Physicomechanical properties and microstructure of composite materials: a study of aramid fabrics modified in an SHF electromagnetic field

We studied the effect of an SHF electromagnetic field on the strength of composite materials. We used samples of aramid fabric TSVM-DZh which was impregnated with glue 88 and cured. We carried out two series of experiments. In the first case, we used a single-layer of aramid fabric without a binder, and in the second - with a binder. We established that after single-layer aramid fabric was exposed to an SHF electromagnetic field of low specific power, the resistance of samples to cone puncturing increases from 1.8 to 2.2 times. The samples that were made with a binder and exposed to SHF modification had a greater strengthening effect than the samples without glue 88. The strength increased up to 2 times. We also studied the microstructure of these series of samples. The microphotographs show that the SHF electromagnetic field has a more pronounced effect on the samples with a binder, which results in formation of agglomerates smaller than in the control sample. The agglomerates have pronounced edges, which allows us to obtain more contact points, to increase the contact surface area, thus strengthening their connection. The paper shows the correlation between the corrected values of increase in strength properties of the experimental samples in comparison with the control ones and the changes in microstructure caused by the described electrophysical effect. The above facts make it possible to control the mechanical properties by influencing the microstructure of end products. The results allow us to predict an improvement in the performance of structural aircraft elements made of organoplastics and personal protective equipment of the 1st and 2nd classes.