Lap shear strength comparison between two types of random carbon fibre reinforced thermoplastic matrix composites bonded using variable frequency microwaves (VFM) irradiation

Abstract

[Abstract]: Fibre reinforced thermoplastic matrix composite materials have very strong development in the last 10-12 years because of their potential advantages and unique characteristics that cannot be found in their thermosett counterparts. This paper compares the lap shear bond strengths of 2 types of random carbon fibre reinforced thermoplastic matrix composites joined by microwave energy. Variable frequency microwave (VFM) (2 – 18 GHz) facilities are used to join thirty three percent by weight random carbon fibre reinforced low density polyethylene [LDPE/CF (33%)] and thirty three percent by weight random carbon fibre reinforced polystyrene [PS/GF (33%)]. With a given power level, the composites were exposed to various exposure times to microwave irradiation. The lap shear strengths of the joints were compared with those obtained using fixed frequency (2.45 GHz) microwave facility configuration. The VFMF was operated under software control, which provided automatic data logging facilities