Multiscale fatigue damage characterization in short glass fiber reinforced polyamide-66

This paper aims at studying fatigue damage behavior of injection molded 30 wt percent short glass fiber reinforced polyamide-66 composite (PA66/GF30). The evolution of dynamic modulus, hysteresis area, cyclic creep and temperature during fatigue tests were analyzed and discussed. Damage analyses by X-ray micro-computed tomography (CT)technique on interrupted fatigue tests at several percentages of total fatigue life were performed to further understand the damage mechanisms and evolution during fatigue loading. It can be observed that experimental results related to the evolution of dynamic modulus, strain, temperature and energy dissipation are important and consistently complement each other for damage evaluation of PA66/GF30. During fatigue loading, diffuse damage occurs over the entire specimen though the damage does not necessarily exhibit the same level between different locations inside the specimen. The CT analysis of voids characteristics demonstrates that the damage continuously increases during fatigue loading. The damage is developed notably along fiber interface in the form of fiber/matrix interfacial debonding.