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Effect of long‐term water exposure on properties of carbon and graphite fiber reinforced epoxies
Author(s) -
Mazor Avraham,
Broutman Lawrence J.,
Eckstein Bernard H.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
polymer engineering and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.503
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1548-2634
pISSN - 0032-3888
DOI - 10.1002/pen.760180502
Subject(s) - materials science , composite material , epoxy , distilled water , flexural strength , moisture , relative humidity , composite number , graphite , absorption of water , residual strength , humidity , carbon fibers , chemistry , physics , chromatography , thermodynamics
The effects of long term exposure to dry and humid environments on carbon‐epoxy and graphite‐epoxy composites have been studied. Filament wound Naval Ordnance Laboratory rings were fabricated in 1965 and were placed in dry, distilled water and sea water for 11 years. Moisture desorption tests were conducted in order to determine the water content of specimens exposed to the water environments, The effect of the history on moisture absorption characteristics was investigated by re‐exposure of partially and completely dried specimens to two different environments: distilled water at 60°C and 98% relative humidity at 60°C. The weight gain was measured and diffusion coefficients were calculated. Horizontal shear tests and flexural tests were performed on “wet” specimens (current properties) and on partially and completely dried specimens (residual properties). The shear strength of the carbon‐epoxy composites is degraded by the exposure while that of the graphite‐epoxy composite is slightly increased. The composite flexural strengths are not degraded by the exposure. These results are discussed in terms of failure modes.