Investigation of mechanical properties of fiber-reinforced polymer foam core composites of different densities

In recent years, with the increasing number of vehicles in the automotive sector, environmental problems and safety issues have come to the fore. Today, the automotive industry is focused on the development of low-fuel vehicles with high safety levels and low-cost production methods. Reducing vehicle weight also takes place in areas such as chassis and body. In this study, laminated composite materials with glass fiber reinforced polymer foam core, which are preferred due to their lightness and durability properties, were produced. Vacuum bagging method was used in the production of composite materials. Compression test, three-point bending test and low-speed impact test methods were applied to investigate the mechanical properties of the produced composite materials. The graphics, photographs and tables obtained based on the results of the experiments were evaluated. In the impact tests, puncture and rebound occurred in the 8-layered samples (XPS, EPS) of the 200 gr/m2 glass fiber composites and the 12-layered ones. Although more deformation occurred in 8 layers of 300 gr/m2 glass fiber composites (XPS, EPS) compared to the samples with 12 layers, the experiments resulted as rebound in both layered samples. When XPS and EPS foam core samples are compared, XPS foam core samples performed better than EPS. Results similar to impact tests were obtained in compression and three-point bending tests. Higher strengths were obtained in the samples with 12 floors compared to the samples with 8 floors. Composite samples with 300 gr/m2 fiber layer showed better performance than samples with 200 gr/m2 feature. In the comparison of core materials, XPS foam core samples performed better than EPS when XPS and EPS foam core samples were compared.