In this study, effects of fiber surface treatments on mechanical behavior and fracture mechanism of glass fiber/epoxy composites
were investigated experimentally. To change the composition of the glass and regenerate to the hydroxyl groups, activation
pretreatment of heat cleaned woven glass fabric was performed using (v/v) HCl aqueous solution at different concentrations
before silane treatment. The treatment of silanization of heat cleaned and acid activated glass fibers with γ-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane
were performed. In this work, short beam shear test has been conducted to determine the performance of the acid treatment
and the silane treatment in terms of the interlaminar shear strength. The silane coating on the heat cleaned glass fibers
increased the interlaminar shear strength of the composite. However, the silane coating on the acid activated glass fibers
did not improve the interlaminar shear strength of the composite. In addition, the strengths of the glass fabric specimens
in tension and flexure were investigated. When the glass fibers are first treated with HCl solution and then with silane coupling
agent, the tensile strengths of the composites decreased significantly. Scanning electron photomicrographs of fractured surfaces
of composites were performed to explain the failure mechanisms in the composite laminates broken in tension.