INTERFACE AND INTERPHASE IN CARBON-EPOXY COMPOSITE-MATERIALS - STUDY BY TRANSMISSION ELECTRON-MICROSCOPY

In composite materials, mechanical properties depend mainly on fibre and matrix properties. However many experimental results cannot be explained unless role played by the interface is considered. In the manufacturing process, composite materials are made up of fibres which are subjected to a surface treatment (oxidizing treatment). In order to improve the adhesion between fibres and matrix, they are coated with a sizing product whose composition is complex. Since fibre-matrix adhesion is related to these parameters, we characterized the interface in the case of well-known surface treatments. We studied the fibre-matrix junctions by the lattice-fringe method (TEM).