M. SAKTHIVEL, S.VIJAYAKUMAR: INFLUENCE OF STAINLESS-STEEL WIRE MESH ON THE MECHANICAL ...
455–461
INFLUENCE OF STAINLESS-STEEL WIRE MESH ON THE
MECHANICAL BEHAVIOUR IN A GLASS-FIBRE-REINFORCED
EPOXY COMPOSITE
VPLIV @I^NE MRE@E IZ NERJAVNEGA JEKLA NA OBNA[ANJE
EPOKSI KOMPOZITA, OJA^ANEGA S STEKLENIMI VLAKNI
Munisamy Sakthivel1, Subramani Vijayakumar2
1Adhiyamaan College of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Hosur, 635109 Tamilnadu, India
2University College of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kanchipuram, 631 552 Tamilnadu, India
metalsakthi@gmail.com
Prejem rokopisa – received: 2016-04-16; sprejem za objavo – accepted for publication: 2016-05-18
doi:10.17222/mit.2016.063
This work covers the fabrication and investigation of the mechanical behaviour of a glass-fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP)
composite embedded with a stainless-steel wire mesh (SSWM) layer. This work takes the hybridising approach in improving the
mechanical properties of GFRP through the incorporation of SSWM into the laminates. The structure of the composite is such
that the SSWM was placed in the top, middle and bottom of the GFRP. The laminates are fabricated using the hand-layup
method with a 40 % weight fractions of epoxy resin, 50 % weight fractions of woven glass fibre and the remainder being
SSWM. The mechanical characteristics of the composites are obtained using tensile, flexural, inter delamination and drop
weight impact tests. In addition to that, a morphological investigation is made utilizing a scanning electron microscope (SEM).
The test outcome demonstrates that the introduction of SSWM leads to far better mechanical properties than GFRP and SSWM
in the middle layer has a superior strength compared to other laminates.
Keywords: glass fibre reinforced polymer, stainless-steel wire mesh, mechanical tests, ultimate strength, SEM
Delo obravnava izdelavo in preiskavo mehanskih lastnosti polimera, oja~anega s steklenimi vlakni (angl. GFRP) v katerem je
vgrajena ploskovna `i~na mre`a iz nerjavnega jekla (angl. SSWM). To delo predstavlja hibridiziran pribli`ek za izbolj{anje
mehanskih lastnosti GFRP z vgraditvijo SSWM v laminate. Kompozit je sestavljen tako, da je bila SSWM name{~ena zgoraj, v
sredini in spodaj. Laminati so izdelani z ro~nim polaganjem 40 masnimi % epoksi smole, 50 masnimi % tkanine iz steklenih
vlaken, ostalo pa je SSWM. Mehanske lastnosti kompozitov so dolo~ene z nateznim in z upogibnim preizkusom, z
razslojevanjem in z udarno `ilavostjo. Dodatno k temu je izvedena tudi morfolo{ka preiskava s pomo~jo vrsti~nega
elektronskega mikroskopa (SEM). Rezultati preizkusov ka`ejo, da vstavitev SSWM bolj izbolj{a mehanske lastnosti kot GFRP,
SSWM v sredini pa izbolj{a trdnost v primerjavi z ostalimi laminati.
Klju~ne besede: steklena vlakna, jeklo oja~ano s polimeri, ploskovna `i~na mre`a iz nerjavnega jekla, mehanski preizkusi,
natezna trdnost, SEM
1 INTRODUCTION
A composite material is a heterogeneous material that
is formed by the combination of two or more materials in
order to obtain the favourable characteristics of each.
