Issue 69

K. J. Anand et alii, Frattura ed Integrità Strutturale, 69 (2024) 29-42; DOI: 10.3221/IGF-ESIS.69.03

1

(g/cc)

(1)



ρ

th

ρ ρ ρ m m f w w w   f

p

p

where ρ th is the theoretical density of composite in g/cc, w m , w f , w p and ρ m , ρ f , ρ p are weight fractions in % and densities (in g/cc) of matrix, fibre, and filler, respectively.   ρ ρ Void content % 100 ρ th exp th    (2) where ρ exp is the experimental density of the composite in g/cc. Hardness test A Shore D hardness test in compliance with ASTM D2240 standards was employed to evaluate the hardness of composites. Each sample undergoes testing at five distinct surface locations. The hardness number of each sample is determined by taking the average of the five readings taken at these distinct points. Mechanical properties Tensile, bending, and impact tests are conducted on composites to evaluate their mechanical properties. The tensile test is conducted using a Zwick/Roell Z020 UTM (20 kN load cell capacity) at a cross-head speed of 2 mm/min as per the ASTM 3039 standard. The bending test was done on the same machine employing a 3-point bending method according to ASTM D 790 standard as depicted in Fig. 3.

Figure 3: Testing of the composite: (a) Tensile testing (b) Bending test.

Figure 4: Impact testing of the composite.

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