Document Type

Article

Date of Original Version

2021

Department

Mechanical, Industrial and Systems Engineering

Abstract

An experimentally based study has been conducted to quantify the effects of coupled water saturation and low temperatures on the quasi-static and dynamic mechanical behavior of E-Glass and Carbon Epoxy laminates. The relative performance of the materials as a function of water saturation and decreasing temperature was characterized through detailed experiments, specifically in-plane (tensile/compressive) and shear material properties, static and dynamic Mode-I fracture, and impact/flexure after impact strength. In the investigation temperatures from Room Temperature (20°C) down to arctic seawater and extreme ocean depth conditions (-2°C) were evaluated. The materials utilized in the study, Carbon/Epoxy and E-glass/Epoxy, are chosen due to their primary interest to the underwater vehicle and marine industry communities. The results of the quasi-static and dynamic material experiments show that all properties are affected by both water saturation and decreasing temperature, although the trends are specific to the property under consideration.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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