Pure and Fibre-Hybrid Carbon Fibre and Polypropylene 3D Woven Composite Micrographs

Raw micrograph images for both a pure carbon fibre layer-to-layer 3D woven composite and a fibre-hybrid carbon fibre and polypropylene layer-to-layer 3D woven composite are presented. For the micrograph images, samples were cut from the plaque using a water jet cutter to minimise damage. Each sample was placed into a circular mould and cold-mounted with Struers Epofix. The resin and hardener were mixed at a weight ratio of 25 to 3 grams. The mixture was stirred for two minutes and then degassed for 30 minutes to remove any air bubbles. The degassed mixture was poured over the samples in the moulds and allowed to cure at room temperature for 12 hours. The samples were then removed and polished using a range of abrasive papers up to 4000 grit. The polished samples were imaged using a SmartZoom microscope with a 1.6x magnification lens.