Enhancement of Interlaminar Fracture Toughness of Carbon Fiber/Epoxy Composites Using Silk Fibroin Electrospun Nanofibers

In this article, the effect of silk fibroin nanofibers as a toughening agent of carbon fiber/fabric-reinforced epoxy composites is experimentally investigated. The composites showed up to 30% improvement in Mode II fracture toughness at 0.1 wt% of silk fibroin nanofibers content. The scanning electron microscopy observation revealed that the fracture surface of silk fibroin nanofibers modified carbon fiber/fabric-reinforced epoxy composites appearance of the broken fiber and the ductile-like matrix cracks showed a good adhesion between matrix resin and carbon fibers, which are reasons for the enhanced mode II interlaminar fracture toughness.     

Physical and mechanical properties of kenaf/flax hybrid composites

This research investigates the physical and mechanical properties of hybrid composites made of epoxy reinforced by kenaf and flax natural fibers to investigate the hybridization influences of the composites. Pure and hybrid composites were fabricated using bi-directional kenaf and flax fabrics at different stacking sequences utilizing the vacuum-assisted resin infusion method. The pure and hybrid composites' physical properties, such as density, fiber volume fraction (FVF), water absorption capacity, and dimensional stability, were measured. The tests of tensile, flexural, interlaminar shear and fracture toughness (Mode II) were examined to determine the mechanical properties. The results revealed that density remained unchanged for the hybrid compared to pure kenaf/epoxy composites. The tensile, flexural, and interlaminar shear performance of flax/epoxy composite is improved by an increment of kenaf FVF in hybrid composites. The stacking sequence significantly affected the mechanical properties of hybrid composites. The highest tensile strength (59.8 MPa) was obtained for FK2 (alternative sequence of flax and kenaf fibers). However, FK3 (flax fiber located on the outer surfaces) had the highest interlaminar shear strength (12.5 MPa) and fracture toughness (3302.3 J/m²) among all tested hybrid composites. The highest water resistance was achieved for FK5 with the lowest thickness swelling.     

Evaluation of interlaminar-toughened poly(etherlmide)-modified epoxy/carbon fiber composites

Amorphous poly(ether imide) has been used as interlaminar toughening particulate agent in laminated carbon fiber/epoxy composites. Mode I and Mode II delamination fracture toughness was characterized using the double cantilever beam (DCB) and end-notched flexure (ENF) specimens. The delamination surface was examined using a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to investigate relationships between the morphology and properties. The results revealed that the PEI-modified composites exhibited a significantly increased fracture toughness, which increased with the PEI content. G_IC was improved from 165 to 540 J/m² (at 1 mm/min crosshead speed). G_IIC was improved more significantly from 290 to 1300 J/m². It is believed that these values could be further improved if the processing cycle were to be optimized.     

Mode I and Mode II delamination resistance and mechanical properties of woven glass/epoxy–PU IPN composites

The effect of polyurethane on the mechanical properties and Mode I and Mode II interlaminar fracture toughness of glass/epoxy composites were studied. Polyurethanes (PU) synthesized using polyols and toluene diisocyanate were employed as modifier for epoxy resin by forming interpenetrating polymer network. The PU/Epoxy IPN was used as matrix material for GFRP. PU modified epoxy composite laminates having varying PU contents were prepared. The effect of PU content on the mechanical properties like interlaminar fracture toughness (Mode I, G_1c and Mode II, G_IIc), tensile strength, flexural strength, and Izod impact strength were studied. The morphological studies were conducted on the fractured surface of the composite specimen by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Tensile strength, flexural strength, and impact strength of PU‐modified epoxy composite laminates were found to increase inline with interlaminar fracture toughness (G_1c and G_IIc) with increasing PU content to a certain limit and then it was found to decrease with increase in PU content. It was observed that toughening of epoxy with PU increases the Mode I and Mode II delamination toughness up to 17 and 120% higher than that of untoughened composite specimen, respectively. POLYM. COMPOS., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Interlaminar fracture toughness of woven fabric composite laminates with carbon nanotube/epoxy interleaf films

