Investigação dos efeitos do envelhecimento em compósitos com danos por impacto

Abstract

The constant search for materials that satisfy technological advances has become greater over the years. In Materials Engineering, one of these advances was the manufacture and application of composite materials, used in several areas, uniting the attractive mechanical properties and the low density of the constituent components, becoming a possibility for replacing more traditional materials such as metallic materials. This present work seeks to evaluate the conditions presented by glass fiber-epoxy composites after environmental aging, subjected to impact tests to compare the results with unaged. The specimens were produced from glass fiber-epoxy prepregs in a hot press and were cut with a water jet according to the size prescribed in the ASTM D7136 standard for impact tests. Half of the samples were aged for 30 days and the other half were reserved in the desiccator. All samples were subjected to impact test to compare results, analyzed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). A visual assessment was carried out on the samples after the impact test, in order to analyze the influence of aging related to the impact energy and the affected area. Spectroscopy allowed evaluation possible chemical changes in the epoxy matrix with glass fiber reinforcement. Morphological changes, including defects accentuated by aging, were also investigated using SEM analyses. It was observed that environmental aging can affect the performance of composite materials, especially in applications that suffer impact damage.