Influence of Temperature on Tensile Properties of Unidirectional Carbon‐Epoxy Composites

ABSTRACT The properties of carbon fiber reinforced epoxy (CFRP) composites will decrease with an increase in temperature. The epoxy matrix softens as the temperature increases, which leads to weak interfacial bonding that results in a decrease in tensile strength. In this work, the temperature‐dependent longitudinal and transverse tensile properties of filament‐wound CFRP laminates are investigated at different temperatures from 0°C to 110°C. With an increase in temperature, the tensile strength decreases significantly. The longitudinal tensile strength decreased from 2340 to 1550 MPa. The transverse strength decreased from 17 to 10 MPa. The longitudinal modulus increased slightly from 143 to 158 GPa, while the transverse modulus decreased from 9.8 to 6.6 GPa with an increase in temperature. The major Poisson's ratio remained constant at all temperatures. The minor Poisson's ratio decreased slightly from 0.022 at 0°C to 0.013 at 110°C. Analytical models were used to assess the change of longitudinal and transverse tensile strength as a function of temperature. Model results showed good agreement with the experimental results. Parametric analysis was also performed to study the effect of different material parameters on the tensile strength of composites.