Polymer matrix composite materials are made of fibres
embedded in a polymer matrix, also known as fibre-
reinforced polymers (FRPs).1 The fibre is usually made
of carbon, glass, aramid and graphite.2 The polymer is
mostly made of polyester, epoxy, vinyl ester and phenol
formaldehyde resins. However, the most commonly used
fibre is woven glass fibre that was initially developed for
strand off insulator for electrical wiring fibre forming
capabilities and is now used almost exclusively as the
reinforcing phase in the matrix. Woven roving is avail-
able in a variety of weaves, width, weights and finishes
to suit a broad range of applications.3,4
Composites made with woven glass fibre are finding
application in a variety of engineering fields due to their
low cost, low weight, high stiffness and corrosion resis-
tance. Fibre-reinforced polymers (FRPs) are utilized to
fortify the auxiliary individuals, even after they have
been seriously damaged. Woven glass fibre improves the
impact resistance, toughness and energy absorption for
the composite. The vicinity of woven glass fibre tends to
expand the disintegration wear rate of the composite.
The Young’s modulus can be enhanced by increasing the
volume of fibre in the composite.5,6
Though the glass fibre has vital mechanical proper-
ties but still the other fibres such as carbon fibre, aramid
fibre, ceramic fibre, provide better mechanical properties
compared to the glass fibre. The major drawback of these
fibres is high cost and less abundance. In day-to-day life,
the trend is to obtain the high strength material at low
cost. So some modification must be made to improve the
mechanical properties of glass-fibre-reinforced polymer
(GFRP). Numerous methods have been employed such
as matrix toughening, fibre hybridising and many
more.7–9 The major drawback of hybrid FRPs strength-
ening is the high cost of the different FRPs materials.
The FRPs have some drawbacks such as while fitting as
Materiali in tehnologije / Materials and technology 51 (2017) 3, 455–461 455
MATERIALI IN TEHNOLOGIJE/MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY (1967–2017) – 50 LET/50 YEARS
UDK 67.017:620.1:669.14.018.8 ISSN 1580-2949
Original scientific article/Izvirni znanstveni ~lanek MTAEC9, 51(3)455(2017)
well as joining applications in the fibrous environment it
will not withstand total failure load. This leads to dela-
mination and fibre damage.10 Minimising the uses of
metallic inserts in the fibrous environment can increase
the entire failure loads, which prevent continuous fibre
cut off.11,12 To stabilise the fibre structure, drilling a hole
before riveting the wire mesh is used as reinforcement
material to minimise the wear of fibre in polymer matrix.
Between two FRP layers amid the shaping operation, the
open metallic structure is infiltrated by the polymers, and
hence, the metallic structure is completely embedded in
the polymer matrix.13,14
The GFRP laminate composites are layered materials
based on a stacked arrangement of SSWM and fibre-
reinforced epoxy resin. The SSWM is introduced at the
top, middle and bottom of the laminate. The main
objective of this work is to investigate the effects of the
SSWM layer in the glass-fibre-reinforced epoxy
composite under mechanical testing such as tensile test,
flexural test, inter delamination test and drop weight
impact test. A micrograph of the fractured specimen is
analysed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM).
2 EXPERIMENTAL PART
2.1 Materials
The most commonly used reinforcement in polymer
composites is glass fibre due to its toughness, energy
absorption and strength. In this work stainless steel mesh
and woven glass fibre are used as the reinforcement.
Epoxy (LY556) resin with hardener (HY951) was used
as the matrix material. The SSWM enhances the crack-
ing behaviour and energy-absorption capability, also the
epoxy resin coating provides good corrosion resistance
of the wire mesh. Also SSWM maintained constant
weight percentage to achieve the same weight as in plain
GFRP. The matrix material and woven glass fibre were
purchased from Covai seenu brothers ltd, Coimbatore.
The properties of the stainless-steel mesh and the woven
glass fibre are illustrated in Table 1.
