Science and Engineering of Composite Materials (Dec 2011)

Toughened high performance epoxy resin system for aerospace applications

  • Fischer Frank,
  • Beier Uwe,
  • Wolff-Fabris Felipe,
  • Altstädt Volker

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1515/secm.2011.042
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 18, no. 4
pp. 209 – 215

Abstract

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The present study describes the results of a detailed investigation of the fracture toughness and fatigue crack growth behaviour of epoxy resins used for aeronautic applications. More specifically, the influence of incorporating thermoplastic or triblock copolymers to neat resin in order to increase the toughness is evaluated. The experimental results deduced from static as well as dynamic loading conditions highlight the varying degree of effectiveness of the chosen toughening approaches. In combination with electron microscopic analysis of the fracture surfaces, the basic structure-property relationships and deformation mechanisms are presented and the different strategies to improve the fatigue behaviour are discussed.

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