Effect of the Environment on the Fatigue Behavior of Textile Organic Matrix Composite Materials for Aircraft Applications

This book investigates the combined effects of fatigue and environmental conditions on composite materials for aeronautical applications. Thermoset composites are increasingly used in the manufacture of aircraft structural components exposed to relatively high temperatures. However, the interaction between fatigue loading and oxidizing environments at elevated temperatures remains poorly understood in the literature on organic matrix composites. In this book, composite specimens are subjected to fatigue loading at high temperatures under controlled environmental conditions, including air and aggressive and inert atmospheres, using a dedicated experimental setup. Oxidation phenomena previously documented in the literature on composite matrices are first investigated and evaluated in laminated composites, and subsequently in woven composites. The results of the experimental campaigns show that an oxidizing environment (O2) significantly affects damage kinetics and material degradation. Digital Image Correlation (DIC) and micro-computed tomography (µCT) are used to measure surface strain fields and assess internal damage, respectively. The evolution of the mechanical properties during fatigue loading is described using an analytical model, which also makes it possible to determine the acceleration factor governing the degradation of these properties.