The influence of surface treatment of stitch threads and stitching on interlaminar properties of unidirectional laminates

An experimental investigation was carried out to study the influence of graft treatment for Kevlar stitch threads on the interlaminar properties of stitched unidirectional laminates. The surfaces of Kevlar stitch threads were immersed in a solution of Dimethyl sulfoxide mixed with NaH for some time, and then alkoxysilane was grafted onto the surface of modified Kevlar threads. The corresponding physical and chemical changes in the surface of Kevlar threads were carefully evaluated using XPS, SEM, water absorption, and tensile measurement. Results show that the treated Kevlar threads have much rougher surface morphologies, its tensile strength is slightly improved, and their wettability are greatly improved. The stitched carbon /epoxy composite using surface-treated Kevlar threads has excellent hydrothermal property. The resins can better wet the surface treatment of Kevlar stitch threads, and the sizes of rich resin can be reduced. The moisture uptake of stitched composites decreases by 53.3% and its residue ratio of interlaminar shear strength in a wet state improves by 13.1%.