

Toughening of Carbon Fibre Composites By Hybridisation with Self-Reinforced Polypropylene
Abstract
Carbon fibre reinforced polymers often suffer from limited toughness. To drastically increase their toughness, hybridisation with self-reinforced polymers is proposed. The present study focuses on interlayer hybrids of carbon fiber/ polypropylene and self-reinforced polypropylene (SRPP). These hybrid composites are produced in various layups and their tensile behaviour is investigated. It is found that these hybrids possess a unique combination of stiffness, strength and ultimate failure strain. The most interesting observation is the multiple fracture behaviour of carbon fibre plies, which appears at low fibre volume fractions. This has the potential to increase energy absorption in impact loading.