Shear Strength Range of GF/Polyester Composites Controlled by Plasma Nanotechnology

Unsized single-end rovings are oxygen plasma pretreated and organosilicon plasma coated using plasma nanotechnology to optimize the interphase in glass-fiber-reinforced polyester composites and to determine the achievable range of their shear strength for potential applications. This surface modification of the fibers allows us to vary the shear strength of the composite in the range of 23.1 to 45.2 MPa at reduced financial costs of the process, while the commercial sizing corresponds to 39.2 MPa. The shear strength variability is controlled by the adhesion of the interlayer (plasma nanocoating) due to the variable density of chemical bonds at the interlayer/glass interface. The optimized technological conditions can be used for continuous surface modification of rovings in commercial online fiber-processing systems.

Automated summary

Unsized single-end rovings are pretreated and coated using plasma nanotechnology to optimize the interphase in composites. This allows for a variable shear strength range of 23.1 to 45.2 MPa, compared to the commercial sizing of 39.2 MPa, at reduced costs. The variability in shear strength is controlled by the adhesion of the interlayer due to the density of chemical bonds at the interlayer/glass interface. This technology can be used for continuous surface modification of rovings in commercial fiber-processing systems.