EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE ON THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS EXPOSED TO AVIATION FLUIDS

The study investigated the influence of aviation-fuel exposure and temperature on the thermal and mechanical behaviour of a glass-fibre-reinforced plastic composite. GFRP laminates were fabricated by hand lay-up and exposed to ATF and OX38 for seven days at 50 °C and 80 °C, after which thermal, impact, tensile and flexural properties were evaluated.   ·      The Glass Transition (Tg) thermal showed temperature-dependent changes in the composite material, indicating changes in its thermal behaviour as the temperature increased. ·      ATF showed greater absorption or interaction with the GFRP specimens than OX38 in the project observations. ·      Exposure to both ATF and OX38 affected the impact, tensile and flexural behaviour of the composite. ·      Impact strength decreased after exposure to both aviation fuels; the average recorded impact energy was 70.8 J for the original condition and 57.7, 55.3, 58.2 and 56.4 J for the four exposed conditions. ·      ATF produced a greater overall change in mechanical properties than OX38 according to the project interpretation. ·      Increasing the exposure temperature from 50 °C to 80 °C influenced the mechanical behaviour of the composite. ·      The thermal and mechanical results indicate that aviation-fuel exposure and elevated temperature should be considered when evaluating GFRP materials for aerospace applications.

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