Viscoelastic and drop-weight impact properties of an acrylic-matrix composite and a conventional thermoset composite - A comparative study

Novel reactive thermoplastic resin systems such as Elium (R) have attracted significant research attention for composite applications because they combine the low-cost processibility of thermosets and the recyclability of TPs. In this work, the viscoelastic and impact behaviours of glass fibre-reinforced composites, containing Elium (R) and a commercial epoxy matrix were evaluated. To complement observations from both characterisation techniques, the fracture characteristics of both materials were also investigated by scanning electron microscopy. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.