% while impact energy value decreased by a maximum of 20% and between 45 to
60 days of time interval, damping decreased by 2% while impact energy also decreased by a
maximum of 75%.
> Between 0-15 days of immersion period and 30% fibre volume, the damping decreased by 30%
while impact energy increased by a maximum of 14%. For specimens immersed between 15 to 30
days, the damping value increased by large amount of around 69% while impact energy value
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decreased by 16%. Between 30 to 45 days of soaking time damping decreased by approximately

12% while impact energy decreased by around 11% and for immersion time between 45 to 60 days
the damping decreased by 13% while impact energy decreased by around 60%.
> Specimens with fibre volume 35% and immersion time between 0-15 days showed reduction in
damping by 1% while the impact energy increased by 11%. Immersion time between 15 to 30 days
show a increase in the damping value of 24% and reduction in the impact energy value of 15%
and for immersion period between 30 to 45 days the damping value decreased by around 11%
while impact energy value decreased by an amount of 12%. For soaking time between 45 to 60
days there was decrease in the damping value of around 10% and impact energy decreased by
50%.
> For specimens with fibre volume 40% and immersion period between 0-15 days the damping
values decreased by 6% while the impact energy increased by 14%. Between inmiersion time 15
to 30 days, the damping value increased by 30% and impact energy value reduced by a maximum
of around 22% and for soaking time between 30 to 45 days, the damping value decreased by an
amoimt of 14% and impact energy decreased by a value of 17%. For immersion time between 45
to 60 days the damping value increased by 18% and impact energy value decreased by 42%.

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Fig.6.8. Variation of Charpy impact energy with damping for specimens immersed in Seawater with different notch
lengths and fibre volume.
6.9. Variation of damping with Charpy impact energy for specimens immersed in Saline
water for different immersion times.
Figures 6.9(a)-(e) show the variation of impact energy with damping factor for different fibre
volumes and immersion times for specimens soaked in saHne water. Figure 6.9 (a) shows the
variation of impact energy with damping for specimen with fibre voliune of 20%. Initial period of
immersion between 0-15 days showed decrease in damping and increase in impact energy values.

