Characterization of thermo-mechanical and long-term behaviors of multi-layered composite materials

Abstract

This study presents characterization of thermo-mechanical viscoelastic and long-term behaviors of thick-section multi-layered fiber reinforced polymer composite materials. The studied multi-layered systems belong to a class of thermo-rheologically complex materials, in which both stress and temperature affect the time-dependent material response. The multi-layered composites consist of alternating layers of unidirectional fiber (roving) and randomly oriented continuous filament mat. Isothermal creep-recovery tests at various stresses and temperatures are performed on E-glass/vinylester and Eglass/ polyester off-axis specimens. Analytical representation of a nonlinear single integral equation is applied to model the thermo-mechanical viscoelastic responses for each off-axis specimen. Long-term material behaviors are then obtained through vertical and horizontal time shifting using analytical and graphical shifting procedures. Linear extrapolation of transient creep compliance is used to extend the material responses for longer times. The extended long-term creep strains of the uniaxial E-glass/vinylester specimens are verified with the long-term experimental data of Scott and Zureick (1998). A sensitivity analyses is then conducted to examine the impact of error in material parameter characterizations to the overall long-term material behaviors. Finally, the calibrated long-term material parameters are used to study the long-term behavior of multi-layered composite structures. For this purpose, an integrated micromechanical material and finite element structural analyses is employed. Previously developed viscoelastic micromodels of multi-layered composites are used to generate the effective nonlinear viscoelastic responses of the studied composite systems and then implemented as a material subroutine in Abaqus finite element code. Several long-term composite structures are analyzed, that is; I-shaped columns and flat panels under axial compression, and a sandwich beam under the point bending and transmission tower under lateral forces. It is shown that the integrated micromechanical-finite element model is capable of predicting the long-term behavior of the multilayered composite structures.