Mechanical Characterization of Sheet Moulding Composites for the Automotive Industry

Abstract

The mechanical properties of Sheet Moulding Composite (SMC) have been analyzed by means of static and fatigue tests in tension. SMCs show a substantial in-plane anisotropy either in terms of stiffness or strength. Fatigue data were modeled adopting a fatigue model with two parameters, represented by the cyclic number and the mean stress. The statistical implementation of such model was based on the hypothesis that the monotonic tensile strength follows a two- parameter Weibull distribution. The model has the potential to be predictive indicating that the fatigue characterization of a given laminate can be achieved with a minimum number of experimental tests. The reliability of such procedure and its applicability limits are discussed in the light of the model parameters obtained for different glass fiber reinforced composites.