Experimental investigation on mechanical properties of glass fiber laminates for wind turbine blade

The experimental investigation on mechanical properties of the glass fiber laminates was carried out. The major parameters of mechanical properties were obtained, and the influence of the fiber direction in the fabric, the testing direction and the prescription factors on the mechanical properties was analyzed. According to the BS EN ISO standard, tensile, compression and shear destructive experiments on the glass fiber laminates were executed by using the PC controlling testing machine and the strain instrument. The mechanical properties of the laminates, such as tensile, compressive, shear strength, elasticity modulus and Poisson's ratio, were gained. The mechanical properties of the laminates in different prescriptions and the failure modes in different loading styles were compared and analyzed. The results show that the glass fiber laminates have obvious anisotropy and the high strength appears in the fiber direction; the prescription exerts a certain influence on the mechanical properties; the failure modes are in close relations with the fiber direction and the testing direction, but basically have nothing to do with the prescription.