Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite and Steel
The FRP specimens were obtained from a section of material
that had a polyester matrix and electrical-glass fibers.
The specimens were cut into 10.80 cm (4.25 in.) by 8.26 cm
(3.25 in.) rectangles, with the larger length being parallel to the direction of the pultrusion process used during manufacturing.
This process is commonly used in manufacturing fiberreinforced
polymers, and involves pulling continuous fibers
through a resin bath and then a heated die to form structural
elements with identical shapes along the length (Gibson 1994).
All specimens were oriented in a mounting bracket so that the
shear direction was parallel to the larger length. The steel specimens
used in the current study were mild steel (A36 steel).