The Role of the Interface in Carbon Fibre-Epoxy Composites

Abstract

Abstract The final performance of a composite material depends strongly on the quality of the fibre-matrix interface. The interactions developed at the interface were studied using the acid-base or acceptor-donor concept. The surface characteristics of the carbon fibres and the epoxy matrix were studied using a tensiometric method and the inverse gas chromatography technique. Acid-base surface characters could be determined allowing the interactions at the interface to be described by a specific interaction parameter. It was shown that the shear strength of the interface, as measured by a fragmentation test, is strongly correlated to this specific interaction parameter, demonstrating the importance of acid-base interactions in the fibre-matrix adhesion.