Applying Glass Fiber-Reinforced Composites with Microsphere Particles to UAV Components

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are being employed in various industries. However, the strength-to-weight ratio of UAV materials can cause an extra (insufficient) use of energy during flight operations. In the manufacturing process, composite materials can replace conventional materials (e.g., plywood, aluminum, titanium) with similar or higher performances. The characteristics of the composite can be enhanced by applying the reinforcing material, matrix, and production techniques. This research proposes a hand lay-up technique in combination with vacuum bagging to produce better composite material based on glass fibers. The influences of glass microsphere (GM) fillers on the mechanical properties of composite materials are investigated. The experimental results are carried out using a universal testing machine (UTM). It is found that the quantity of GM particles affects the composite mechanical properties, bending strength, fracture strength, and toughness.