Journal of Materials Science, Vol.29, No.2, 548-553, 1994
Effect of Particles on Interlaminar Crack-Growth in Cross-Plied Carbon-Fiber Epoxy Laminates
This paper discusses the effect of particulate additions on the mode-I and mode-II interlaminar fracture toughness of a cross-plied, carbon-fibre-reinforced, epoxy-resin laminate. Particles of graphite, silicon carbide and polyethylene were mixed with the epoxy resin prior to laminating with woven carbon-fibre cloth. Tests have been performed on double cantilever beam (DCB) and end-notched-flexure (ENF) specimens to obtain the critical-strain energy-release rates, G(IC) and G(IIC), for the laminates with and without particulate additions. The dependences of the values of G(IC) and G(IIC) on the crack length are also considered. The results indicate that the interlaminar-fracture-toughness (mode-I and mode-II) values of the CFRP laminate increase with increases in the particle content up to about 3%, and thereafter they decrease with further increases in the particle content. This was thought to be due to an increase in multiple-crack formation in the middle region of the cracked-plate samples. Furthermore, mode-I tests indicate that the propagation values of G(IC) are dependent on the crack length.