SEDL / STP / STP1274-EB / STP16551S

Micromechanical Characterization of Nonlinear Behavior of Advanced Polymer Matrix Composites

Gates, TS
Research scientist, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA

Chen, J-L
Research associate and professor, School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN

Sun, CT
Research associate and professor, School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN

Pages: 25    Published: Jan 1996

Download this paper for $25 PDF (484K)          View License Agreement
Abstract

Due to the presence of curing stresses and oriented crystalline structures in the matrix of polymer matrix fiber composites, the in situ nonlinear properties of the matrix are expected to be rather different from those of the bulk resin. A plane-stress micromechanical model was developed to retrieve the in situ elastic-plastic properties of Narmco 5260 and Amoco 8320 matrices from measured elastic-plastic properties of IM7/5260 and IM7/8320 advanced composites. In the micromechanical model, the fiber was assumed to be orthotropically elastic and the matrix to be orthotropic in elastic and plastic properties. The results indicate that both in situ elastic and plastic properties of the matrices are orthotropic.