Failure mode fractographic evaluation of carbon/epoxy composites

The use of polymeric composites in aircraft fabrication has been more and more intense. As a function of this fact, the possibility to occur service failures in components produced by using polymeric composites has increased more and more. The failure analyses in composite materials is still not much explored, principally in Brazil, but it has been very important in order to give subsidies to prevent aeronautical accidents. This work focuses the fracture characterization of intermediate modulus type unidirectional carbon fiber laminates impregnated with modified epoxy resin (code 8552), by using interlaminar shear test, in two conditions: ambient and saturated with moisture in an hygrothermal chamber. The fractographic analyses on the failure plane of the laminates were performed by optical and scanning electron microscopies. The comparison of results showed that the hygrothermal conditioning affects significantly the interface region but doesn't alter the fiber/matrix interfacial adhesion. The failure modes present in the resin region, such as hackles and scarps, and in the reinforcement were evaluated, being possible to establish the failure propagation direction and the failure mode that was characterized as a mixing of pull-out and shear modes.