The influence of hydrostatic pressure on the interlaminar fracture toughness ofcarbon/epoxy composites

摘要

The use of composites for deep sea applications requires a thoroughunderstanding of the behaviour of these materials. While several studies haveexamined the influence of pressure on in-plane properties few data are availablefor the interlaminar fracture behaviour. This paper presents results from suchtests performed in a specially designed pressure vessel mounted on a standardtest machine, which allows pressures up to 1000 bars (100 MPa) to be appliedduring mechanical testing. Mode I and Mode II tests have been performed on aunidirectional IM7/977-2 carbon/epoxy composite. No effect of pressure was notedon Mode I fracture toughness. A data reduction scheme has been developed forMode II loading and an increase in GIIC with increasing pressure was noted.