Date of Award

Summer 1999

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering

Program/Concentration

Engineering Mechanics

Committee Director

R. Prabhakaran

Committee Member

S. G. Cupschalk

Committee Member

K. Williamson

Call Number for Print

Special Collections; LD4331.E57 M86

Abstract

Polymer matrix pultruded composites have increasingly been used in applications where high strength-to-weight ratio and corrosion resistance are needed. Bridge and pier components are a couple of recent applications due the composite's resistance to corrosion from salt water. In applications of this sort, the material will commonly be subjected to sizable static loads while exposed to varying weather conditions. In using pultruded composites for these applications safely, a better understanding of the material's response to ambient conditions is necessary.

In this thesis, rectangular specimens of a polyester matrix glass reinforced pultruded composite sheet are subjected to both static tensile loading and creep loading at different temperatures. Of these specimens, some are unnotched, while others have holes of different sizes in them. In this way, short term creep rupture and notch sensitivity can be determined as a function of tensile strength and temperature. The results reveal a creep rupture behavior that diverges somewhat from standard power law models. Additionally, creep notch sensitivity was shown to mirror closely static tensile notch sensitivity.

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DOI

10.25777/q65y-q896

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