Abstract
The distribution of absorbed moisture was measured in three integral composite skin-to-spar joint concepts. The graphite/epoxy joint specimens were dried, exposed to heavy water vapor environment and sectioned. The method of nuclear reaction analysis was used to measure the distribution of absorbed moisture in the sectioned specimens. Two of the joint concepts had periodic fibrous reinforcement penetrating the skin: Kevlar stitches in one case and graphite tows in the other. In both case the interior moisture concentrations in and around these stitches and tows were increased considerably above the corresponding interior moisture concentrations in areas remote from the stiches or tows. Measurements of absorbed moisture across the remote sections showed good agreement with Fickian diffusion distributions. The increased interior moisture level around the stitches is consistent with an interlaminar failure obtained in a previous hot-wet skin-spar shear test.
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