Paper number 1194

INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE ON THE DURABILITY OF POLYMER COMPOSITE SYSTEMS

Céline A. Mahieux and Kenneth L. Reifsnider

Materials Response Group, Virginia Tech
120 Patton Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA

Summary

An innovative approach to the temperature dependence of polymer-based systems was used in the present paper. An engineering model was developed that can describe the modulus versus temperature behavior of any polymer (thermoset, thermoplastic, amorphous, semi-crystalline, low/high molecular weight...) from the glassy state to the flow region. This model was applied to neat polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) and successfully integrated into a micromechanics model (compression) that describes the behavior of unidirectional AS4/PPS composite in end-loaded bending. Finally, the importance of this approach for durability tools was illustrated by integrating the stiffness-temperature polymer model into a life prediction code called MRLife to predict the life of a unidirectional carbon fiber polymer matrix composite under combined thermal and mechanical loads.

Keywords

durability, PMC, temperature, stress rupture, fatigue, MRLife.