Static and Dynamic Mechanical Performance of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polyethersulfone Composites

Abstract

This study has been carried out to demonstrate the effect of short carbon fiber (SCF) loading on static and dynamic mechanical performance of polyethersulfone (PES) composites. Different combinations of SCF/PES composites were prepared by extrusion followed by injection molding. The static mechanical properties such as hardness, tensile and flexural properties of PES based composites were analyzed following ISO standards. As engineering materials, the polymer composites with high modulus as well as excellent damping properties are of great interest in aerospace and automotive industries for severe dynamic environment. Furthermore, in addition to static properties of composites, dynamic mechanical behaviour of PES based composites was evaluated. Mechanical test results showed that increasing the SCF wt. % in the composites increases the hardness, tensile and flexural properties. Furthermore, the optimal SCF loading was found to be 30 wt. % for significantly improving the overall composite mechanical performance. Upon the reinforcing of SCFs, an improvement in the storage modulus was found. Based on the fractographic analysis, orientation and aligned structure of carbon fibers, good bonding of fibers within the matrix and better fiber-matrix interaction were the primary reasons leading to the improvement of mechanical properties. The optimized composite (PES with 30 wt. % of SCF) could be used in automotive components like frames, flap covers and gears of printing machinery.