Thermo-Viscoelastic Response of Graphite/Epoxy Composites

Abstract

The thermo-viscoleastic behavior of composite materials is studied analytically using a special finite-element formulation. Numerical results on stress and deformation histories are obtained for both unnotched and notched graphite/epoxy composites subjected to mechanical and thermal spectrum loads. The results indicate that time-dependent effects are important in composites with matrix-dominated layup orientations. Such effects also strongly depend on the specific environment condition and load spectrum applied.