Elevated Temperature Exposure Research Articles

Carryover effects of temperature and pCO2 across multiple Olympia oyster populations.

Predicting how populations will respond to ocean change across generations is critical to effective conservation of marine species. One emerging factor is the influence of parental exposures on offspring phenotype, known as intergenerational carryover effects. Parental exposure may deliver beneficial or detrimental characteristics to offspring that can influence larval recruitment patterns, thus shaping how populations and community structure respond to ocean change. Impacts of adult exposure to elevated winter temperature and pCO2 on reproduction and offspring viability were examined in the Olympia oyster (Ostrea lurida) using three populations of adult, hatchery-reared O. lurida, plus an additional cohort spawned from one of the populations. Oysters were sequentially exposed to elevated temperature (+4°C, at 10°C), followed by elevated pCO2 (+2,204μatm, at 3,045μatm) during winter months. Male gametes were more developed after elevated temperature exposure and less developed after high pCO2 exposure, but there was no impact on female gametes or sex ratios. Oysters previously exposed to elevated winter temperature released larvae earlier, regardless of pCO2 exposure. Those exposed to elevated winter temperature as a sole treatment released more larvae on a daily basis but, when also exposed to high pCO2 , there was no effect. These combined results indicate that elevated winter temperature accelerates O. lurida spermatogenesis, resulting in earlier larval release and increased production, with elevated pCO2 exposure negating effects of elevated temperature. Altered recruitment patterns may therefore follow warmer winters due to precocious spawning, but these effects may be masked by coincidental high pCO2 . Offspring were reared in common conditions for 1 yr, then deployed for 3 months in four estuarine bays with distinct environmental conditions. Offspring of parents exposed to elevated pCO2 had higher survival rates in two of the four bays. This carryover effect demonstrates that parental conditions can have substantial ecologically relevant impacts that should be considered when predicting impacts of environmental change. Furthermore, Olympia oysters may be more resilient in certain environments when progenitors are pre-conditioned in stressful conditions. Combined with other recent studies, our work suggests that the Olympia may be more equipped than other oysters for the challenge of a changing ocean.

Thermal Properties of Alkali Activated Slag Plaster for Wooden Structures

Currently, the production of green building materials grows up. Alkali-activated materials (AAMs) based plaster have better fire resistance properties compared to Portland cement-based concrete and plasters. Compared to Portland cement-based systems AAMs retain a significant level of structural stability after exposure to fire events. AAM based concrete doesn’t have at all or has an insignificant amount of calcium hydroxide in the binder structure which exposed to high-temperature changes to calcium oxide. This weakens Portland cement structural properties and allows cracks to appear under high-temperature conditions. This study shows that AAM based plaster that consisted of alkali-activated ground granulated blast furnace slag (slag) with the addition of Phosphogypsum (PG), sand and polypropylene fibre filling exposed to 1000 °C temperature shows up to 2% longitudinal dimension shrinkage. After exposure of elevated temperature these fibers melted leaving a network of channels that allow water vapour vaporize and inner pressure in the material decreased. The start of the wood surface charring process tch is 10 minutes after the start of heating. Using an AAM binder as fire-resistant plaster coating on a wooden structure delays the start of the char layer forming on the wood surface. This allows using AAMs base plaster for fire-resistant coatings on combustible materials as the barrier layer in order to increase the passive safety of wooden structures in heritage buildings.

Exposure to ambient air causes degradation and decreased in vitro potency of buparvaquone and parvaquone

Buparvaquone and parvaquone are hydroxynaphthoquinone compounds commonly used to treat livestock infected with Theileria species such as T. parva and T. annulata. In many (sub)tropical regions, chromatic changes in medicines can result from extreme environmental conditions and improper drug storage or handling, raising the possibility of drug degradation and loss of potency. We evaluated the effects of UV light, elevated temperature, and atmospheric air on the stability and potency of both buparvaquone and parvaquone by using a combination of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and a T. equi based in vitro parasite growth inhibition assay (to measure potency). Aliquots (1ml; 3 replicates per treatment) of each compound were subjected to a variety of treatments that varied in duration and intensity followed by HPLC and potency assays. Exposure to ambient air for 50 days was correlated with a significant loss of potency for both buparvaquone (4535%, P< 0.05) and parvaquone (247%, P< 0.05), while elevated temperature (37°C) and UV light exposure (24 h) had no significant impact (P> 0.05). The decrease in potency of both buparvaquone and parvaquone correlated with drug degradation (r = -0.74 and -0.88, respectively) as measured by HPLC. In practice, if there is headspace present in the vial, then ambient air will invariably enter the vial and contribute to degradation of these compounds. Such degradation may contribute to increasing drug resistance, economic losses for farmers, and animal welfare concerns for animals that are treated for Theileria infections.

