Effects of the Vacuum Moulding Process on the Mechanical Properties of Cotton/Epoxy Composite

摘要

A study on the effect of the vacuum assisted resin transfer moulding (VARTM) manufacturing process on the mechanical properties of cotton/epoxy composite is presented in this investigation. Woven cotton was used as reinforcing material embedded in epoxy resin. The woven cotton was treated with sodium hydroxide for one hour at concentrations of 0% to 20%. The tensile test showed that the untreated material had the highest ultimate strength and Young's modulus. Observation of the fracture surface by scan electronic microscopy (SEM) was compared to the hand lay-up process as well as the results of the tensile test. The comparison showed that the VARTM. process presents better mechanical properties than the hand lay-up process due to the reduction in discontinuities observed by means of optical microscopy.