Assessment of mechanical behavior of Kevlar/polyester composites after thermal shock conditioning

Abstract

The investigations aim to study the effects of temperature, sub-zero temperature and combined effects of thermal shock on interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of Kevlar 49/polyester composites. These aerospace materials frequently experience this type of active thermal shock environment during their service life. Unfortunately, there is a lack of experimental data in this area. We use the 3-point short beam shear (SBS) test to promote failure by interlaminar shear and the results may be useful for the estimation of interfacial bond strength at the fiber/matrix interface.