The Mode I interlaminar fracture behavior of woven carbon fiber/epoxy composite laminates incorporating partially cured carbon nanotube/epoxy composite films has been investigated. Laminates with films containing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in the as‐received state and functionalized with polyamidoamine were evaluated, as well as laminates with neat epoxy films. Double‐cantilever beam (DCB) specimens were used to measure G_Ic, the critical strain energy release rate (fracture toughness) versus crack length. Post‐fracture microscopic inspection of the fracture surfaces was performed. Results show that initial fracture toughness was improved with the amino‐functionalized CNT/epoxy interleaf films, but the important factor appears to be the polyamidoamine functionalization, not the CNTs. The initial fracture toughness remained relatively unaffected with the incorporation of neat epoxy and as‐received CNT/epoxy interleaf films. Plateau fracture toughness was unchanged with the use of functionalized CNT/epoxy interleaf films, and was reduced with the use of neat epoxy and as‐received CNT/epoxy interleaf films. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Effect of fiber orientation on Mode I fracture toughness of CFRP

The effect of fiber orientations on fracture toughness of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) in Mode I loading was investigated using double cantilever beam (DCB) specimens, based on mesoscopic mechanics. Mesoscopic interlaminar fracture toughness of 0//0 interphase of CFRP was evaluated with mesoscopic finite element models using experimental data. The fracture surface roughness was observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Then the mesoscopic interlaminar fracture toughness of CFRP was correlated with the fracture surface roughness. Additionally, the change of the Mode I macroscopic fracture toughness of CFRP was experimentally measured with changing the numbers of 0 and ±θ layers of DCB specimens. The correlation between the fracture toughness of 0//0 and θ//?θ interphases was discussed and a novel procedure was proposed to predict the macroscopic fracture toughness of θ//?θ interphase using finite element method (FEM). The fracture toughness of θ//?θ interphase analyzed by FEM was finally compared with the experimental results to verify the proposed prediction procedure. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Effects of carbon nanofiller functionalization and distribution on interlaminar fracture toughness of multi-scale reinforced polymer composites

Carbon nanofillers with different surface functional groups and aspect ratios, including carboxyl carbon nanotubes, un-functionalized carbon nanofibers (CNFs), glycidyloxypropyl-trimethoxysilane carbon nanotubes (GPS-CNTs) and nanofibers were evaluated for their potential for increasing the interlaminar fracture toughness of an S2-glass fiber/epoxy composite. The fillers were added in the matrix of the fiber reinforced plies, in the resin interlayer between plies, or in both regions. Comparisons were made based on mode I and mode II interlaminar fracture toughness. For composites made with CNTs dispersed in the matrix, fracture toughness was largely unaffected except for a slight increase seen with long GPS-CNTs. However, adding a CNF or CNT modified resin interlayer significantly increased the fracture toughness, with the highest improvement over the baseline material achieved by adding long GPS-CNTs in the interlayer (79% and 91% for mode I and mode II onset toughness, respectively). Important material parameters identified for improving interlaminar fracture toughness are the nanofiller aspect ratio and concentration at the fracture plane. Based on microscopic evaluations of the fracture surfaces, a high density of high aspect ratio nanofillers causes the best entanglement between the filler and glass fibers and effectively obstructs interlaminar crack propagation.     

Sliding mode interlaminar fracture toughness of interply hybrid composite materials

To measure the sliding mode interlaminar fracture toughness of interply hybrid composites, end notched flexure (ENF) specimens with three different types of stacking sequence have been utilized. Finite element analysis is applied to separate the contribution from different modes on the strain energy release rate. In addition, the methods of beam theory, compliance, and compliance calibration to calculate the G_C values are compared. The effects of interface friction, crack length, and specimen width are also discussed. The results show that the crack growth in the three types of specimens is dominated by the sliding mode and the Mode II interlaminar fracture toughness can be approximated. The compliance method is not recommended for hybrid ENF specimens and the effects of interface friction can be neglected. To get rid of the edge effect, the specimen width must be carefully chosen, while the fracture toughness does increase with the initial crack length.     

