Composite Materials

· For a polymeric matrix, the thermal properties of the fibers are important in dissipating hysteretic matrix heating and increasing fatigue life.
· The uniaxial glass-fiber reinforced nylon has a fatigue strength that depends on the test orientation, the direction normal to the fibers (green) yielding the matrix response, but with

From: Hertzberg & Mason, Academic Press (1980)

the fibers removing heat from the maximum stress waist of the sample.
· For the non-reinforced nylon sample (red) in which heat removal does not occur, the sample fails due to matrix melting at a stress amplitude of 7 ksi.