Effect of Thermo-Oxidative Aging on Flexural Behavior of Quasi-Isotropic Carbon Fiber Reinforced Composite Laminates

Abstract

With an increased utilization of carbon fiber reinforced polymers(CFRPs) in high temperature environments, investigating their effects on materials becomes exceedingly important. This study presents a comparative investigation of thermo-oxidative aging effects on the flexural performance of two carbon fiber reinforced composite laminates(CFRCLs): a quasi-isotropic plain-woven CFRCL and a quasi-isotropic unidirectional layup CFRCL(designated as PW-CFRCL and UD-CFRCL, respectively). The CFRCLs were subjected to thermo-oxidative aging for specific durations, and their flexural strength was evaluated through three-point bending tests. The flexural strength of the laminates decreased with the prolonged aging duration. Despite having lower fiber content, PW-CFRCLs showed higher flexural strength than UD-CFRCLs. After eight days of aging, the flexural strength of PW-CFRCLs decreased by merely 4%-5%, while that of UD-CFRCLs decreased by 11%-14%. After 32 days of aging, the thinner PW-CFRCL with the lowest fiber content exhibited the highest flexural strength(595.52 MPa), followed by the thinner UD-CFRCL(549.83 MPa), then the thicker PW-CFRCL(445.29 MPa) and finally, the thicker UD-CFRCL(393.90 MPa). The decline in flexural properties of the laminates was primarily attributed to matrix cracking and interface debonding resulting from matrix oxidation. To validate the universality of this result, the finite element method was employed, showing a good correlation with the experimental findings.

Keywords

flexural strength / thermo-oxidative aging / matrix oxidation / interface debonding / finite element method

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Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China(12372130)