Hygrothermal ageing and fracture of glass fibre-epoxy composites

The effects of hygrothermal ageing upon the failure characteristics and work of fracture of glass fibres in epoxy are described. A collection of data based on the direct observation and measurement of fibre debond length and fibre pull-out length after fracture is displayed in empirical failure diagrams. Similarly, a vast number of experimental measurements of work of fracture is displayed in a three-dimensional diagram where the axes are work of fracture, humidity and ageing time. This information is combined with models of fracture in the construction of a fracture map which is used to interpret hygrothermal ageing phenomena.