Table 1: Properties of stainless-steel wire mesh and woven glass fibre
Tabela 1: Lastnosti `i~ne mre`e iz nerjavnega jekla in tkanine iz
steklenih vlaken
Reinforce-
ment
material
Tensile
strength
(MPa)
Yield
strength
(MPa)
Density
g/cm3
Diameter
of wire
(mm)
Width
between
wires
(mm)
Stainless
steel (SS304) 620 275 8.0 0.5 1.6
Woven glass
fibre 500 170 2.54 - -
2.2 Fabrication of composites
The hand layup technique is used for preparing com-
posite laminates. Before use, the woven AISI 304
SSWM is cleaned in an alkaline soap bath and is
followed by a rinse in deionized water and allowed to
dry in air. Then the flat mould surface is taken and
cleaned thoroughly to avoid any foreign particles. A
releasing agent (wax) was properly spread over a flat
mould for easy removal of the composite. A thin layer of
resin and hardener mixture in the ratio 10:1 is applied to
the mould surface. Then woven glass fibre is placed over
the thin layer of resin and filled with epoxy resin-hard-
ener mixture. Then, by using the roller, the resin is rolled
to remove the entrapped air and to ensure uniform
spreading of the mixture. After each layer, a mixture of
resin and hardener is rolled over and allowed to dry. In
this way, several layers of woven glass fibre are placed,
one over the other, and the same steps are repeated until
the required thickness was obtained. Finally, the pre-
processed SSWM is placed over the laminate evenly, and
resin-hardener mixture with woven glass fibre is applied
on the stainless-steel mesh and is allowed to cure. A
weight of 8–10 kg is placed over the laminate and left
undisturbed for a curing period of 4–5 h. Ensure the
thickness of all the laminates that must be kept the same
way as 3.2 mm for mechanical testing. The weight
fraction of woven glass fibre is 50 % of mass fractions,
the epoxy resin is 40 % of mass fractions, and the
SSWM is 10 % of mass fractions.
3 COMPOSITES TESTING
3.1 Tensile test
The specimens for conducting the tensile test in four
categories such as Plain GFRP, Top mesh GFRP, Middle
mesh GFRP and Bottom mesh GFRP are prepared
according to ASTM D638 standards. The top and bottom
mesh is the same geometry, but the test is conducted for
both individually to obtain a clear load-bearing capabi-
lity. The test is performed in a universal testing machine
(UTM) at room temperature. The specimen is held
between the grippers of the UTM, and the load is applied
gradually and the corresponding deflections are re-
corded. The load is applied incessantly until the speci-
men breaks and the corresponding break load is noted.
3.2 Flexural test
The flexural test specimens are cut according to the
ASTM D790 standard. The test is carried out in the
UTM by placing the specimen on the two vertical
supports. The load is applied transversely to the middle
of the laminate until the specimen bends and fractures.
Then the corresponding fracture load is noted and the
graph is generated.
3.3 Inter delamination
The specimen is prepared according to ASTM D5528
standards. A delamination or interfaced crack is a crack
that initiates and grows between the different plies of a
composite. Delamination is a kind of failure in which the
M. SAKTHIVEL, S.VIJAYAKUMAR: INFLUENCE OF STAINLESS-STEEL WIRE MESH ON THE MECHANICAL ...
456 Materiali in tehnologije / Materials and technology 51 (2017) 3, 455–461
MATERIALI IN TEHNOLOGIJE/MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY (1967–2017) – 50 LET/50 YEARS
layers detach, resulting in a loss of strength. It is an
internal mode of failure. The specimen is held between
two vertical supports. The transverse load is applied until
the fracture occurs. The corresponding fracture load is
noted. The internal cracks are viewed through the macro
images to identify their interfacial cracks.
3.4 Drop weight impact test
A vertical drop weight impact-testing machine is
employed to perform the above test. For the drop-weight
impact test the specimens are cut according to ASTM
D7136 standard. The impactor guide mechanism releases
an impactor of mass 2–5 kg at the desired height. A
hemispherical tub is placed on the specimen that allows
the material to attain the peak force and produces the
shortest contact duration. The diameter of the tub is
about 25.4 mm. The laminate is impacted to produce
damage and the resulting damaged area is captured
through the macro images.
The above mechanical tests are performed in five
replicates for each combination, and the average values
are determined.
