Environmental exposure effects on composite materials for commercial aircraft. Final Report, 22 Nov. 1977 - 31 Dec. 1990

Technical Report · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:5517683

Hoffman, D J; Bielawski, W J

A study was conducted to determine the effects of long term flight and ground exposure on three commercially available graphite-epoxy material systems: T300/5208, T300/5209, and T300/934. Sets of specimens were exposed on commercial aircraft and ground racks for 1, 2, 3, 5, and 10 years. Inflight specimen sites included both the interior and exterior of aircraft based in Hawaii, Texas, and New Zealand. Ground racks were located at NASA-Dryden and the above mentioned states. Similar specimens were exposed to controlled lab conditions for up to 2 years. After each exposure, specimens were tested for residual strength and a dryout procedure was used to measure moisture content. Both room and high temperature residual strengths were measured and expressed as a pct. of the unexposed strength. Lab exposures included the effects of time alone, moisture, time on moist specimens, weatherometer, and simulated ground-air-ground cycling. Residual strengths of the long term specimens were compared with residual strengths of the lab specimens. Strength retention depended on the exposure condition and the material system. Results showed that composite materials can be successfully used on commercial aircraft if environmental effects are considered.

• Research Organization: Boeing Commercial Airplane Co., Seattle, WA (United States)
• OSTI ID: 5517683
• Report Number(s): N-91-24358; NASA-CR--187478; NAS--1.26:187478; CNN: NAS1-15148
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360603* -- Materials-- Properties
CARBON FIBERS
COMPOSITE MATERIALS
EPOXIDES
FIBERS
HIGH TEMPERATURE
MATERIALS
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
MOISTURE
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
SERVICE LIFE
TEMPERATURE EFFECTS
TENSILE PROPERTIES
TIME DEPENDENCE