EFFECT OF MATRIX CRYSTALLINITY ON THE BUCKLING FAILURE OF A PPS THERMOPLASTIC COMPOSITE

The effect of matrix crystallinity on the critical macrobuckling load of a thermoplastic polyphenylene sulphine/glass fibre composite was studied using a Southwell plot approach where the critical load was determined by assuming a hyperbolic relationship near the vicinity of the critical load. The results indicate that a higher annealing temperature and annealing time resulted in a higher critical buckling load. It was assumed that this was due to the increase in the degree of crystallinity during annealing, resulting in an increased axial compressive modulus and in-plane shear modulus, and subsequently the critical buckling load.