Abstract
The present study focuses on the effect of two novel carbon fibre surface treatments, electropolymerisation of methacrylic acid and air pressure plasma, on the mechanical properties and structural integrity of carbon-fibre-reinforced composites under operational conditions. Extensive mechanical testing was applied, both in nano- and macro-scale, to assess the performance of the composites and the interphase properties after ultraviolet/humidity weathering. The results of the mechanical assessment are supported by structure, surface, and chemistry examination in order to reveal the failure mechanism of the composites. Composites with the electropolymerisation treatment exhibited an increase of 11.8% in interlaminar shear strength, while APP treatment improved the property of 23.9%, rendering both surface treatments effective in increasing the fibre-matrix adhesion. Finally, it was proven that the developed composites can withstand operational conditions in the long term, rendering them suitable for a wide variety of structural and engineering applications.
Highlights
In the automotive, aerospace, and construction industry, the majority of the carbonfibre-reinforced polymers (CFRPs) that are being used are epoxy based matrices, while thermoplastics are getting more attention nowadays [1,2,3]
CFRPs structures, the weight of each specimen was monitored during the entire duration of en
An experimental investigation was conducted in this study in order to characterize the physical, chemical, and mechanical degradation of the CFRPs that have been manufactured via vacuum-assisted resin transfer moulding (VA-RTM) by using carbon fibre (CF) fabrics with two surface functionalisations, electropolymerisation of methacrylic acid (MAA) and air pressure plasma (APP), which were performed with the aim of improving the CF adhesion with the epoxy matrix
Summary
Aerospace, and construction industry, the majority of the carbonfibre-reinforced polymers (CFRPs) that are being used are epoxy based matrices, while thermoplastics are getting more attention nowadays [1,2,3]. To increase the performance of epoxy-based CFRPs [4,5,6,7] under operational conditions, various carbon fibre (CF) treatments are currently under investigation [8,9]. The composites are exposed to a variety of conditions, such as moisture, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and temperature variations, all of which are capable of affecting the properties of composite materials (matrix erosion and microcracking, fibre loss and debonding, void formation) [10,11]. Absorbed moisture has many detrimental effects on material performance since it can cause swelling and degradation of polymer composites.
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