Temperature Effects on Fatigue of Polymer Composites.
Temperature Effects on Fatigue of Polymer Composites.
(244 K)
Tang, H. C.; Nguyen, T.; Chuang, T. J.; Chin, J. W.; Wu,
H. F.; Lesko, J.
Composites Engineering, 7th Annual International
Conference. ICCE/7. Proceedings. Sponsored and
Organized for Composites Engineering and College of
Engineering, University of New Orleans. July 2-8, 2000,
Denver, CO, Hui, D., Editor(s), 861-862 pp, 2000.
Keywords:
composite materials; temperature effects; fatigue
(materials)
Abstract:
Fiber-reinforced polymeric composites provide
lightweight, high strength, and corrosive resistance to
severe environmental exposures. These composites have
been extensively used in aerospace and military
application over the last three decades and are being
extended into civil engineering applications. However,
there is little quantitative research on the effects of
civil engineering environments, namely, water, sea
water, temperature, concrete pore solution, ultraviolet
light, and loading on the fatigue of polymeric
composites. We have developed a fatigue model, for
predicting the fatigue life of fiber-reinforced
polymeric composites, that incorporates applied maximum
stress, stress amplitude, loading frequency, residual
tensile modulus, and material constants. The model has
been verified with experimental fatigue data of a glass
fiber/vinyl ester composite in various environments:
air, fresh water, and saltwater at 30 deg C. This study
continues to investigate the effects on fatigue life by
the change of temperature. Both the residual mechanical
properties at specified loading cycles and the number of
cycles at which the specimens fail are measured. The
results show, for the material used in this study, that
the fatigue life in these aqueous environments at 65 deg
C is about the same as that at 30 deg C, but the fatigue
life at 4 deg C is significantly longer than that at 30
deg C. Based on these experimental data, the material
constants, m and C, are derived as functions of
temperature, T.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899