Electromechanical characteristics of unidirectional glass fiber epoxy composites

Abstract Because crack detection for laminated composites in‐service is an effective method for improving structural reliability, various nondestructive methods have been studied to detect cracks in laminated composites. A recent study on the damage monitoring of composite materials using the piezoelectric method, which uses the piezoelectric characteristics of polymeric materials for the matrix of composite materials, concluded that the piezoelectric method can be a useful, nondestructive method for the damage monitoring of glass fiber epoxy composites. The dielectric and piezoelectric properties of composites are the basic properties used for the analysis of electromechanical coupling systems, along with the mechanical properties. In this research, therefore, the electromechanical characteristics of unidirectional glass fiber epoxy composites as well as their electric and mechanical characteristics were investigated. The dielectric, piezoelectric, and mechanical properties of unidirectional glass fiber epoxy composites were measured experimentally with respect to the fiber orientation, and the relationship between the piezoelectric and mechanical characteristics of unidirectional glass fiber epoxy composites was analyzed. POLYM. COMPOS., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers