Integrated Evaluation of Functional Properties of Glass Fiber/Epoxy Composites for Industrial Protective Applications

The growing industrial demand for abrasion-resistant and chemically stable composite coatings-estimated to exceed USD ۳۰ billion annually in sectors such as oil, gas, and chemical processing-necessitates advanced glass-fiber/epoxy laminates capable of sustaining mechanical loading, aggressive environments, and long service cycles. In response to this need, the present research aims to engineer and evaluate four hybrid ۱۵-layer star stacking design glass/epoxy composite systems (G۱۰۰-CR۳۰۶/ER۴۴۰, G۲۹۰-CR۳۰۶/ER۴۴۰) fabricated using distinct resin chemistries and reinforcement areal weights. A comprehensive multi-property characterization was performed, encompassing tensile, flexural, impact, hardness, wear, friction, density, fiber-volume fraction, and chemical ageing behavior in acidic and alkaline media. Among the examined systems, G۲۹۰-ER۴۴۰ demonstrated the most superior multifunctional performance, achieving the highest flexural strength (۶۴۷.۶۸ MPa), flexural modulus (۳۵.۵۴ GPa), interlaminar shear strength (۲۰.۲۳ MPa), and surface hardness (۶۴.۶۲ Barcol), alongside excellent tribological stability with a low wear rate (۰.۶۴۱×۱۰ mm³/(N·m)) and the best chemical durability with minimal mass uptake (۱.۶۷% in acid). These results identify G۲۹۰-ER۴۴۰ as a technically robust candidate for next-generation industrial protective coatings requiring simultaneous mechanical reinforcement, abrasion tolerance, and resistance to corrosive environments.

کلیدواژه ها:

Glass fiber/epoxy laminates ، Industrial protective coatings ، Mechanical and tribological performance ، Chemical durability ، High-performance composite materials