Creep behavior of a continuous strand, swirl mat reinforced polymeric composite in simulated automotive environments for durability investigation: Part I: experimental development and creep-rupture

Experimental methods were developed to simulate automotive environments and investigate the creep-rupture behavior of an isocyanurate base polyurethane matrix with a continuous strand, swirl mat E-glass reinforcement. The material under stress was exposed to various simulated automobile service conditions to test its creep-rupture properties. Results showed that environment had substantial effects on its creep strength durability. The resulting data were analyzed for deriving experimental based equations. Proposed guidelines and stress reduction factors were developed for automotive structural design applications.