Mechanical Properties of Polyester-Coated Fabric Membrane Material Subjected to Uniaxial Loading at Elevated Temperatures

Abstract

Polyester-coated fabric has been widely used in membrane structures. However, the mechanical properties of polyester-coated fabric at elevated temperatures have not been well studied, limiting its applications in the fire-resistant analysis. This work concerns the temperature effects on the mechanical properties of the polyester-coated fabric membrane material from four common brands, with an experimental study on polyester-coated fabric specimens at 23°C, 70°C, 100°C, 150°C, 200°C, 230°C, and 250°C under uniaxial loading, respectively. The results indicate that the elastic modulus and the ultimate tensile strength of polyester-coated fabric membrane material decrease with temperature increasing. The breaking elongation first increases and then decreases with increasing temperature. The results are utilized to obtain simple empirical equations by applying membrane structure design and fire-resistant analysis. Change laws for elastic modulus, ultimate tensile strength, and breaking elongation with temperatures are proposed as equations; the constitutive relation of polyester-coated fabric membrane material with temperatures is also fitted by one two-stage equation. Of considerable significance is promoting the research of membrane structure design and fire-resistant analysis.