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Damping decreased by an amount of 0.0074 (9%) while impact energy value increased by a
maximum amount of 0.5J (33%). Specimen with 1mm notch length showed increase in the impact
energy value of the order of 0.1 J. For immersion time between 15 to 30 days the damping value
decreased by an amoimt of 0.00133(18%) and impact energy value by around 0.4J (17%) and
between the time interval of 30 to 45 days the damping value increased by 0.00037 (6%) while the
impact energy value for all the specimens decreased. The maximum decrease was of the order of
0.2J (12%). For immersion time between 45 to 60 days the damping again decreased by 0.00043
(7%) while impact energy decreased by a maximum of around 1.7J (77%) which was for 3mm
notch length specimen. There was different trend between the damping and impact energy values
between 0- 5 days and 30-45 days of immersion period. In Fig. 6.9 (b) the variation of impact
energy with damping for specimens having a fibre volume of 25% is shown for different
iimnersion periods. For a period of soaking between 0-15 days the damping decreased and the
impact energy values increased. The damping value decreased by 0.00008(1%) while the impact
energy value increased by 0.4J (15%). Specimen with notch length of 1mm showed reduction in
the impact energy value of the order of 2%. For 15 to 30 days period of soaking the damping value
decreased by an amount of 0.003 (39%) while impact energy decreased by a maximum amount of
around 0.6J (20%) and for immersion time between 30 to 45 days, the damping value increased by
an amount of approximately 0.00074 (16%) and impact energy value decreased by an amount of
around 0.4J (13%) which was for 1mm notch length specimen. For soaking time between 45 to
60 days the damping value increased by an amount of 0.0014 (26%), while the impact energy value
decreased by a maximum amount of around 1.4J(58%). There is a contrasting behavior between
the damping and impact energy values in this case.
Figure 6.9 (c) shows the variation of damping with impact energy for specimens having a fibre
volume of 30% and for different soaking times. Soaking time between 0 to 15 days showed
reduction in the damping and increase in the impact energy values. The damping value reduced by
0.00076 (8%) while the impact energy value increased by 0.4J (14%). For immersion period
between 15 to 30 days^the damping value decreased by a substantial amount of 0.00368 (42%)
and impact energy value decreased by a small amount of around 0.6J (19%) and 30 to 45 days of
soaking time showed again an increase in the damping value of about 0.00133 (26%), while impact
energy value decreased by a maximum of 0.4J (18%) which is for 5mm notched specimen. For an
immersion time between 45 to 60 days the damping value increased by an amount of 0.0016 (25%),
while the impact energy value decreased for all the specimens irrespective of the notch length. A
maximum amount of 1.4J (54%) decrease was observed. The same trend exhibited by the 2mm
notch length specimens were also shown here. Except for 15-30 days of immersion time remaining
soaking time showed different trend between the damping and the impact energy. In Fig. 6.9 (d)
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the variation of impact energy with damping for specimens having a fibre volume of 35% is
presented. Soaking period between 0-15 days showed reduction in damping and increase in impact
energy of the specimens continuing the same trend exhibited by other previous specimens. Here
the 1mm notch length specimen showed no change in the impact energy value. The damping
reduced by 0.0032 (38%) and impact energy increased by a maximum of 0.24J (8%) which was
for 3mm notched specimen. For the period of soaking between 15-30 days the damping increased
by an amount of 0.00219 (43%), while impact energy decreased by an amount of around 0.7J
(22%). For immersion time between 30 to 45 days the damping value decreased by small amount
of around 0.00052 (7%) and impact energy by an amount of approximately 0.2J (8%). Between 45
to 60 days of immersion time, the damping value increased slightly by 0.0003 (5%) and impact
energy value decreased by a maximum of around 1.4J (44%). Here also between the soaking time
15-30days, there was a similar trend between damping and impact energy values. Remaining
immersion times showed different behavior between damping and impact energy.
Figure 6.9 (e) shows the variation of impact energy with damping for specimens with fibre volume
of 40%. For the beginning period of immersion between 0-15 days, the same trend observed for
other specimens previously was also observed. Damping decreased by an amount of 0.0016 (10%)
while impact energy increased by 0.8J (21%). Specimens with 1mm notch length showed decrease
in the impact energy value. For immersion period between 15 to 30 days, the damping value
decreased slightly by 0.00036 (4%), while impact energy value decreased by around 1.6J (32%)
and for soaking time between 30 to 45 days the damping value increased by an amount of 0.0006
(7%), while the impact energy value decreased by around 0.2J (7%). For soaking time between 45
to 60 days the damping value increased by an amoimt of around 0.00052 (6%) and in contrast to
this the impact energy value decreased by an amount around 1.8J (50%). The following are the
important observations made for specimens soaked in saline water with regards to impact energy
and damping:
> Soaking period between 0 to 15 days showed reduction in the damping and increase in the impact
energy values. A maximum reduction of around 38% for damping and 33% increase for impact
energy was observed. Some specimens showed decrease in the impact energy values also. There
requires further investigation to explain the deviation of the trends between the specimens.
> For immersion period between 15 to 30 days, the damping and impact energy values decreased
for almost all the specimens. A maximum decrease of 42% was observed for damping and a
maximum decrease of around 32% was observed for impact energy. Some of the specimens did
not show any change in the impact energy values.

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> For soaking time between 30 to 45 days, the damping values for the composite increased while
the impact energy values for all the specimens decreased. The maximum increase for the damping
is of the order of 27% and maximum decrease for impact energy was around 18%.
> For immersion period between 45 to 60 days, most of the specimens showed increase in damping
and decrease in the impact energy values. A maximum increase of around 25% was observed for
damping and 77% decrease was observed for impact energy values.
> In total for specimens soaked in saline water, except for the immersion time between 15-30 days,
remaining immersion times showed different trends in both the damping and the impact energy
values. This behavior is different from the seawater treated specimens where in most of the cases
similar trend was observed for both damping and the impact energy values.
Fig.6.9. Variation of Charpy impact energy with damping for specimens immersed in Saline water witli different
notcti lengtiis and fibre volume.

