Influence of thermal distortion to compression failure of polymer matrix composite panels in fire

This paper discusses the influence of thermal distortion to compression failure load of polymer matrix composite panels in fire. The thermal gradient along the thickness of the panel, caused by low thermal conductivity, induces transverse deformation field even without external mechanical loads, known as thermal distortion. The deformation field of thermal distortion obtained from combined thermal–mechanical analysis is presented in terms of non-dimensional parameters that represent thermal and mechanical properties, including those in phase transition at high temperature range, and dimensional lengths. A failure model is proposed to assess the transition from Euler buckling to plastic compression failure under the influence of thermal distortion. For large slenderness ratio, the panel is failed by Euler buckling. For small slenderness ratio, the panel is failed by plastic failure mechanism, where the analysis quantifies the influence of thermal distortion to the reduction of load-bearing capacity. The compression failure mechanism under the influence of thermal distortion is discussed for developing quantitative approach to design polymer matrix composite structures in fire.