Applications of Glass Fibers in 3D Preform Composites

Abstract

E-glass three dimensional (3D) stitched preform composites have been developed for several industrial applications due to their high mechanical performance and damage tolerance properties. Although some in-plane properties of the stitched E-glass composite structure are slightly lower than in laminated composite, its mode-I delamination failure is improved. This was achieved by using the out-of-plane directional stitched fibers. Recently, some nanoparticles as single-walled nanotubes (SWNT) or multiwalled nanotubes (MWNT) or nanofibers (NF) were added to the glass fabric structure or stitched preform during consolidation process. This further enhances the thermo-mechanical impact properties of the E-glass fiber composites.