Mechanical Behavior of Random Fiber Composite Perforated Plates

The mechanical behavior of perforated, chopped fiber reinforced polymer plates is measured in three point bend tests to determine if an equivalent elastic modulus can be applied to fiber filled perforated plates despite local areas of reduced stiffness surrounding each hole. Experimental values of the scaled effective elastic modulus $E∗/E$ are obtained for a range of perforation geometries in unfilled and glass fiber reinforced polyamide 6,6 and polycarbonate thin plates. Data for nonreinforced and chopped fiber reinforced plates are indistinguishable and agree well with a finite element model for linear elastic isotropic materials. No compensation for the reduction in modulus near the perforations is required in the finite element model. It is also concluded that the equivalent elastic modulus approach is suitable for the prediction of bending deformation of machined random fiber composite plates.