Characterization of the influence on thermomechanical behavior of shape memory polymer due to fiber reinforcement

Shape memory polymers are currently investigated as potential materials for large deployable space structures, such as radar antennas, solar paddles and radiator cooling systems. In actual applications, the fiber reinforcement is effective for ensuring the sustainability of the deployed structures. In previous works, the thermomechanical properties of these fiber-reinforced shape memory polymer composites have not investigated in detail. Especially, the mechanism with regard to how the reinforcing fibers block the shape-recovery deformation of the polymers must be understood to allow the successful deployment of the structures. For this purpose, we conducted uniaxial, thermomechanical cycle experiments on short carbon-fiberreinforced shape-memory-polymer composite. We summarized the experimental results in terms of the changes in the stiffness, stress-relaxation property, and unrecoverable deformation due to fiber reinforcement. Moreover, we presented a thermomechanical finite element analysis on the shape recovery behavior of these composites. From the comparison with experiments, we revealed the influence of the fiber reinforcement on the shape-recovery deformation of the polymers.