Creep and Fatigue in Polymer Matrix Composites (Woodhead Publishing Series in Composites Science and Engineering)

Creep is the tendency of materials to deform when subjected to long-term stress, particularly when exposed to heat. Fatigue phenomena occur when a material is subjected to cyclic loading, causing damage which may progress to failure. Both are critical factors in the long-term performance and reliability of materials such as polymer matrix composites, which are often exposed to these types of stresses in civil engineering and other applications. This important book reviews the latest research in modeling and predicting creep and fatigue in polymer matrix composites. The first part of the book reviews the modeling of viscoelastic and viscoplastic behavior as a way of predicting performance and service life. Part two discusses techniques for modeling creep rupture and failure. The final part of the book addresses ways of testing and predicting long-term creep and fatigue in polymer matrix composites.