Effects of water saturation and low temperature coupling on the mechanical behavior of carbon and E-Glass epoxy laminates

An experimentally based study has been conducted to quantify the effects of coupled water saturation and low temperatures on the quasi-static and dynamic mechanical behavior of E-Glass and Carbon Epoxy laminates. The relative performance of the materials as a function of water saturation and decreas...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International Journal of Lightweight Materials and Manufacture
Main Authors: James LeBlanc, Paul Cavallaro, Jahn Torres, David Ponte, Eric Warner, Irine Chenwi, Arun Shukla
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. 2021
Subjects:
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlmm.2021.05.001
https://doaj.org/article/fd98811bb90944d4aa7942578705da90
Description
Summary:An experimentally based study has been conducted to quantify the effects of coupled water saturation and low temperatures on the quasi-static and dynamic mechanical behavior of E-Glass and Carbon Epoxy laminates. The relative performance of the materials as a function of water saturation and decreasing temperature was characterized through detailed experiments, specifically in-plane (tensile/compressive) and shear material properties, static and dynamic Mode-I fracture, and impact/flexure after impact strength. In the investigation temperatures from Room Temperature (20 °C) down to arctic seawater and extreme ocean depth conditions (−2 °C) were evaluated. The materials utilized in the study, Carbon/Epoxy and E-glass/Epoxy, are chosen due to their primary interest to the underwater vehicle and marine industry communities. The results of the quasi-static and dynamic material experiments show that all properties are affected by both water saturation and decreasing temperature, although the trends are specific to the property under consideration.