Improving the Mechanical Properties of a Car Bumper by Using Glass Fiber Reinforced Composite Laminates and Nano-ceramic Filler

Abstract

In this study, mechanical tests were performed on a Chinese car bumper of the Chery model, which was chosen for examination due to its widespread use in Iraqi streets. It was also compared to the best specimens obtained in these study stages. Glass fiber mats and nanoparticles have been mixed with the unsaturated polyester resin (UPE) in two stages. In the first stage, the fibers have been mixed with a volume fraction of 14% and the mechanical properties have been calculated. In the second stage, different weight fractions of nanoparticles of zirconium oxide (ZrO₂) were added to the mixture, and the mechanical tests were recalculated. The experimental test's results illustrated that the tensile strength, fracture toughness, and damping ratio of the composite material were enhanced when mixing 14% vf of glass fiber mats with unsaturated polyester resin by about (285.85%, 207.56%, and 100%) respectively, compared to the car bumper, while the ratio of impact resistance decreased by about (-24.55%). The same tests were repeated after adding different weight fractions (1%, 2%, 2.5%, 3%, 3.5%, 4%) of (ZrO₂) and it was observed that adding the nanoparticles had a significant effect on the mechanical properties since at first, it improved them until the nanoparticles ratio reached 2.5 wt.%, but any higher addition than this ratio caused a decrease in the enhancement of the mechanical properties. Thus, it was found that adding 2.5 wt.% nanoparticles gave us the best improvement in the tensile strength, impact resistance, fracture toughness, and damping ratio by about (436.32%, 47.28%, 438.66%, and 52.3%) respectively, compared to the car bumper properties.