Comparison of four methods for determining fiber content of carbon fiber/epoxy composites |
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| Authors: | Hong-wei He Wei Huang Feng Gao |
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| Institution: | 1. College of Materials Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China;2. Post-Doctorate Scientific Research Workstation of Taiyuan High-Tech Industry Development Zone, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China;3. Key Laboratory of Coal Science and Technology of Ministry of Education and Shanxi Province, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan, Shanxi, Chinahehongwei4103@126.com;5. Key Laboratory of Coal Science and Technology of Ministry of Education and Shanxi Province, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China;6. State Key Laboratory of Coal Conversion, Institute of Coal Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China |
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| Abstract: | The most fundamental parameter that controls the properties of fiber/epoxy composites is fiber content. Thus, exact calculation of carbon fiber content is important for product quality control and process optimization. In this study, four methods for calculating fiber content of continuous carbon fiber/epoxy composites were investigated. These four methods are processing statistical (PS), optical microscopy (OM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and carbonization-in-nitrogen (CIN). The results show that the CIN and PS methods have high repeatability with no more than 4.7 wt.% deviation, and a relatively exact estimation of fiber content can be obtained by using both of them. A larger difference was generated when the TGA and OM methods were used to determine the fiber content. This is because the small amount of samples required by these methods is not sufficiently representative of the whole carbon fiber composite structure. The PS and CIN methods can be used as approved ways to calculate fiber content of carbon fiber/epoxy composites effectively. |
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| Keywords: | Carbon fibers composites epoxy resin fiber content |
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