Impact Damage Tolerance of Composites Exposed to Hot, Cold and Wet Environments

摘要

The purpose of the present study was to determine the failure threshold (withrespect to energy level of impact) of Torlon-C/graphite/glass and APC-2 composite materials, with the samples being conditioned and tested at predetermined hygrothermal environments. A test matrix involving ply-orientations, temperature (-60 F, 75 F, 180 F and 280 F) and humidities (15%, 50% and 100% RH) was created. For each test condition of the matrix, the failure threshold was developed by subjecting compression coupons to impact damage at various energy levels with a 12.7 mm (0.5 ) diameter aluminum projectile. The forward velocities used in the tests ranged from 27.4 to 152.4 m/s (90 to 500 ft/s). The behavior of composite materials under the combined effects of impact, humidity and temperature has been a topic of concern among investigators. Much of the research currently available has focused upon the effect of a single factor (e.g. impact), or the effect of humidity and temperature. The purpose of this study was to investigate the combined effect of all these factors on the degradation of laminates.