ISSN: 0884-6804
Page Count: 7

Tensile Fatigue Performance of Glass Fiber Dominated Composites
Huang, DD
Research associate, graduate student, and professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mass.

McGarry, FJ
Research associate, graduate student, and professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mass.

Mandell, JF
Research associate, graduate student, and professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mass.

Abstract

The fatigue data curves of a variety of glass fiber composites ranging from injection-molded thermoplastics and sheet molding compounds to unidirectional laminates are shown to have the same fatigue degradation rate, losing approximately 10% of their initial tensile strength per decade of fatigue cycles. This degradation rate is derived from the reinforcement: unimpregnated strands have the same fatigue performance as do composites. The matrix and interface contribute nothing to the resistance to fatigue failure. The underlying mechanisms responsible for this behavior are discussed. Exceptions occur in some materials because of specimen size effects and in others because of more severe degradation mechanisms such as those that occur with woven fabric reinforcement. The behavior at very low stresses and long lifetimes requires further investigation.

Keywords:
fatigue (materials), composite materials, degradation, stresses

Paper ID: CTR10732J
DOI: 10.1520/CTR10732J
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