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6.10. Variation of damping with Cliarpy impact energy for specimens immersed in Normal
water for different immersion times.
Figures 6.10 (a)-(e) show the variation of Impact energy with damping for different fibre volumes
and immersion times. In Fig. 6.10 (a) the variation of damping with impact energy for specimens
with fibre volume 20% is shown. Soaking period between 0 to 15 days showed reduction in the
damping value and increase in the impact energy of the specimen. Damping reduced by an amount
of 0.00137 (16%) and impact energy increased by a maximum of 0.7J (47%). For the immersion
period between 15-30days, the damping value increased by an amount of around 0.00051 (8%)
and the impact energy values decreased by a maximum amount of 0.8J (36%). For soaking time
between 30 to 45 days the damping value decreased by an amount of 0.0011 (15%) while impact
energy decreased by 0.4J (18%). The behavior of specimens between 45 to 60 days of immersion
time shows that damping value increased by an amount of 0.00115 (20%) while the impact energy
decreased by a maximum of around 1.3J (72%). Here except for 30-45 days of inmiersion time,
remaining soaking time presents different trends for both damping and impact energy. The
variation of impact energy with damping for specimens having a fibre volume of 25% is shown in
Fig. 6.10 (b). The trend shown by 20% fibre volume specimens is observed here also. For initial
period of soaking between 0-15 days show reduction in the damping and increase in the impact
energy values. The damping reduced by an amount of 0.0015 (20%) and impact energy increased
by a maximum of around 0.6J. For the soaking time between 15 to 30 days, the damping value
increased by an amount of around 0.00197 (31%), while impact energy decreased by an amount
of the order of 0.8J (24%). For the immersion time between 30 to 45 days, the damping value
decreased by an amount of 0.00173 (17%), while impact energy decreased by an amount of around
0.4J (17%). For soaking period between 45 to 60 days, the damping value increased by an amount
of 0.00173 (25%) while impact energy value decreased by around a maximum of 1.2J (60%).
Again here also we see the same trend exhibited by the 20% fibre volume specimen being repeated.
In Fig. 8.10 (c) the variation of damping with impact energy for specimens having fibre volume
of 30% is presented. Soaking time between 0 and 15 days showed reduction in damping and
increase in the impact energy values continuing the same trend exhibited by the other specimens
explained above. The damping reduced by an amount of 0.00285 (30%) while impact energy
increased by a maximum of 0.5J ^20%). Between the immersion time of 15 to 30 days the damping
values increased by an amount of around 0.00022 (3%) while the impact energy decreased by a
maximum of 0.8J (27%). For the immersion time between 30 to 45 days, the damping increased
by an amount of 0.0003 (4%) and the impact energy decreased by a maximum amount of the order
of 0.6J. For the immersion period between 45 to 60 days, the damping value decreased by around
0.00048 (8%) and the impact energy value decreased by a maximum amount of 1.4J (70%). hi
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these specimens the immersion time between 45- 60 days showed similar trend between damping
and the impact energy values. Figure 6.10 (d) shows the variation of impact energy with damping
for the specimens having fibre volume of 35% and different immersion times. For the initial
immersion period between 0 to 15 days, the same trend continued here also as the previous
specimens. Damping reduced by an amount of 0.0026 (31%) while impact energy increased by
around 0.64J (20%). For the immersion time between 15-30 days, the damping value increased by
an amount of 0.00196 (34%) while impact energy decreased by a maximum amount of around
0.8J(21%). For the soaking time between 30 to 45 days, the damping value decreased by an amount
of 0.00193 (25%) while impact energy decreased by a maximum amount of around 0.2J (9%).
Immersion time between 45 to 60 days showed an increase in the damping value by an amount of
0.00226 (39%) while the impact energy value decreased by a maximum amount of 1.7J (53%).
These specimens also show similar trend shown by other specimens discussed previously. The
time period between 30-45 days show similar trend between damping and the impact energy
values. In Fig. 6.10 (e) the variation of impact energy with damping value for specimens having
fibre volume of 40% is presented. Immersion period between 0-15 days showed reduction in the
damping and increase in the impact energy values. The damping of the specimen reduced by an
amount of 0.0018 (18%) while the impact energy increased by a maximum of 0.4J (14%). For the
soaking time between 15 to 30 days the damping value increased by an amount of 0.00045 (5%)
while impact energy value decreased by an amount of around 0.8J (25%). For the immersion time
between 30 to 45 days, the damping value decreased by an amount of around 0.00096 (11%)
while the impact energy values also decreased by a maximiim amount of 0.5J (14%). For soaking
period between 45 to 60 days, the damping value increased by an amount of 0,00092 (12%) and
the impact energy value decreased by a maximum amount of 2J (56%). We can see from the
discussion above that the trend shown by the previous specimens is also being shown by these
specimens. The following are the important observations made for specimens soaked in normal
water with regards to impact energy and damping:
> The immersion period between 0 to 15 days showed reduction in the damping value and increase
in the impact energy values irrespective of the fibre volume. The maximum reduction in the
damping value is of the order of 31% while the impact energy values increased by a maximum of
47%.
> For an immersion period between 15 to 30 days, the damping value of the composite increased
by a maximum amount of 40%, while the impact energy value decreased by an amount of
approximately 36%.