4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Tensile properties
The tensile test is conducted on the fabricated com-
posite specimen using the UTM. The values of the
mechanical properties, such as break load, elongation
and ultimate tensile strength, are shown in Table 2. The
stress vs. strain graph is shown in Figure 1. Figure 1
shows that stress increases linearly with the strain for all
the composites. Generally, the epoxy resin behaves like
brittle materials when the fibre (SSWM, glass fibre) is
loaded in the epoxy resin that behaves like ductile
materials, which are shown in the stress-strain curve.15
For all the combinations, the stress and strain decrease
after a particular point exhibiting ductile properties. For
all the laminates, the stress and strain decrease after a
particular point exhibiting ductile properties.
The first crack and ultimate load were generally
improved with the increasing number of wire mesh
layers. This is attributed to the fact that additional wire
mesh provides more resistance to an increasing load and
restraint of micro-cracks propagation. The overall results
of the first cracks and failure load demonstrate the
advantage of using wire mesh as an external method for
enhancing the strength and the first crack. The first crack
was delayed much better than the other enhancing tech-
niques, such as internal steel fibres.16
Table 2: Tensile properties of GFRP-SSWM
Tabela 2: Natezne lastnosti GFRP-SSWM
Laminate Ultimate break-ing load (N)
Ultimate tensile
strength (N/mm2)
Elongation
(%)
Plain 1100 86 13.667
Top 2900 95 14.900
Middle 3600 110 16.833
Bottom 3500 99 15.500
The enhancement in the tensile strength is predomi-
nant in GFRP-SSWM laminate where the strength of
GFRP improves from 86 MPa to 110 MPa when the
SSWM is introduced in the middle of the laminate. In
contrast, the elongation of GFRP-SSWM at the middle
layer exhibits 1.23 times that of the plain GFRP, 1.09
times that of top layers and 1.13 times that of the bottom
layer. Similarly, the ultimate strength of GFRP-SSWM at
the middle layer is 1.28 times that of plain GFRP, 1.105
times that of the top layers and 1.151 times that of the
bottom layer.
The tensile-test result shows that the performance of
the GFRP-SSWM at the middle layer is higher than the
other laminates. This signifies that the tensile properties
of the GFRP improve with the inclusion of a stainless-
steel mesh in the middle of the laminate. The incorpo-
ration of SSWM layer into the epoxy matrix had a
considerable effect on its tensile properties. The SSWM
impregnated into the epoxy matrix, which improves the
efficiency of the composites and prevents cracking in the
cured product.
