Affiliation:
1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing, Kancheepuram, India
2. Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India
Abstract
Over-molded composites (consist of short and continuous fiber composites) have been extensively used in automotive structures because of their lightweight, high strength-to-weight ratio, and ability to make complex profiles. However, the poor interfacial bonding between short and continuous fiber composites reduces the performance of the over-molded composites. The preheating process has been utilized to enhance the interface bond of the over-molded composites. In the present study, the influence of preheating on the fracture behavior was studied by conducting tensile, flexural, short beam shear, mode I and mode II interlaminar fracture tests on over-molded short/continuous fiber polypropylene composites. The experimental results of the preheated specimens demonstrated an enhancement of tensile, flexural and short beam shear strength by 15%, 221% and 17%, respectively, compared with non-preheated specimens. Further, preheating enhanced the mode I and mode II interlaminar propagation fracture toughness by 655% and 44%, respectively compared with non-preheated specimens.
Subject
Materials Chemistry,Mechanical Engineering,Mechanics of Materials,Ceramics and Composites