Two axis dilatometer design and preliminary study of epoxy microcracking in 3D carbon fiber woven composites

Microcracking is an issue which plagues many types of composites today and is more prevalent in the advanced woven composites such as three dimensional woven carbon fiber composites. Understanding and avoiding microcracking is a process which requires special instrumentation to study the formation of microcracks and is capable of measuring stresses inside epoxy during curing. This research develops a test instrument capable of measuring deformations in samples of curing epoxy which can related to triaxial stresses up to and after failure. Our instrument can be used to study the epoxy curing process in a new light and to experiment with curing profiles to reduce or avoid microcracking completely