I/UCRC: Collaborative Research: Durability and Life Cycle Performance of Pultruded and Infused FRPs for Infrastructure

计划主任的建议中心为集成的复合材料到混凝土结构（CICI）提案# 1230351 1230284 GangaRao Rizkalla该提案寻求资金中心为集成的复合材料到混凝土结构在西弗吉尼亚大学和北卡罗来纳州州立大学网站。基础研究的资金申请由NSF批准的招标（NSF 11-570）授权。征集邀请I/UCRC提交支持行业定义的基础研究的提案。热固性塑料和热塑性塑料制成的纤维增强聚合物（FRP）复合材料的应用一直在稳步增长。尽管FRP复合材料可以提供更长的使用寿命，因为比传统材料更有益的热机械性能，缺乏对耐久性和生命周期性能的理解是其大批量应用的主要技术障碍。耐久性响应通常根据化学、物理和机械老化及其组合来确定。因此，拟议研究的目标是：i）在微观和宏观层面评估导致拉挤和灌注复合材料性能退化的机制，ii）最大限度地减少制造（粉碎与灌注）和耐久性相关的缺陷、分层和脱粘，以及iii）开发统一的模型来预测FRP复合材料的寿命周期性能，使得主曲线可以被开发为时间、温度和压力的函数。拟议的项目将帮助该中心成为进行基础耐久性研究的前沿（领导者），并为复合材料行业/最终用户的关键问题提供解决方案。结果将创造更好的行业/大学/最终用户的互动，导致更多的FRP使用量，并刺激经济增长，除了吸引和帮助吸引有才华的学生到我们的研究计划。这项工作的结果将通过会议报告、技术期刊、短期课程和其他方式广泛传播，并将进一步纳入行业/最终用户所需的设计、实践守则和学术课程。

Program Director's Recommendation Center for Integration of Composites into Infrastructures (CICI) Proposal # 1230351 & 1230284 GangaRao & Rizkalla This proposal seeks funding for the Center for Integration of Composites into Infrastructures at West Virginia University and North Carolina State University sites. Funding Requests for Fundamental Research are authorized by an NSF approved solicitation, NSF 11-570. The solicitation invites I/UCRCs to submit proposals for support of industry-defined fundamental research. Applications of Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composites made of thermosets and thermoplastics have been growing steadily. Even though FRP composites can provide longer-service life because of more beneficial thermo-mechanical performance over conventional materials, lack of understanding of durability and life-cycle performance is a major technical obstacle for their high volume application. The durability response is identified typically in terms of chemical, physical and mechanical aging and their combinations. Therefore, the objectives of the proposed research are to: i) evaluate the mechanisms that lead to the degradation of pultruded and infused composite material properties at micro- and macro-levels, ii) minimize manufacturing (pultrusion vs. infusion) and durability related defects, delaminations, and de-bonding, and to iii) develop a unified model(s) to predict life-cycle performance of FRP composites so that master curves can be developed as a function(s) of time, temperature and pressure. The proposed project will help the center to be in forefront (leader) of conducting fundamental durability research and offer solutions to the issues that are critical for composite industry/end-users. Results will create better industry/university/end-user interaction leading to higher volume use of FRPs, and to spur economic growth, in addition to attracting and help attract talented students to our research program. Results of this work will be widely disseminated through conference presentations, technical journals, short-courses and other means, and will be further Integrated into the design, codes of practice, and academic curricula as desired by the industry/ end-users.