Abstract
Effects of remolding on mechanical performance are particularly important in post-processing of thermoplastic resin composites. The effects of molding and remold ing temperatures on the Mode-I delamination toughness of APC-2 composites are in vestigated experimentally. It is found that both the initiation and the propagation energies of delamination are influenced by the remolding process, and the effect depends on the previous molding history. In particular, the extent of fiber bridging strongly depends on molding and remolding conditions. Enhanced fiber bridging results in a rising R-curve and unstable crack propagation. The observed behaviors are interpreted from the viewpoint of matrix crystalline morphology.
