Using variable interfacial adhesion characteristics within a composite to improve flexural strength and decrease fiber volume

Abstract This paper investigates the impact of using amine functionalised fibers in composite “hybrid” laminates to improve interfacial shear strength (IFSS) and reduce laminate weight. A comparison of single fiber fragmentation testing (SFFT) and short beam shear testing (SBS) showed that 103.6% improvements of IFSS at a single fiber level only translate to a 23.3% improvement in SBS testing. However, localised use of both functionalised and non-functionalised T300 fibers in a “hybrid interface” laminate improved IFSS by 56.7%. Hence this study shows that careful placement of fibers and localised manipulation of the interface characteristics can be used to great effect when designing a composite material. Ultimately, the use of a hybrid interface approach was able to provide a weight reduction of 11.27% while not sacrificing flexural strength compared to the baseline T300 fibers.