Effect of temperature on the dynamic characteristics of the glass-carbon fiber hybrid composites

This study aimed to investigate the effect of temperature on the dynamic characteristics of hybrid composites. Hybrid composites consisting of unsaturated polyester resin and glass fiber reinforced with carbon fiber. The volume fraction used in this study was 0.4. The hybrid composite was made using hand lay-up technique. The dynamic characteristics were obtained through vibration testing. The testing was conducted according to ASTM E756. The variables studied were composite without heating, heating at 100 °C, 200 °C and 280 °C. The experiments were done in three mounting configurations, i.e. upright, downward and horizontal configurations. The natural frequency and damping ratio was determined using half-power bandwidth method. The results showed that heating of composite structure affects the natural frequency and damping ratio of the hybrid composite. Heating until 100 °C will increase the natural frequency of the hybrid composite and decrease the damping ratio, but heating at the temperature above 100 °C will decrease the natural frequency and will damage the hybrid composite structure. The composite mounting configurations do not give significant effect to natural frequency and damping ratio of the hybrid composites.