Affiliation:
1. Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA
Abstract
The effect of voids on the moisture uptake and transverse modulus and strength of a unidirectional glass/epoxy composite has been examined. To create voids, a foaming agent was mixed with the liquid epoxy resin prior to infusion. Micrographs of polished cross-sections indicate that voids are close to spherical in shape appearing in the matrix and at the fiber/matrix interface. The fiber, matrix, and void contents were analyzed by micrograph, burn-off, and density (Archimedes) methods. The void contents in the void-free and void-containing composites were respectively close to zero and 21%. Specimens were immersed in distilled water at 40°C until saturation. The weight gain was monitored periodically. For the void-free specimens, saturation moisture contents of about 0.60%. The void-containing specimens absorbed much more water, about 5%. The Fickian diffusion model provided good fits to experimental data although the transport mechanism for the void-containing composite appeared non-Fickian. Young’s modulus of the void-free composite was slightly affected by water absorption, although, the transverse tensile strength dropped significantly. Voids were found to substantially reduce transverse modulus and strength about 70%, for both dry and water saturated specimens. Moisture content analysis was in good agreement with experiments for the void-free composite but over-predicted the moisture content for the voidcontaining composite. Micromechanics predictions of the transverse modulus were within 21% of the experimental results for void-free and void containing composites at dry and water saturated conditions.
Funder
National Science Foundation
Department of Ocean and Mechanical Eng., Florida Atlantic University
Subject
Materials Chemistry,Mechanical Engineering,Mechanics of Materials,Ceramics and Composites
Cited by
3 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献