Transverse fatigue behavior analysis of symmetric and asymmetric glass fiber‐reinforced laminates

Abstract This study examined the effect of interchanging the position of (0°/90°) and (±45°) angle ply around the midplane of an eight‐layer symmetric [(0°/90°)/(±45°)₂/(0°/90°)]_s and asymmetric woven glass fiber reinforced composite laminate having [(0°/90°)/(±45°)₂/(0°/90°)//(±45°)/(0°/90°)₂/(±45°)] and (±45°)/(0°/90°)₂/(±45°)//(0°/90°)/(±45°)₂/(0°/90°) stacking sequence by means of flexure and fatigue test. The flexural and fatigue behavior of glass fiber–reinforced polymer (GFRP) laminates was analyzed as well. The GFRP laminates in varying stacking sequence having a volume fraction of 55 ± 0.9% were subjected to fatigue and damage analysis under stress levels ranging from 90% to 50% of their ultimate flexural strength at f = 1 Hz, R = 0.1. Flexure and fatigue testing was done in accordance with ASTM D790/D790‐17. The experiment results showed that the symmetric laminate with (0°/90°) ply at the compression and tension sides exhibited greater flexural strength (458.09 MPa) and fatigue lives as compared to the asymmetric A (352.70 MPa) and asymmetric B (272.89 MPa) laminates with (0°/90°) and (±45°) ply at the compression sides respectively. Microscopy and transmission light photography techniques were used to detect the damage behavior and capture the debond zone images. The correlation between the load‐deflection curve, Wohler‐curve, hysteresis loops, dynamic stiffness and debond zones was also examined with regard to different stacked laminates.