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Determination of Crystallinity in Graphite Fiber-Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 March 2019

M. R. James
Affiliation:
Rockwell International Science Center, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
D.P. Anderson
Affiliation:
Rockwell International Science Center, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
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Interest in advanced thermoplastic composites for use in high performance structures stems from their order of magnitude improvement in fracture toughness and delamination resistance over epoxy based composites, their strong solvent resistance, and the possibility of dramatically lower fabrication costs through processing flexibility. The chemical and mechanical properties of semicrystalline thermoplastics depend on the morphology of the material, such as the crystallinity content and spherulite size. We describe here the use of x-ray diffraction to characterize the degree of crystallinity of the polyetheretherketone-graphite composite system, a leading thermoplastic candidate for use in aerospace vehicles. In reflection, diffraction from the microcrystalline graphite fibers dominates the scattered signal and must be adequately accounted for. The technique is useful on large samples and for quality control. In transmission, the graphite signal is weak, thus simplifying data analysis; however, sample thickness must be limited.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © International Centre for Diffraction Data 1985

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