Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites

There has been an increasing fascination in studying lightweight polymer composites in recent years. Consequently, the use of glass fibers and carbon fibers has been widespread in the production of high-performance polymer composites owing to their customizable attributes and unique features, such as exceptional strength, flexibility, and stiffness. A range of methods, including extrusion, manual layup, wet layup, filament winding, and vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM), were employed to produce glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites. These composites have found extensive usage in many industries. The inception of continuous glass fiber production occurred in the 1930s, mainly for applications involving high temperatures and electricity. Currently, these fibers play a crucial role in electronics, aviation, and automotive industries, showcasing exceptional characteristics such as robustness, adaptability, rigidity, and immunity to chemical harm. These materials are offered in many formats, such as rovings, chopped strands, yarns, textiles, and mats, each designed for specialized uses in polymer composites. This chapter presents an overview of the several techniques used to create GFRP composites, as well as their tribological, mechanical, vibrational, water absorption, and thermal properties. These qualities demonstrate the continuous investigation and improvement of these materials. The chapter concludes by addressing the significant uses and problems associated with these composite materials.