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> For soaking time between 30 to 45 days, the damping value decreased for almost all the
specimens and was of the order of around a maximum of 17% and the impact energy value
decreased by an amount of around 19%.
> Inmiersion period between 45 to 60 days showed increase in the damping value of about 39%
while the impact energy value decreased by a maximum amount of around 72%.
> Except for the soaking time between 30-45 days, the remaining immersion times exhibit different
trends for both the damping and the impact energy.
Fig.6.10. Variation of Charpy impact energy with damping for specimens immersed in Normal water with different

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CHAPTER 7
RESULTS
7.1Discussion
In this thesis investigation has been carried out to study the vibrational behavior of GFRP
composite by studying its damping property by subjecting it to three liquid environments
(seawater, saline water and normal water) for different immersion times. Also the variation of the
damping of the composite with its Fracture toughness when subjected to the three liquid media is
studied. Discussions pertaining to these are presented in this chapter according to the same order
which has been followed in the earlier chapters.
7.1.1 Damping behavior of the GFRP composite subjected to different liquid media
The damping behavior of the composite subjected to seawater shows an increase in the damping
value for 15 days of immersion and this continued up to 30 days of immersion time. The maximum
increase in the damping value is around 37%. The damping value for composite decreased for
further soaking time below the 30 days treated values but well above the untreated specimens. This
shows the effect of the immersion medium on the damping property of the composite. Further it
can be said that as the immersion period increases the damping of the composite decreases. The
reasons for increase and decrease of damping are discussed in the chapter 4.
When the composite is subjected to normal water treatment different results were obtained in
contrast to the seawater treated specimens. The damping of the composite decreased for all the
soaking periods well below the untreated specimens. One would expect increase in the damping
value as the water uptake increases by the composite, but here it can be clearly seen that even
though the water uptake increased the damping was well below the untreated specimens. Slight
increase in the damping was observed after 30 days of treatment period but this was below the
untreated specimens. Maximum percentage decrease was observed to be around 31%. This shows
that the type of the immersion media does play a major role in deciding the damping of the
composite apart from the immersion period.
Specimens immersed in saline water also showed similar results as the normal water treated
specimens. The damping of the composite decreased for all the immersion periods well below the
untreated specimens. Initially there was a large decrease but as the immersion time increased slight
increase in the damping value was observed but below the untreated specimens readings. The
percentage decrease in the damping was large here as compared to the normal water treated
specimens. The maximum decrease in the damping value was observed for 30 days treated
specimens of the order of around 47%. Here also the fact of dependency of the damping on the
composition of the immersion medium is clearly seen. Even though the mass of the composite
increases in the initial period of soaking, the damping of the composite decreased.
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Of all the three media used for analysis of damping, the seawater treatment showed increase in the
damping values of the composite. Other media of immersion showed reduction in the damping
values.
7.1.2 Variation of Damping with Fracture toughness of the GFRP composite subjected to
different liquid media in flexure
Three point bend test was used to evaluate the Fracture toughness of the GFRP composite
subjected to three different liquid media. It has been observed that the Fracture toughness of the
composite decreased for initial periods of immersion in the seawater. As the immersion time
increased there was slight increase in the Fracture toughness values. A maximum decrease of
around 6% was observed for the specimens. Analysis made to study the behavior of damping with
Fracture toughness reveals an interesting trend between both of them. Both the damping and the
Fracture toughness vary in a similar trend. The percentage increase or decrease in both the values
varies slightly but both of them exhibit similar trend in most of the cases. Some of the immersion
periods where the specimens showed deviation needs to be further investigated.
For specimens soaked in the saline water medium showed similar results as the seawater treated
specimens. Initially all the specimens showed reduction in the Fracture toughness values. But as
the immersion time progressed the Fracture toughness values also increased. In case of saline water
treatment the increase in the values of Fracture toughness started little early than the seawater
treated specimens.
Here also the maximum percentage reduction in the value of the, Fracture toughness is around 6%.
Analysis made to study the behavior of damping with the Fracture toughness showed similar trend
between both of them in most of the cases. The percentage decrease or increase in the damping
was more than the percentage decrease or increase in the Fracture toughness values. Further
investigations are required to ascertain the relation and behavior between both the damping and
the Fracture toughness.
Normal water treated specimens also showed similar results as the saline water treated specimens.
For the initial periods of immersion and up to 30 days there was decrease in the Fracture toughness
values. Further as the soaking time increased the Fracture toughness values increased for most of
the specimens followed by decrease in the Fracture toughness values up to 60 days immersion
period. A maximum decrease of around 5% and an increase of around 2% were observed. Study
made to know the behavior of damping with Fracture toughness show here also the same results
obtained for other immersion media. Both the damping and Fracture toughness vary in a similar
trend in most of the cases. The case where there is a different behavior needs further investigation.

