SEDL / STP / STP580-EB / STP32334S

Thermoelastic Expansion of Graphite-Epoxy Unidirectional and Angle-Ply Composites

Wang, ASD
Visiting professor, National Taiwan University and Chung-Shan Research Institute of Science and Technology,

Pipes, RB
Associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Del.

Ahmadi, A
Visiting assistant professor of civil engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pa.

Pages: 12    Published: Jan 1975

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Abstract

An experimental investigation of the thermal expansion of a unidirectional fiber-reinforced composite material is described herein. The basic material used in the tests was a prepreg graphite-epoxy tape, designated as Modmor-II, supplied by NARMCO. Unidirectional and angel-ply laminates were made from the prepreg tape and were tested for their linear thermal expansion in the temperature range between 25 and 150 °C (77 and 302 °F). The experimental results compared reasonably well with the predicted values of the thermal expansion coefficients calculated based on several existing linear elastic micromechanics theories and lamination theories.