Fiber-matrix adhesion in glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite laminates and its effect on mechanical properties

Abstract With the growing demand for lightweight solutions to reduce emissions, especially in the transportation, automotive and aerospace sectors, recyclable, continuous fiber-reinforced plastic composite laminates with a thermoplastic matrix are of rising interest. To achieve their maximum mechanical properties, the fiber-matrix adhesion (FMA) is critical. In this work, continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic laminates (CFRTPL) with a polypropylene (PP) matrix and twill woven glass fiber fabrics are produced by film stacking. The films used contain different amounts of maleic-anhydride-grafted PP (MA-g-PP) as a coupling agent to produce CFRTPL of different mechanical strengths. To analyze the FMA, the CFRTPL are subjected to Charpy-impact and tensile tests. Additionally, single fiber pull-out tests (SFPT) are conducted to further investigate the effect of MA-g-PP on the FMA. The results of the SFPT show an improvement in apparent interfacial shear strength (AIFSS) when the MA-g-PP content is increased, which can be attributed to an increase in FMA. However, the research shows that MA-g-PP has a low impact on the mechanical properties if the force is applied parallel to the warp and weft threads during tensile testing and the results of the Charpy-impact testing suffer from embrittlement of the matrix material. Subsequently, the results of this study are compared to three-point flexural tests conducted in a previous study. It can be concluded that tensile and impact tests are not suited to investigate FMA on a macroscopic scale, while SFPT and flexural tests provide a better alternative.