Temperature effects on the fatigue characterisation of a carbon-epoxy composite material

An experimental investigation of the effects of temperature on the fracture toughness and mixed-mode fatigue delamination growth in an aerospace grade fibre reinforced polymer, namely IM7/8552, is presented. All the characterization tests have been performed using asymmetric cut-ply specimens subjected to four-point bending both at room and elevated temperatures. It is demonstrated that the mixed-mode fracture toughness increases with the temperature, while the delamination propagation rates decreases at higher severities and increases at lower severities. A new semi-empirical equation describing the effects of temperature on the delamination growth rates is proposed.