Physico-Chemical and micromechanical analysis of the interface in a poly(phenylene sulfide)/glass fiber composite-a microbond study

The glass fiber/PPS composite has excellent thermal and chemical properties. The main disadvantage of the composite is its poor mechanical resistance to impact. To improve this property, the fibers were coated with a new type of sizing. The equired characteristics for this sizing is to create strong interactions between the PPS matrix and the glass fiber surface. The ability of the sizings to improve the glass/PPS adhesion has been assessed by the microbond technique. An inconvenience of this technique is the difficulty in defining a parameter that is characteristic of the interfacial adhesion. The objective of this publication is to demonstrate that a plastic flow of the PPS matrix around the fiber leads to a uniform shear strength. The adhesion between these two materials can therefore be obtained by the mean interfacial shear strength.