Properties of laminate composites reinforced with glass fabrics treated with sol-gel transition silicate gel

Glass fabric was treated with sol-gel transition silicate gel to modify the composite interface. Micro roughness on the surface of the glass fabric was observed clearly by the atomic force microscope (AFM) at the surface of glass fabric which had been treated with a base catalytic silicate gel (b-SGSi). The specific surface area of this glass was 1.4 times that of the original glass fabric. The double cantilever beam (DCB) test was carried out on glass epoxy laminate composites, using b-SGSi glass fabrics and standard glass fabrics. In this test, the former laminate showed two fracture modes, stable and unstable crack growth, whereas the latter laminate showed only stable crack growth. In reference to the fracture toughness of the stable crack growth, the former laminate is about 1.4 times greater than that of the latter laminate. It was suspected that the difference was caused by the different interface bonding strength in the composite. The interfacial bonding was also tested by the soldering iron test ...