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The Fracture toughness of the composite decreased for initial periods of immersion irrespective of
the soaking medium. For soaking period beyond 30 days an increase in the values of Fracture
toughness was observed. But the increase was not found to sustain up to 60 days of immersion
period. For 60 days of immersion period all the specimens in all the media showed reduction in
the Fracture toughness values. The damping and the Fracture toughness for most of the cases vary
in a similar trend showing that a relation can be obtained between both of them.
7.1.3 Variation of Damping with Charpy impact energy of the GFRP composite subjected to
different liquid media
To further study the variation of damping with impact energy, Charpy imsact testing was also done
on the GFRP composite subjected to different liquid environments. The details of the test
conducted and results obtained are outlined in chapter 8. This testing was done to reinforce and
check the results obtained in the Izod impact testing.
For specimens immersed in seawater, the Charpy impact energy of the specimen increased for the
initial period of soaking for 15 days showing similar trend as shown by the Izod specimens for the
same soaking period. Maximum percentage increase in the impact energy value was around 33%.
Further soaking period decreased the impact strength of the composite largely as time progressed.
From 45 days of soaking period, the decrease in the strength was very large. The difference
between 45 days and 60 days soaked specimens was very large here showing gradual degradation
with soaking. The maximum percentage decrease in the impact strength was observed to be around
77%. The variation of damping with impact energy for the specimens soaked in seawater showed
similar trend for both the properties for most of the immersion times. The immersion time between
15-30 days in most of the cases presented opposite behavior between the two properties when
immersed in seawater. Almost same behavior is also seen in the Izod impact testing also. Wherever
there was same trend, the percentage decrease or increase for both the properties were different.
Specimens treated with saline water also show the same trend as shown by the seawater treated
specimens for the impact testing. For the soaking period between 0-15 days the impact strength of
the composite increased continuing the same trend shown by other specimens as before. The

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maximum percentage increase in the impact strength is of the order of 33%. Further as the soaking
period was increased the impact strength of the composite decreased largely with time. Here also
the difference between the 45 days and 60 days treated values is large compared to the Izod impact
test readings indicating very gradual decrease in the impact strength values. The maximum
percentage decrease in the impact strength values recorded was around 77%. The damping and the
impact strength of the composite vary in a different way here. Only between 15 to 30 days of
soaking showed similar trend between both the properties. Remaining immersion times showed
opposite trends between both the properties. This behavior is similar to the behavior of the
composite with Izod impact testing.
For specimens immersed in normal water the same trend shown by other specimens is observed.
All the specimens irrespective of the notch length showed increase in the impact strength for the
initial period of soaking. The maximum percentage increase in the impact energy was up to 47%.
Soaking periods between 30-45 days and 45-60 days showed gradual decrease in the impact
strength of the composite continuing the same as shown by previous specimens. A maximiun
percentage decrease of around 73% was observed in this case. The variation between the damping
and the impact strength showed similar trend as shown by the specimens treated with saline water.
The immersion time between 30-45 days showed same trend between both the damping and the
impact strength. Remaining soaking periods showed opposite trends between both the properties.
For saline water treated specimens the same trend for both the damping and impact strength was
observed between 15-30 days of immersion time.
Seawater treated specimens showed good variation in the damping property with the impact
strength of the composite. Almost similar trend is observed for both the properties for most of the
times. Saline and normal water treated specimen exhibit opposite trends between impact strength
and damping for most of the immersion times.

