Effect of Void and Blister Defects on the Tensile Strength of GFRP Laminates
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35718/ismatech.v4i2.8482327Keywords:
GFRP, Hand lay-up, Void, Blister, Tensile StrenghtAbstract
Glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) laminates fabricated by hand lay-up are prone to interlaminar defects such as voids and blisters because compaction pressure, resin distribution, and ply alignment depend on operator skill rather than controlled process parameters. This study characterizes the tensile response of hand lay-up chopped-strand-mat/woven-roving (CSM-WR) GFRP laminates with 8, 10, and 12 reinforcement layers, each containing an intentionally introduced interlaminar defect, and compares the results with the minimum tensile strength required by the Indonesian Classification Bureau (BKI) and with published data for related laminate systems. Three specimens were tested per configuration using ISO 527-4 tensile coupons at a crosshead speed of 5 mm/min. All nine specimens exceeded the 98 MPa BKI minimum despite the defects. The mean ultimate tensile strength was 137.59 MPa for the 8-layer group, 118.20 MPa for the 10-layer group, and 137.09 MPa for the 12-layer group, showing that tensile strength did not increase monotonically with layer count, a trend also observed in published hybrid-fiber laminates with the same layer counts. The 12-layer group, which carried a blister-type defect, had a mean tensile strength about 7% below a published defect-free 12-layer CSM-WR benchmark and the highest coefficient of variation (17.72%) among the three configurations, consistent with compaction pressure being a dominant source of scatter in hand lay-up GFRP. These findings indicate that localized void- and blister-type defects of the size introduced here do not necessarily disqualify hand lay-up CSM-WR panels from meeting BKI tensile strength requirements, though closer control of compaction during lay-up of thicker laminates is warranted.
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