Synergistic Toughening of Epoxy through Layered Poly(ether imide) with Dual-Scale Morphologies

Toughness of epoxies is commonly improved by adding thermoplastic phases, which is achieved through dissolution and phase separation at the microscale. However, little is known about the synergistic effects of toughening phases on multiple scales. Therefore, here, we study the toughening of epoxies with layered poly(ether imide) (PEI) structures...

Interlaminar and intralaminar fracture resistance of recycled carbon fibre/PPS composites with tailored fibre/matrix adhesion

The production of advanced composites from recycled carbon fibres (rCFs) is critical for the sustainable development of carbon fibre industry. Herein, non-woven mats consisting of commingled rCFs and Polyphenylene-sulfide (PPS) fibres were compression moulded to manufacture rCF/PPS composites, with the fibre/matrix adhesion being tailored by...

Recycled carbon fibre mats for interlayer toughening of carbon fibre/epoxy composites

Exploring routes for the effective use of recycled carbon fibres (rCFs) is critical to close the loop in the life cycle of carbon fibres. This work demonstrated a potential of using rCFs for interlayer toughening of carbon fibre/epoxy composites. Nonwoven mats based on rCFs and commingled rCFs/Polyphenylene-sulfid (PPS) fibres were used to...

Co-cured carbon fibre/epoxy composite joints by advanced thermoplastic films with excellent structural integrity and thermal resistance

Carbon fibre/epoxy composite joints were assembled with Poly-etherether-ketone (PEEK) and Poly-ethylenimine (PEI) films using a co-curing process to prepare single-lap joint specimens. The joints were tested under quasi-static loading conditions at 22 °C and 130 °C and a fatigue loading condition. The experimental results demonstrated better...

Enhancing the fracture toughness of carbon fibre/epoxy composites by interleaving hybrid meltable/non-meltable thermoplastic veils

Interlaying thermoplastic veils into carbon fibre/epoxy composites has proved to significantly increase the interlaminar fracture toughness. The main toughening mechanism is thermoplastic fibre bridging for the non-meltable veils and matrix toughening for the meltable veils. Herein, to take advantage of different toughening mechanisms, hybrid...

Co-cure joining of epoxy composites with rapidly UV-irradiated PEEK and PPS composites to achieve high structural integrity

Efficient joining of hybrid thermoset/thermoplastic composite joints is critical to produce high performance lightweight structures while keeping the cost low. Herein, a high-power UV-irradiation technique was proposed to rapidly active the surfaces of PEEK and PPS composites for the following co-cure joining with epoxy composites. A single...

Significantly enhanced structural integrity of adhesively bonded PPS and PEEK composite joints by rapidly UV-irradiating the substrates

A high-power UV-irradiation technique was proposed for the surface treatment of PPS and PEEK composites, aiming to achieve good adhesion with epoxy adhesives. The composite substrates were rapidly UV-irradiated for a duration of between 2–30s, and then bonded using an aerospace film adhesive to produce joints. Tensile lap-shear strength and...

The influence of interlayer/epoxy adhesion on the mode-I and mode-II fracture response of carbon fibre/epoxy composites interleaved with thermoplastic veils

The compatibility between the majority of thermoplastic veils (TPVs) and epoxies is typically poor, owing to the inherently low surface energies of thermoplastics. This tends to largely affect the toughening performance of TPVs as interlayer materials of carbon fibre/epoxy composites. The traditional methods for surface activation of...