Fiber compatibility systems for thermoplastic composites and investigation of fiber/matrix interface performance

Carbon fiber composite materials have a wide range of uses from the automotive to aviation industry. Carbon fiber, which is among the choices thanks to its high mechanical, physical and chemical properties, stands out with its unique combination. The interfacial bond strength of carbon fiber without a polar surface is low. In this study, the electrochemical oxidation process, which is an oxidative method, was applied to increase the interface performance. In the last step, which increases the bonding between the matrix and the fiber, functional groups are formed on the surface with silane agents. With the FTIR test, it was observed whether the surface treatments on the carbon fiber were effective or not. Thanks to the findings obtained from these trials, the sizing-desizing steps required for a carbon fiber were determined and an industrially applicable system was developed. Optical microscope and SEM images were taken to observe the interfacial compatibility between PP used as a thermoplastic matrix and carbon fiber. Pull-out test was also performed to measure the interface performance.