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CHAPTER 8
CONCLUSION
8.1 Conclusion
Damping analysis of the GFRP composite subjected to three different Uquid medixuns (seawater, saline
water and normal water) was carried out. Since the damping observed is small (imder damping) logarithmic
decrement method was used to find the damping of the composite at regular time periods. To study the
variation of damping with fi-acture toughness, four additional tests were performed to calculate Fracture
toughness and impact energy at regular immersion periods. These were analyzed in the previous chapters
(5-8). Fracture toughness and impact energy were calculated fi-om these tests. Further, these test results
were used to study the variation of damping with Fracture toughness and impact energy. The observations
drawn while studying the damping behavior of the composite subjected to three different media of
inmiersion for different immersion periods are sunmiarized below: • For initial period of immersion in
seawater, increase in the damping of the composite was observed. This increase continued up to 30 days of
soaking and fiirther soaking reduced the damping of the composite. The decrease in the values of the
damping obtained here were less than other medium treated specimens.
• Specimens treated with saline water showed decrease in the damping value well below the untreated
specimens. There was no increase in the damping of the composite even up to 60 days of soaking. A small
increase was observed at end of the soaking period but this was well below the untreated specimens.
• Normal water treated specimens showed similar results as the saline water treated specimens. The
damping of the composite reduced for all the immersion periods below the untreated specimens. Here also
increase in the damping was observed after some immersion period which was less than the dry specimens.
• Even though seawater and saline water have salt content, the damping behavior in both the medium present
different results. Perhaps the chemical composition and its interaction with the composite play a major role
in deciding the damping behavior of the composite.
• For increase in mass one would expect the damping to increase which is a logical one. But here even
though mass increased due to water uptake the damping of the composite in some immersion mediums did
not increase. This is an important observation made in this investigation.
The following observations were made regarding the Fracture toughness and its variation with damping:
• Fracture toughness in flexure of the composite decreased for initial period of immersion and increased
after 45 days of immersion
• Fracture toughness in tension of the composite presented different results than in bending. Here the
Fracture toughness of the composite increased for initial period of immersion and decreased at the end of
60 days of immersion period.
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• This investigation shows that the Fracture toughness behavior in flexure is different from Fracture
toughness in tension for different immersion periods.
• The Fracture toughness values obtained for different mediums are different indicating the dependency of
the Fracture toughness on the immersion mediums.
• The damping and the Fracture toughness behavior were similar for specimens treated with seawater in
most of the cases. Some deviations were observed which are being currently investigated
• The percentage increase or decrease of both the properties was different even though the trend between
them is same.
• Specimens soaked in saline water and normal water also present good results. Apart from some cases
where there was deviation between both of them, remaining immersion times show same trend between
damping and the Fracture toughness. Some specimens did present contrasting results in some immersion
times which have to be investigated further.
The observations made in impact testing of the composite and its variation with damping are summarized
below:
• All the specimens subjected to three different liquid mediums show increase in the impact energy values
for the initial soaking periods both in Izod as well as Charpy tests.
• Immersion time after 15 days showed reduction in the impact strength of the composite irrespective of the
soaking mediums
• All the specimens showed reduction in the impact strength values below the untreated specimens and
large reduction was observed at the end of 60 days of immersion time.
• For specimens tested in Izod testing, the difference between 45 days and 60 days was almost same in most
of the cases while the Charpy test yielded gradual decrease whatever the inunersion time may be.
• The specimens immersed in seawater showed same trend between the damping and the impact strength in
most of the cases. Some specimens showed different results but most of the time same trend was observed.
• The variation of impact strength with damping for specimens treated with saline water and normal water
showed contrasting behavior between both of them. Except for certain immersion periods where there was
similar trend between both the properties, other immersion periods show deviation between both of them.
Further tests are required to study this deviation.

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8.2 Future Enhacement
Although the experiments performed in this investigation yielded good results, there is still a need to
perform more experiments on the composites to ascertain their behavior in vibration and Fracture. It is
recommended that the work reported in this thesis may be extended by considering the following:
• Different sophisticated damping methods may be used to calculate the damping of the composite which
yields better results than the present one used in this thesis
• Effect of other service environments on the damping and Fracture toughness may also be carried out.
• This thesis gives results for soaking time of 60 days which may be extended to study the long term
immersion effect on the damping and Fracttire toughness of the composite.
• Mode II and mode III Fracture toughness values may also be evaluated for the same composite subjected
to different liquid environments
• Effect of changing the weave style of the reinforcement on the damping and Fracture toughness when the
composite is subjected to different service environments can also be done.
• Behavior of the hybrid composites subjected to different environments is also an area to be concentrated
because of their biodegradability.
• Effect of loading rate on the Fracture toughness and its effect on the damping can also carried out.
• Finite element analysis can also be done to study the theoretical behavior of the composite in Fracture and
damping under different service environments
• Changing the reinforcement and matrix material and studying their behavior under different environments
is also a research area.

