Particle-toughened interlayers enhance mechanical response of composite laminates

Publication date: Available online 2 August 2019Source: Composites Science and TechnologyAuthor(s): Minh Hoang Nguyen, Paul Davidson, Anthony M. WaasAbstractToughened composite materials, where the toughening agents are micro-particles dispersed within the interlayer resin rich regions, provide enhanced delamination resistance. This delay in delamination promotes intralaminar micro-cracking and macro-cracking, thus providing superior toughness. In this paper, a thorough study of damage accumulation was conducted to identify and quantify failure mechanisms in the ±45∘ laminate axial tensile test. Progression of damage accumulation was captured with digital image correlation techniques, in-situ inspection with high-resolution cameras and interrupted tests at different loading stages. Detailed cross-section microscopy of specimens were used to observe progression of crack formation, density of cracks formed and crack branching at the toughened interface.

Source: Composites Science and Technology - August 3, 2019 Category: Science Source Type: research