Synthesis and characterization of fluorinated poly(etherimide)s toughening for carbon fiber‐reinforced epoxy composites

Novel‐fluorinated poly(etherimide)s (FPEIs) with controlled molecular weights were synthesized and characterized, which were used to toughen epoxy resins (EP/FPEI) and carbon fiber‐reinforced epoxy composites (CF/EP/FPEI). Experimental results indicated that the FPEIs possessed outstanding solubility, thermal, and mechanical properties. The thermally cured EP/FPEI resin showed obviously improved toughness with impact strength of 21.1 kJ/m² and elongation at break of 4.6%, respectively. The EP/FPEI resin also showed outstanding mechanical strength with tensile strength of 91.5 MPa and flexural strength of 141.5 MPa, respectively. The mechanical moduli and thermal property of epoxy resins were not affected by blending with FPEIs. Furthermore, CF/EP/FPEI composite exhibited significantly improved toughness with Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness (G_IC) of 899.4 J/m² and Mode II interlaminar fracture toughness (G_IIC) of 1017.8 J/m², respectively. Flexural properties and interlaminar shear strength of the composite were slightly increased after toughening. POLYM. COMPOS., 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers     

The effect of silicon carbide whiskers on the Mode I interlaminar fracture of carbon fiber composites

This paper reports on the Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness improvement of carbon fiber-epoxy composites as a result of incorporating SiC whiskers in the epoxy matrix. Five laminates of unidirectional carbon fiber-epoxy composites at different weight fractions of SiC whiskers were manufactured using hand layup vacuum bagging process. Optical and scanning electron microscopic analysis were conducted to give an insight into the fracture morphogoloy, failure mechanisms, and the energy dissipation mechanisms created by the presence of the whiskers in the composite. Experimental results showed that composites containing 5 wt% whiskers exhibited 67% increase in the crack initiation interlaminar fracture toughness G_IC, whereas it exhibited 55% increase in the maximum G_IC compared to pristine composite. The optical and SEM fractographs revealed a strong relation between the microstructure of the fractured surfaces and the energy release rate trend of the composites.     

Effect of graphene oxide on the interlaminar fracture toughness of carbon fiber/epoxy composites

Graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles were introduced in the interlaminar region of carbon fiber–epoxy composites by dispersing it in a thermoplastic polymer carrier such as polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). Mode‐I fracture toughness (G_IC) was investigated using double cantilever beam testing to evaluate the effect of the GO on the delamination behavior of the composite. The GO content was varied from 0% to 7% by weight as a function of the PVP content. Improvement of ～100% in the Mode I fracture toughness (G_IC) was observed compared to composites with no GO. The optimum amount of nanoparticles for improving the interlaminar fracture toughness was found to be ～0.007% by weight of the composite. The increase in the value of flexural strength value was also observed. Scanning electron microscopy of fracture surfaces, X‐ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy, and reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectra, as well as Raman spectroscopy results, are presented to support the conclusions. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 59:1199–1208 2019. © 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Delamination toughness of fiber-reinforced composites containing a carbon nanotube/polyamide-12 epoxy thin film interlayer

We present a simple, out-of-autoclave approach to improve the delamination toughness of fiber-reinforced composites using epoxy interlayers containing 20 wt.% polyamide-12 (PA) particles and 1 wt.% multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Composites were prepared by integrating partially cured thin films at the laminate mid-plane using vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding. The introduction of epoxy/PA interlayers increased fracture toughness due to the ductile deformation and crack bridging of PA particles within an interlaminar damage zone with uniform thickness of about 20 μm. Composites interlayered with epoxy/PA/MWCNT exhibited nearly 2.5 and 1.5 times higher fracture toughness than composites containing neat epoxy and epoxy/PA interlayers, respectively, without an observable increase in interlaminar thickness. The fracture surface was analyzed to identify failure modes responsible for the fracture toughness improvement. The MWCNTs are proposed to inhibit critical loading of defects by minimizing stress concentration within the interlaminar region, thereby enabling greater deformation of the PA particles during fracture.     

