Abstract
Our role in the Center of Innovation (COI) project of the Kanazawa Institute of Technology (KIT) was to evaluate the long-term durability of carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) structures developed for the project. Komatsu Matere Co., Ltd. has developed a CFRTP tension rod using pultrusion molding method, with a thermoplastic epoxy resin (TPEP) developed at Innovative Composite Center (ICC) of KIT. The results have already been put to practical use in various fields. As a specific target, a TPEP-impregnated carbon fiber strand (CF/TPEP strand), which is the basic unit of this CFRTP tension rod, was used for durability evaluation. Specifically, annealing effects on statistical creep life during the operating process for the CF/TPEP strand was evaluated statistically using the accelerated testing methodology (ATM) we have developed over many years. Results clarified that the strand’s statistical creep life is altered drastically by the change of viscoelasticity of matrix resin during operation when subjected to loads.
