Abstract
This paper investigates the bending creep of carbon fibre reinforced plastic composites (CFRP) correlating with environmental effects. The study is closely linked to the application of composites in marine renewable energy devices and aircrafts. Composite structures served in marine environment and aerospace are subjected to many aspects in which this paper pursues the effects of water ingress on the creep behaviour. The hygrothermal expansion of the matrix can be induced by the change of moisture content after water immersion, which not only affects the stress distribution in CFRP composites but also degrades the interface of fibre/matrix. Therefore, an accelerated testing method, which includes moisture diffusion and environmental creep, was developed to investigate the interaction between composite creep and marine environmental effects. Angle-ply ([±45]4s) carbon fibre reinforced epoxy composite coupons were designed and manufactured in autoclave, and then submerged in both fresh and seawater for various periods. Bending creep tests were carried out in both air and simulated moisture environment, and the failure mechanisms were investigated using visual and microscopic methods. Additionally, a 3D FEA model was developed to evaluate the stress distribution and the failure mechanisms. The experimental observations gave a good agreement with the FEA solution. The study shows that the creep stiffness was perfectly governed by the power law, and the obvious matrix hardening was observed after water immersion.
Original language | English |
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Number of pages | 0 |
Journal | ICCM International Conferences on Composite Materials |
Volume | 0 |
Issue number | 0 |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2017 |