Enhancement of interlaminar fracture toughness of carbon fiber–epoxy composites using polyamide‐6,6 electrospun nanofibers

In this study, carbon fiber–epoxy composites are interleaved with electrospun polyamide‐6,6 (PA 66) nanofibers to improve their Mode‐I fracture toughness. These nanofibers are directly deposited onto carbon fabrics before composite manufacturing via vacuum infusion. Three‐point bending, tensile, compression, interlaminar shear strength, Charpy impact, and double cantilever beam tests are performed on the reference and PA 66 interleaved specimens to evaluate the effects of PA 66 nanofibers on the mechanical properties of composites. To investigate the effect of nanofiber areal weight density (AWD), nanointerlayers with various AWD are prepared by changing the electrospinning duration. It is found that the electrospun PA 66 nanofibers are very effective in improving Mode‐I toughness and impact resistance, compressive strength, flexural modulus, and strength of the composites. However, these nanofibers cause a decrease in the tensile strength of the composites. The glass‐transition temperature of the composites is not affected by the addition of PA 66 nanofibers. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45244.     

Crack-arrest study in mode II Delamination in composites

Procedures for measuring the crack initiation and arrest toughnesses in Mode II interlaminar fracture in composite materials were analyzed. Different techniques using flexural specimens were studied. The strain energy release rate, G, which is the energy available for crack propagation was calculated using simple beam theory. The calculation takes into account the transverse shear effect. Stable and unstable fractures are analyzed, and conditions required to measure the arrest toughness of interlaminar fracture are discussed. The methodology was applied to the measurement of fracture energy at the onset and arrest of delamination in glass/epoxy laminate.     

Mechanical behavior of hybrid fiber‐reinforced composites manufactured by pulse infusion

Epoxy/carbon fiber composites have been manufactured by Pulse Infusion. Pulse Infusion allows to control the pressure of the vacuum bag on the dry fiber reinforcement by using a proper designed pressure distributor that induces a pulsed transverse action and promotes the through thickness resin flow. The adopted one‐component commercial epoxy resin has been preliminary modified by adding 0.05% (w/w) of multiwalled carbon nanotubes, in order to take advantage of carbon nanotubes at low concentration. Both neat and hybrid realized composite panels have been mechanically characterized by performing experimental tests to evaluate tensile, interlaminar, and fracture properties in order to investigate the effect of Pulse Infusion and carbon nanotubes on the mechanical and fracture behavior of composites. Results demonstrated an improvement of 36.2% for the interlaminar shear strength, of 35% for the fracture energy at the crack initiation and of 14% for the fracture toughness in mode II. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:2254–2260, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Particulate interlayer toughening of dicyanate matrix composites

Toughening of dicyanate matrix composites with particulate-modified resin-rich interlayers was investigated in this study. Specifically, the cure behavior, viscosity, and fracture toughness of the modified dicyanate systems were analyzed. Creation of a layered composite structure showed no improvement in Mode 1 interlaminar fracture toughness (GIc), but greatly increased the Mode II interlaminar fracture toughness (GIIc). Furthermore, the concentration of modifier particles in the interlayer resin was found to directly affect the toughness improvement and fracture path.     

