Performance comparison of carbon fiber reinforced polyaryletherketone and epoxy composites: Mechanical properties, failure modes, cryo-thermal behavior, and finite element analysis

High-performance thermoplastic composites are gaining attention as potential replacement for thermoset composites in high-end structural applications owing to their superior fracture toughness and recyclability. In this study, polyaryletherketone (PAEK) and carbon fabric (CF) reinforced PAEK are compared with epoxy and epoxy-CF composites. PAEK-CF composites are prepared by film stacking method followed by compression molding while hand lay-up technique was used for epoxy-CF composites. PAEK and PAEK-CF composites possess superior tensile properties, flexural strength and fracture toughness compared to those prepared from epoxy. The incorporation of CF improved the wear resistance in both PAEK and epoxy and PAEK-CF exhibited the lowest wear rate. The investigation of interlaminar shear strength of the composites was conducted and the highest value observed for PAEK-CF composite. Wear and fracture surface analysis suggested ductile failure for PAEK and PAEK-CF composites and brittle failure in epoxy composites, as indicated by interfacial bonding/debonding and fiber pullout, at the fracture surface. Cryo-thermal cycling effects on the tensile properties, fracture toughness and fracture surface morphology of the composites are studied. The failure behavior obtained from experimental studies was corroborated with finite element method-based simulation models of fracture toughness response in single edge notch bend test using Abaqus/Explicit.