Radiation processing for carbon fiber-reinforced polytetrafluoroethylene composite materials

The present work is an attempt to evaluate the performance of the fiber com posites with crosslinked polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) as a polymer matrix by radiation. The uni-directional carbon fiber-reinforced composites were fabricated with PTFE fine powder impregnation method and then crosslinked b y electron beams irradiation under selective conditions. The carbon fiber-r einforced crosslinked PTFE composites show good mechanical properties compa red with crosslinked PTFE. The radiation resistance of crosslinked PTFE com posites is improved more than that of crosslinked resin without fiber. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.