Mechanical properties of carbon woven reinforced epoxy matrix composites. A study on the influence of matrix modification with polysulfone

An experimental investigation has been carried out to study the influence of thermoplastic addition on the mechanical properties of woven carbon fiber/epoxy matrix composites. As toughening agent bisphenol‐A polysulfone, PSu, has been added to the epoxy matrix. Flexural tests haved been performed to characterize the mechanical behavior of unmodified and PSu‐modified bulk tetra‐ and bifunctional epoxy matrices and also for the corresponding woven carbon fiber, CF, composite materials. Three‐point notched flexural tests been used to investigate the influence of polysulfone addition in the mode‐I fracture properties of the bulk epoxy matrices, relating them to their microstructural features investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The double‐cantilever bea (DCB) and the end‐notched flexural (ENF) tests have been applied to characterize the interlaminar fracture toughness of the corresponding composites. For composites, the flexural properties were simmilar independent of the funcetionality of the epoxy matrix and of the thermoplastic content. Nevertheless, PSu addition to the epoxy matrix celarly enhanced the ode‐I and II interlaminar fracture toughness of the corresponding composites, the immprovement being higher for the composites manufactured with the bifunctional epoxy matrix at every thermoplastic content because of the lower crosslink density of the epoxy matrix.     

Rubber modification of low temperature cure cyanate ester matrices and the performance in glass fabric composites

Low temperature cure cyanate ester resin systems were developed and modified with epoxy‐terminated butadiene acrylonitrile rubber (ETBN) and impregnated into woven glass fabric. Mode I and mode II interlaminar fracture toughness values of the cured laminates were evaluated as a function of rubber concentration. Mode I fracture toughness increased to almost twice that of the unmodified system, while mode II fracture toughness remained essentially unchanged. Composite samples were subjected to aging experiments in water and the absorption/desorption behavior was investigated as was the effect on thermal performance. The presence of rubber was found to reduce the rate of matrix deterioration but also caused a substantial increase in water uptake. It was found that although the addition of rubber to the matrices decreased the unconditioned (dry) T_g all specimens showed the same reduction in T_g, after equilibrium water absorption.     

Fracture behavior of glass bead-filled poly(oxymethylene) injection moldings

The mechanical properties of glass bead filled poly(oxymethylene) were investigated as a function of glass bead content and glass bead diameter using injection molded test pieces. Fracture toughness measurements were made using single edge-notched tension and single edge-notched bend specimens. The effect of notch orientation with respect to the mold fill direction on fracture toughness was studied using single gate and double gate moldings. Tensile strength and flexural modulus were measured using standard test pieces. It was found that; (i) fracture toughness of the filled and unfilled polymer was relatively independent of notch orientation, (ii) the presence of weldlines in the molded test pieces did not affect the fracture toughness of unfilled polymer or its composites, (iii) fracture toughness of filled polymer was always considerably lower than that of the unfilled polymer; fracture toughness decreased sharply with increasing bead concentration, (iv) fracture toughness was not a sensitive function of glass bead diameter; it decreased slightly as bead diameter increased, (v) strain energy release rate as measured under impact decreased with increasing bead concentration, (vi) tensile strength decreased linearly with increasing glass bead concentration and was inversely proportional to the square root of the bead diameter, (vii) weldlines did not affect the tensile strength of the polymer or its composities, (viii) flexural modulus increased linearly with increasing glass bead concentration according to the Einstein equation.     

Fracture toughness characterization of phenolic resin and its composite

The aim of this study is to determine the fracture toughness of phenolic resin and its composite. Fracture tests on phenolic resin resulted in a fracture toughness close to values quoted for unmodified epoxy resins. Composite specimens of glass fiber reinforced phenolic were also tested. The interlaminar fracture toughness in both mode I and mode II failures was determined. The mode I initiation values were lower than the neat resin's toughness. Mode I propagation values were strongly influenced by fiber bridging. The mechanism of fiber bridging was found to be sensitive to specimen dimensions. The effect of fiber bridging on the mode I analysis is discussed. Fiber bridging was also evident in mode II failures. Two different geometries were used for the mode II tests (end loaded split and end notched flexure); a correlation between the results from the two geometries is made.