Pultrusion of smart FRP composites

Alexander L. Kalamkarov; Douglas O. MacDonald; Paul A. D. Westhaver

doi:10.1117/12.275761

6 June 1997 Pultrusion of smart FRP composites

Alexander L. Kalamkarov, Douglas O. MacDonald, Paul A. D. Westhaver

Proceedings Volume 3042, Smart Structures and Materials 1997: Smart Sensing, Processing, and Instrumentation; (1997) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.275761
Event: Smart Structures and Materials '97, 1997, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

A laboratory scale pultrusion process has been developed to fabricate smart fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) materials. Microstructural analyses of the smart pultruded FRP was carried out using both an optical microscope and a Scanning Electron Microscope. The tensile properties and shear strength, i.e. modulus and strength, of pultruded carbon/vinylester and glass/vinylester rods were determined through mechanical testing. Testing was carried out on baseline pultruded samples, as well as those containing one and two embedded optical fibers. The pultruded carbon reinforced rods with and without optical fiber showed higher shear and tensile strength, as well as greater tensile modulus than did the glass fiber analogue. An embedded optical fiber did not have a significant effect upon the tensile properties of either glass or carbon pultruded FRP rod, but it slightly affected the shear strength of the glass fiber rods. Increased numbers of embedded optical fibers in the FRP rods had a more pronounced influence upon the shear strength. The interfaces between the resin matrix and the buffer coating on the optical fibers were examined and interpreted in terms of the coating's ability to resist high temperatures and its compatibility with resin matrix. Polyimide buffers proved to be superior to acrylate buffers.

Citation Download Citation

Alexander L. Kalamkarov, Douglas O. MacDonald, and Paul A. D. Westhaver "Pultrusion of smart FRP composites", Proc. SPIE 3042, Smart Structures and Materials 1997: Smart Sensing, Processing, and Instrumentation, (6 June 1997); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.275761

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