Exploring the effects of thermal aging on scratch resistance of carbon fiber reinforced composite materials: A comprehensive study

This paper investigates the scratch behavior of carbon fiber reinforced composites (CFRCs) under thermal aging conditions. Scratch depth was analyzed with respect to three parameters: velocity, thermal cycle, and direction of the scratch. The results showed that thermal aging has a significant effect on the scratch behavior of CFRCs, with an increase in thermal cycle leading to an increase in scratch depth. The scratch depth was also found to be greater in the weft direction compared to the warp direction, which can be attributed to the difference in fiber arrangement and orientation in the CFRC material. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to investigate the effect of thermal aging on the scratch behavior of CFRCs. The ANOVA results revealed that the direction of the scratch has a significant effect on scratch depth, with the weft direction showing greater scratch depth compared to the warp direction. The surface roughness of CFRCs was analyzed under thermal aging conditions and with an increase in thermal cycle leading to an increase in surface roughness. The roughness values were found to be higher in the weft direction compared to the warp direction, which can be attributed to the difference in fiber arrangement and orientation in the CFRC material.