Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Integration Of Process Parameter Control And Digital Image Correlation Methods In An Investigation Of The Variability Of Marine Polymer Matrix Composite Material Properties, Keith Andrew Berube

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The very nature of continuous fiber composite materials, with their heterogeneous structure of layered and interwoven fibers bound together by a polymer resin matrix, lead to an inevitable variability in mechanical properties. This is especially true if the fabrication process is not well controlled. Unlike fabricating components with metals, where the properties of the material are known beforehand, the final properties of the composite material are determined during the process of fabricating the composite part. The research described herein was undertaken to better enable the use of polymer matrix composites in the marine construction industry by developing a knowledge base …