Determination of transverse and shear moduli of single carbon fibres

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Carbon fibres are extensively used for their high specific mechanical properties. Exploiting their high axial stiffness and strength, they are employed to reinforce polymer matrix materials in advanced composites. However, carbon fibres are not isotropic. Data of the elastic properties in the other directions of the fibres are still largely unknown. Furthermore, standardised methods to characterise these properties are lacking. In the present work, we propose a methodology to determine the transverse and shear moduli of single carbon fibres. An experimental procedure is developed to fabricate high-quality, flat fibre cross-sections in both longitudinal and transverse directions using Focused Ion Beam, which gives full control of the specimen geometry. Indentation modulus on those surfaces are obtained using both Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and nanoindentation tests. Hysteresis was found to occur in the nanoindentation tests. The hysteresis response was due to nano-buckling and reversible shear deformation of the carbon crystals. For this reason, indentation tests using AFM is recommended. From the AFM indentation tests the transverse and shear moduli of three different carbon fibres (IMS65, T800 and M60J) are successfully determined.