Vacuum-assisted microwave curing of epoxy/carbon fiber composite: An attempt for defect reduction in processing

Carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composite (CFREC) have gained interest due to their high strength to weight ratios. Conventional techniques to fabricate carbon fiber composite come with a limitation of overheating, high cycle time and high cost. The present manuscript is focused to address some manufacturing challenges during microwave curing of CFREC with 10% reinforcement by weight. In the present work microwave curing was done with or without assistance of vacuum pressure. The mechanical behavior of the specimens was studied in terms of tensile strength and hardness. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to analyze the tensile fractured specimens. (C) 2020 Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME). Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.