Theoretical and experimental studies on residual stresses of advanced polymer composites

The residual stresses and mechanisms causing residual stresses in thermoset polymer composites were considered. The relative importance of the different mechanisms was analyzed. The residual stresses were determined analytically by viscoelastic model in addition to an experiment. The linear elastic model was used to calculate of residual stresses in each layer of laminated composites. The fiber Bragg grating (FBG) strain sensor was used to measure the residual stresses throughout cure. The results are agreed well. The viscoelasticity of composites should be considered during calculating the residual stresses, and FBG strain sensor is shown to be a reliable for an accurate measurement of the residual stresses.