Mode-I fracture behaviour of aramid/glass-epoxy interply hybrid composites

Abstract

This article presents the influence of hybridisation of aramid and glass fibre woven fabric on fracture toughness (K<inf>IC</inf>) of the composites. Experiments using single-edge-notched-bending (SENB) were conducted to investigate the hybridisation effect on the Mode I fracture toughness specimen of aramid/glass laminates. The results revealed that the aramid epoxy composites yielded the highest K<inf>IC</inf>, followed by aramid/glass epoxy hybrid composites, and finally, glass epoxy composites, which exhibited the lowest K<inf>IC</inf>. Fracture micrographs of the hybrid composites showed similar fracture patterns – fibre pullout, fibre rupture and matrix rupture – to those of the aramid and glass epoxy composites. The mechanical properties of the hybrid composites being inferior to those of the aramid epoxy composites suggest that there is no advantage in using glass fibres to partially replace aramid fibres in achieving hybrid composites. © The Author(s) 2025