4.2 Flexural properties
The flexural properties together with the break load
and the displacement of the composite are tabulated in
Table 3. The flexural test is carried out in the state of
stress experienced by the specimens can be extremely
perplexing and several failure modes can occur, in
particular fibre buckling and delamination. The harm
zone so nucleated can cause longitudinal splitting,
leading to premature failure of the composite laminate,
M. SAKTHIVEL, S.VIJAYAKUMAR: INFLUENCE OF STAINLESS-STEEL WIRE MESH ON THE MECHANICAL ...
Materiali in tehnologije / Materials and technology 51 (2017) 3, 455–461 457
MATERIALI IN TEHNOLOGIJE/MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY (1967–2017) – 50 LET/50 YEARS
Figure 1: Stress vs. strain curve for tensile test
Slika 1: Krivulja napetost-raztezek pri nateznem preizkusu
thus preventing higher stresses in the outermost fibres to
be reached. This event is less critical in glass-fibre
laminates because glass fibres show lower modulus and
higher elongation at the break.17 The loading phases of
the specimens can be explained as follows. The first
phase represents the elastic behaviour where there is no
crack in the tension face and the specimen maintains its
full flexural stiffness and rigidity. The load increases
linearly with the deflection. The second phase corres-
ponds to the initiation of cracks and reduction in the load
and deflection. In this phase, the bending stiffness of the
specimen reduced. The final phase includes the failure of
wire mesh–epoxy composite and the fracture of the
specimen.14
Table 3: Flexural properties of GFRP-SSWM
Tabela 3: Upogibne lastnosti GFRP-SSWM
Laminate Breaking load(N)
Flexural strength
(N/mm2)
Plain 310 75
Top 480 80
Middle 520 95
Bottom 430 85
It is understood from Table 3 that the result of the
GFRP-SSWM at the middle layer is higher than that of
all the other laminates. It was found that GFRP-SSWM
at the middle layer has a higher ultimate breaking load
than that of the other laminates. The ultimate strength of
the GFRP-SSWM at the middle layer is higher than all
the other laminates. The ultimate strength of GFRP-
SSWM at the middle layer is 1.266 times that of the
plain GFRP (1.067 times that of the top layer and 1.133
times that of the bottom layer). From these discussions,
it is observed that GFRP-SSWM at the middle layer has
more flexural strength compared to all the laminates.
4.3 Inter-delamination test
Delamination is one of the modes of failure in
composite laminate materials. Delamination is caused in
a laminated composite due to fatigue stress. The various
properties such as breaking load and the ultimate
strength of the inter-delamination test are tabulated in
Table 4. The inter-delamination test arrangement is
shown in Figure 2.
Table 4: Inter delamination properties of GFRP-SSWM
Tabela 4: Lastnosti razslojevanja GFRP-SSWM
Laminate Ultimate breakingload (N)
Ultimate strength
(N/mm2)
Plain 140 20
Top 155 30
Middle 180 36
Bottom 170 32
The maximum load is higher for the GFRP laminate
with SSWM at the middle of the layer since it bears
more load than all the other laminates. The load is
increased from elastic region the SSWM resist more load
as well as the load transfer being even throughout the
composites because of the open metallic inserts.
It is clear from Table 4 that the ultimate breaking
load of GFRP-SSWM at the middle layer is 1.286 times
than that of plain GFRP (1.107 times than that of the top
layer and 1.214 times than that of the bottom layer).
Similarly, the ultimate strength of GFRP-SSWM at the
middle layer is two times that of the plain GFRP (1.125
times that of the top layer and 1.5 times of bottom layer
of the laminate). A macro image of the inter-delamina-
tion test specimens is shown in Figure 3.
From the results it is clear that the sequence of this
SSWM increases the load-bearing capacity with a reduc-
tion of the weight and also improving the strength. With
the proper sequence of materials and its varying pro-
perties the fracture and failure of laminates has been
reduced. It is concluded that the GFRP at middle layer
(SSWM) shows good results under the inter-delamina-
tion test compared to the other laminates.
M. SAKTHIVEL, S.VIJAYAKUMAR: INFLUENCE OF STAINLESS-STEEL WIRE MESH ON THE MECHANICAL ...
458 Materiali in tehnologije / Materials and technology 51 (2017) 3, 455–461
MATERIALI IN TEHNOLOGIJE/MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY (1967–2017) – 50 LET/50 YEARS
Figure 3: Macro image of inter delamination test specimens: a) plain
GFRP laminate, b) top mesh GFRP laminate c) middle mesh GFRP
laminate and d) bottom mesh GFRP laminate
Slika 3: Makroposnetek preizkusa notranjega razslojevanja: a) GFRP
laminat, b) GFRP laminat z mre`o zgoraj, c) GFRP laminat z mre`o v
sredini in d) GFRP laminat z mre`o spodaj
Figure 2: Inter-delamination test arrangement
Slika 2: Naprava za preizkus razslojevanja
4.4 Drop-weight impact test
The drop-weight impact test is used to determine the
impact energy absorption capacity of the laminates. This
impact characterization is essential for applications in
the aeronautical and mechanical fields where crash
aspects represent a key point. Figure 4 shows the result
of the plain and hybrid laminate after the impact of a
body of mass 2.5 kg at a height of 1 m. The circle indi-
cates that the damage is due to the drop-weight impact
test.
