Mechanical Behavior of Carbon-Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites (Towpreg) Under Various Temperature Conditions
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: As the hydrogen economy rapidly expands, carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer composites (Towpreg) have become key materials for next-generation hydrogen pressure vessels, offering superior processability, reproducibility, and storage stability compared to conventional wet-winding composites. Since hydrogen storage vessels are evaluated at three representative service temperatures (-40, 25, and 85 °C), Towpreg materials must maintain consistent mechanical performance across this range to meet certification standards. This study establishes an integrated methodology combining Towpreg panel fabrication, temperature-controlled tensile and fatigue testing, and quantitative assessment of thermo-mechanical stability using DM epoxy resin as the matrix. To address artifacts such as tab slippage at high temperatures and inefficiency at low temperatures, a "Localized Thermal Control" approach was developed. The HY-Mini Heater System enables localized heating at 85 °C, while the HY-Cooler System applies a Joule-Thomson-based Stirling cooler for efficient localized cooling at -40 °C. Quantitative evaluation showed tensile strengths of 2973.3 MPa (RT), 2767.3 MPa (HT, ~7% decrease), and 2907.7 MPa (LT, ~2% decrease). Under R = 0.1 fatigue testing, the Basquin slope (m) was 11.97 (RT), 9.98 (HT), and 10.6 (LT), while the intercept (log b ≈ 3.7) remained nearly constant. These results confirm the excellent thermo-mechanical stability of the carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer composites (Towpreg) for hydrogen tank applications.
Source: Polymers
Authors: Yoonduck Seo, Jiming Sun, Amit Dixit, Da Hye Kim, Yuen Xia, Sung Kyu Ha
Institutions: Hanyang University, Aditya Birla (India)
Language: English
Subfield: Mechanical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,258
OpenAlex ID: W4417045654