Shape memory characteristics of woven glass fibre fabric reinforced epoxy composite in flexure

Shape memory characteristics of a woven glass fibre fabric reinforced epoxy composite (reinforcement content: 38 vol.%) were assessed in three-point bending mode in a dynamic mechanical analysis device and compared to those of the parent epoxy resin. From unconstrained tests, the shape fixity and recovery ratios and the recovery rate, whereas from constrained tests the recovery stress were determined. The shape fixity and recovery rate decreased due to the glass fibre reinforcement which had, however, no effect on the shape recovery. Major benefit of the woven glass fibre fabric was that the recovery stress could be enhanced by two orders of magnitude in comparison to the neat epoxy. Glass fibre reinforcement was accompanied with a substantial decrease in the failure-free flexural deformability of the composite specimen.