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CHAPTER-9
REFRENCES
REFRENCES
[1]. Li X, Carlsson LA and Davies P. Influence of fibre volume fi-action on mode III interlaminar
fi-acture toughness of glass/epoxy composites. Composites science and technology (2004); 64(9):
1279-1286.
[2]. Gafi&iey KM and Botsis J. Deformation and fi-acture of a uniaxially reinforced composite
material. Composites science and technology (1999); 59(12): 1847-1859.
[3]. Cantwell WJ and Morton J. The impact resistance of composite materials- a review.
Composites (1991); 22(5): 347-362.
[4]. Shyr TW and Pan YH. Impact resistance and damage characteristics of composite laminates.
Composite structures (2003); 62(2): 193-203.
[5]. Uyaner M and Kara M. Dynamic response of laminated composites subjected to low-velocity
impact. Journal of Composite materials (2007); 41(24): 2877-2896.
[6]. Mantena PR, Mann R and Chandrasekhar N. Low-velocity impact response and dynamic
characteristics of glass-resin composites. Journal of reinforced plastics and composites {KiOl);
20(6): 513-534.
[7]. El-Habak AMA. Mechanical behavior of woven glass fibre-reinforced composites under
impact compression load.. Composites (1991); 22(2): 129-134.

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[8]. Clements LL and Moore RL. Composite properties for E-glass fibres in a room temperature
curable epoxy matrix. Composites (1978); 9(2): 93-99.
[9]. Dewimille B and Bunsell AR. Accelerated ageing of a glass fibre-reinforced epoxy resin in
water. Composites (1983); 14(1): 35-40.
[10]. Zenasni R, Bachir AS, Vina I, Arguelles A and Vina J. Effect of hygrothermomechanical
aging on the interlaminar fi-acture behavior of woven fabric fibre/PEI composite materials. Journal
of thermoplastic composite materials (2006); 19: 385-398.
[11]. Rege SK and Lakkad SC. Effect of salt water on mechanical properties of fibre reinforced
plastics. Fibre science and technology (1983); 19(4): 317-324.
[12]. Ellis B and Found MS. The effects of water absorption on a polyester/chopped strand mat
laminate. Composites (1983); 14(3): 237-243.
[13]. Pritchard G and Speake SD. The use of water absorption kinetic data to predict laminate
property changes. Composites (1987); 18(3): 227-232.
[14]. Lhymn C and Schultz JM. Strength and toughness of fibre-reinforced thermoplastics: effect
of temperature and loading rate. Composites (1987); 18(4): 287-292.
[15]. Kenig S, Moshonov A, Shucrun A and Marom G. Environmental effects on shear

delamination of fabric-reinforced epoxy composites. International Journal of Adhesion and
adhesives (1989); 9(1): 38-45.
[16]. Bradley WL and Grant TS. The effect of the moisture absorption on the interfacial strength
of polymeric matrix composites. Journal of materials science (1995); 30: 5537-5542.

Contact: 6260651575, 9179357477
[17]. Gellert EP and Tvirley DM. Seawater immersion ageing of glass-fibre reinforced polymer
laminates for marine applications. Composites Part A: applied science and manufacturing (1999);
30(11): 1259-1265.
[18]. Srivastava VK. Influence of water immersion on mechanical properties of quasi-isotropic

glass fibre reinforced epoxy vinylester resin composites. Materials science & engineering A
(1999); 263 (1): 56-63.
[19]. Buehler FU and Seferis JC. Effect of reinforcement and solvent content on moisture
absorption in epoxy composite materials. Composites Part A: applied ' science and manufacturing
(2000); 31(7): 741-748.
[20]. Mohd Ishak ZA, Ishiaku US and karger-Kocsis J. Hygrothermal aging and fi-acture behavior
of short-glass-fiber-reinforced rubber-toughened poly (butylenes terephthalate) composites.
Composites science and technology (2000); 60(6): 803-815.
[21]. Nakai A, Ikegaki S, Hamada H and Takeda N. Degradation of braided composites in hot
water. Composites science and technology (2000); 60(3): 325-331.
[22]. Moe Moe Thwe and Kin Liao. Effects of environmental aging on the mechanical properties
of bamboo-glass fiber reinforced polymer matrix hybrid composites. Composites Part A: applied
science and manufacturing (2002); 33(1): 43-52.
[23]. Kootsookos A and Mouritz AP. Seawater durability of glass- and carbonpolymer composites.
Composites science and technology (2004); 64(10-11): 1503-1511.

