Thanks to their low density and tailored properties, polymer matrix composites are attractive candidates for a large number of industrial applications ranging from aerospace to transportation and energy. However, the behaviour of polymer-based materials is strongly affected by a number of environmental factors. Environmental Degradation in Industrial Composites provides vital information on the effects of environmental factors such as temperature, liquid and gas exposure, electrical fields and radiations, and how micro- and micromechanical calculations during design and manufacture must take these effects into account. The book concludes with reviews on standard and specific testing methods for the various environmental factors and their combinations, helping mechanical/materials engineers and specifiers to predict possible changes due to environmental conditions. Each chapter is supplemented by industrial case studies to help in the understanding of degradation of composites in real life situations.This book will help you to...* Understand how environmental factors lead to degradation effects in polymer matrix composite structures* Build these factors into calculations when predicting the part performance and lifetime of structures* Compare real-life situations from case studies with your predicted results* Predict probable composite behaviour with greater accuracyThis book will help you to...* Understand how environmental factors lead to degradation effects in polymer matrix composite structures* Build these factors into calculations when predicting the part performance and lifetime of structures* Compare real-life situations from case studies with your predicted results* Predict probable composite behaviour with greater accuracy

This book emphasizes the scientific origin of deformation and damage of FRP composites under various environmental effects and analyses present understanding on degradation mechanisms, role of interfaces and addition of nanofillers Discusses micro-characterization of composites and interfaces, also includes micro-mechanisms and microscopic evidences to establish the structure-property correlation Elucidates advantages and limitations of FRP composites in supercritical applications

High temperature polymer matrix composites are key candidates for the structural components of proposed supersonic transport aircraft. The operational environment of these vehicles exposes the airframe to harsh conditions, including temperature extremes and moisture. These environments have been seen to cause visible damage in polymer matrix composites in timescales much less than the lifetime of the vehicle. Therefore, there is an urgent requirement for accelerated testing of the key components of the environment. A first step to this goal is to identify the components of the environment responsible for the damage. The effects of a realistic moisture and thermal environment on two high temperature polymer matrix composites (PETI-5 and PIXA-M) have been investigated in this work. An extensive test program was developed to test the response of the materials to this baseline environment and its individual components: time at moisture, moisture cycling, time at temperature and thermal cycling. Mechanism-based models were used to design accelerated moisture cycles and accelerated thermal cycles in an attempt to speed up the response to these environmental factors. These accelerated cycles were also used in the test program. The results showed visible damage in the form of cracking in both materials. The PIXA-M material was found to show more damage than the PETI-5. Cracking was confined to a thin layer of material next to the exposed edge. This suggests that the environmental exposure is reducing the effective fracture toughness of the material in this layer more than in the interior. Analysis suggests that this layer is exposed to more of the environmental components and fluctuations than the material in the interior. The individual components of time at moisture and thermal cycling were seen to cause cracking, while time at temperature did not, and moisture cycling did not appear to accelerate moisture damage. The combined environments in the baseline cycle caused more damage than any one component of the cycle on its own. Evidence points to the combined effects of time at moisture and thermal cycling as being the dominant parameters causing damage, while moisture cycling controls the extent of the damaged region. Although the designed accelerated cycles were not successful in accelerating the damage from the baseline cycle, they were instrumental in establishing what were the dominant parameters. It is suggested that a promising way of accelerating the damage observed under the realistic conditions is by combining an isomoisture environment with a cyclical stress environment, which can be achieved either thermally or mechanically.

Nothing stays the same for ever. The environmental degradation and corrosion of materials is inevitable and affects most aspects of life. In industrial settings, this inescapable fact has very significant financial, safety and environmental implications. The Handbook of Environmental Degradation of Materials explains how to measure, analyse, and control environmental degradation for a wide range of industrial materials including metals, polymers, ceramics, concrete, wood and textiles exposed to environmental factors such as weather, seawater, and fire. Divided into sections which deal with analysis, types of degradation, protection and surface engineering respectively, the reader is introduced to the wide variety of environmental effects and what can be done to control them. The expert contributors to this book provide a wealth of insider knowledge and engineering knowhow, complementing their explanations and advice with Case Studies from areas such as pipelines, tankers, packaging and chemical processing equipment ensures that the reader understands the practical measures that can be put in place to save money, lives and the environment. The Handbook's broad scope introduces the reader to the effects of environmental degradation on a wide range of materials, including metals, plastics, concrete,wood and textiles For each type of material, the book describes the kind of degradation that effects it and how best to protect it Case Studies show how organizations from small consulting firms to corporate giants design and manufacture products that are more resistant to environmental effects

The well documented increase in the use of high performance composites as structural materials in aerospace components is continuously raising the demands in terms of dynamic performance, structural integrity, reliable life monitoring systems and adaptive actuating abilities. Current technologies address the above issues separately; material property tailoring and custom design practices aim to the enhancement of dynamic and damage tolerance characteristics, whereas life monitoring and actuation is performed with embedded sensors that may be detrimental to the structural integrity of the component. This publication explores the unique properties of carbon nanotubes (CNT) as an additive in the matrix of Fibre Reinforced Plastics (FRP), for producing structural composites with improved mechanical performance as well as sensing/actuating capabilities. The successful combination of the CNT properties and existing sensing actuating technologies leads to the realization of a multifunctional FRP structure. The current volume presents the state of the art research in this field. The contributions cover all the aspects of the novel composite systems, i.e. modeling from nano to macro scale, enhancement of structural efficiency, dispersion and manufacturing, integral health monitoring abilities, Raman monitoring, as well as the capabilities that ordered carbon nanotube arrays offer in terms of sensing and/or actuating in aerospace composites.

In accordance with 4.11 of AS36100, materials used in the construction of pallets, nets, and containers shall take into account the effects of environmental conditions, such as temperature, humidity, and UV degradation, expected in service.In accordance with (E)TSO-C90, the applicant shall consider environmental degradation due to aging, ultra-violet (UV) exposure, weathering, etc., for any materials used in the construction of pallets, nets, and containers.The purpose of this Aerospace Recommended Practice (ARP) is to provide guidelines for the basic requirements to be considered regarding environmental degradation effects when qualifying composite materials in the design to fulfill the (E)TSO-C90 Minimum Performance Standard.Material qualification is the verifying of a materials attributes and characterizations, which are typically determined through testing.Material variances related to raw materials and manufacturing processes are not part of this Aerospace Recommended Practice (ARP), nor is damage tolerance. However, these variances cannot be neglected, as all variances shall be considered when deciding the test factors for environmental effects. This Aerospace Recommended Practice (ARP) specifies the basic requirements and principles to be used during the material qualification process of composite materials used in ULDs, considering the effects of environmental degradation.