Investigation of curing characteristics of carbon fiber/epoxy composites cured with low‐energy electron beam

To solve the penetration depth of carbon fiber/epoxy prepreg and irradiation dose uniformity by low‐energy E‐Beam under 125 keV, the both‐side irradiation curing of prepreg was investigated. The results show that there is little thermal effect during the low‐energy electron beam irradiation curing process, even though the irradiation dosage reached 300 kGy, only 46.2°C can be tested on the prepreg surface. Due to the low curing temperature, the degree of cure of prepreg was only 61.8% at 300 kGy level of irradiation, and the glass‐transition temperature (T_g) was only 48.6°C. The degree of cure and T_g can be increased sharply by thermal postcure. After being postcured at 160°C for 30 min, the degree of cure and the T_g of prepreg reached 98.5% and 170.4°C, respectively. Interlaminar shear strength testing result indicate that the fabrication process of the composite layer by layer curing by the low‐ energy E‐Beam is a promising cure approach. POLYM. COMPOS., 36:1731–1737, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers