Investigation on preparation and mechanical properties of carbon fiber fabric/hollow glass beads/epoxy resin sandwich composite laminates
Jingjing Lu, Rui‐Qiong Dang, Wei Zhang, Yelizaveta Chernysh, Hong‐Quan Wang, Meng‐Xuan Fan, Ping Lan, Ji‐Peng Guan, Xiaojun Shen
Abstract
Abstract To expand the application of light‐weight and high‐strength polymer matrix composites in the fields of aerospace, shipbuilding and transportation, it has designed and fabricated a new‐type carbon fiber fabric/hollow glass beads/epoxy resin (CFF/HGB/EP) composite with a three‐layer sandwich structure, consisting of an upper composite layer (CFF/EP), core layer (HGB/EP) and lower composite layer (CFF/EP). The effects of the CFF/EP layer and the HGB content on the sandwich composites were explored through a systematic investigation of the mechanical properties and microstructure. The results indicate that the density of the sandwich composite can be reduced to 0.83 g cm −3 , while the flexural, impact, and tensile strength of the sandwich composite can be increased by 227%, 156%, and 118% compared with pure epoxy resin, respectively. The great improvement of mechanical properties of the sandwich composite makes its application in various industries more promising.