Influence of Temperature on Interlaminar Fracture Toughness of a Carbon Fiber-Epoxy Composite Material

Composite materials have been increasingly used in the aerospace industry for the manufacturing of structures, because of the associated properties of low weight and high mechanical resistance. On the other hand, they have low delamination resistance. This paper presents the results of an experimental study performed to obtain the values of interlaminar fracture toughness (G) of a laminate under three different temperatures, using 0º carbon-epoxy prepreg fabric plies and manufactured via Hand lay up cured in autoclave (HLUP). Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) tests were performed to evaluate mode I toughness, Four Point Bend End Notched Flexure (4ENF) for mode II and Mixed Mode Bending (MMB) for mixed mode I / mode II at -54°C, 25°C and 80°C. The data were collected and analyzed using a routine developed in Matlab®. Finally, the relation between GI and GII through the failure envelope and the temperature influence on the interlaminar fracture toughness was assessed.