Temperature effect on the flexural deformation and strength of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic laminate

Tests and numerical analysis were conducted to evaluate the flexural deformation and strength of laminated carbon fiber-reinforced plastic under high temperature conditions. First, a series of four-point bending tests in various temperature conditions was conducted, and the results indicated a remarkable temperature effect on the flexural deformation and strength. At high temperature test conditions, above the glass transition temperature (Tg) of resin materials, the degradation rate of flexural stiffness and strength abruptly accelerated. The failure mode also changed from de-lamination failure to local buckling failure. Next, finite element analyses using a progressive failure model were performed and compared to the test data. A new damage model considering the Weibull distribution of the composite strength was implemented in the user subroutine of the ABAQUS/standard. It was found that the flexural strength and failure mechanism of laminated carbon fiber-reinforced plastic in various test temperature conditions were well explained and predicted by finite element analysis.