Figure 4a illustrates the plain GFRP laminate that
displays fibre and matrix crushing on the impact side
with multilevel delamination through the thickness and
finally tensile and buckling failure on the back surface.
Figure 4b reveals the GFRP-SSWM at the top layer
of the laminate, where it displays modest evidence of
crushing in the mesh region where the tough combina-
tion of the mesh reinforced epoxy absorbs much of the
energy and the remaining energy is crushed in the
fibre-matrix combination. The application of force to the
laminate helps the stainless-steel mesh absorb the initial
energy. The remaining energy will crush the fibre matrix
combination. So the laminates are crushed less than the
plain GFRP.
Similarly, Figure 4c shows that the GFRP-SSWM at
the middle layer of the laminate, the impact energy is
absorbed by a fibre matrix combination. So it absorbs a
small amount of impact energy and then it faces the
mesh reinforced epoxy and the remaining energy is
absorbed in the middle layer itself. So the damage occurs
in the GFRP-SSWM at the middle layer that is almost
less when compared to all the other laminates.
Figure 4d shows that GFRP-SSWM at the bottom
layer of the laminate displays the fibre matrix crushing
till the bottom of the laminate and then it faces the
mesh-reinforced epoxy. The 3/4th of the laminate is
crushed when the initial impact energy is applied to the
laminate. When the force is applied on the laminate
almost all the impact energy is absorbed by the fibre
matrix combination and the remaining amount of energy
is impacted on the stainless-steel mesh. It is seen that
these laminates are crushed more than the top layered
mesh laminate but lesser than the plain GFRP.
4.5 Morphological analysis
The morphological analyses of the tested specimen
were performed utilizing an SEM. The fractured speci-
mens from the tensile and flexural tesst are examined
utilizing SEM. The interfacial adhesion between the
matrix and the fibre is clearly seen from the SEM
images. The SSWM is visible in Figure 5 that are in the
top, middle and bottom layers. An almost culminate
infiltration into the wire meshes and merge between the
woven glass fibre and the metal mesh reinforced epoxy
could be achieved. There is no unsettling influence of the
fibre structure close to the wires, as found in Figure 5a.
Figure 5b shows that there is no distinctive damage
to the fibre or matrix. However, transversal fibre cracks
M. SAKTHIVEL, S.VIJAYAKUMAR: INFLUENCE OF STAINLESS-STEEL WIRE MESH ON THE MECHANICAL ...
Materiali in tehnologije / Materials and technology 51 (2017) 3, 455–461 459
MATERIALI IN TEHNOLOGIJE/MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY (1967–2017) – 50 LET/50 YEARS
Figure 5: SEM images GFRP-SSWM laminate composites: a) top
mesh GFRP laminate, b) middle mesh GFRP laminate, c) plain mesh
GFRP laminate and d) bottom mesh GFRP composite
Slika 5: SEM-posnetek GFRP-SSWM laminatnega kompozita:
a) GFRP-laminat z mre`o zgoraj, b) GFRP-laminat z mre`o v sredini,
c) GFRP-laminat z obi~ajno mre`o in d) GFRP-laminat mre`o spodaj
Figure 4: Macro image of drop-weight impact test specimens: a) plain
GFRP laminate, b) top mesh GFRP laminate, c) middle mesh GFRP
laminate and d) bottom mesh GFRP laminate
Slika 4: Makroposnetek vzorca pri udarnem preizkusu: a) GFRP-
laminat, b) GFRP-laminat z mre`o zgoraj, c) GFRP-laminat z mre`o v
sredini in d) GFRP-laminat z mre`o spodaj
can be detected where the disturbance of the fibre
structure is high, and the fibres surround the wire very
closely. This implies the fibres are seriously bent during
a flexural load.