Effect of Elevated Temperature Exposures on Shear Properties of Sheathing Panels

Abstract Structural wall sheathing such as oriented strand board (OSB) and plywood have been heavily used in residential and commercial timber frame construction. The response of these wood-based composites under elevated temperatures between 100°C and 200°C (herein referred to as elevated temperatures) and exposure time needs to be characterized to assess residual strength of the materials in the existing structures. The main objective of this work is to study the effect of temperature and exposure time on shear strength and shear modulus of plywood and OSB. A total of 110 test specimens was tested in shear after exposure to five different temperatures and two exposure durations, followed by cooling to ambient temperature. The results indicated that the plywood and OSB behaved differently after exposure to elevated temperatures and exposure duration. Plywood showed a consistent degradation of shear strength with elevated temperature and time, while OSB did not exhibit a clear picture of thermal degradation. The results further indicated that the shear modulus of plywood and OSB remained unaffected after exposure to elevated temperatures.

Molecular mechanisms of acclimation to long-term elevated temperature exposure in marine symbioses.

Seawater temperature rise in French Polynesia has repeatedly resulted in the bleaching of corals and giant clams. Because giant clams possess distinctive ectosymbiotic features, they represent a unique and powerful model for comparing molecular pathways involved in (a) maintenance of symbiosis and (b) acquisition of thermotolerance among coral reef organisms. Herein, we explored the physiological and transcriptomic responses of the clam hosts and their photosynthetically active symbionts over a 65day experiment in which clams were exposed to either normal or environmentally relevant elevated seawater temperatures. Additionally, we used metabarcoding data coupled with in situ sampling/survey data to explore the relative importance of holobiont adaptation (i.e., a symbiont community shift) versus acclimation (i.e., physiological changes at the molecular level) in the clams' responses to environmental change. We finally compared transcriptomic data to publicly available genomic datasets for Symbiodiniaceae dinoflagellates (both cultured and in hospite with the coral Pocillopora damicornis) to better tease apart the responses of both hosts and specific symbiont genotypes in this mutualistic association. Gene module preservation analysis revealed that the function of the symbionts' photosystem II was impaired at high temperature, and this response was also found across all holobionts and Symbiodiniaceae lineages examined. Similarly, epigenetic modulation appeared to be a key response mechanism for symbionts in hospite with giant clams exposed to high temperatures, and such modulation was able to distinguish thermotolerant from thermosensitive Cladocopium goreaui ecotypes; epigenetic processes may, then, represent a promising research avenue for those interested in coral reef conservation in this era of changing global climate.

Spalling behavior of metakaolin-fly ash based geopolymer concrete under elevated temperature exposure

Fire-induced spalling is a serious risk to concrete structures, especially for high strength concrete structures. This paper presents results from high temperature spalling tests on geopolymer concrete. The effect of moisture content, concrete strength, heating rate and temperature level on the spalling behavior of geopolymer concrete is studied. The temperature-induced spalling mechanism in geopolymer concrete is investigated through the measurement of residual compressive and splitting tensile strength, variation in permeability (by sorptivity test) and chemical composition (by X-ray diffraction test) of geopolymer concrete after elevated temperature exposure up to 700 °C. The test results indicate that geopolymer concrete exhibit a good spalling resistance as compared to that of OPC concrete. The lower spalling risk in geopolymer concrete under high temperature exposure is facilitated from the highly connected pore structures and lower strength degradation with temperatures. Further results indicate that the pore structure (permeability) of geopolymer concrete gets a significant evolution with the exposure temperature, especially above 500 °C range. This is related to the sintering reaction in geopolymer binders at high temperatures.

