Thermo‐Mechanical Characterization of Phenolic Woven Composite Laminates for Use in Fire/Blast‐Prone Aircraft Baggage Structures

ABSTRACT This paper experimentally investigates the thermal and mechanical performance of woven phenolic laminates reinforced with carbon (PF‐CFRP), glass (PF‐GFRP), basalt (PF‐BFRP), and Kevlar (PF‐KFRP), aiming to evaluate their suitability for aircraft baggage structures under fire and blast loads. Phenolic resin cured under single‐stage high‐temperature conditions (PF100) demonstrated a superior glass transition temperature of 150.0°C, tensile modulus of 2.61 GPa, and tensile strength of 32.51 MPa. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed that PF‐CFRP retained 87.9% mass at 800°C under nitrogen, while PF‐BFRP retained the highest mass in air (79.1%), followed by PF‐GFRP (66.3%). PF‐KFRP exhibited poor thermal stability (47.7%), even lower than the neat resin (58.9%) under nitrogen. PF‐CFRP exhibited the highest modulus and strength, with 68.50 GPa and 776.78 MPa, respectively, and an in‐plane shear strength of 110.46 MPa. PF‐BFRP showed the highest flexural strength of 362.93 MPa, excellent tensile strength of 587.63 MPa, and improved bending failure strain of 2.25%. PF‐GFRP exhibited moderate mechanical performance, with tensile and flexural strengths of 224.11 MPa and 292.59 MPa, respectively, with consistent shear performance. PF‐KFRP exhibited the highest failure strain (2.76% in tension), but weak interfacial bonding. Scanning electron microscopy revealed distinctive failure modes, including fiber breakage, pull‐out, delamination, and matrix cracking. Radar plots were used for comparative visualization, identifying PF‐BFRP as optimal for blast/fire resilience and PF‐CFRP for stiffness‐critical zones. Overall, the study highlights the potential of basalt‐phenolic composites and recommends functionally graded hybrid composites as next‐generation materials for aircraft baggage structures under combined mechanical and thermal conditions.