Estudo da adição do termoplástico poli (etileno-co-metil acrilato-co-glicidil metacrilato) (E-MA-GMA) como agente de reparo em compósitos fibra de vidro-epóxi

Abstract

A critical problem of epoxy matrix composites is their susceptibility to nucleate microcracks during service, which can cause catastrophic failure or shortening the service lifetime of the components. An alternative to overcome this problem is the use of self-healing materials, where the formed microcracks are repaired, preventing catastrophic failure propagation and reducing maintenance costs. One of the mechanisms suggested in the literature for self-healing of microcracks is the application of thermoplastic particles. The aim of this work is to analyze the effect of the addition of poly (E-MA-GMA) thermoplastic as a healing agent in a fiberglass-epoxy composite. The materials studied were characterized by interlaminar shear strength (ILSS), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). ILSS results after healing showed that the stiffness and strength of the samples were reduced, as compared to values before the healing cycle. Nevertheless, strength reduction was lower when the thermoplastic was inserted in between all prepreg plies. MEV images showed that EMA-GMA functioned as an adhesive agent, preventing delamination in the mid-plane of the laminate.