Effect of Temperature and Water Immersion on the Mechanical Properties of Coated Fabrics
As composite, the mechanical properties of coated fabrics are sensitive to environment. This paper presented mechanical properties under different environments. A list of uniaxial tests are carried out under different temperatures including -20°C, 0°C, 23°C, 50°C, and 70°C. First, the tensile behaviors at room temperature and the failure behaviors are studied. Then, the effects of temperature on mechanical properties are determined. Finally, the effects of water immersion on mechanical properties are discussed. Results show PTFE coated fabrics remained unchanged in varying temperature and humidity. The temperature has effects on the mechanical properties of PVC coated fabrics. With increasing temperature, the strength decrease and the strain at break increase. The temperature induction factors are proposed for the design and analysis. The water immersion has little effect on the mechanical properties because of the impervious coating.