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  4. Size limitations on achieving tough and healable fibre reinforced composites through the use of thermoplastic nanofibres
 
research article

Size limitations on achieving tough and healable fibre reinforced composites through the use of thermoplastic nanofibres

Cohades, A
•
Daelemans, L
•
Ward, C
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2018
COMPOSITES PART A-APPLIED SCIENCE AND MANUFACTURING

Phase-separated blends of epoxy and poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) provide crack repair in composites after a thermal treatment at 150 °C, but decrease the material’s fracture toughness. This article investigates the combination of healing with interlaminar fracture toughness improvement using electrospun PCL nanofibrous veils, interleaved between glass fibre reinforcement layers. Cure temperature close to PCL melting leads to both phase-separated domains and intact nanofibre regions. With the fast cure kinetics of the epoxy resin, phase-separated domains consist of small epoxy particles (1–5 μm diameter) surrounded by a PCL matrix. Interlaminar crack propagation in Mode I demonstrates up to 48% toughness increase when 30 g/m2 of nanofibres are inserted between each layers. Thermal treatment however results in limited healing due to slow flow of PCL in the narrow channels. Further insight is provided regarding the channel width and polymer viscosity requirements to provide a microstructure efficient for both crack healing and interlaminar toughness improvement.

  • Details
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Type
research article
DOI
10.1016/j.compositesa.2018.07.002
Web of Science ID

WOS:000440957800052

Author(s)
Cohades, A
Daelemans, L
Ward, C
Meireman, T
Van Paepegem, W
De Clerck, K
Michaud, Véronique  
Date Issued

2018

Published in
COMPOSITES PART A-APPLIED SCIENCE AND MANUFACTURING
Volume

112

Start page

485

End page

495

Subjects

Smart materials

•

Nano-structure

•

Fracture toughness

•

Vacuum infusion

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

EPFL

EPFL units
LPAC  
Available on Infoscience
November 8, 2018
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/150959
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