{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,1]],"date-time":"2026-06-01T05:00:44Z","timestamp":1780290044024,"version":"3.54.0"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,22]],"date-time":"2026-05-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1779408000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Polymers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites are widely used in engineering applications due to their high strength-to-weight ratio and corrosion resistance. However, their mechanical performance depends strongly on laminate architecture, processing conditions, and environmental exposure. This study investigates the effects of fiber orientation, thermal post-curing, and corrosive SO2 atmosphere on the mechanical properties of CFRP laminates. Three-layer carbon\/epoxy laminates with 90\u00b0, 45\u00b0, and [90\u00b0\/45\u00b0\/90\u00b0] fiber orientations were manufactured by vacuum-assisted lamination. Selected specimens were post-cured at 80 \u00b0C for 10 h and exposed to sulfur dioxide according to ISO 3231. Tensile and Charpy impact tests showed that the 90\u00b0 laminate exhibited the highest tensile strength (484 MPa), whereas the 45\u00b0 laminate showed the lowest value due to shear-dominated load transfer. Post-curing increased tensile strength by approximately 10\u201330%, while exposure to the corrosive environment reduced both tensile strength and impact toughness. The observed behavior was associated with differences in load-transfer mechanism, possible increased degree of cure and\/or residual stress relaxation after post-curing, and degradation of the epoxy\u2013matrix and fiber\u2013matrix interface after SO2 exposure. The results demonstrate that suitable selection of laminate architecture and thermal treatment can significantly improve the durability of CFRP structures intended for aggressive environments.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/polym18111270","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,22]],"date-time":"2026-05-22T12:14:52Z","timestamp":1779452092000},"page":"1270","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Effects of Fiber Orientation, Thermal Post-Curing, and Corrosive Environment on the Mechanical Properties of CFRP Laminates"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8416-5723","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"\u0160tefan","family":"Kender","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Automotive Production, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Ko\u0161ice, 04200 Kosice, Slovakia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2440-6342","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Janette","family":"Brezinov\u00e1","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Automotive Production, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Ko\u0161ice, 04200 Kosice, Slovakia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-7810-1787","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"\u0160tefan","family":"Novotn\u00fd","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Automotive Production, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Ko\u0161ice, 04200 Kosice, Slovakia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Petra","family":"Bejdov\u00e1","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical and Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef \u0160af\u00e1rik University in Ko\u0161ice, 04011 Kosice, Slovakia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"143","DOI":"10.1016\/j.paerosci.2005.02.004","article-title":"Fibre Reinforced Composites in Aircraft Construction","volume":"41","author":"Soutis","year":"2005","journal-title":"Prog. 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