Liquid-Solid Interaction to Evaluate Thermal Aging Effects on Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Composites

Abstract

This study investigated the thermally induced aging effects on a carbon fiber-reinforced composite (CFRP) comprising benzoxazine (BZ) and cycloaliphatic epoxy resin (CER). Herein, we employed various testing methodologies to assess the aging behavior of CFRP samples with differing CER and BZ ratios. Traditional techniques, including weight change quantification and qualitative analysis of surface morphology, reveal that higher CER content correlates with increased aging. Additionally, wettability analysis demonstrates that both BZ and BZ-CER composites exhibit heightened hydrophilicity with thermal aging, potentially exacerbating concerns such as icing and surface erosion. Notably, the BZ-CER composite displays greater hydrophilicity compared to the BZ composite, consistent with weight change trends. These findings underscore the utility of surface wettability analysis as a valuable tool for monitoring thermo-oxidative aging in polymers and their surface behavior in response to fluid interactions, particularly within high glass transition temperature (Tg) BZ-CER systems utilized in structural composite applications.