Influence of Elevated Temperature Treatment on the Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of Carbon Fibers in Argon Environment

The elevated temperature resistance and fire resistance of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites are a critical concern for many applications. The mechanical properties of carbon fiber at elevated temperatures play a crucial role on the mechanical property of CFRP. In many cases, carbon fiber may not directly exposed to air due to the coverage of resin matrix or coatings at elevated temperatures. In the present paper, exposure at 400-700 °C for 30 min, or at 500 °C for 30 min ~ 10 h in argon was simulated in the above case for carbon fibers. The evolution of chemical structural and mechanical properties of carbon fibers at elevated temperatures was investigated. It was found that the tensile strength of the carbon fibers was reduced remarkably, and the tensile modulus was not sensitive to the elevated temperature exposure. Decrease in the shape parameter of carbon fiber after exposure indicated the increase in defects and disordering. Furthermore, elevated temperature exposure does not significantly change the fiber mass, C–C skeleton and graphite crystallite size. However, the micropore size and graphite interlayer spacing increased obviously, leading to the weakened lateral cross-linking between the graphite layers. Finally, the evolution of the tensile strength with the exposed temperatures and time was discussed quantitatively. The contribution factors of van der Waals and amorphous carbon on the tensile strength were found to be 75 and 25%, respectively.

Thermal Cycles and Deformation Characters During High-Speed Micro Friction Stir Welding Process of AA7075-T6 Sheets

Thermal cycles and deformations during high-speed micro friction stir welding (μFSW) under different welding conditions were studied by experimental methods. The results show that the peak temperature and elevated-temperature exposure time (t150) increased with the increasing of rotational speed and decreased with the increasing of welding speed. Increasing rotational speed or welding speed led to an increase in both heating and cooling rates. The joint fabricated by the pinless tool experienced a lower peak temperature, a shorter elevated-temperature exposure time, and a larger temperature gradient than that by the pin tool. The welded sheet presented an anti-saddle deformation character, with convex bending in a longitudinal direction and concave angular bending in a transverse direction. In comparison to the pin tool, the longitudinal maximum bending deformation, Zmax, of the joint fabricated by the pinless tool was reduced by 12.35%, and the transverse angular deformation, α, was reduced by 6.67%. In comparison to the steel backing plate, the Zmax of the joint produced using a copper backing plate was reduced by 40.66%, but the α was increased by 53.27%.

Role of tool design on thermal cycling and mechanical properties of a high-speed micro friction stir welded 7075-T6 aluminum alloy

AA7075-T6 sheet welds that were 0.5 mm thick were fabricated by micro friction stir welding (μFSW) using a pinless tool as well as a pin tool. The experiments were conducted at a higher rotational speed of 6000 rpm and a higher welding speed of 1200 mm/min than those that are used in conventional FSW. The heat generation, peak temperature and elevated-temperature exposure time (t150) of the joints fabricated by the pin tool were higher than those fabricated by the pinless tool at the same shoulder penetration depth. The minimum ratio of the thickness reduction at the center of the friction stir weld was 0% for the pinless tool at a penetration depth of 0.14 mm. In comparison to those for the joints fabricated by the pin tool, the joint fabricated by the pinless tool showed less softening and better tensile properties. For the welds fabricated by the pin tool, the tensile properties increased with increasing penetration depth. In the case of welds made by the pinless tool, the tensile specimens failed at the transition region between the stir zone and the thermomechanically affected zone on the retreating side due to the local thickness reduction. However, the tensile specimens failed at the center of the stir zone due to kissing bond defects in the joints produced by the pin tool.

Crack Propagation and Effect of Mixed Oxides on TGO Growth in Thick La–Gd–YSZ Thermal Barrier Coating

