Variable Surface Temperature Distribution as a Criticality Indicator of the Self-Heating Effect in Composites

Since self-heating effect may significantly intensify structural degradation, it is essential to investigate its criticality, i.e. the temperature value at which fatigue fracture is initiated. In this paper, a new and sensitive criticality indicator based on evaluation of evolution of surface temperature distribution was proposed and experimentally validated. It was shown that comparing to other measurement techniques the presented approach allows for precise evaluation of the critical value of the self-heating temperature. The properly determined critical value may be helpful both during design and operation of elements made of polymers and polymeric composite.