Design of Lightweight Glass-Fibre-Reinforced Epoxy I-Beam for Structural Applications

Abstract

This study deals with design and evaluation of mechanical properties of the I-shape beam made from plain weave fiberglass fabric and epoxy resin. The possibility of production of I-beam with fiberglass laminate stitched layers has been demonstrated and the prototype of glass-fibre-reinforced epoxy I-beam was manufactured. Tensile properties of fiberglass of manufactured samples were investigated. The results showed that the investigated fiberglass composite has a sufficiently high tensile strength comparable to steel. However, the modulus of elasticity of the samples is quite low.