Carbon Fiber Fabric Reinforced PPS Laminates: Influence of Temperature on Mechanical Properties and Behavior

This paper is aimed at investigating the influence of temperature on mechanical properties and behavior of carbon fiber fabric reinforced polyphenylenesulfide (PPS) laminates subjected to different loadings: tensile, open hole tensile, in-plane shear, compressive, flexural, interlaminar shear, single-bolt double lap joint, and single-bolt single lap joint tests. The resulting experimental database is of the utmost importance for generating design allowables for structures integrating such thermoplastic-based composites. Depending on the test and the laminate's staking sequence, a temperature increase higher than the glass transition temperature (Tg = 98 degrees C) of fiber fabric reinforced PPS laminates softens the matrix behavior and significantly degrades the quality of the adhesion at the fiber/matrix interface, resulting in reduced mechanical properties (in-plane shear, compressive, flexural and interlaminar shear). However, it does not seem to be detrimental for the tensile and the double lap joint's properties in quasi-isotropic laminates. In angle-ply laminates, the ductile behavior of the PPS matrix is exacerbated at high temperature resulting in larger plastic deformations and a lesser hole sensitivity of this material. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 30:80-95, 2011; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/adv.20239