The SSWM in the middle layer is clearly visible in
Figure 5b. A microcrack is formed, initiated and pro-
pagated through the matrix, and when it arrives at an
interface, it continues along the interface up to the
fracture of the fibre. After the fibre fractures, the crack
propagates through the matrix and then moves to the
next interface, this process continues until there is a
complete fracture. The SSWM layer withstands the
tensile load, which pulls the SSWM and matrix cracks.
Both fibre breakage and pullout are clearly visible in
Figure 5c, where it is evident that the strength is lower
compared to the other laminates. It is found that the
fibres in the region of the loading region are more prone
to damage. The strain values of the fibre in this region
might have diminished and that leads to fibre pull-out.
A typical crater at the wire of the composite pro-
duced with a tensile force and also an interface debond-
ing between the wire and the matrix is observed in
Figure 5d. It also shows that the fibre/matrix interface of
adjacent fabric layers. Figure 5d the circles illustrate the
process-induced damage. The circle indicates a high
tensile load as a result of a wire-induced distortion to the
fibre structure at the maximum tensile force. Due to a
purely elastic deformation at maximum force, a
subsequent discharge leads to the elastic reshaping of the
wire mesh. This leads to the debonding that occurs at the
fibre/matrix interface.
5 CONCLUSIONS
The influence of a stainless-steel wire mesh layer on
the mechanical behaviour of GFRP was investigated.
From the above test results, the following conclusions
are drawn:
• The ultimate strength and breaking load of GFRP-
SSWM at the middle layer is 110MPa and 3600 N,
respectively, which is higher than that of all the other
laminates.
• From the tensile test, the percentage elongation of
GFRP-SSWM in the middle layer is 16.83 %, which
is higher than that of all the other laminates.
• In the flexural test, it is clear that GFRP-SSWM at
the middle layer has an ultimate stress and breaking
load of 95 MPa and 520 N, respectively, which is
higher than that of the other composites.
• In the inter-delamination test, a breaking load of 180
N and ultimate strength of 36 MPa were obtained for
GFRP-SSWM at the middle layer, which is found to
be greater than the other laminates.
• Similarly, in the drop-weight impact test, more
impact energy is absorbed by the GFRP-SSWM at
the middle layer that is higher and has less im-
pression on the laminate compared to the other lami-
nates.
• The treatment of the metallic surface may also con-
tribute to an improvement of the wire/matrix inter-
face. From this morphology study, it is evident that
SSWM is a reinforcement material in the epoxy
matrix.
• It was found that the GFRP- SSWM at the middle
layer provides better results compared to the other
laminates. Hence, the introduction of stainless-steel
mesh in the middle layer improves the mechanical
properties of GFRP.
