Two types of unidirectional carbon fibre, one of high strength (DHMS) and another of medium strength (VLMS) reinforced vinylester resin composites have been examined for their impact fatigue behaviour over 10⁴ impact cycles for the first time. The study was conducted using a pendulum type repeated impact apparatus specially designed and constructed for the purpose. A well-defined impact fatigue behaviour (S–N type curve) curve has been demonstrated. It showed a plateau region of 10–10² cycles immediately below the single cycle impact strength, followed by progressive endurance with decreasing impact loads, culminating in an endurance limit at about 71% and 85% of the single impact strength for DHMS-48 and VLMS-48, respectively. Analysis of the fractured surfaces revealed primary debonding, fibre breakage and pull-out at the tensile zone of the samples and a shear mode of fracture with breakage of fibre bundles at the compressive zone of the samples. The occurrence of a few major macrocracks in the matrix with fibre breakage at the high load–low endurance region and development of multiple microcracks in the matrix, coalescing and fibre breakage at the low-load–high endurance region have been inferred to explain the fatigue behaviour of the composites examined.

Glass fibre reinforced vinylester resin composites incorporating varying amounts of fibres (63.5, 55.75, 48.48, 38.63 and 27.48 wt%) were characterized for their mechanical properties both as prepared and after treatment with boiling water for 2, 4, 6, 8 and 24 h. Weights of the samples were found to increase to a saturation at about 8 h with boiling water treatment.

In keeping with the composite principle, the mechanical properties improved with fibre loading. However, the properties were relatively inferior when treated with boiling water for longer hours attributing to ingress of moisture by capillary action through the interface between the fibre and the resin matrix. Considering the rates of moisture absorption and correlating with the mechanical properties, it was observed that the deteriorating effects were predominant up to 4 h treatment with boiling water. Estimation of defect concentrations for 63.5 wt% of nascent fibre reinforced composites as well as those composites treated with boiling water for 24 h were 56.93% and 64.16% respectively. Similarly, 27.48 wt% nascent fibre reinforced composites and those composites with boiling water treatment showed the estimation of defect concentrations of 39.94% and 50.55% respectively. SEM study of the fractured surfaces showed heavy fibre pull-out in the tensile zone whilst shear fracture of the fibre bundles was predominant at the compressive zone of the samples tested for flexural strength properties.

Jute fibres were subjected to a 5% alkali (NaOH) solution treatment for 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 h at 30°C. An improvement in the crystallinity in the jute fibres increased its modulus by 12%, 68% and 79% after 4, 6 and 8 h of treatment respectively. The tenacity of the fibres improved by 46% after 6 and 8 h treatment and the % breaking strain was reduced by 23% after 8 h treatment. For the 35% composites with 4 h treated fibres, the flexural strength improved from 199.1 MPa to 238.9 MPa by 20%, modulus improved from 11.89 GPa to 14.69 GPa by 23% and laminar shear strength increased from 0.238 MPa to 0.2834 MPa by 19%. On plotting the different values of slopes obtained from the rates of improvement of the flexural strength and modulus, against the NaOH treatment time, two different failure modes were apparent before and after 4 h of treatment. In the first region between 0 and 4 h, fibre pull out was predominant whereas in the second region between 6 and 8 h, transverse fracture occurred with a minimum fibre pull out. This observation was well supported by the SEM investigations of the fracture surfaces.

An impact fatigue study has been made for the first time on 63.5% glass fibre reinforced vinylester resin notched composites. The study was conducted in a pendulum type repeated impact apparatus especially designed and fabricated for determining single and repeated impact strengths. A well-defined impact fatigue (S–N) behaviour, having a progressive endurance below the threshold single cycle impact fracture stress with decreasing applied stress has been demonstrated. Fractographic analysis revealed fracture by primary debonding having fibre breakage and pullout at the tensile zone, but a shear fracture of fibre bundles at the compressive zone of the specimen. The residual strength, modulus and toughness showed retention of the properties at high impact stress levels up to 1000 impacts followed by a sharp drop. Cumulative residual stresses with each number of impacts not withstanding the static fatigue failure at long endurances have been ascribed for the composite failures under the repeated impact stresses.

The preliminary experimental studies on the comparative behaviour of the deformation processes involved in the failure of a commercial, 0.3 mm thick, 18 mm diameter soda–lime–silica glass disks (𝐺) and multilayered glass disk–epoxy (GE) as well as glass disk–epoxy–𝐸-glass fabric (GEF) composite structures are reported. The failure tests were conducted in a biaxial flexure at room temperature. The epoxy was a commercial resin and the 𝐸-glass fabric was also commercially obtained as a two-dimensional weave of 𝐸-glass fibres to an area density of about 242 g m^–2. The multilayered structures were developed by alternate placement of the glass and reinforcing layers by a hand lay-up technique followed by lamination at an appropriate temperature and pressure. Depending on the number of layers the volume fraction of reinforcement could be varied from about 0.20 for the GE system to about 0.50 for the GEF system. It was observed that the specific failure load (load per unit thickness) was enhanced from a value of about 60 N/mm obtained for the glass to a maximum value of about 100 N/mm for the GE composites and to a maximum of about 70 N/mm for the GEF composite system. Similarly, the displacements at failure (𝛿) measured with a linear variable differential transformer (LVDT) were also found to be a strongly sensitive function of the type of reinforcement (GE or GEF) as well as the number of layers.