FIBRE REINFORCED PLASTIC

COMPOSITE
• A COMBINATION OF TWO OR MORE MATERIALS
(CONSTITUENTS) WITH DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT PHYSICAL
PROPERTIES, IN FORM AND CHEMICAL COMPOSTION AND
ARE INSOLUABLE TO EACH OTHER.
• COMBINATION OF CONSTITUENTS LEADS TO A NEW
MATERIAL WITH CHARACTERISTICS UNLIKE ANY OF THE
CONSTITUENTS
• CONSTITUENTS REMAIN SEPERATE AND DISTINCT WITHIN
COMPOSITE MATERIAL, USEFUL COMPOSITES ARE THOSE
WITH PROPERTIES THAT ARE GREATER THAN THE SUM OF
THIER PARTS.
A Composite material consists of two phases:
• Primary
 Forms the matrix within which the secondary phase is
imbedded, any of three basic material types: polymers ,
metals or ceramics
• Secondary
 Referred to as the imbedded phase or called the reinforcing
agent, serves to strengthen the composite (fibre, particles ,
flake,laminar or layered..etc)
 MANMADE COMPOSITES DIVIDED INTO
THREE GROUPS.

• Polymer Matrix Composites (PMC): These are the most common and
will be discussed here. Also known as FRP- Fibre Reinforced
Polymers (or Plastics) – these materials use a polymer-based resin as
the matrix, and a variety of fibres such as glass, carbon and aramid
as the reinforcement.
• Metal Matrix Composites (MMC's) - Increasingly found in the
automotive industry, these materials use a metal such as aluminium
as the matrix, and reinforce it with fibres such as silicon carbide.
• Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC's) - Used in very high temperature
environments, these materials use a ceramic as the matrix and
reinforce it with short fibres, or whiskers such as those made from
silicon carbide and boron nitride.
 REINFORCEMENT
• CARBON

• ARAMID

• GLASS
E-GLASS
C-GLASS
S-GLASS

E-Glass is most commonly used reinforcement because of its good

strength properties, resistance to water degradation and relative cost.
 Four main fibre orientation categories
• Unidirectional- Majority of fibres run in one direction only
(75%>), small amount of fibres run in other direction with the
main intention to hold the primary fibres.
• Woven Rovings: 0/90

PLAIN

SATIN BASKET MOCK LENO

TWILL
• Multiaxial fibrics :
• Chopped Stand Mat (CSM)
CSM is non-directional and even distributed, then
combined with powder binder or emulsion binder
 RESIN
 The resin matrix is in viscous liquid form
capable of solidifying (curing) by way of
chemical reaction.
 The curing would be controlled by addition of
catalysts / accelerators.
 Resins are thermo setting and the process is
irreversible.
 Types of Resins

– Polyester
– Vinyl Ester
– Epoxy
 Polyester Resins
 First resin available for FRP
 Low tensile elongation
 Temperature limit and chemical resistance dependent on
type of polyester
 Types
Orthophthalic, Isophthalic

Not to be used in the main hull

due to poor hydrolytic stability.
Comparative tensile strength properties of
Resins
Comparative Stiffness properties of Resins
 Storage of raw materials
• Storage premises for glassfiber are to be kept clean and as free from dust
as possible, so that the raw material is not contaminated. Glassfibre
parcels are also to be protected against rain and moisture.
 Reinforced Plastics / Composites
 Reinforced Plastics/Composites is the generic
term for a group related yet individual
processes.

COMPOSITE
FIBER MATRIX
 Reinforced Plastics / Composites
 The combination achieves the best properties of
each into a superior composite the properties of
which are unequalled by any other single
material.
 Main raw materials in Glass fibre reinforced
plastic construction are Resins and
reinforcement fibres in different formats.
Comparative diagram of Resin, Fibre &
Composite
 Properties of Lamination
 Properties of the Fibre
 The properties of the Resin
 The ratio of Fibre to Resin in the composite
 Geometry & orientation of fibre in composite
Different loads that can a boat structure to
withstand

