Rubber-toughened cyanate composites - Properties and toughening mechanism

Earlier work by Young et al. (1990) has shown that Dow experimental cyanate ester resin XU71787.02 is readily toughenable by rubber. A particularly effective rubber for this purpose is an experimental core-shell rubber which toughens the polymer by inducing shear yielding. This paper describes an investigation into the toughening mechanism in the corresponding carbon-fiber composite systems and the effect of fibers on composite properties. Resin-fiber interfacial shear strengths have been successfully correlated to the compressive strengths after impact and other key properties of composites based on rubber-toughened cyanate and several carbon fibers. The differences in the properties are explained by the difference in the functioning of the rubber particles during the fracture process.