This work provides techniques to separately determine temperature and duration of a thermal pre-load on a polymer matrix composite with a focus on long-term load (max. 400 days) without massive polymer degradation. The aim is a non-destructive, rapid, robust and precise in-service method to characterize incipient heat damage. A commercially available composite 8552/IM7 is investigated. Infrared spectroscopy of the surface and bulk material traces thermal degradation of the polymer. A multivariate (chemometric) data analysis was performed. The reliability of the calculated values for time (±19 d) and temperature (± 12℃) is increased by including other parameters with various degradation velocities such as mass loss of the composite and color changes and binder degradation of a typical top coat. The residual strength of a composite with unknown thermal history can be predicted and thermal loads such as heating in an oven and hot air are compared.
SkourlisTPMcCulloughRL. The effect of temperature on the behavior of the interphase in polymeric composites. Compos Sci Technol1993; 49: 363–368.
2.
NgSJCramerRJMehrkamPA. Characterization of IM7/8552 polymer composites subjected to heat damage. Composites for the real world, Proceedings of the 29th International SAMPE Technical Conference, Orlando FL776–786.
3.
PeringGAFarrellPVSpringerGSDegradation of tensile and shear properties of composite exposed to fire or high temperature. In: SpringerGS (ed.) Environmental effects on composite materials, New York: Technomic Publishing Company, Inc., pp. 145–159.
Pritt HL. Thermal degradation of graphite-epoxy composites. Final Report No. N62669-79-C-0270, Naval Air Development Center, 1980.
6.
BurchamLJEduljeeRFGillespieJW. Investigation on the microcracking behavior of bismaleimide composites during thermal aging. Polym Compos1995; 16(6): 507–517.
7.
MasciaLZhangJ. Mechanical properties and thermal aging of a perfluoroether-modified epoxy resin in castings and glass fibre composites. Composites1995; 26(5): 379–385.
8.
DaoBHodkinJKrstinaJ. Accelerated aging versus realistic aging in aerospace composite materials, II. Chemistry of thermal aging in a structural composite J Appl Polym Sci2006; 102: 3221–3232.
9.
BondzicSHodkinJKrstinaJ. Chemistry of thermal aging in aerospace epoxy composites. J Appl Polym Sci2005; 100: 2210–2219.
10.
MallickPK. Nondestructive tests. Composites engineering handbook, New York, Basel, Hong Kong: Marcel Dekker, 1997, pp. 857–873.
11.
DaraIHAnkaraAAkovaliG. Heat damage assessment of carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer composites by diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy. J Appl Polym Sci2005; 96: 1222–1230.
12.
Shelley P, Vahey P, Werner G and Seelenbinder J. (2011). Handheld infrared spectroscopy for composite non-destructive testing. In: SAMPE 2011, Long Beach, CA, 23–26 May 2011.
13.
Application Note 204. Thermal damage in composites – Correlation of short beam shear data with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy Polytech GmbH, Waldbronn, Germany 2010.
14.
Shelley P, Vahey P and Werner G. Thermal effect measurement with mid-infrared spectroscopy. Patent 2010/0038544 A1, USA, 2010.
15.
Shelley P, Vahey P and Werner G. Method of predicting thermal or chemical effect in a coated or painted composite material. Patent 2011/001047 A1, USA, 2011.
16.
WolfrumJEiblSLietchL. Rapid evaluation of long-term thermal degradation of carbon fibre epoxy composites. Compos Sci Technol2009; 69: 523–530.
17.
EiblS. Observing inhomogeneity of plastic components in carbon fibre reinforced polymer materials by ATR-FTIR-spectroscopy in the micrometer scale. J Compos Mater2008; 42: 1231–1246.
18.
Product Data Sheets, Hexcel Inc., www.hexcel.com (assessed 9 September 2012).
19.
Technical Data Sheet, Fa. Mankiewicz Gebr. & Co, Hamburg, www.Mankiewicz.com (assessed 9 September 2012).
20.
DIN EN ISO 2813: Paints and varnishes - Determination of specular gloss of non-metallic paint films at 20 degrees, 60 degrees and 85 degrees. Berlin: Beuth Verlag, 1999.
21.
DIN EN 2563: Aerospace series- Carbon fibre reinforced plastics - Unidirectional laminates; determination of apparent interlaminar shear strength. Berlin: Beuth Verlag, 1997.
22.
ISO 7724/1. Paints and varnishes - Colorimetry - Part 1: Principles, www.iso.org (1984).
23.
DIN 6174. Colorimetric evaluation of colour coordinates and colour differences according to the approximately uniform CIELAB colour space. Berlin: Beuth Verlag, 2007.
24.
Eibl S. Influence of carbon fibre orientation on reaction-to-fire properties of polymer matrix composites. Fire Mater; DOI 10.1002/fam1112.
Miguletz B. Schnelle Ermittlung des Gefahrstofffreisetzungspotenzials beim Abbrand von CFK (Rapid evaluation of toxic combustion products of CFRP). Diploma Thesis, Georg-Simon-Ohm University for Applied Sciences, Nuremberg, 2010.
27.
Hummel O and Scholl F. Atlas of polymer and plastics analysis. vol. 2. Munich: Carl Hanser Verlag, 1988.
28.
ChalmersJMGriffithsPR. Handbook of vibrational spectroscopy, New York: Wiley-VCH, pp. 2226–2226.
29.
MustoPRagostaGRussoP. Thermal-oxidative degradation of epoxy-bismaleimide networks: kinetics and mechanisms. Macromol Chem Phys2001; 202(18): 3445–3458.
30.
MarkHWorkmanJ. Chemometrics in spectroscopy, Amsterdam: Academic Press-Elsevier, 2007.
31.
Kahl L and Wille B. Thermische Schädigung von Kohlenstofffaser verstärkten Kunststoffen (Thermal Damage of CFRP), Project Study, Universität der Bundeswehr Munich, 2010.
32.
Maple 13. Mathematics modeling simulation. Waterloo, Canada: MapleSoft, 2009.
33.
WróbelGStabikJRojekM. Non-destructive diagnostic methods of polymer matrix composites degradation. J Achieve Mater Manuf Eng2008; 31: 53–59.
34.
FisherWGStoreyJMESharpSL. Nondestructive inspection of graphite-epoxy composites for heat damage using laser-induced fluorescence. Appl Spectrosc1995; 49(9): 1225–1231.
35.
MeilunasRJBentsenJGSteinbergA. Analysis of aged paint binders by FTIR-spectroscopy. Stud Conserv1990; 35(1): 33–51.
36.
WilhelmCGardetteJL. Infrared analysis of the photochemical behaviour of segmented polyurethanes: 1. Aliphatic poly(ester-urethane). Polymer1997; 38(16): 4019–4031.
37.
The Unscrambler 10.2, CAMO Software AS, Norway, 2012.
