Experimental evaluation of hygrothermal effects on pseudo-ductile thin ply angle-ply carbon/epoxy laminates

Thin ply angle-ply carbon fibre reinforced-polymer (CFRP) laminates can suppress damage until final failure under static and dynamic loading. Given the sensitivity of the polymer matrix to temperature and moisture, it is imperative to understand the influence of the environment on angle-ply CFRP composites. At -50 degrees C, specimens displayed more brittle behaviour compared to room temperature, whereas at a temperature of 80 degrees C specimens showed increased pseudo-ductility. Water bath conditioning at 60 degrees C until saturation had little effect on specimens tested at -50 degrees C. Wet specimens tested at room temperature showed lower failure stresses and higher failure strains compared to their dry counterparts. A combination of water bath immersion and testing at 80 degrees C induced extremely non-linear behaviour, with a reduction of the failure stresses and, in this case, also failure strain.

Automated summary

Testing angle-ply CFRP composites under different environmental conditions shows significant influence of temperature and moisture on their performance. Specimens at different temperatures exhibit different failure behaviors, with wet specimens showing lower failure stresses and higher failure strains compared to dry specimens.