PROSPECTS OF CARBON-FIBRE/IRONMATRIX COMPOSITES

The paper is continuing the experiments with carbon-fibre/iron-matrix composites published earlier. The microstructure of the composites with various fibres is studied and their fracture toughness is evaluated by measuring the value of critical stress intensity factor K*. It is shown that both a very accurate choice of a combination of the fibre and matrix and finding exact technological regimes are necessary to create sufficiently effective composite structures. The values of K* obtained are still not sufficiently large to use the composites in important structural elements. However, the ways to perfect the composite microstructures and enhance their fracture toughness are made more clear.