Sheet molding compounds (SMC) of glass fiber and textile grade carbon fiber

Composite materials are indispensable in modern industries, offering a unique blend of strength and lightness. The process of hybridizing glass fiber (GF) and carbon fiber (CF) within composite materials yields a synergistic material characterized by improved strength, stiffness, and impact resistance. This method offers a unique system balance between CF’s high performance and tough, affordable GF. In this study, an innovative composite system was developed by hybridizing glass fiber sheet molding compounds (GF-SMC), with wet-laid textile grade CF nonwoven mats (TCF WL). The hybrid process was conducted as a single step process and the system was manufactured using compression molding. Optical microscopic images were captured on the interface of the H-SMC exhibited a good adhesion between G-SMC and TCF WL mat. Both SMC and wet-laid process exhibit random fiber orientation representing isotropic properties. Mechanical tests conducted on the hybrid samples in the X and Y-directions revealed a standard deviation of less than 5%, indicating that the fiber orientation distribution remained unaffected during the manufacturing process. An improvement of 21% and 40% in flexural strength and modulus respectively were monitored. 14.5 and 50% in tensile strength and tensile modulus were reported as well.