Mechanical and Tribological Behaviour of Woven Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Matrix Composites: Effect of Fiber Type and Volume Fraction on Static, Dynamic, and Wear Performance

Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) matrix composites occupy a central position in contemporary aerospace, automotive, marine, and sports equipment manufacturing owing to their superior specific strength, specific stiffness, and tailorability of properties. The present study undertakes a systematic experimental investigation of the mechanical and tribological performance of three classes of woven FRP composites — E-Glass/Epoxy (GFRP), Carbon/Epoxy (CFRP), and Kevlar-29/Epoxy (KFRP) — fabricated by vacuum-assisted resin transfer moulding (VARTM) at fiber volume fractions (Vf) of 0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0%, and 2.5%. Mechanical characterisation encompasses ultimate tensile strength (UTS), flexural modulus, Charpy impact energy, and fracture toughness (K₁ᴄ). Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) provides storage modulus and glass transition temperature (Tg) data across 30–200°C. Tribological evaluation under pin-on-disc sliding wear at loads of 10–50 N and sliding velocities of 1–3 m/s quantifies specific wear rate and coefficient of friction. Results reveal that CFRP at 2.0% Vf achieves the highest UTS (521 MPa, 63% above neat resin) and flexural modulus (58 GPa), while KFRP at 2.5% Vf delivers the highest impact energy (10.7 J) and fracture toughness (1.50 MPa·m°·⁵). DMA confirms that CFRP maintains the highest storage modulus above Tg, whereas GFRP exhibits the lowest specific wear rate under high-load sliding (0.125 × 10⁻³ mm³/N·m at 50 N). The experimental data are correlated with SEM fractographic analysis to elucidate failure mechanisms including fiber pull-out, matrix cracking, and delamination. A multi-criteria decision matrix is employed to rank the three composite systems for aerospace interior, automotive structural panel, and sporting goods applications