Abstract
The effect of pressure in the repair curing cycle on the characteristics of the interface region between a base laminate and a repair laminate was established through mode I fracture tests and microscopic observations. More than 50% drop in the fracture toughness is experienced for repair samples as compared to standard samples. There is significant difference in fracture toughness between repair samples cured at 0 pressure and repair samples cured at a given pressure. The effect of variation in the level of repair curing pressure for the repair samples on the fracture toughness is insignificant. It was found that increasing the pressure has the effect of reducing the amount of voids, increasing crack growth stability, and to a much less degree, increasing the fracture toughness.
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