INTERFACIAL PROPERTIES OF MICROWAVE CURED COMPOSITES

A unidirectional continuous E-glass fibre/epoxy composite was cured using microwaves. The mechanical behaviour of the composite was studied by in situ transverse tensile and short-beam bending tests. The mechanisms of rupture were analysed. By comparing microwave cured composites (MCCs) with thermal cured composites (TCCs), it was found that more voids exist in MCCs than in TCCs. This difference is considered to be due to the shorter time and lower applied pressure of microwave curing. It appears that the fibre-matrix interface of MCCs is stronger than that of TCCs according to the experimental results and observations. The thermal gradient across the fibre-matrix interface seems to play a role in its final quality.