Hygrothermal Ageing Modeling and Numerical Testing of Unidirectional Polymeric Composites

Abstract:

Moisture severely affects aerospace structures and offshore platforms during their service life span. It deteriorates the mechanical performance of polymeric composites through long term and cyclic hygrothermal ageing. This reduction in mechanical performance must be considered during product design to ensure long-term structure endurance. In order to decide the long-term moisture effects on composite components, they are exposed to a rapid moisture conditioning. Presently the available qualified methodologies allowing only simple geometry and an assumption that diffusivity rates are independent of the flow path or direction. Therefore a more advanced finite element method is required. In this research work the finite-element analysis was performed to study the moisture diffusion in unidirectional composites. The final goal for this study was to determine the exposure time for rapid moisture conditioning that produces the most accurate moisture distribution in composite laminates.

• Periodical: Advanced Materials Research (Volumes 989-994)
• Pages: 634-637
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.989-994.634
• Online since: July 2014
• Authors: Bhatti Imran Shaban*, Yan Zhao
• Keywords: Finite Element Modeling (FEM), Hygrothermal Ageing, Unidirectional Polymeric Composites

References

[1] L.A. Pilato, M.J. Michno, Advanced composite materials, Springer, (1994).

[2] X. Jiang, H. Kolstein, F.S.K. Bijlaard, Moisture diffusion in glass–fiber-reinforced polymer composite bridge under hot/wet environment, Compos. Part B Eng. 45 (2013) 407–416.

DOI: 10.1016/j.compositesb.2012.04.067

[3] C. -H. Shen, G.S. Springer, Effects of Moisture and Temperature on the Tensile Strength of Composite Materials, J. Compos. Mater. 11 (1977) 2–16.

[4] F. Pierron, Y. Poirette, A. Vautrin, A Novel Procedure for Identification of 3D Moisture Diffusion Parameters on Thick Composites: Theory, Validation and Experimental Results, J. Compos. Mater. 36 (2002) 2219–2243.

DOI: 10.1177/0021998302036019003

[5] C.J. Tsenoglou, S. Pavlidou, C.D. Papaspyrides, Evaluation of interfacial relaxation due to water absorption in fiber–polymer composites, Compos. Sci. Technol. 66 (2006) 2855–2864.

DOI: 10.1016/j.compscitech.2006.02.022

[6] Y. Wang, T.H. Hahn, AFM characterization of the interfacial properties of carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites subjected to hygrothermal treatments, Compos. Sci. Technol. 67 (2007) 92–101.

DOI: 10.1016/j.compscitech.2006.03.030

[7] X. Lv, R. Wang, W. Liu, L. Jiang, Surface and interface properties of carbon fiber composites under cyclical aging, Appl. Surf. Sci. 257 (2011) 10459–10464.

DOI: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2011.06.147

[8] A. Boubakri, K. Elleuch, N. Guermazi, H.F. Ayedi, Investigations on hygrothermal aging of thermoplastic polyurethane material, Mater. Des. 30 (2009) 3958–3965.

DOI: 10.1016/j.matdes.2009.05.038

[9] E. Barjasteh, S.R. Nutt, Moisture absorption of unidirectional hybrid composites, Compos. Part A. 43 (2012) 158–164.

DOI: 10.1016/j.compositesa.2011.10.003

[10] I.S. Bhatti, Z. Yan, Moisture Diffusion Characterization of Carbon Fiber Based Polymeric Composites Under Recurrent Hygrothermal Ageing, Appl. Mech. Mater. 390 (2013) 531–536.

DOI: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.390.531

[11] Y. Joliff, L. Belec, M.B. Heman, J.F. Chailan, Experimental, analytical and numerical study of water diffusion in unidirectional composite materials – Interphase impact, Comput. Mater. Sci. 64 (2012) 141–145.

DOI: 10.1016/j.commatsci.2012.05.029

[12] A. Fick, Ueber diffusion, Ann. Phys. 170 (1855) 59–86.

[13] W. Jost, Diffusion in Solids, Liquids and Gases, Academic Press, (1960).

[14] Abaqus, Abaqus Analysis User's Manual; Mass Diffusion Analysis, (2010).