TIME-DEPENDENT RESPONSE OF IM7 5260 COMPOSITES SUBJECTED TO CYCLIC THERMOMECHANICAL LOADING/

In this study the response of IM7/5260 composites subjected to cyclic thermo-mechanical loading for loading times up to six months has been measured. In a previous paper it was shown that Schapery's non-linear theory when integrated with a functional viscoplastic model, allows pr edictions of the viscoelastic/viscoplastic response for cyclic loading under isothermal conditions. In the present paper, the ability of the se models to make long-term predictions for cyclic thermo-mechanical l oading conditions is considered. Reasonable agreement between measured strains and predictions (to within 7%) is obtained for all laminates.