Mechanical Performance of Glass and Carbon/Vinyl Ester Composites for Marine Structures

This paper describes the processing and mechanical characterization of two different fibers (glass and carbon) and two different fabric architectures (woven roving and stitch bonded) that were made into composites using Dow Chemical’s Derakane 510A-40, a brominated vinyl ester resin. Both E-glass and T700 carbon fibers were coated with vinyl ester compatible sizing. Composite panels were fabricated by vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM), specimens were machined, and mechanical tests were conducted as per the accepted test standards. Tension, compression, in-plane shear and inter-laminar shear properties were measured and their associated failure modes were compared with each other. The specific properties of the composites were compared with that of steel. I