Temperature Dependence of Sound Velocity in High-Strength Fiber-Reinforced Plastics

Abstract

Longitudinal sound velocity in unidirectional hybrid composites or high-strength fiber-reinforced plastics (FRPs) was measured along the fiber axis over a wide temperature range (from 77 K to 420 K). We investigated two kinds of high-strength crystalline polymer fibers, polyethylene (Dyneema) and polybenzobisoxazole (Zylon), which are known to have negative thermal expansion coefficients and high thermal conductivities along the fiber axis. Both FRPs had very high sound velocities of about 9000 m/s at low temperatures and their temperature dependences were very strong. Sound velocity monotonically decreased with increasing temperature. The temperature dependence of sound velocity was much stronger in Dyneema-FRP than in Zylon-FRP.