Thick thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) are the main choice in the aviation industry due to their ability to handle elevated temperature exposure in turbines. However, the efficacy of thick TBCs has not been adequate. This study presents a highly durable, thick top-coat (TC) of Lanthanum–gadolinium–yttria stabilized zirconia (La–Gd–YSZ) on high-velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF)-bond coat (HVOF-BC). Crack propagation was quantitatively assessed using a three-dimensional (3D) measuring laser microscope due to higher reliability in calculating the actual crack length of TBC. The findings revealed the HVOF-BC is highly durable with intact structural composition, while the conventional TBC of atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) bond coat (APS-BC) of the same composition and thickness with identical TC was detached at a crack-susceptible zone. The significant enhancement in HVOF-BC is due to the low mixed-oxides growth rate in thermally grown oxide (TGO) with a uniform and dense protective layer of stable Al2O3 which reduces crack propagation. Meanwhile, the failure in APS-BC can be attributed to the high TGO growth rate and thickness with segmented and unstable Al2O3. Furthermore, detrimental mixed oxides such as spinel Ni(Cr,Al)2O4 and NiO lead to disastrous horizontal and compressive cracks. To that end, we study the effect of TGO growth and crack propagation on HVOF-BC TBCs using APS-BC TBCs as a reference.

Fatigue behavior of concrete beams reinforced with glass- and carbon-fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP/CFRP) bars after exposure to elevated temperatures

This paper deals with fatigue performance of concrete beams reinforced with fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) bars after exposure to elevated temperatures. A total of 13 concrete beams reinforced with glass- and carbon-fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP/CFRP) bars were tested under static and fatigue loading after exposure to different levels of elevated temperatures. The influences of elevated temperature, holding time, fatigue load level and FRP bar type on the fatigue behavior of beams were investigated. The results showed that the elevated temperature exposure reduced more severely the fatigue life of GFRP-reinforced concrete beam than that of CFRP-reinforced beam below 400 °C, and GFRP- and CFRP-reinforced beams both lost their bearing capacities when the exposure temperature reached 600 °C. The elevated temperature accelerated the development of concrete strain, crack width and deflection of FRP-reinforced concrete beams with the number of fatigue cycles. The mid-span deflection was predicted using some existing models, and the CEB-FIP model showed the best accuracy with the coefficient of variation of 2.8–7.0%. The fatigue strength of GFRP- or CFRP-reinforced concrete beams is not affected by elevated temperatures up to 400 °C for 2 h.

Characterization of Gut Microbiome in the Mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis in Response to Thermal Stress.

The gut microbiota is essential for utilization of energy and nutrition and may have a role in host immunity in response to environmental shifts. The present study evaluated the temperature stress (increasing from 21 to 27°C) on gut microbiome and dynamics of the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis by 16S rRNA gene sequencing with the aim of discovering the gut microbiome resilience to warming. Exposure to high temperature of 27°C significantly reduced the survival of M. galloprovincialis associated with increased microbial diversity of gut. The microbial communities were shifted with elevated temperature (from 21 to 27°C) and different exposure time (from day 0 to day 7) by principal coordinate analysis (PCoA). Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) revealed that the relative abundance of Vibrio and Arcobacter presented in live animals as the top genus-level biomarkers during the initial exposure to 27°C and followed by microbiomes fluctuation with increasing exposure time at day 4 and day 7. The proliferation of opportunistic pathogens such as genus Vibrio and Arcobacter might increase host susceptibility to disease and contributed greatly to mortality. The results obtained in this study provide the knowledge on ecological adaptation for south domestication of M. galloprovincialis and host–bacteria interaction during temperature stress (27°C).

Microstructure of calcium carbonate whisker reinforced cement paste after elevated temperature exposure

Calcium carbonate whisker (CW) could improve mechanical properties of cementitious composites at room temperature. Aiming at using CW as high-performance and low-cost microfiber at high temperature, the microstructural changes of cementitious composites with CW exposed to high temperature are clarified in this research. From room temperature to 500 °C, additional hydration of unhydrated binder grains in steam environment occur (“internal autoclaving”). Moreover, CW transferred from aragonite to calcite in cement paste at about 375 °C (“phase transformation”). Under these coupling effects, calcite CW forms stronger bond with these rehydration products than that at room temperature, also improving the pore distribution and compressive strength. At 800 to 1000 °C, CW increases the pore size and decreases the compressive strength of cement paste due to CW decomposition. From 1000 to 1100 °C, the residual compressive strengths of CW reinforced cement pastes increase slightly because of the forming of calcium silicate and Ca(OH)2.

Study on Tensile Properties of CFRP Plates under Elevated Temperature Exposure.

