Improved fracture toughness of carbon fibre/epoxy composite laminates using dissolvable thermoplastic fibres

In this study, the effects of modifying interlaminar region of unidirectional carbon fibre/epoxy composites by the incorporation of electrospun polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibres were investigated. PVA nanofibres were directly deposited onto the carbon fabrics by electrospinning method to improve mechanical performance of those composites. The features of the electrospun nanofibres were characterized by microscopy techniques. The unidirectional carbon fibre/epoxy composite laminates with/without PVA nanofibre interlayers were manufactured by vacuum-infusion technique in a [0]4 configuration. Tensile, three-point bending, compression, Charpy-impact and Mode-I fracture toughness tests (Double Cantilever Beam (DCB)) were carried out in accordance with ASTM standards to evaluate mechanical performance of the composites. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations were made on the specimens to evaluate microstructural features. It was observed that the carbon fabrics were successfully coated with a thin layer of PVA nanofibres by electrospinning technique. The results showed that PVA nanofibres improve the mechanical properties of unidirectional carbon/epoxy composite laminates when subjected to in-plane loading. On the other hand, PVA nanofibres slightly reduced the mode-I fracture toughness values although they led to more stable crack propagation.

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Delamination behaviour of carbon fibre/epoxy composite laminates with short fibre reinforcement

Scripta Metallurgica et Materialia ◽

10.1016/0956-716x(94)90247-x ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 30 (11) ◽

pp. 1467-1472 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Min-Seok Sohn ◽

Xiao-Zhi Hu

Keyword(s):

Carbon Fibre ◽

Composite Laminates ◽

Epoxy Composite ◽

Short Fibre ◽

Fibre Reinforcement

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The Effects of Water and Seawater on the Mechanical Properties of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Epoxy Composite under Pre-Cure Curing Condition

Advanced Composites Letters ◽

10.1177/096369359800700404 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

pp. 096369359800700

Author(s):

M. Zhang ◽

S.E. Mason

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Fracture Toughness ◽

Tensile Strength ◽

Carbon Fibre ◽

Laminate Composite ◽

Mechanical Performance ◽

Epoxy Composite ◽

Interlaminar Fracture Toughness ◽

Curing Condition ◽

Structural Carbon

The influences on the interlaminar fracture toughness (GIC) and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of a cured structural carbon fibre reinforced epoxy composite of two contaminants, water and seawater, introduced prior to cure have been investigated. The results have demonstrated that the control of environmental factors such as water and seawater can have significant effects on the mechanical performance of laminate composite components during the manufacturing process.

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The Interlaminar Toughening Effect of Hybrid PES/E51 Films on Carbon Fiber/ Epoxy Composite

Materials Science Forum ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/msf.984.131 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 984 ◽

pp. 131-136

Author(s):

Chao Cheng ◽

Hui Zhang ◽

Ze Yu Sun ◽

Yong Liu ◽

Mu Huo Yu

Keyword(s):

Fracture Toughness ◽

Composite Laminates ◽

Phase Inversion ◽

Hybrid Film ◽

Epoxy Composite ◽

Interlaminar Fracture Toughness ◽

Resin Infusion ◽

Mode I Fracture Toughness ◽

Carbon Fiber Epoxy ◽

Opposite Tendency

In this study, E51 was appended as an additive to the PES casting solution and hybrid PES/E51 films with different E51 content were produced by phase inversion approach, applied as interleaves to improve the interlaminar fracture toughness of CF/EP composite laminates prepared by vacuum assistant resin infusion process (VARI). The time that the hybrid film dissloved into the epoxy resin depended on the content of E51 in the film, moreover, it was observed that Mode I fracture toughness of the hybrid film modified composite reduced with the addition of E51 compared with the pure PES film interleaved composite, however, the tensile properties showed the opposite tendency. The reason was the reduction in the thickness of the interlayer resin illustrated by cross-section morphologies of all types of laminates.

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Enhancement of Mechanical Properties of Flax-Epoxy Composite with Carbon Fibre Hybridisation for Lightweight Applications

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma13010109 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 109 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Hom Nath Dhakal ◽

Mohini Sain

Keyword(s):

Carbon Fibre ◽

Tensile Properties ◽

Composite Laminates ◽

Failure Modes ◽

Epoxy Composite ◽

Hybrid Composites ◽

Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy ◽

Tensile Modulus ◽

Tensile Tests ◽

Flax Fibre

The effect of unidirectional (UD) carbon fibre hybridisation on the tensile properties of flax fibre epoxy composite was investigated. Composites containing different fibre ply orientations were fabricated using vacuum infusion with a symmetrical ply structure of 0/+45/−45/90/90/−45/+45/0. Tensile tests were performed to characterise the tensile performance of plain flax/epoxy, carbon/flax/epoxy, and plain carbon/epoxy composite laminates. The experimental results showed that the carbon/flax fibre hybrid system exhibited significantly improved tensile properties over plain flax fibre composites, increasing the tensile strength from 68.12 MPa for plain flax/epoxy composite to 517.66 MPa (670% increase) and tensile modulus from 4.67 GPa for flax/epoxy to 18.91 GPa (305% increase) for carbon/flax hybrid composite. The failure mechanism was characterised by examining the fractured surfaces of tensile tested specimens using environmental scanning electron microscopy (E-SEM). It was evidenced that interactions between hybrid ply interfaces and strain to failure of the reinforcing fibres were the critical factors for governing tensile properties and failure modes of hybrid composites.

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