An experimental study on the fracture toughness of thick carbon/epoxy composite in the deep-sea environment

해저환경에 따른 두께가 두꺼운 탄소섬유/에폭시 복합재의 파괴인성에 대한 실험적 연구

It is well-known that the corrosive behavior of PMC (polymer matrix composite) structure is much better than the metal structure in the marine environment. The understanding of fracture behavior of PMC in the deep-sea environment is essential to expand its use in the marine industry. For a present study, fracture tests have been performed under four different pressure levels such as 0.1 MPa, 100 MPa, 200 MPa, and 270 MPa using the seawater-absorbed carbon/epoxy composite samples. Fracture toughness was determined from the work factor approach as a function of hydrostatic pressure. It was found that fracture behavior was a linear elastic for all pressure levels. The fracture toughness increased with increasing pressure.