Structural Fiber Composite Materials for Cold Regions

Abstract

Fiber composites are an attractive class of materials for construction in the remote and desolate terrains of cold regions and the Arctic. Data on the cold weather performance of these materials is sparse. High residual stresses occur in composites at low temperatures because of large differences in coefficients of thermal expansion of the constituent elements. Results of cold and cold thermal cycling on a number of composite materials are presented. Results have shown strength degradation at low temperatures for unidirectional composites. Low temperature thermal cycling degraded the strength when the fibers were oriented off‐axis. These changes at low temperatures must be considered in designing with composite materials in cold regions.