Michelle Leali Costa

This study assesses the effect of porosity in the moisture absorption of polymeric composites. The preparation of composites samples with porosity, control, and measurement of void content, and moisture absorption behavior of carbon/epoxy laminates are discussed. Rheological analyses are used to characterize the viscosity behavior of prepregs either in the presence or absence of moisture. Polymeric composites with different levels of voids were produced and submitted to hygrothermal conditioning to study the moisture absorption behavior. It was found that the rate of water uptake and the maximum level of moisture absorption in carbon/epoxy composites depends on the void content and specimen geometry. The dependence on the void content may be quite significant. The nature of the matrix system was also verified to affect the moisture absorption properties of the composite.

Carbon/epoxy 8552 prepreg is a thermoplastic toughened high-performance epoxy being used in the manufacture of advanced army material. Understanding the cure behavior of a thermosetting system is essential in the development and optimization of composite fabrication processes. The cure kinetics and rheological behavior were evaluated using a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and a rheometer. Values of the kinetic parameters were obtained from dynamic DSC scans using an nth order reaction model. Rheological measurements as a function of temperature and time were made for the prepreg system. The manufacturer's recommended cure cycle was evaluated and considered adequate to consolidated the studied system

Polymer composites used above their glass transition temperatures Tg present a substantial degradation of physical properties; therefore a material's glass transition temperature and its change with moisture absorption are of practical importance. Little attention has been paid to the role of the adhesive bonding between the reinforcing fiber and matrix, particularly for BMI matrix. In this work the effect of moisture on the dynamic mechanical behavior and the fiber/matrix interface was investigated. Two systems were evaluated: carbon fabric/epoxy and carbon fabric/bismaleimide laminates. The results demonstrated that the moisture absorbed by the laminates causes either reversible or irreversible plasticization of the matrix. The humidity combined with the temperature effects may cause significant changes in the Tg matrix and toughness affecting the laminate strength. Moisture absorption was correlated to the fracture mode of the laminate demonstrating the deleterious effect of moisture on the interface. This leads to debonding between fiber and matrix. This behavior was investigated by scanning electron microscopy and dynamic mechanical analysis.