Abstract
An apparatus was developed to repetitively apply a $-196^{\circ}C$ thermal load to coupon-sized mechanical test specimens. Using this device, IM7/5250-4 (carbon / bismaleimide) cross-ply and quasi-isotropic laminates were submerged in liquid nitrogen ($LN_2$) 400 times. Ply-by-ply micro-crack density, laminate modulus, and laminate strength were measured as a function of thermal cycles. Quasi-isotropic samples of IM7/977-3 (carbon / epoxy) composite were also manually cycled between liquid nitrogen and an oven set at $120^{\circ}C$ for 130 cycles to determine whether including elevated temperature in the thermal cycle significantly altered the degree or location of micro-cracking. In response to thermal cycling, both materials micro-cracked extensively in the surface plies fellowed by sparse cracking of the inner plies. The tensile modulus of the IM7/5250-4 specimens was unaffected by thermal cycling, but the tensile strength of two of the lay-ups decreased by as much as 8.5%.