Properties of intermingled carbon/PEEK 3-D woven composites

The presence of voids is one of the major problems associated with resin infiltration techniques when using 3-D woven preforms. Efforts to reduce the voids invariably result in the creation of microcracks. In this paper, the use of PEEK fibers intermingled with carbon fibers into a multi-layer preform is discussed. Influence of processing parameters, such as temperature, pressure, and consolidation time, on the composite properties is presented. One of the issues emphasized is the effect of pressure on buckling of the Z-reinforcement fibers and the bending behavior.