Creep and creep-rupture behaviour of aramid fibres

To obtain creep-rupture data at low level within a reasonably short time-scale, two accelerated techniques have been investigated. Stepped Isothermal Method (SIM) testing involves loading a single specimen, under constant load, with the temperature increased in a series of steps to accelerate the creep. Careful choice of the temperature step and step duration allow the test to be completed in about 24 hours. At each temperature step a creep curve is obtained; these are then adjusted to compensate for the different temperature levels and a creep master curve at a reference temperature is produced. In Stepped Isostress Method (SSM) testing, a similar approach is adopted but the acceleration is obtained by increasing the stress in steps while keeping the temperature constant. Additional stress provides energy to the system in an analogue of the effect of heat in SIM. In this thesis, SIM and SSM tests have been successfully applied to two slightly different aramid fibres, Kevlar 49 and Technora, for a wide range of loads (50-80% ABL). The test data are used to determine the creep and creep-rupture behaviour of the two materials. The creep master curves obtained by accelerated testing are compared with conventional creep tests at ambient conditions, and good agreement of the data is observed. A rheological model for the prediction of the creep and creep-rupture of the two fibres is established to facilitate and greatly increase the reliability of the prediction of the long-term behaviour. This investigation allows more certainty about the creep-rupture relationships for different high modulus fibres, which will in turn allow more realistic safety factors to be applied when using these materials in engineering applications.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo