Accelerated testing methodology for durability of CFRP

Abstract

An accelerated testing methodology (ATM) for measuring CFRP laminate durability developed by the authors over many years is reviewed in this paper. First, the applicability of ATM to static, creep, and fatigue strengths of various load directions for CFRP laminates of various kinds is examined experimentally based on time–temperature superposition principles for matrix resin viscoelasticity. Second, the formulation for time-dependent and temperature-dependent statistical static, creep, and fatigue strengths for CFRP laminates was done based on the matrix resin viscoelasticity. Third, these strengths of unidirectional CFRP were predicted statistically using the formulated equations. The predicted ones were compared with experimentally obtained data measured from resin-impregnated CFRP strands as specimens of unidirectional CFRP. Finally, the statistical long-term tensile static, creep, and fatigue strengths are discussed in terms of the role of the matrix resin viscoelasticity.