Mechanical Properties of Carbon Fiber Laminate in Elevated Temperatures

Abstract

The composite industry is rapidly growing its applications of lightweight polymer matrix composites (PMC) in aircraft, industrial machines, and automobiles due to their increased fuel efficiency. The mechanical behaviors of PMCs are usually studied at room temperature rather than higher temperature because they are more economical to test. However, there are a lot of higher temperature applications such as high powered rocketry and robotic industrial components. Rocketry demands to further decrease the mass of the rocket while maintaining stiffness, and motor actuators need to move quickly with low inertial components to increase manufacturing productivity.