TY - JOUR

T1 - Environmental effect on the mechanical properties of commingled-yarn-based carbon fibre/polyamide 6 composites

AU - Raghavalu Thirumalai, D.P.

AU - Toftegaard, H.

PY - 2014/9

Y1 - 2014/9

N2 - The main objective of this experimental investigation was to evaluate the changes from accelerated ageing on selected properties of carbon fibre/polyamide 6 composites based on hybrid yarns. In this study, two types of mechanical tests were performed to measure the environmental influence on the material properties. They are three-point bending to measure the flexural strength and stiffness, and short beam three-point bending to measure the interlaminar shear strength. The 10-mm-thick quasi-isotropic carbon fibre/polyamide 6 composites with 52% volume fraction of carbon fibre to be tested were manufactured by autoclave consolidation. The test samples were dried, and subsequently exposed to 60°C and 100% relative humidity at different lengths of time up to 2500 h, followed by drying at 23°C and 50% relative humidity. Few samples were additionally completely dried at 70°C in vacuum for 21 months. Tests were also performed on as manufactured and dried material at low temperature (–45°C) and high temperature (115°C). The measured mechanical properties decreased with exposure time at 60°C and 100% relative humidity. Both the bending stiffness and the strength degrade to a level of about 65%, whereas interlaminar shear strength drops to about 87% of the property values of the unexposed (initially dried) material. The bending stiffness and strength at −45°C are about 87% of the properties at room temperature, whereas at 115°C the stiffness drops to 75% and the strength drops to 60% of the properties at room temperature. The interlaminar shear strength values also drop to about 75% at both −45°C and 115°C. Extreme temperatures and long-time exposure to humidity of quasi-isotropic carbon fibre/polyamide 6 laminates can thus reduce the bending stiffness and strength by up to 35% and the interlaminar shear strength by up to 25%.

AB - The main objective of this experimental investigation was to evaluate the changes from accelerated ageing on selected properties of carbon fibre/polyamide 6 composites based on hybrid yarns. In this study, two types of mechanical tests were performed to measure the environmental influence on the material properties. They are three-point bending to measure the flexural strength and stiffness, and short beam three-point bending to measure the interlaminar shear strength. The 10-mm-thick quasi-isotropic carbon fibre/polyamide 6 composites with 52% volume fraction of carbon fibre to be tested were manufactured by autoclave consolidation. The test samples were dried, and subsequently exposed to 60°C and 100% relative humidity at different lengths of time up to 2500 h, followed by drying at 23°C and 50% relative humidity. Few samples were additionally completely dried at 70°C in vacuum for 21 months. Tests were also performed on as manufactured and dried material at low temperature (–45°C) and high temperature (115°C). The measured mechanical properties decreased with exposure time at 60°C and 100% relative humidity. Both the bending stiffness and the strength degrade to a level of about 65%, whereas interlaminar shear strength drops to about 87% of the property values of the unexposed (initially dried) material. The bending stiffness and strength at −45°C are about 87% of the properties at room temperature, whereas at 115°C the stiffness drops to 75% and the strength drops to 60% of the properties at room temperature. The interlaminar shear strength values also drop to about 75% at both −45°C and 115°C. Extreme temperatures and long-time exposure to humidity of quasi-isotropic carbon fibre/polyamide 6 laminates can thus reduce the bending stiffness and strength by up to 35% and the interlaminar shear strength by up to 25%.

U2 - 10.1177/0021998313501012

DO - 10.1177/0021998313501012

M3 - Article

VL - 48

SP - 2551

EP - 2565

JO - Journal of Composite Materials

JF - Journal of Composite Materials

SN - 0021-9983

IS - 21

ER -