- Title
- Experimental analysis of damage development in carbon fiber reinforced composites under cyclic loading
- Creator
- Hluyo, M.E., Madyira, D.M., Janse van Rensburg, N.
- Subject
- Carbon fiber reinforced composites (CFRC), Damage development, Epoxy resin
- Date
- 2016
- Type
- Conference proceedings
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10210/123910
- Identifier
- uj:20850
- Identifier
- Citation: Hluyo, M.E., Madyira, D.M & Janse van Rensburg, N. 2016. Experimental analysis of damage development in carbon fiber reinforced composites under cyclic loading.
- Description
- Abstract: There is a global need to design low weight structures for strategic, business, and social purposes. Reducing weight is critical for improving energy consumption as well as addressing range, performance, size, and cost challenges associated with structural design, especially in the automotive and aerospace industries. In recognition of this need, advances are being made in replacing high strength steels, magnesium and aluminum alloys with carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composites. These have many merits which include weight reduction for lower fuel consumption, resistance to environmental degradation and better aesthetic appeal. For most applications, the carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composites are exposed to cyclic loading leading to fatigue failure. High cycle fatigue in metals usually evolves by the single crack initiation which propagates until catastrophic failure. In contrast to metals, damage development in carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composites occurs in a complex global fashion which occupies an under-researched field. To enable better design, there is a need for a better understanding of carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composites, in particular, damage progression during cyclic loading. The aim of this paper is to investigate damage development during fatigue loading in carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composites. To this end, carbon fiber/epoxy composites produced from a bi-axial carbon material with a fiber volume fraction of 30% were investigated. The specimens were prepared using a hand layup molding technique. The results showed the first two of the three common stages observed during fatigue damage development. The first stage involved rapid damage, followed by stage two which is gradual, and the final stage which is rapid was not observed. The obtained results clearly show the fatigue damage mechanisms in carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composite materials.
- Language
- English
- Rights
- ©2016, authors
- Full Text
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