Creep Behavior of Fiber-Reinforced Polymeric Composites: A Review of the Technical Literature

Abstract

This report provides a review of the technical literature related to the creep behavior of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites. The review presented here was directed toward those papers that define the direction and line of thinking in the area of experimental techniques that may be candidates for the development of accelerated test methods to predict the long-term performance of FRP composite materials for highway structural applications. Linear and nonlinear viscoelastic theories as they relate to the modeling and prediction of the viscoelastic response of FRP materials under constant loads are included. Accelerated characterization techniques for the viscoelastic behavior of FRP composites including the use of elevated temperatures and frequency domain loading are reviewed. The effects of moisture and temperature on the creep behavior of composites are briefly considered. The interaction between creep behavior and fatigue behavior is also included in the discussion.