Novel Approach for the Lifetime Prediction of Composite Materials under Static Loads

Abstract

Composite materials in structural applications that are subjected to static loads for several decades tend to change material performance over their lifetime. Classical creep tests with constant static loading are quite simple tests with low demands on the test equipment. Unfortunately, these tests require uneconomically long test times, which is why a shortening of the test times with various accelerated approaches is being researched. Within this work two approaches for reduction of the testing time were investigated. On the one hand a fatigue test with the variation of R-ratio and following extrapolation to an R-ratio of 1 was done. On the other hand a Stress Rate Accelerated Creep Rupture Test (SRCR) was developed, where a defined initial stress σi is applied at the beginning of the loading process, followed by an increase load with a constant rate instead of the static stress segment of the classic creep rupture tests. Changing the load rate in several individual tests leads to stress rate-dependent fracture strengths with associated fracture times, which allows extrapolation to a fracture time at a load rate of zero. In particular, the approach of the SRCR offers great potential for greatly reducing test times with an acceptable prediction quality.