Retention of compressive strength of thermoplastic reinforced epoxy composites under hot and humid conditions

摘要

Pre-impregnated composite material (prepreg) is provided that can be cured/molded to form composite parts having high levels of compressive strength under dry conditions at room temperature and which retain their compressive strength when subjected to hot and wet conditions. The pre-impregnated composite materials are composed of reinforcing fibers and an uncured resin matrix. The uncured resin matrix includes a resin component made up of one or more difunctional epoxy resins and multifunctional epoxy resins. The uncured resin matrix further includes a thermoplastic particle component, a thermoplastic toughening agent and a curing agent. The thermoplastic particle component is composed of a mixture of a first group of polyamide particles that do not contain crosslinked polyamide and a second group of polyamide particles that contain crosslinked polyamide.