In order to optimize resource efficiency, glass fiber-reinforced polymers (GFRP) have been implemented in recent years in a wide range of applications of transport industries. In this context, GFR-epoxy (GFR-EP) is currently being used mainly because of their sufficiently investigated properties and production processes. Polyurethane (PU), however, shows advantages in terms of energy efficiency and damage tolerance. The aim of this study is the characterization of the fatigue behavior of GFR-PU by stepwise exploration of damage development on microscopic level. Therefore, multiple amplitude and constant amplitude tests have been carried out. Hysteresis and temperature measurements were applied in order to investigate the damage processes and correlated with in situ computed tomography (CT) in intermitting tests. The damage development and mechanisms could be characterized and separated. The results confirm known GFRP damage characteristics, whereas also material-specific peculiarities regarding crack development could be revealed.
Effect of Mean Stress on Fatigue Behavior of Glass Fiber-Reinforced with Epoxy Composites
