118 - UNDERSTANDING TEMPERATURE-DEPENDENT FAILURE MECHANISMS IN COMPOSITES: INSIGHTS INTO CRACK INITIATION TEMPERATURE (CIT) (CompTest 2025)
The low-temperature performance of composites has gained increasing interest in recent years due to growing research and development activities in the hydrogen economy. The storage of liquid hydrogen in composite tanks is a particularly promising application in the aviation sector, where lightweight materials with exceptional low-temperature performance are critical [1]. However, the utilization of composites under cryogenic conditions is associated with extreme demands on the temperature and thermal fatigue resistance of the fiber-reinforced materials. Microcracking of the resins and fibermatrix interphases and micro-delaminations of the plies are typically evolving during extreme low service temperatures [2]. Therefore, the present study introduces the Crack Initiation Temperature (CIT) as a reliable metric for evaluating the suitability of materials under low-temperature conditions. The CIT is defined as the temperature at which the first cracks in the matrix or the initial failure of the fibre-matrix interphases occur due to thermal stresses arising while cooling. It serves as a critical parameter for assessing material performance in extreme environments.
Date
21.05.2025.
Keywords
Composite Materials, Crack Initiation Temperature (CIT), Cryogenic Conditions, Finite Element Method (FEM), Temperature-Dependent Properties