 Tension
 Compression
 Shear
 Flexure
 Tension

• The response of a composite to tensile loads is

very dependent on the tensile stiffness and
strength properties of the reinforcement fibres,
since these are far higher than the resin
system
 Compression

• The adhesive and stiffness properties of the

resin system are crucial. It is the role of the
resin to maintain the fibres as straight columns
and to prevent them from buckling.
 Shear

• This load is trying to slide adjacent layers of fibres over

each other. Under shear loads the resin plays the major
role, transferring the stresses across the composite. The
inter laminar shear strength (ILSS) of a composite is
often used to indicate this property in a multi layer
composite
 Flexure

• Flexural loads are a combination of tensile, compression

and shear loads. When loaded as shown, the upper face
is put into compression, the lower face into tension and
the central portion of the laminate experiences shear.
 Type Of construction
 Single skin laminate - Combination of fibre
reinforcement and resin

 Sandwich construction - Combination of

fibre reinforcement, core material and resin
Disadvantages of single skin laminate over sandwich construction.

 Relatively heavy weight

 stiffness is comparatively less than the sandwich construction.

Advantages of Sandwich construction

 high stiffness property
 Relatively less weight
 Reduction in number of fibre
 Core materials
• Rigid expanded PVC
• Balsa wood
• Marine Plywood.
 Storage of raw materials
• Storage premises for glassfibre are to be kept clean and as
free form dust as possible, so that the raw material is not
contaminated. Glassfibre parcels are also to be protected
against rain and mositure.
• Resins are to be stored under dry, well- ventilated conditions,
in accordance with material supplier’s recommendations.
• Core materials are to be stored dry and protected against
mechanical damage.
 Manufacturing Conditions
• Manufacturing premises are to be so equipped and arranged
that the material supplier’s directions for handling the
materials, the laminating process and curing conditions can
be followed.
• Air temp in the moulding shops is not to be less than 18°C and
in general, not more than 30°C.
• Relative humidity of the air is to be kept below the dew point
to avoid condensation and is in any case not to exceed 75%
• Air temp and relative humidity are to be recorded at all
necessary locations regularly.
Typical arrangements
Manufacturing Process
 Spray lay up

• Fibre is copped in a hand held gun and fed

into a spray of catalysed resin directed at the
mould. The deposited materials are left to
cure under standard atmospheric conditions.
 Advantages
• Widely used for many years.
• Low cost way of quickly depositing fibre and
resin
• Low cost tooling.
Disadvantages

• Laminates tend to be very resin –rich and therefore

excessively heavy.
• Only short fibres are incorporated with severely limits the
mechanical properties of the laminate
• Resins need to be low in viscosity to be sprayable.
 Wet lay-up/Hand lay-up

• Resins are impregnated by hand into fibres which are in the form of
woven, stitched or bonded fabrics. This is usually accomplished by
rollers or brushes, with an increasing use of nip-roller type
impregnators for forcing resin into the fabrics by means of rotating
rollers and a bath of resin. Laminates are left to cure under standard
atmospheric conditions.
 Advantages
• Widely used for many years.
• Simple principles to teach.
• Low cost tooling, if room temperature cure
resins are used.
• Higher fibre contents and longer fibres than
with spray lay up.
 Disadvantages.
• Resin mixing, laminate resin contents and laminate quality are
very dependent on the skill of laminators. Low resin content
laminates cannot usually be achieved without the incorporation
of excessive quantities of void.
• Health and safety consideration of resins. The lower molecular
weights of hand lay-up resins generally means that they have
the potential to be more harmful than higher molecular weight
products. The lower viscosity of the resins also means that they
have an increased tendency to penetrate clothing etc.
• Resins need to be low viscosity to be workable by hand. This
generally compromises their mechanical/thermal properties
due to the need for high diluent/styrene levels.
 Vacuum Bagging (Wet Lay-up)

• This is basically an extension of the wet lay-up process , where

pressure is applied to the laminate once laid up in order to
improve its consolidation. This is achieved by sealing a plastic
film over the wet laid-up laminate and onto the tool. The air
under the bag is extracted by a vacuum pump and thus upto one
atmosphere of pressure can be applied to the laminate to
consolidate it.