Volume 8,
Issue 6, 1999
Interfacial
Effects on the Mechanical Properties of Glass/Phenolic Composites
Tohru Morii *1, Jan Ivens 2 and Ignaas Verpoest 2
1
Department of
Materials Science and Ceramic Technology, Shonan Institute of Technology, 1-1-25
Tsujido-Nishikaigan, Fujisawa, Kanagawa 251-8511, Japan
2
Department of
Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, De Croylaan 2, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed
(Received 9/99;accepted 11/99)
ABSTRACT
The effect of interface on the mechanical properties of glass
fibre/phenolic composites is discussed in this paper. Standard and silane modified resins
are used as matrix, and a yarn and two kinds of rovings with different sizing are used as
reinforcement. The effect of fibre on wetting is evaluated, and it is shown that sizing
specially developed for phenolic resin is quite effective to improve resin impregnation
into the fibre bundle. The mechanical properties are evaluated by using the resin
impregnated unidirectional fibre bundle composite specimens. The effects of resin and
fibre on strength and crack propagation are evaluated by the lateral compression test. The
type of the fibre affected the dispersion of fibres in the matrix resin, and the roving
developed for phenolic resin gave the best dispersion of the fibre. This led the high
mechanical properties and high resistance to the crack initiation.
