Effects of Microwave Processing on Fiber-matrix Adhesion in Composites

Experiments have been done using a single mode (TE₁₁₁, 2.45 GHz) cylindrial microwave cavity with single fiber composite specimens. After obtaining a cure cycle with microwaves to match that achieved with a conventional thermal cure cycle as measured by tensile tests, dynamic mechanical analysis and differential scanning calorimetry, quantitative measurements of interfacial shear strength and physical properties have been carried out and compared with the results from conventional thermally-cured systems. Under the conditions studied for single fiber specimens, the fiber-matrix interfacial shear strength decreases slightly in both glass-epoxy and aramid-epoxy cases as comapared with thermally-cured specimens. Graphite fiber-epoxy adhesion, on the other hand, increases significantly in these single fiber studies in microwave processed specimens as indicated by an increase in the interfacial shear strength. The failure mode changes from interfacial (thermal curing) to matrix failure.