Flexural Properties of Glass Fiber/Thermoplastic Composites Reinforced with Metal Mesh Layers

In this paper, the flexural properties of glass fiber reinforced polymer composites with metal mesh layers were investigated. Two thermoplastic polymers, polyetherimide (PEI) and polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) were used as the matrix. Stainless steel was chosen as the mesh material due to its excellent strength and stiffness properties. The position of the metal mesh within the laminate stack was varied and the effect on the flexural properties and damage mechanisms was compared to that of the plain laminate. Placement of the mesh in the middle of the laminate led to the greatest improvement in flexural properties for the PEI laminates with an increase in specific flexural stress and strain of over 11% in both cases. However, the same case was not found for the PPS laminates and this was attributed to the poor adhesion between the PPS and the metal mesh.