Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
7890551 | Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing | 2016 | 38 Pages |
Abstract
This papers aims to characterize the influence of moisture uptake on the mechanical behaviour of unidirectional flax fibre-reinforced epoxy laminates. Monotonic and cyclic tensile tests and free vibration characterization are carried out. Results show that UD flax-epoxy composites, when exposed to hygrothermal conditioning at 70 °C and 85% RH, exhibit a diffusion kinetic which follows a one dimensional Fickian behaviour. The mass uptake at equilibrium is approximately 3.3% and the diffusion coefficient 6.5 Ã 10â6 m2 sâ1. Water vapour sorption is shown to induce a significant change in the shape of the tensile stress-strain curve, a decrease in the dynamic elastic modulus of about 20% and a 50% increase in the damping ratio. Contrary to all expectations, water saturation does not degrade the monotonic tensile strength of such a flax-epoxy composites and leads to an increase in the fatigue strength for a high number of cycles.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Materials Science
Ceramics and Composites
Authors
Michaël Berges, Romain Léger, Vincent Placet, Véronique Person, Stéphane Corn, Xavier Gabrion, Jérôme Rousseau, Emmanuel Ramasso, Patrick Ienny, Stéphane Fontaine,