Contact: 6260651575, 9179357477
[24]. David RV, Kito RR and Kunigal Shivakumar. Effects of the marine environment on the
interfacial fracture toughness of PVC core sandwich composites. Composites part B: engineering
(2004); 35(6-8): 461-466.
[25]. Femand EUyin and Rachel Maser. Environmental effects on the mechanical properties of
glass-fibre epoxy composite tubular specimens. Composites science and technology (2004);
64(12): 1863-1874.
[26]. Hodzic A, Kim JK, Lowe AE and Stachurski ZH. The effects of water aging on the interphase
region and interlaminar fracture toughness in polymer-glass composites. Composites science and
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[27]. Huang Gu and Sun Hongxia. Effect of water absorption on the mechanical properties of
glass/polyester composites. Materials and Design (2007); 28(5): 1647-1650.
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glass composite material subjected to stress corrosion in a saline medium. Journal of composite
materials (2007); 41(17): 2119-2128.
[29]. Jong-Pil Won, Su-Jin Lee, Yoon-Jvmg Kim, Chang-II Jang, and Sang-Woo Lee. The effect
of exposure of alkaline solution and water on the strengthporosity relationship of GFRP rebar.
Composites: Part B (2008); 39(5): 764-772.
[30]. Huang Gu and Sun Hongxia. Delamination behavior of glass/polyester composites after
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[31]. Saud Aldajah, Ghydaa Alawsi, Safaa Abdul Rahmaan. Impact of sea and tap water exposure
on the durability of GFRP laminates. Materials and Design (2009); 30(5): 1835-1840.

Contact: 6260651575, 9179357477
APPENDIX – B
LIST OF PUBLICATION
[1] “Experimental Studies of Different RCC Structure”, International Research Journal

of Engineering & Technology, Volume: 6, Issue 2, pp 55-57, June 2016.
[2] “Investigation & Discussion on the Damping Behavior of GFRP Composite

Subjected to Liquid Environment”, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING,
MANAGEMENT & MEDICAL RESEARCH (IJEMMR), Volume: 3, Issue 1, 2017.

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VIBRATION ANALYSIS OF COMPOSITES BEAMS STRUCTURE

Thesis · March 2020

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

I hereby take a chance to express my sense of extreme gratitude towards my Master of

Guided by: Dr. Ashad Ullah Qureshi

Date: (Er. Rahul Satbhiaya)

Guided by: Dr. Ashad Ullah Qureshi

Date: (Piyush Pathak)

Guided by: Dr. Ashad Ullah Qureshi

(एम.ई /एम. टे क /एम. फामाा छात्रों हेतु)

मै …………………………………………..…..आत्मज…………………............... आयु……… वर्ष

1. यह कक मेिे (एम. ई /एम. टे क /एम. फामाष) के ववर्य…………………………...…… सत्र………….….

गाईड एवं संचालक प्राचार्ा द्धारा सत्र्ापपत ककर्ा जावे |

सत्यावपत करते है कक छात्रा / छात्रा का िाम ……………………………………………………..

गाईड के हस्ताक्षर संचालक प्राचार्ा

हस्तक्षर पदनाम सील सहहत

संस्था का िाम ………………………………………………………….

संस्था का कोड ………………………………………………………….

िरू भार् क्रमांक ………………………………………………………….

Guided by: Dr. Ashad Ullah Qureshi

Guided by: Dr. Ashad Ullah Qureshi

1.3 Sources of damping

1.4 Effects of damping on vibration response of structures

1.5 The measurement of structural damping

1.8 Proposed work plan

1.9 Scope of study

Chapter 2. Literature Review 15 - 37

2.2 Gaps in the existing study

Guided by: Dr. Ashad Ullah Qureshi

Chapter 3. Experimental Setup and Procedure 38 - 44

3.2 Specimen preparation

3.3 Vibration test specimens and procedure

3.4 Three Point Bend Test Specimen and Procedure

3.5 Single Edge Notched Tension Test Specimen and Procedure

3.6 Izod Impact Specimen and Test Procedure

3.7 Charpy Impact Specimen and Test Procedure

Chapter 4. Investigation and Discussion on 45 - 56

the Damping Behavior of GFRP

Composite Subjected to Different

4.2 Damping behaviour of untreated specimens

4.3 Effect of Seawater treatment on the damping

4.4 Effect of Normal water treatment on the damping

property of GFRP composite

4.5 Effect of Saline water treatment on the damping

property of GFRP composite

4.6 Comparative study of the damping behaviour of

GFRP composite treated with normal, sea and saline water.

Chapter 5. Investigation and Discussion on 57 - 72

Three Point Bend Testing of GFRP

Composite Subjected to Different

5.1 Variation of Fracture toughness for untreated specimens

5.2 Effect of Seawater treatment on the Fracture

toughness of GFRP composite

5.3 Variation of damping with Fracture toughness for specimens

immersed in Seawater for different immersion times in bending.

5.4 Effect of Saline water treatment on the

Fracture toughness of GFRP composite

5.5 Variation of damping with Fracture toughness for