Engineering Commons^™

Analysis Of Moisture Absorption And Diffusion In Fiber Reinforced Polymeric Resin-Matrix Composite Materials, Stephen Stern Tompkins

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The diffusion of moisture through fiber reinforced polymeric-matrix composite materials has been studied analytically. The diffusion in the orthotropic, nonhomogeneous material was modeled, in detail, with a two-dimensional transient diffusion analysis. An effective diffusivity for the composite was determined in terms of the fiber volume fraction and the resin diffusivity. This effective diffusivity is in better agreement with recent data than those previously determined using less complex models.

The influence of both material and environmental parameters on the moisture content of the composite was determined analytically. Predicted moisture contents were compared over a wide range of values for emittance, solar …

The Tensile Properties Of Compatible Glassy Polyblends Based Upon Poly(2,6-Dimethyl-1,4-Phenylene Oxide)., Lothar Walter Kleiner

Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014

The mechanical behavior of compatible glassy polyblends based upon poly (2 , 6-dimethyl-l , 4-phenylene oxide) (PPO) was investigated. In particular, the influence of composition, molecular weight, and molecular weight distribution upon the large deformation tensile properties was assessed. Various possible correlations between the experimentally determined moduli and theory are considered. Included are correlations with density, packing density, composite theory and lattice fluid theory. Similarities in behavior of the compatible glassy polyblends to the phenomenon known as "antiplasticization" is presented. The modeling of the properties of these polymer mixtures via Simplex lattice design is also detailed. Finally, attention is given …