Fabrication of transparent advanced composites

Abstract Transparent advanced composites offer distinct mechanical advantages over other transparent materials including high specific strength and stiffness, and exceptional impact resistance due to their quasi-brittle nature. This potentially allows them to be used in large and load-bearing applications. However, there are challenges and limitations to fabricate composites with high degree of transparency due to inherent chromatic aberration and other surface and bulk defects. In this paper, a systematic approach to fabricate transparent composites using advanced glass fibers and thermoset-based resin systems is presented. It is shown that using low-cost commercial grade E-glass fibers, high transparency can be achieved. An epoxy-based resin system is developed by systematically matching the chromatic dispersion of E-glass fiber and resin. Surface and bulk defects are mitigated by developing a customized infusion-based manufacturing process. The method was successfully applied to fabricate composite samples with light transmissions up to 88%.