Firefighting and Emergency Response Study of Advanced Composites Aircraft; Objective 1: Composite Material Damage in Minor Aircraft Fires.

摘要

Three aerospace composite materials with quasi-isotropic layup were exposed to varied uniform radiant heating to evaluate the delamination damage caused by the thermal environment. Three classes of matrix resins were evaluated with IM7 carbon fibers; epoxy 977-3, modified bismaleimide RM3002 and condensation polyimide AFR-PE-4. Thermal exposure was mild and indicative of a hydrocarbon pool fire at a standoff from the material. After exposure, the plates were machined into four-point bend and tensile samples and mechanically tested. Mechanical degradation in terms of tensile and flexural modulus and strength were documented as a function of exposure level. Microscopy of the machined sections was performed to document the observed damage.