EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATION OF CARBON FIBER COMPOSITE STRENGTH AFTER EXPOSURE TO SUBZERO TEMPERATURES
TMWVIT
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25712/ASTU.2072-8921.2026.01.035Keywords:
carbon fiber composite, polymer composite material, Arctic conditions, climatic aging, thermo-hygrocycling, moisture diffu-sion, strength, durabilityAbstract
The article presents the results of an experimental study on the influence of Arctic climatic factors on the physical and mechanical properties of carbon fiber polymer composite materials. The research focused on carbon fiber–reinforced plastic, exposed under different conditions: indoors (control), outdoors under natural climatic influences, and under artificial thermo-hygrocycling. During exposure, the specimens’ mass and geometric parameters were monitored, and moisture sorption was evaluated. The mass change was approximated using Fick’s diffusion model; for thermo-hygrocycled plates, the diffusion coefficient was determined as D = 0.215 mm²/day with R² = 0.92, indicating high accuracy of the experimental fit. Longitudinal bending tests at various loading rates (0.01–1 mm/s) showed that after climatic exposure, strength varied slightly, though the trends were distinct. Samples exposed under natural conditions demonstrated up to a 6% increase in strength, while thermo-hygrocycled specimens exhibited a decrease of up to 19%. It was established that cyclic fluctuations of temperature and humidity lead to the accumulation of microdefects and internal stresses, resulting in structural degradation and reduced durability of the material.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Mikhail M. Kopyrin, Mark G. Petrov, Oleg V. Startsev, Mikhail P. Lebedev
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