RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FRACTOGRAPHIC AND MECHANICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EPOXY POLYMER UNDER CLIMATIC EFFECT
V. O. Startsev
All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Aviation Materials, Moscow, Russia
Keywords: Climatic weathering, mechanical properties, fractography, profilometry, epoxy polymer
Abstract
The methodology of fractorgaphic analysis of fracture surfaces after tensile testing was developed for ED-20 epoxy based polymer. Fractogrpahic analysis was conducted using roughness and brightness of fracture surface obtained by Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy. New insight on climatic weathering mechanisms was obtained. The increase in the brittle fracture surface area was observed, which corresponds to the decrease in tensile strength, as the duration of climatic weathering grows.
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