Improvement of the interlaminar fracture toughness of composite laminates by whisker reinforced interlamination

In this study, an attempt is made to improve the interlaminar fracture toughness of composite laminates by distributing whiskers along the interface of composite laminates during the lay-up process. Commercially available T800H/3631 CFRP prepreg and beta-SiC whisker are employed to prepare the specimens. A simple spray method is developed to distribute whiskers on the prepreg. Unidirectional laminates of 24 plies with whisker reinforced interlamination are made. The conventional double cantilever beam (DCB) and end loaded split (ELS) tests are conducted to investigate the effects of whiskers on the Mode I and Mode II interlaminar fracture toughness, respectively. Microscopic analysis of the side-edge, cross-section and fracture surface of specimens is performed by optical microscopic, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and electron probe micro-analyzer (EPMA) to investigate the distribution of whiskers and the improvement mechanism of the distributed whiskers on the fracture toughness. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.