Experimental Study on the Bending Property of Nano-silica Incorporated GF/PCBT Composites Exposed under Various Environmental Conditions

Glass fiber reinforced polymerized poly (cyclic butylene terephthalate) (GF/PCBT) composites with and without nano-silica particles were manufactured by vacuum assisted resin transfer modeling (VARTM) processing. Fundamental mechanical performance of GF/PCBT composites was determined experimentally. Flexural property of the composites after exposed at -80 degrees C for 5 weeks and low-temperature thermal cycling condition (-40 to 50 degrees C) for 400 h were tested. To characterize water effect, specimens were also immersed in water in temperature cycling test. Correlations between the composites mechanical performance and the exposure duration were examined. The failure mechanism of damaged composites was investigated by macroscopic and microscopic observations. Nano-silica effect on flexural performance of the composites was discussed.