Effect of Ferrous, Nickel, and Tungsten Fillers Reinforcement on Glass Fiber Reinforced Vinyl Ester/Polyester Composites

Abstract

The present investigation targets the physical, mechanical, and thermal characteristics of glass fabric-reinforced vinyl ester/polyester hybrid laminates filled with ferrous, nickel, and tungsten micro-particles. The metal-fillers-glass fabric reinforced vinyl ester/polyester hybrid composites was produced by distributing 1 wt% ferrous, nickel, and tungsten with an ultrasonication probe-assisted wet layup method. Polyester resin reinforced with glass fabrics and tungsten fillers (PRGT) presents improved mechanical characteristics compared with other hybrid laminates, with tensile, compression, and flexural strength values of 157.89 MPa, 163.74 MPa, and 167.29 MPa, respectively. The fractographic microstructure of tensile fracture PRGT laminates exhibits that glass fibers pull out, microcracks, and lower gaps, because of stronger filler-fabric-matrix adhesion when compared with other hybrid laminates. The artificial neural network modeling was conducted to choose the best composite among the various manufactured composites. Statistical analysis was observed from the one-way ANOVA technique, substantiating that the physical, mechanical, and thermal characteristics of metal fillers-reinforced hybrid composites were statistically significant. Highlights: Metal-fillers-glass fabric reinforced vinyl ester/polyester hybrid composites. Selection of the best composite from developed composites by ANN. Tungsten fillers are a useful material for reinforcement. © 2024 Society of Plastics Engineers.