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Diffusion Measurements in Polymers and Their Composites


EMSL Project ID
30416

Abstract

Moisture can play a significant role in influencing the mechanical behavior and long-term durability of composites. The current proposal aims to understand the basic concepts of moisture transport in polymeric composites at a fundamental level. As the work concerns surface diffusion and interaction with fibers, it supports the EMSL science theme "Science of Interfacial Phenomena." Moisture content will be measured as a function of thickness depth and time using Nuclear Reaction Analysis (NRA) from the Ion Accelerator beam lines and end stations. The effects of standard and accelerated exposures of a thermoplastic and toughened epoxy system will be compared. The results will be used to improve our ability to extrapolate from simple laboratory coupons to complex structures used in design.

Project Details

Project type
Large-Scale EMSL Research
Start Date
2008-08-04
End Date
2011-09-30
Status
Closed

Team

Principal Investigator

Lloyd Smith
Institution
Washington State University

Team Members

Siva Pilli
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Related Publications

Pilli SP, LV Smith, and V Shutthanandan. 2012. "MEASURING TIME DEPENDENT DIFFUSION IN POLYMER MATRIX COMPOSITES." PNNL-SA-87954, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA.
Siva P. Pilli; Lloyd V. Smith; Shutthanandan Vaithiyalingam Measuring time-dependent diffusion in polymer matrix composites Mechanics of Time-Dependent Materials. 2012:1-9.
Siva P. Pilli, Lloyd V. Smith, Shutthanandan Vaithiyalingam, "ORTHOTROPIC DIFFUSION MEASUREMENTS IN POLYMER MATRIX COMPOSITES USING NRA", May 17-20, SAMPE 2010, Seattle, WA