Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Treatment of Sized Glass Fibres for Wetting Control

An overview of surface treatment by atmospheric pressure plasma in CF4 is presented. The purpose is to control the wetting and subsequent fibre/matrix adhesion in a controlled section of a laminate. This treatment is meant to promote the formation of multiple cracks, thereby increasing the overall energy dissipation in a damaged zone. Shown in this presentation are: treatment method and setup; measurement of fabric wetting by dynamic micro-wetting and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of the fabric before and after treatment.