Three-dimensional Thermodynamical Modeling of Fire Effect on Polymer Matrix Composites, Considering Variation of Thermal Properties

In this article، three-dimensional temperature distribution in polymer matrix composites، exposed to fire is studied. Considering the variation of the thermal properties of composites during the heating process، equations are solved using a finite difference method. Also، strong variation of temperature through the thickness of composites is observed. More heat transfer in the longitudinal direction is observed than that of the transverse direction. A semi-empirical model for simulation of the distribution of temperature in composites is presented. Experiments are performed on glass/epoxy composites and the results are compared with the theoretical results. The morphology of delamination are elliptical and circular for unidirectional and woven laminates، respectively.