Reconsolidation effect on impact, compression after impact and thermal properties of poly (aryl ether ketone) composites for aeronautical applications

Abstract

The purpose of this work is to evaluate the reconsolidation of a carbon fiber composite with poly (aryl ether ketone) (PAEK)/carbon fiber laminates after suffering impacts from different energy levels (5, 10 and 30 J) and being restored by reconsolidation. For this comparison, thermal analysis, and compression after impact tests were performed to evaluate the properties of the material before and after the reconsolidation process. According to the found results, it was observed that with small damages it is possible to fully recover the material after new consolidation and for larger damages there is also a partial recovery compared to the base laminate. The material remains thermally stable in all situations, in other words, its thermal properties remain even after impact tests and reconsolidation process.