Quasi-static indentation behavior of GFRP with milled glass fiber filler monitored by acoustic emission

This paper aims at investigating the influence of the addition of milled glass fibers upon quasi-static indentation (QSI) properties of glass/epoxy composite laminates. The QSI behavior was experimentally studied by evaluating indentation force, residual dent depth, energy absorbed and size of the damaged area for different indentation depths. Following the QSI tests, the filler-loaded glass/epoxy samples were subjected to three-point bending tests in order to measure residual flexural strength, and the results were compared with the baseline glass/epoxy samples. Both tests were performed with online acoustic emission monitoring in order to observe damage progression and characterize different fracture mechanisms associated with loading. The results show that the filler-loaded laminates exhibit a substantial improvement in the peak force and contact stiffness, with a reduced permanent damage both in terms of depth and of area, in comparison with the baseline ones. It is found that the filler presence offers greater stiffness and higher energy dissipation through toughening mechanisms such as filler debonding/pullout and filler bridging/interlocking.