Volume 8, Issue 5, 1999

Post-Impact Behaviour of Polymeric Composites and the Effects of Salt Water Aging on Tensile Properties

D.R. Veazie^1*, S.W. Park², and Min Zhou ²

1 Department of Engineering, Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, GA 30314, USA

           2 School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA

*(Author to whom correspondence should be addressed)

ABSTRACT

The study described in this report uses the split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) apparatus to induce damage in a polymer matrix composite by low-velocity, transverse impact. The configuration used a three-point bend fixture in the SHPB for controlled loading and real-time diagnosis. The material analysed was a glass-fibre reinforced bismaleimide matrix composite designated S2 glass/5250-4. Experiments were conducted to characterise the response of the composite by relating a range of impact energies to the post-impact tensile strength following salt-water aging. Results showed that following salt-water aging, a monotonic relation exists between the amount of impact energy absorbed by the specimens and both the post-impact tensile strength and the moisture absorbed by the specimens. In the S2 glass/5250-4 system examined, the effects of exposure to 5000 hours of salt-water following impact were minor, illustrating the insignificance of this type of environmental effect on the post-impact tensile strength.