INVESTIGATION ON MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF UNSATURATED POLYESTER REINFORCED BY NANOCLAY AND DIFFERENT GLASS FIBERS COMPOSITES

This study covers an investigation on the mechanical properties of unsaturated polyester (UPE) reinforced by nanoclay particles and different glass fiber fabrics. Four different composites i.e., chopped glass fiber reinforced UPE without and with 3 % nanoclay (C- GRP and C-GRP/3NC); and woven 0°/90° glass fiber plies toughened UPE without and with 3 % nanoclay (W- GRP and W-GRP/3NC) have been prepared by a conventional hand-lay method. The experimental results of tensile strength, bending strength and impact strength of pure UPE and the composites revealed that the existence of nanoclay particles improved the interfacial adhesion between glass fibers and the matrix, and resulting in a notable increase in all mechanical properties of the composites filled with nanoclay. The composites reinforced by woven fibers and filled by nanoclay had the highest mechanical properties compared to the pure UPE matrix