Evaluation of Curing Process for Kevlar 49-Epoxy Composites by Mechanical Characterization Designed for Brake Liners

In this present work, Kevlar 49/epoxy composites are routed with different curing processes to fabricate brake liners. The curing processes are commenced with pressure, with pressure and vacuum and with vacuum only. The Kevlar 49/epoxy composites are tested for compressive strength, tensile strength, flexural strength, hardness, compressive modulus, tensile modulus, flexural modulus and inter laminar shear strength. The reduction of volume fraction is due to pressure compactness of epoxy coated bi-directional Kevlar 49 woven in the composite. Pressure included curing processes are resulted in the interfacial microscopic cracks, which can transform to macroscopic level by coalesce, and debonding phenomena to discharge the developed residual stresses on account of the pressure applied during the curing process. The compactness is high with curing process of vacuum and applied pressure on the composite. The curing cycle (pressure and vacuum) has imparted fewer voids in the composites as compared the other two curing cycles.