Elevated temperature exposure has a negative effect on the performance of the matrix resin in Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics (CFRP) plates, whereas limited quantitative research focuses on the deteriorations. Therefore, 30 CFRP specimens were designed and tested under elevated temperatures (10, 30, 50, 70, and 90 °C) to explore the degradations in tensile properties. The effect of temperature on the failure mode, stress-strain curve, tensile strength, elastic modulus and elongation of CFRP plates were investigated. The results showed that elevated temperature exposure significantly changed the failure characteristics. When the exposed temperature increased from 10 °C to 90 °C, the failure mode changed from the global factures in the whole CFRP plate to the successive fractures in carbon fibers. Moreover, with temperatures increasing, tensile strength and elongation of CFRP plates decreases gradually while the elastic modulus shows negligible change. Finally, the results of One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) show that the degradation of the tensile strength of CFRP plates was due to the impact of elevated temperature exposure, rather than the test error.

Impact of climate change on the American lobster (Homarus americanus): Physiological responses to combined exposure of elevated temperature and pCO2

The physiological consequences of exposing marine organisms to predicted future ocean scenarios, i.e. simultaneous increase in temperature and pCO2, have only recently begun to be investigated. Adult American lobster (Homarus americanus) were exposed to either current (16 °C, 47 Pa pCO2, pH 8.10) or predicted year 2300 (20 °C, 948 Pa pCO2, pH 7.10) ocean parameters for 14–16 days prior to assessing physiological changes in their hemolymph parameters as well as whole animal ammonia excretion and resting metabolic rate. Acclimation of lobster simultaneously to elevated pCO2 and temperature induced a prolonged respiratory acidosis that was only partially compensated for via accumulation of extracellular HCO3– and ammonia. Furthermore, acclimated animals possessed significantly higher ammonia excretion and oxygen consumption rates suggesting that future ocean scenarios may increase basal energetic demands on H. americanus. Enzyme activity related to protein metabolism (glutamine dehydrogenase, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase) in hepatopancreas and muscle tissue were unaltered in future ocean scenario exposed animals; however, muscular citrate synthase activity was reduced suggesting that, while protein catabolism may be unchanged, the net energetic output of muscle may be compromised in future scenarios. Overall, H. americanus acclimated to ocean conditions predicted for the year 2300 appear to be incapable of fully compensating against climate change-related acid-base challenges and experience an increase in metabolic waste excretion and oxygen consumption. Combining our study with past literature on H. americanus suggests that the whole lifecycle from larvae to adult stages is at risk of severe growth, survival and reproductive consequences due to climate change.

Performance of magnesia-modified sodium carbonate-activated slag/fly ash concrete

Various innovative research in the cement industry is looking into improving its environmental sustainability. Sodium carbonate-activated slag/fly ash (NC-SF) binders has recently evolved as a potentially more sustainable binding materials than both Portland cement and conventional alkali activated materials such as sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide activated materials. The reaction mechanism and some microstructural properties of NC-SF cements have been a major area of research recently. However, very few studies have scaled up the investigation of these binders into concrete specimens. This paper, therefore, provides new insight into the strength development and the durability performance of NC-SF concrete and MgO-modified NC-SF concrete. Concrete testing included measurements of compressive strength, split tensile strength, water absorption, depth of carbonation, sulphate exposure, acid exposure and elevated-temperature exposure. Microstructure studies were conducted using Powder X-Ray diffraction (PXRD), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). It is concluded that NC-SF concrete mixes develop acceptable mechanical strength and demonstrate high resistance to sulphate attack. They also showed higher resistance to acid attack than the control mix based on sodium silicate-activated slag concrete. Here, emphasis is placed on the potential of developing NC-SF concrete with excellent performance and less complicated production methods as well as a low carbon footprint. It is also found that the use of reactive MgO enhanced the strength development of NC-SF concrete as well as its resistance to acid and carbonation.

