Composite Life Under Sustained Compression And One Sided Simulated Fire Exposure: Characterization And Prediction

摘要

This work focuses on the mechanical performance of E-glass/fire retardant bisphenol A epoxy vinyl ester composites under compressive loads that are exposed to a one sided heat flux. The goals of the experimental work were to adequately characterize lamina off axis stiffness response at elevated temperatures, and to characterize the response of laminate specimens exposed to combined thermal and mechanical loading. A unique test was developed that exposed laminate coupon specimens to a one sided heat flux and mechanical load. Experiments were conducted in an effort to characterize the effect temperature has on the reversible off axis stiffness; this data would be used in the modeling of the laminate specimens exposed to the combined loading scenario. Modeling techniques that predict the time to failure and the strain history of vinyl ester samples subjected to a simultaneous compressive and thermal load is developed and compared against experimental data. Only reversible material property changes that are a function of temperature are accounted for in the modeling efforts. The modeling approaches agree reasonably well with experimental results that do not include the effects of elevated temperature creep.