Effect of matrix modification on interlaminar shear strength of glass fibre reinforced epoxy composites at cryogenic temperature

In order to investigate the effect of the matrix variability on the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of glass fiber reinforced composites at 77K, three kinds of modifiers were employed to diethyl toluene diamine (DETD) cured diglycidyl ether of bisphenol F (DGEBF) epoxy resin system. The woven glass fiber reinforced composites were fabricated by vacuum pressure impregnation (VPI). The ILSS at 77 K was studied and the results indicated that introduction of modifiers used in this study can enhance the ILSS of composite at 77 K. A maximum of 14.87% increase was obtained by addition of 10 wt% IPBE into the epoxy matrix. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to investigate the fracture mechanism and strengthening effect. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.