Effect of diameter of glass fibers on flexural properties of fiber-reinforced composites

This study investigated the effect of the diameter of glass fibers on the flexural properties of fiber-reinforced composites. Bar-shaped test specimens of highly filled fiber-reinforced composites (FRCs) and FRC of 30 vol% fiber content were made from a light-cured dimethacrylate monomer liquid (mixture of urethane dimethacrylate and triethylene glycol dimethacrylate) with silanized E-glass fibers (7, 10, 13, 16, 20, 25, 30, and 45 microm in diameter). Flexural strength and elastic modulus were measured. The flexural strength of the highly filled FRCs increased with increasing fiber diameter. In particular, the strengths of highly filled FRCs with 20-, 25-, 30-, and 45-microm-diameter fibers was significantly higher than the others (p<0.05). The flexural strength of FRC of 30 vol% fiber content increased with increasing fiber diameter, except for the FRC with 45-microm-diameter fibers; FRCs with 20-, 25-, and 30-microm-diameter fibers were significantly stronger than the others (p<0.05). Therefore, it was revealed that the diameter of glass fibers significantly affected the flexural properties of fiber-reinforced composites.