High-flux hydrogen irradiation-induced cracking of tungsten reproduced by low-flux plasma exposure

Hydrogen-induced cracking (HiC) or blistering is a commonly observed feature in plasma-loaded material surfaces. HiC exhibits a strong dependence on the irradiation parameters, such as incident flux and fluence, particle energy, and sample temperature. However, the underlying physics of this process is still not understood. Focusing on HiC with intragranular cavities in tungsten (W) exposed to deuterium (D) plasma, we apply a one-dimensional (1D) flux-balance model and further propose the crucial role of the solute D distribution in the subsurface region for initiating HiC formation in plasma-loaded surfaces. Within this proposal, HiC features previously observed only under high-flux (~1024 D m−2 s−1), elevated-temperature (~500 K) exposure conditions—the coexistence of protrusions with intragranular cavities and small-sized, dome-shaped blisters with intergranular cracking at the surfaces—were reproduced in our low-flux experiments (~1020 D m−2 s−1) by loading W samples at low sample temperatures (230 K). The presence of protrusions in low-flux experiments is attributed to the comparable local solute D distribution in the corresponding blistering-relevant depth in both types of D plasma exposure. Applying the 1D flux-balance model to the interpretation of HiC formation in plasma-loaded surfaces, the present work allows us to further explore the underlying physics of HiC formation under well-defined experimental conditions.

The Effect of a Single Heating Treatment on Laboratory Mice Behavior, Adult Neurogenesis, and the Expression of Heatshock Protein HSP-70

Male hybrid mice (F1 CBA × C57BL/6J) were kept for 1.5 h at 39.5°С. In cognitive tests (extrapolation and puzzle-box elementary logic task solution), mice of the experimental groups (after exposure to an elevated temperature) solved the tasks more quickly and more successfully, while their activity in the “small open field” (in which no stress-inducing stimuli were present) and in the Porsolt test (unescapable swimming) was higher than in control mice. In separate experiments, the temporary impairment in the adult neurogenesis (the decrease of new cell numbers detected immunо-histochemically by the marker Ki67) after elevated temperature exposure was demonstrated in both the subgranular area of dentate fascia and in the subventricular proliferative zone of the forebrain. The heating treatment was accompanied by the increase of HSP-70 expression at the time point 3 h after the treatment, while no differences from control were found after 24 h.

Evaluation of Properties and Microstructure of Cement Paste Blended with Metakaolin Subjected to High Temperatures.

The effects of 10% metakaolin addition on compressive strength, water absorption, shrinkage and microstructure evolution of cement paste after elevated temperatures exposure from room temperature to 800 °C were evaluated. The experimental results show that compressive strength increases at 200 °C and 400 °C compared with that obtained at ambient temperature. Up to 800 °C, compressive strength decreases rapidly. The addition of 10% metakaolin leads to the enhancement of compressive strength regardless of exposure temperatures. After thermal exposure at 400 °C, compressive strength reaches the maximum value. Thermal exposure degrades pore structure. A polynomial equation was used to indicate the shrinkage of cement paste or metakaolin-blended cement paste with testing days. Mechanical properties, permeability resistance, and shrinkage in cement pastes are closely related to the microstructure development. 10% metakaolin addition presents better thermal resistance, lower shrinkage and denser microstructure compared with pure cement paste before and after thermal exposure.

Influence of continuous and cyclic temperature durations on the performance of polymer cement mortar and its composite with concrete

Polymer cement mortar (PCM) is a widely used cementitious repairing material due to its considerable adhesive property with concrete. However, the polymers are sensitive to elevated temperatures. The behaviours of polymers and PCM at elevated temperatures (e.g., 60 °C) for short, moderate duration and cyclic conditions remain unknown and need to be explored. This work was aimed at studying the mechanical performance of PCM and PCM-concrete composites under the aforementioned exposure conditions. The bond strength in tension was evaluated by interfacial split tensile and flexural strength tests. A reduction in the mechanical strength of PCM was observed when exposed and tested at 60 °C, and the strength recovery was also observed after cooling the specimen. The cyclic temperature condition has the most detrimental influence on the mechanical behaviour of PCM and PCM-concrete interface compared to other exposure conditions. To reveal the damage mechanism, the polymers were extracted from the PCM, and the glass transition (Tg) and melting point temperatures were obtained by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis. Corresponding to the mechanical reduction of the PCM and interface, the reduction in the Tg value was also observed after elevated temperature and cyclic temperature exposure except the case exposed to moist condition. The maximum strength recovery was observed when the testing temperature was less than Tg. Besides, the molecular weight of the extracted polymers was analysed by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The ratio of the area regarding the amount of oligomers to the area regarding the molecular weight of the GPC curve increased with the temperature duration, which was consistent with the tensile strength reduction of PCM.