Impact Characterization of Polymer Composites Based on PEEK and Carbon Fibers

Taking into account the continuous expansion of the application fields of composite materials, it is increasingly crucial to delve into the research for the evaluation of the applicative potentialities of these materials. One of the major aspects in the characterization of the materials, is testing their mechanical properties through laboratory tests. One of this is the impact test, which aims to analyze the behaviour of standard- dimension specimens, under specific conditions of impact loading, in order to predict their fragility and toughness. The impact test is used to simulate ordinary situations in the real world, in which the materials are often found to absorb forces applied in a very short time (falls, blows, collisions, etc.). The determination of the impact strength, the maximum applied force and the stiffness is done by pendulum tools. The following work aims to the characterization of these properties for composite materials with polymeric matrix and fibrous reinforcement made of carbon. The tested materials differ from each other for the type of fiber and the degree of crystallinity of the polymeric matrix. In this work, the influence of these factors on the properties previously mentioned was investigated, identifying the material, among those provided, with the highest impact properties.