6 REFERENCES
1 B. D. Agarwal, L. J. Broutman, Analysis and performance of fibre
composites, 2nd ed., John Wiley& Sons, 1990
2 C. Soutis, Carbon fibre reinforced plastics in aircraft construction,
Materials Science and Engineering, A, 412 (2005), 1–2, 171–176,
doi:10.1016/j.msea.2005.08.064
3 K. Friedrich, Z. Lu, A. M. Hager, Recent advances in polymer com-
posites tribology, Wear, 190 (1996) 2, 139–144, doi:10.1016/0043-
1648(96)80012-3
4 P. B. Mody, T.W. Chou, K. Friedrich, Effect of testing conditions and
microstructure on the sliding wear of graphite fibre/PEEK matrix
composites, Journal of Materials Science, 23 (1988) 12, 4319–4330
5 S. Carmisciano, I. M. De Rosa, F. Sarassini, A. Tamburrano, Basalt
woven fibre reinforced vinyl ester composites: Flexural and electrical
properties, Materials and Design, 32 (2011) 1, 337–342, doi:10.1016/
j.matdes.2010.06.042
6 T. Wittek, T. Tanimoto, Mechanical properties and fire retardance of
bi-directional reinforced composite based on biodegradable starch
resin and basalt fibres, Express Polymer Letter, 2 (2008) 11,
810–822, doi:10.3144/expresspolymlett.2008.94
7 G. R. Villanueva, W. J. Cantwell, The high-velocity impact response
of composite and FML-reinforced sandwich structures, Composite
Science and Technology, 64 (2004) 1, 35–54, doi:10.1016/S0266-
3538(03)00197-0
8 A. Asundi, Y. N. Choi Alta, Fibre-metal laminates an advanced ma-
terial for future aircraft, Journal of Materials Processing Technology,
63 (1997) 1–3, 384–394. doi:10.1016/S0924-0136(96)02652-0
9 J. J. C. Remmers, R. D. Borst, Delamination Buckling of fibre–metal
laminates, Composite Science and Technology, 6 (2001) 15,
2207–2213, doi:10.1016/S0266-3538(01)00114-2
10 P. P. Camacho, C. M. L.Tavanas, R. De Oliveiro, A. T. Mangues, A.
J. M. Fesseiro, Increasing the efficiency of composite single shear
lap joints using bonded inserts, Composites Part B: Engineering, 36
(2005) 5, 372–383, doi:10.1016/j.compositesb.2005.01.007
11 L. Fratini, V. F. Ruisi, Self-piercing riveting for aluminium alloys-
composite hybrid joints, The International Journal of Advanced
Manufacturing Technology, 43 (2009), 61–66, doi:10.1007/s00170-
008-1690-3
12 Z. Huang, S. Sugiyama, J. Yaragimoto, Hybrid joining the process
for carbon fibre reinforced thermosetting plastic and thin metallic
sheets by chemical bonding and plastic deformation, Journal of
Materials Processing Technology, 213 (2013), 1864–1874,
doi:10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2013.04.015
13 H. Hasselbruch, A.Von Hehl, H. W. Zoch, Properties and failure
behaviour of hybrid wire mesh/carbon fibre reinforced thermoplastic
composites under quasi-static tensile load, Materials and Design, 66
(2015), 429–436, doi:10.1016/j.matdes.2014.07.032
14 M. I. Ismail, Q. Payam Shafigh, Md. Zamin Jumaat, A. Ibrahim
Abdull, Z. Ibrahim,U. Johnson Alengaram, The use of wire
mesh–epoxy composite for enhancing the flexural performance of
concrete beams, Materials and Design, 60 (2014) 11, 250–259,
doi:10.1016/j.matdes.2014.03.075
M. SAKTHIVEL, S.VIJAYAKUMAR: INFLUENCE OF STAINLESS-STEEL WIRE MESH ON THE MECHANICAL ...
460 Materiali in tehnologije / Materials and technology 51 (2017) 3, 455–461
MATERIALI IN TEHNOLOGIJE/MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY (1967–2017) – 50 LET/50 YEARS
15 V. S. Sreenivasan, D. Ravindran,V. Manikandan, R. Narayanasamy,
Mechanical properties of randomly oriented short Sansevieria
cylindrica fibre/polyester composites, Materials and Design, 32
(2011) 4, 2444–2455, doi:10.1016/j.matdes.2010.11.042
16 D. Soulioti, N. Barkoula, A. Paipetis, T. Matikas, Effects of fibre
geometry and volume fraction on the flexural behaviour of steel-fibre
reinforced concrete, Strain, 47 (2011) 1, 535–541, 10.1111/j.1475-
1305.2009.00652.x
17 M. I. Okereke, Flexural response of polypropylene/ E-glass fibre
reinforced unidirectional composites, Composites Part B:
Engineering, 89 (2016), 388–396. doi:10.1016/j.compositesb.
2016.01.007
M. SAKTHIVEL, S.VIJAYAKUMAR: INFLUENCE OF STAINLESS-STEEL WIRE MESH ON THE MECHANICAL ...
Materiali in tehnologije / Materials and technology 51 (2017) 3, 455–461 461
MATERIALI IN TEHNOLOGIJE/MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY (1967–2017) – 50 LET/50 YEARS