Moisture and Thermal Expansion of Composite Materials
Abstract
An experimental technique is presented for determining the moisture and thermal expanbsion coefficients of polymers, and polymer-matrix composite materials. Materials tested included Hercules 3501-6 neat epoxy resin, Hercules AS/3501-6 graphite/epoxy composite and Owens-Corning S2 glass fibers in the same Hercules 3501-6 epoxy matrix. Correlations of the experimentally determined moisture and thermal expansion properties with a nonlinear finite element micromechanics analysis are presented. Thermal expansion results for all three materials, both dry and moisture-conditioned, were obtained. Diffusivity constants were also experimentally determined. It is demonstrated that the moisture and thermal expansion of composite materials can be determined experimentally, and predicted numerically with generally good results. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 1981
- Accession Number
- ADA109131
Entities
People
- Donald F. Adams
- Douglas S. Cairns
Organizations
- University of Wyoming