Experimental and statistical analysis of carbon fiber/epoxy composites interleaved with nylon 6,6 nonwoven fabric interlayers

Abstract

Thermoplastic interleaving is a promising technique to improve delamination resistance of laminated composites. In this study, plain-weave carbon fiber/epoxy composites were interleaved with nylon 6,6 nonwoven fabrics with an areal weight density of 17 gsm. The carbon fiber/epoxy composite laminates with/without nylon 6,6 nonwoven fabric interlayers were manufactured by VARTM technique. Double cantilever beam fracture toughness tests were carried out on the prepared composite test specimens in accordance with ASTM 5528 standard. The experimental test data were statistically analyzed by two-parameter Weibull distribution. The results showed that the initiation and propagation fracture toughness Mode-I fracture toughness of carbon fiber/epoxy composites could be improved by about 34 and 156% (corresponding to a reliability level of 0.50) with the incorporation of nylon 6,6 interlayers in the interlaminar region, respectively. The results also revealed that the percent increase in the propagation fracture toughness value was 67 and 41% at reliability levels of 0.90 and 0.95, respectively.

Enhanced interlaminar shear and impact performance of woven carbon/epoxy composites interleaved with needle punched high performance polyethylene fiber nonwoven

“…Polypropylene nonwoven interleaves have been reported to increase the Mode‐I initiation and propagation fracture toughness by 91.3% and 136%, respectively 41 . Similarly, nylon 6,6 nonwoven fabric has been reported to increase the Mode‐I initiation and propagation fracture toughness of carbon fiber epoxy composites by 34% and 156%, respectively 28 …”

“…15 These interleaves may be either in the form of films/sheets 26,27 or nonwoven webs. 28 Interleaves consisting of nonwoven webs or membranes are mostly fabricated via electrospinning. Electrospun membranes made of nylon, 25 polysulfone/ cellulose nano crystals, 29 polyetherimide/cellulose nanocrystals, 30 polyacrylonitrile 31 and various other materials have been reported in literature to improve interlaminar fracture toughness of carbon fiber epoxy composites.…”

“…41 Similarly, nylon 6,6 nonwoven fabric has been reported to increase the Mode-I initiation and propagation fracture toughness of carbon fiber epoxy composites by 34% and 156%, respectively. 28 Interleaves made of high toughness materials can contribute to enhance interlaminar toughness of the composite laminates, 37 therefore, selection of the interleaves made of appropriate material is important. 41 Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) or high-performance polyethylene (HPPE) fibers possess attractive properties, such as, high specific strength and modulus, low density, high elongation and energy absorption characteristics.…”

“…Among these various approaches, inserting an interleave between adjacent carbon fiber plies has been extensively studied 15 . These interleaves may be either in the form of films/sheets 26,27 or nonwoven webs 28 . Interleaves consisting of nonwoven webs or membranes are mostly fabricated via electrospinning.…”

Fracture Characteristics and Energy Dissipation of Textile Bamboo Fiber Reinforced Polymer

“…The woven structure influences LEFM parameters in terms of areal density, fiber tow density, and fiber direction, etc. These are all related to the variables designed in the present work [ 14 , 15 , 16 ]. Another model closer to the scope of this study is the continuum damage model (CDM) [ 17 ].…”